Australia NewsSeven Snub For Olyroos Beijing Campaign |
EXCLUSIVE: Channel Seven has released details of its Olyroo coverage at the Beijing Olympics - and it's likely to frustrate football fans.
The free-to-air network won't show live coverage of the first Olyroo group game against Serbia on Thursday August 7.Instead, the match will be on a two-hour delay so as not to interrupt the network's regular coverage, a spokesperson told au.fourfourtwo.com today.
This despite the game being played the day before the Games' opening ceremony.
Seven also confirmed that the Olyroo v Serbia game will be interrupted "at some point" to cross to the AOC team reception for the flag bearer announcement.
The network hoped this would be during half-time but could not guarantee the time or duration of the cross.
Given this announcement isn't actually a sport, this won't go down well with viewing fans, particularly if the match is at a crucial point.
What's more, according to the network's coverage details, the crunch match for the Olyroos against Argentina on Sunday August 10 will begin at 7pm, however, by 8.30pm - that is with around 15 minutes to go of the crunch match - the coverage is set to switch to swimming.
For the Olyroos' final group match against Ivory Coast on Wednesday August 13, the game's coverage will be shared with women's basketball.
The spokesperson added: "The nature of any Olympics is such that no way is it possible to be able to show uninterrupted coverage of all events."
Seven's football commentator for the Olympics will be Gordon Bray, known as the voice of Rugby Union for the network.
And the network stressed in its coverage details that "Seven will be integrating key AFL coverage within the Olympic broadcasts."
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