ATHLETICS: Channel 4 to screen three major para-athletics events in 2013

Channel 4 has confirmed it will broadcast a triple-header of international para-athletics events this summer, following on from its hugely successful coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The broadcaster, which recently won a BAFTA award for its coverage of the 2012 Paralympics, will screen terrestrial coverage of the first ever Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final from Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on June 29.

A month later, Channel 4 will also show the final day of the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, July 28,  as well as extended coverage of the IPC Athletics World Championships from Lyon, which runs from July 19-28.

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AWARDS: Channel 4 wins BAFTA award for London 2012 Paralympics coverage

Channel 4 has won the BAFTA TV award in the ‘Sport and Live Event’ category for its ground-breaking coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The broadcaster fought off strong competition from the production team behind the London 2012 opening ceremony, as well as BBC Sport’s coverage of ‘Super Saturday’ at the London 2012 Olympics and the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Commenting on stage on behalf of the Channel 4 on-air team at the ceremony staged at London’s Royal Festival Hall, former Paralympian Ade Adepitan, who co-presented alongside Clare Balding at the Games, said he was in shock that the broadcaster had claimed the prize.

AWARDS: Clare Balding to receive special BAFTA TV award

Sports presenter Clare Balding is to receive a special award at next month’s BAFTA Television Awards.

She will be recognised for her ‘Outstanding Achievement in Factual Presenting’ at the ceremony to be held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on May 12.

The BAFTA committee described her work covering London 2012 – on the BBC for the Olympics and on Channel 4 for the Paralympics – had made her ‘a national treasure’.

AWARDS: Olympics, Paralympics and Wimbledon nominated for 2013 BAFTA TV sport award

The shortlist for the 2013 Arqiva BAFTA Television Awards have been announced with London 2012-related programmes and events dominating the main sports category.

The ‘Sport and Live Event’ nominations include the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, the BBC’s coverage of Olympic ‘Super Saturday’ and the 2012 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final, as well as Channel 4’s Paralympic Games coverage.

Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony, which was broadcast live on BBC One to a record 30m viewers, is also nominated in the Radio Times Audience Award category, which is the only award decided by the public.

TV: BBC Three to air Oscar Pistorius documentary

BBC Three will screen a fast-turnaround one-off documentary on the murder of Reeva Steenkamp who was allegedly shot to death by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius.

The South African superstar, who won two gold medals and a silver at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, is accused of murder, though pleads not guilty.

Rick Edwards, who recently made his debut fronting BBC Three’s Free Speech and presented Channel 4’s breakfast show during the Paralympics last summer, will present the new BBC Three documentary entitled ‘Oscar Pistorious: What Really Happened?’.

PARALYMPICS: Channel 4 retains Paralympics rights for 2014 and 2016 Games

Channel 4 has secured the rights to screen the Paralympic Games in a historic deal with the International Paralympic Committee for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games and Rio 2016 Summer Games.

The deal, believed to be worth about £7m, includes multi-platform broadcast rights within the UK and will see the broadcaster build on its acclaimed coverage of London 2012 which broke UK viewing records for Paralympic sport and reached 69 per cent of the population.

As part of the agreement Channel 4 will screen over 45 hours of coverage from next year’s Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, the most ever by a British broadcaster, plus comprehensive coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games, screening a minimum of 200 hours.

REVIEW 2012: A Golden Year of Sport

Sport On The Box looks back at 2012 – A Golden Year of Sport.

It was the greatest of all years for British sport, with unparalleled success in so many fields and a home Olympics which the rest of the world hailed as one of the best ever.

The images from a memorable 2012 will linger long in the collective consciousness and SOTB reviews a year that was sprinkled gold by so many unforgetable TV moments.