baron-pierreIV Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 should go here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted July 6, 2016 Report Share Posted July 6, 2016 I'm posting links to some footage of CBS coverage of the 1975 Pan Am Games in this post, but first a quick recap of how US Television first covered the Pan Am Games. ABC was the first to broadcast the games in 1963 when they devoted one episode of their "Wide World of Sports" anthology show to the games. The doubled their coverage to two episodes of the show in 1967. I have not been able to determine if there was any coverage in 1971. CBS then bought the rights to the 1975 and 1979 Games at the same time. The coverage in 1975 was mainly shown on "CBS Sports Spectacular" - CBS' version of "Wide World of Sports". IVth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Sao Paulo 1963 ABC Hours: 1 1/2 Host: Jim McKay ABC's Wide World of SportsMay 11 Pan American Games from São Paulo, Brazil Vth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Winnipeg 1967 ABC Hours: 3 Host: Jim McKay Saturday, July 29, 1967ABC'S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS (ABC, 5-6:30 p.m.). Highlights of the swimming and track-and-field events at the Pan American games, live from Winnipeg,Canada. Saturday, August 5, 1967 ABC's WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS (ABC, 5-6:30 p.m.) Pan American Games from Winnipeg, Canada. VIIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Mexico City 1975CBSHours: 7 2/3 Host: Pat Summerall Reporters: Jack Whitaker (Athletics and Boxing) Brent Musburger (Swimming and Baseball) Adrian Metcalfe (Synchronized Swimming) ? Analysts: Bill Toomey (Athletics) Sugar Ray Leonard (Boxing) Keena Rotheimer (Swimming) Kim Ocean-Smith (Synchronized Swimming) ? Monday, October 13 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM Highlights of events and Opening CeremonyTuesday, October 14 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsWednesday, October 15 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsThursday, October 16 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsFriday, October 17 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsSaturday, October 18 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM HighlightsMonday, October 20 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsTuesday, October 21 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsWednesday, October 22 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsThursday, October 23 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsFriday, October 24 -- 11:30 PM - 11:40 PM HighlightsSaturday, October 25 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Boxing Finals, Basketball Finals, and Soccer.Sunday, October 26 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Equestrian Grand Prix Jumping Here are some clips on youtube from CBS coverage of the 1975 Pan American Games: Decathlon - Day 1 Decathlon - Day 2 Athletics - Men's 4x100m Relay Swimming - Women's 100m Freestyle Boxing - Light Welterweight Class Bout (Sugar Ray Leonard) Boxing - Heavyweight Class Bout (Teofilo Stevenson) Baseball - CUBA vs. USA Synchronized Swimming - Team - USA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 In 1979, CBS again aired most of it's coverage on "CBS Sports Spectacular" VIIIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES San Juan 1979 CBSHours: 12 1/4 Host: Dick Stockton Reporters: Jack Whittaker Curt Gowdy Tim Ryan (Boxing ?) Irv Cross Gary Bender (Basketball ?)Analysts: Muriel Grossfeld (Gymnastics ?) Gil Clancy (Boxing ?) Wilma Rudolph (Athletics ?) Sunday, July 1 -- 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM Pan American Games: Opening Ceremonies. Featuring highlights of pastPan Am competitions, and presenting the history of the games and a previewof the forthcoming two weeks of competition, live from Puerto Rico.Saturday, July 7 -- 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM CBS Sports Spectacular: ‘Pan American Games’--men’s and women’sswimming and diving, gymnastics, boxing, roller skating (speed), archery,bowling and Greco-Roman wrestling. In addition, a special feature by LeRoyNeiman will be presented.Sunday, July 8 -- 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Pan American Games: Among the events expected to be covered are men’sand women’s swimming and diving, men’s gymnastics, boxing, track and field,roller hockey, and reports on various other sports. Live from Puerto Rico.Monday, July 9 -- 11:30 PM - 11:45 PM Pan American Games: Highlights of the day’s events, from Puerto Rico.Tuesday, July 10 -- 11:30 PM - 11:45 PM Pan American Games: Highlights of the day’s events, from Puerto Rico.Wednesday, July 11 -- 11:30 PM - 11:45 PM Pan American Games: Highlights of the day’s events, from Puerto Rico.Thursday, July 12 -- 11:30 PM - 11:45 PM Pan American Games: Highlights of the day’s events, from Puerto Rico.Friday, July 13 -- 11:30 PM - 11:45 PM Pan American Games: Highlights of the day’s events, from Puerto Rico.Saturday, July 14 -- 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM