When it comes to curling, Team GB competes as Scotland at the world wheelchair curling championships. Add this to the fact that several of the team are long-standing SIS members, and you’ll understand why we are all looking forward to watching them perform on the elite stage of the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver. But will we actually get a chance to watch them at all?
The BBC will NOT be broadcasting any live coverage of the winter Paralympics on TV. Instead there will be a daily news report from the games (although at what time of day we’re not sure) and an hour long highlights programme once the games are finished.
The BBC Sport website editor Lewis Wiltshire wrote the following response to comments on his blog:
“we will be reporting the Winter Paralympics daily via news reports and this website using reporters and crews based in Vancouver and Whistler. There are provisional plans in place to stream the curling live through the BBC Sport website and BBC Red Button if the GB team make the medal rounds and we will also be broadcasting a one hour highlights programme on Monday 22 March on BBC TWO. We will not be broadcasting any other live coverage due to budget restrictions and the time zone factor. This decision was made several months ago.”
In 2001 the IOC created Olympic Broadcasting Services to be responsible for the game’s entire host broadcasts from Vancouver 2010 onwards. All the video coverage you see from the Winter Olympics and Paralympics (and also all the coverage you will see of London 2012) is filmed by OBS. They then stream this directly to the rights-holding broadcasters around the world, which in the UK means the BBC.
Since the BBC has already purchased the rights to all the live video feed from the games, and since they don’t actually have to film anything themselves, we’re not quite sure what “budget restrictions” Lewis Wiltshire is referring too.
Thankfully, the International Paralympic Committee has set up a web-based TV channel, ParaylmpicSport.tv to showcase Paralympic sport. Live and recorded coverage of the winter Paralympics will be available online via their website or via their YouTube channel here. Below is their new Vancouver trailer!
What do you think about the BBC’s proposed Winter Paralympic coverage? What do you think of the BBC’s coverage of disability sport in general? Do you have any thoughts on Channel 4 being the official UK broadcaster for London 2012?
Please share your thoughts with us via the comments feature, we’d love to hear your opinion.
The Winter Paralympics takes place from March 12th – 21st.
You can find out full details of the GB teams for curling and skiing from the Paralympics GB website.
Related links:
I note with interest that the BBC have lost the rights to broadcast the 2012 Paralympics though, perhaps that’s why they’ve lost interest?? Let’s hope Channel 4 do a better job, I think they will be determined to show that they can!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/08/channel-4-show-2012-paralympics
Channel 4 are promising a whopping 150 hours of coverage for 2012, fantastic!
It’s interesting that the BBC can find plenty of space for hour-long episodes of Dancing on Wheels on BBC 3 but can’t find the cash or the time slots for the Winter Paralympics!
I always look forward to the paralympics ,and am disgusted that the bbc funded by US , feels its not worth showing, when they waste so much time and money on football, heres to c4 taking over
I find the BBCs attitude towards all things disability shocking. They claim they try to please as many people as they can within the UK but they quite often can not be bothered with disabled people, one token dancing show with wheel chairs and one guy on Eastenders just does not cut it.
Really hope Channel 4 do the Paralympics justice and showcase it well.
I’m done with the BBC now, they are happy to budget for every hour of the Winter Olympics, most of which can’t be shown live, but an hour a day of Paralympics? Fail!
The BBC will NOT be broadcasting any live coverage of the winter Paralympics on TV.
What a sad thing to hear. I was really looking forward to watching these brave people demonstrate how life can still be enjoyed despite it’s hinderances. This would be such a positive thing for the nation to enjoy, and for the competitors and their families to be proud of.
What a shame, the BBC have failed us all big time.
I am completely shocked by the discovery that BBC is’opting out’ of covering the winter Paralympics. I have been combing the papers to find out when I could watch the skiing events…well that was pointless.
The courage and determination shown by the athletes so deserves to be seen and appreciated. What a disgusting response from our public service corporation.
I’m really disappointed as I was excitedly looking forward to it (thanks for the web tv link) – do they feel disabled sport is somehow lesser or that only the disabled are interested? As an able-bodied person I can verify both answers are resoundingly NO.
I feel it’s tight-fisted and degrading and they should devote the same care to the Paralympics as to the Olympics.
I’m glad C4 will be showing so much Paralympics – let’s see how they do and hope other broadcasters sit up and we get to see more Paralympics on free TV for Sochi 2014 whoever has the rights!
I am totally disgusted that the BBC will not be showing any live coverage of the winter Paralympics. These athletes work so hard to get there they surely deserve their moment probably even more than the able bodied athletes. SHAME ON YOU BBC!!!!!
i am very disappointed with the bbc not covering the paralympics. which my son and i was really looking forward to watch. i am not a sport fan but do like watyching this espacially to see diable person doing so well in there choosen sport.
well i am glad channel 4 will be doing the coverage in 20012 and hope they will carry on doing this at every other paralympic games.
good luck to gb team
I am really upset.
Even though we didn’t do well in vancouver I did enjoy the winter olympics and was excited to watch the winter paralympics evreyday.
If we have a GB team shouldn’t we have a right to watch them as much as we did with the winter olympics? We all have to pay for a tv licence it would be nice to watch something that I want to watch on the bbc and have paid for!
It can’t do much for GB’s paralympic team spirit if they know the bbc is not bothered about them and no-one is able to watch them.
These people have disabilities and still do an amazing job and give hope to other people with disabilities that they can do this to! It’s a shame that the bbc don’t realise this. They are just as important as any able athlete and I wish them the very best with the games! Good luck GB!
Never expect much of the Winter Games, but considering the BBC has been a world lead in covering the summer Paralympics, it’s a disgrace they’re bottom of the pile when it comes to the Winter version.
Live coverage doesn’t bother me too much, but considering the host broadcaster is producing and distributing a daily 55-minute highlight show which they could easily just stick on the red button blaming cost is ridiculous.
For anyone wanting to watch I’d recommend the Eurovision Broadcasting Union site – http://www.eurovisionsports.tv. They have live coverage of what I assume is all events and make quite a bit available on demand too.
Full schedule here:
http://www.eurovisionsports.tv/paralympics/epg/index.html
We are very dissapointed that there is no television coverage of the paraolympic winter games as we have wanted to watch the atheletes compete on the same level of apreciation as the prior games.Why has no cover been given to this important aspect of human endevour?
please pass on our best wishes to all partisipants and press for a better coverage as soon as possible.
The BBC should be ashamed of themselves for not having at least some time dedicated to Vancoover para olympics.Having said that maybe its our fault that as a nation we celebrate the current culture of watching programmes such as whats Jordan doing now or more rubbish from Eastenders that doesnt help! Or maybe Im just getting old.
I was shocked to discover the paraylimpics was not being given similar (any) tv coverage here in UK. The clips I’ve seen make me want to see as much of it as poss – I actually had no idea there even was a winter paraylimpics and it looks amazing. So frustrating and what an attitude; not to show it if Britain aren’t in the medals! Come on UK tv broadcasters this is very poor and totally biaised – and too late now to put it right this year!
150 hours is planned for 2012 according to channel 4! Keeping everything crossed!