(ATR) With nine days to the opening ceremony, Baku 2015 organisers have finally struck a deal to screen the first European Games in Russia.
An agreement was inked Wednesday with national broadcaster TV Channel Russia, granting the network free-to-air and pay TV rights in the country.
Baku 2015 said the deal will ensure that 53 million Russian households will have access to coverage of the June 12-28 multisports event.
Russian viewers will be able to enjoy over 10 hours of sporting action from Baku daily, shown across a combination of Russia 2 (free-to-air) and Sport 1, Sport, and Fight Club (pay TV) programming.
Online coverage will be offered on leading Russian sport websites Vesti.ru and Sportbox.ru.
Russia is sending the biggest team to the European Games, with 360 athletes participating.
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko described it as a strong team Tuesday.
"The main task for the national federations this season will be the successful performance at the first European Games in the capital of Azerbaijan," he was quoted by News.Az
"We have prepared well, our sportsmen have passed a selection. We will compete at the highest level, the team is ready. The Games participants are ensured with all essential things," he added.
Commenting on the long-awaited Russian TV deal, Baku 2015 chief operating officer Simon Clegg underlined the importance of the agreement by described the nation as a "pivotal market".
"The Russian Olympic Committee will be sending over 300 of their best athletes to Baku, and through our partnership with TV Channel Russia, we can be sure that the passionate Russian public will share in their experience through extensive coverage across all platforms," he said.
Alexander Taschin, head of sports broadcasting at VGTRK, added: "The first European Games is a significant event in the sporting world due to the competition format as well as the fact that 12 sports offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
"For us, it is also important to broadcast the achievements of our national delegation, which will be the largest at the Games. Therefore we offer our viewers coverage of all events across the three sport channels which are part of the VGTRK digital TV package."
Written byMark Bisson
For general comments or questions,click here.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics isAroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