CBS Sports Spectacular: ‘Pan American Games’--men’s and women’sswimming and diving, track and field, boxing, men’s and women’s basketball,gymnastics, weightlifting, roller figure skating, and reports of variousother events.Sunday, July 15 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Pan American Games: Among the events to be covered are track and field,Grand Prix horse jumping, women’s gymnastics, boxing finals, superheavyweight weightlifting, and men’s and women’s volleyball finals. Also reportson baseball, water polo, soccer and tennis. Here is a video in two parts on youtube from CBS final broadcast of the 1979 games: Part 1 Part 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 Thanks for this material, panam! Keep those coming. I have small excerpts of the opening of San Juan 1979 which I got from FB long time ago. I'm tempted to post them one of these days in Youtube. Seems to had been a very colorful show though the parade of nations was very disorganized compared to the Caracas '83 one plus the infamous booing at Governor Barcelo for his pro-american stances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 For the 1983 games, CBS aired all of it's coverage on weekend afternoons. These games also marked the first of three consecutive hosting assignments of Brent Musburger, whose memorable signature line was a very dramatically delivered intro: "You are looking live....". CBS endured numerous obstacles in the run up to the games, including missing video tape machines and mobile units, inexperienced technicians from several countries, a last minute disagreement with the host broadcaster that left CBS scrambling to add 5 more cameras to the 3 it planned to use at the opening ceremony, and more. In addition, when a large doping scandal broke out at the games, including the sudden departure of 12 American athletes to avoid drug testing, Musburger made special reports on the scandal during the CBS Morning News and CBS Evening News, as well as during the regularly scheduled coverage. IXth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Caracas1983 CBSRights Fee: Just under $1,000,000Hours: 15 1/2 Executive Producer: Terry O’NeilHost: Brent MusburgerOpening Ceremonies: Brent Musburger Reporters: Gary Bender (Basketball) Tim Ryan (Boxing) Dick Stockton (Swimming) John Tesh (Gymnastics and Athletics) Pat O’Brien (Other Sports and Breaking Events) John Dockery (Other Sports and Breaking Events)Analysts: Billy Packer (Basketball) Gil Clancy (Boxing) John Naber (Swimming) Phil Boggs (Swimming) Peter Kormann (Gymnastics) Craig Masback (Athletics) Sunday, August 14 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Opening CeremonySaturday, August 20 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Basketball, Swimming, Diving, Boxing, and Gymnastics.Sunday, August 21 -- 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM Basketball, Swimming, Diving, Boxing, and Gymnastics.Saturday, August 27 -- 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM Track and Field, Boxing, and Basketball.Sunday, August 28 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Boxing and Track and Field. -- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Boxing and Track and Field. Here are some clips on youtube of CBS coverage of the 1983 Pan American Games: Basketball - Men - USA vs. VEN Basketball - Men - Gold Medal Match - USA vs. BRA Gymnastics - Men's Team and Women's All-Around Swimming - Men's 100m Backstroke Boxing - Light Heavyweight (Evander Holyfield) Judo - Women's 56kg final Boxing - Pernell Whitaker vs. Angel Herrera Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 Yeah. Our games were pretty much a hit and miss. While we were praised for the anti-doping control, we were also criticized for finishing venues at last second + all the criticism toward the dissapointing Pan American Village (many athletes opted to go to hotels instead). I think the games were mostly remembered for Michael Jordan performance at basketball. Another weird fact was Sambo being introduced for the first and only time in the Pan Am Games, with the host country winning many of the gold medals (this was what kinda helped us end at the 5th place of the medal tally, tbh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 CBS broadcast it's fourth consecutive Pan Am Games in 1987 and provided the host feed as well. Brent Musburger returned as host. I discovered the Pan Am Games through these telecasts and have loved the games ever since. This was the last time CBS would broadcast the games, I'm sorry to say, as they appeared to lose interest after winning the rights to the 1992 Winter Olympics. The Boxing matches in Indianapolis were what I remembered most over the years. They were raucous and crazy with bizarre judges decisions, hard fought bouts, and even 2 brawls between Cuban boxers and anti-Cuban demonstrators. (The most infamous featuring Cuban boxers charging into the stands to beat up demonstrators who had torn up a Cuban flag.) Brazil's upset of the USA in the Men's Basketball final was stunning and reminiscent of the "Miracle on Ice" at Lake Placid. Xth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Indianapolis 1987 CBS Rights Fee: $4,000,000Hours: 26Production Crew: 100 Executive Producer: Ted ShakerHost: Brent MusburgerOpening Ceremonies: Brent Musburger ? Reporters: Verne Lundquist (Basketball) Tim Ryan (Boxing) Tim Brant (Gymnastics) Dick Stockton (Athletics) Jim Nantz (Swimming and Diving) John Dockery (Baseball) Pat O’Brien (Roving Reporter) Anne Butler (Roving Reporter) James Brown (Roving Reporter) Bob Drum (Features) Ron Luciano (Guest Essayist) John Cougar Mellancamp (Guest Essayist) George Plimpton (Guest Essayist) Linda Ellerbee (Guest Essayist)Analysts: Billy Packer (Basketball) Gil Clancy (Boxing) Saturday, August 8 -- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Opening Ceremonies, live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway; preview ofcompetition in all major events.Sunday, August 9 -- 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM USA vs. Panama in men’s basketball; first round of baseball; women’sdiving; men’s and women’s swimming; track and field, including women’sheptathlon 100m dash.Saturday, August 15 -- 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Boxing quarterfinals in three classes; women’s platform diving;baseball; track and field, including men’s pole vault final.Sunday, August 16 -- 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Men’s quarterfinal basketball; quarterfinal boxing in three classes;men’s platform diving; men’s individual gymnastics final; women’s swimmingfinals from previous evening; track and field, including finals in 10events.Saturday, August 22 -- 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM Basketball semifinal games; boxing finals in five classes; women’sall-around gymnastics final.Sunday, August 23 -- 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Men’s gold medal basketball game; boxing finals in five classes;women’s individual gymnastics final. Here are clips on youtube of CBS coverage of the 1987 Pan Am Games: Basketball - Men - USA vs. BRA Athletics - Women - Long Jump Final Boxing - Lennox Lewis vs. Jorge Gonzalez Boxing - Kenneth Gould vs. Juan Lemus Boxing - Nelson Adams vs. Pablo Ramos Boxing - Kelcie Banks vs. Emilio Villegas Gymnastics - Men's Team 1/1 Gymnastics - Men's AA 1/2 Gymnastics - Men's AA 2/2 and Women's AA 1/5 Gymnastics - Women's AA 2/5 Gymnastics - Women's AA 3/5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiYsR0swGYMGymnastics - Women's AA 4/5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn5wlIDQtUsGymnastics - Women's AA 5/5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXmcvf2MP4cGymnastics - Women's EF 1/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmVp8MbKCOUGymnastics - Women's EF 2/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx-DISo36isGymnastics - Women's EF 3/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id4dxvLCzEoGymnastics - Women's EF 4/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB69S3ePnEQGymnastics - Women's EF 5/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhG9a_LnjJEGymnastics - Women's EF 6/6https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ui5Mzj1ck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 Quote In 1991, ABC sought the rights to the Pan Am Games in Havana. The negotiations became bogged down in the U.S. embargo against Cuba which forbade direct payments to Cuba. After a protracted negotiation with the U.S. Justice Department, ABC eventually inked a deal to broadcast the games. (The fee was paid indirectly to avoid the embargo. ABC partnered with Ted Turner's TNT cable channel for the Havana games. TNT aired the prime time coverage with Ernie Johnson, Jr. as host, while Brent Musburger (who had been fired by CBS in March 1990) anchored ABC's weekend afternoon coverage. This would be the last time the games were broadcast by a major broadcast network in the United States. All coverage since has aired on cable or Spanish-language networks. XIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Havana 1991 ABC Rights Fee: ? Hours: 22 (ABC) (Total Hours ABC/TNT/ TBS combined: 50 1/2) Executive Producer: ? Host: Brent Musburger Reporters: Ron Thulin (Basketball) Mark Jones (Boxing) Gary Bender (Gymnastics) John Naber (Swimming) Bob Beattie (Volleyball) Jack Arute (Cycling, Tennis, Soccer, ?, and Features) ? Analysts: Jim Valvano (Basketball) Cheryl Miller (Basketball) Alex Wallau (Boxing) Bart Connor (Gymnastics) Donna DeVarona (Swimming) Chris Marlowe (Volleyball) ? TNT/TBS Rights Fee: ? Hours: 26 1/2 (TNT); 2 (TBS) Executive Producer: ? Host: Ernie Johnson, Jr. Opening and Closing Ceremonies: Nick Charles (Nicole Watson, "sideline reporter") Reporters: Craig Sager (Features) ? Analysts: Hubie Brown (Basketball) ? Friday, August 2 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: opening ceremonies and preview. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Saturday, August 3 -- 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: U.S. men’s basketball; men’s and women’s marathon. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 9:50 PM - 10:50 PM (TBS) U.S. Olympic Gold: Pan Am Games Special Edition. (Live) Sunday, August 4 -- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field (women’s high jump, men’s and women’s 100m); men’s and women’s basketball; diving; cycling; soccer; women’s gymnastics; synchronized swimming. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field; basketball; women’s diving; women’s gymnastics. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Monday, August 5 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: men’s and women’s track & field; men’s and women’s basketball; men’s gymnastics; baseball; weightlifting. FromHavana, Cuba (Live). Tuesday, August 6 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: men’s diving; women’s gymnastics; men’s and women’s basketball; weightlifting; wrestling. From Havana, Cuba. Wednesday, August 7 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: men’s and women’s track & field; men’s and women’s basketball; women’s diving; boxing; cycling; weightlifting. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Thursday, August 8 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field; men’s and women’s basketball; baseball; boxing; men’s gymnastics; weightlifting. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Friday, August 9 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: boxing; basketball; women’s gymnastics; cycling; men’s and women’s tennis. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Saturday, August 10 -- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field; basketball; baseball; boxing; diving; cycling; gymnastics; synchronized swimming; softball; table tennis; wrestling. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Wide World of Sports Scheduled: Pan American Games from Havana, Cuba. (Highlights of Week 1); report on the Pacific Classic horse race from Del Mar, Calif. (Live). -- 9:50 PM - 10:50 PM (TBS) U.S. Olympic Gold: Pan Am Games Special Edition (Live). Sunday, August 11 -- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field; basketball; baseball; boxing; diving; cycling; gymnastics; volleyball; water polo; softball; table tennis; wrestling. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: track & field; basketball; boxing; women’s diving; swimming; volleyball; cycling; wrestling. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Monday, August 12 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: baseball; basketball; boxing; swimming; volleyball. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Tuesday, August 13 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: baseball; basketball; boxing; swimming; volleyball. From Havana. Cuba (Live). Wednesday, August 14 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: boxing semifinals; volleyball; soccer semifinals; tennis. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Thursday, August 15 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: basketball; swimming; volleyball semifinals; tennis semifinals. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Friday, August 16 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: baseball semifinals; basketball; swimming; soccer finals; tennis finals. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Saturday, August 17 -- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: women’s basketball; men’s and women’s swimming; volleyball; rhythmic gymnastics; boxing. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Wide World of Sports Scheduled: Pan American Games from Havana, Cuba (Highlights of Week 2); Travers Stakes from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Live). Sunday, August 18 -- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (ABC) Pan American Games Scheduled: basketball finals; volleyball finals; rhythmic gymnastics; boxing finals. From Havana, Cuba (Live). -- 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM (TNT) Pan American Games Scheduled: closing ceremonies and review. From Havana, Cuba (Live). Here are some clips on youtube from ABC/TNT's coverage of the 1991 Havana Pan Am Games: Gymnastics - Men and Women Gymnastics - Women's Team - Part 1 Gymnastics - Women's Team - Part 2 Gymnastics - Women's Team - Part 3 Gymnastics - Women's Team - Part 4 Athletics - Men's 110m Hurdles Final Basketball - Women - USA vs. Cuba (2nd half) Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke Final Wrestling - Gold Medal - 62kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissEurasia Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 Gymnastics at the 1991 Pan American Games were held at the Alejandro Urgelles Hall in Santiago de Cuba, on commentary was Gary Bender, who was also joined by 1984 Olympic Gymnastics Medallists Kathy Johnson and Bart Conner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 Just to continue the my previous posts on TV at the Pan Am Games, here is some information on Canadian TV coverage of the games that I have been able to glean (mainly from the pages of the Montreal Gazette and other Canadian newspapers - which are archived through the early 1980s at google newspaper archive. The 1967 coverage is detailed In part in the official report of the organizing committee which is available in pdf format on the Pan Am Sports official website.) Vth PAN AMERICAN GAMES Winnipeg 1967 CBC Coordinator for CBC Radio and TV: John McCabe Executive Producer for CBC TV: Len Casey Host: Lloyd Robertson Pan-American Games Sunday July 23 -- 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Monday July 24 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Tuesday July 25 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Wednesday July 26 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Thursday July 27 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Friday July 28 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Saturday July 29 -- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM -- 10:30-11:00 PM Sunday July 30 -- 3:00-5:00 PM -- 10:30-11:00 PM Monday July 31 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Tuesday August 1 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Wednesday August 2 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Thursday August 3 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Friday August 4 -- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Saturday August 5 -- 3:30-5:30 PM -- 10:30-11:00 PM Sunday August 6 -- 3:30-5:30 PM -- 8:00-9:00 PM The 1967 Pan-American Games, held in Winnipeg, commanded considerable airtime in the afternoons and evenings in the last week of July and the first week of August. Radio and television coverage was coordinated by John McCabe, Supervisor of Special Sports Projects for the CBC, and the executive producer for television was Len Casey. The complex organization was centred in the Minto Armoury to capture events at eight sites, including the Winnipeg Stadium, the Winnipeg Arena, the Civic Auditorium, Pan-American Pool, the Velodrome, and the University of Manitoba track. Nine producers coordinated colour and black-and-white television camera coverage, as well as film cameras. As well, the CBC inaugurated the use of a colour videotape recorder that permitted slow-motion and stop action for analysis. ABC bought the American broadcast rights for the Games. CBC paid $60,000 to air them in Canada, sending 354 staff to Winnipeg to produce 30 hours of programming from the Games. Some old links to clips from the coverage at the CBC archives website (not sure if these links still work or not as CBC revamped its archives website a while back and the links may have changed): http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/1967-pan-am-games-open-in-winnipeg http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/harry-jerome-wins-gold-at-the-1967-pan-am-games http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/elaine-tanner-wins-gold-and-a-world-record-at-the-1967-pan-am-games http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/swimmer-elaine-mighty-mouse-tanner-at-the-1967-pan-am-games VIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES CALI 1971 CBC Reporters: Ted Reynolds, Ernie Afaganis, and Don Wittman Hours: 13 1/2 Saturday, July 31 - 2-4 PM Pan American Games. Canada's 11 Golden Idols - A film about the 1967 Games in Winnipeg. Also: Highlights of this year's opening ceremonies. Sunday, August 1 - 2:00 - 2:30 PM Track and Field, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Women' Volleyball. Monday, August 2 - 8:30 PM - 9:00 PM Track and Field, Weightlifting, Gymnastics. Tuesday, August 3 - 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Women's Fencin (Independent Foil). Wednesday, August 4 - 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM Rowing, Gymnastics, Track and Field. Thursday, August 5 - 9:00 - 9:30 PM Track and Field, Synchornized Swimming, Gymnastics. Friday, August 6 - 7:30 - 8:00 PM Track and Field, Gymnastics, Diving. Saturday, August 7 - 2:00 - 4:00 PM Volleyball (tenative). Sunday, August 8 - 2:30 - 4:00 PM Swimming and Diving, Weightlifting, Cycling, Men's Fencing, Shooting, Basketball highlights. Monday, August 9 - 10:00 - 10:30 PM Football highlights, Boxing, Swimming and Diving. Tuesday, August 10 - 8:30 - 9:00 PM Cycling, Football hightlights, Swimming and Diving, Equestrian reports. Wednesday, August 11 - 9:00 - 9:30 PM Cycling, Football highlights, Boxing Swimming and Diving. Thursday, August 12 - 10:00 - 10:30 PM Cycling, Football highlights, Swimming and Diving, Basketball highlights. Friday, August 13 - 8:00 - 9:00 PM Cycling, Football highlights, Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, Equestrian highlights, Basketball highlights. Saturday, August 14 - 2:00 - 4:00 PM Volleyball highlights, Basketball highlights, Field Hockey, Football highlights, Equestrian Grand Prix and Closing Ceremonies. French CBC Hours: 12 1/4 Reporters: Rene LeCavalier, Jean-Maurice Baille and Richard Garneau. Saturday July 31 - 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Jeux Pan-Americains. Ceremonie d'Ouverture. CBC French network will carry a replay of the opening ceremonies of the Pan-Am Games from Cali, Colombia. Sunday August 1 - 4:00 - 5:00 PM Monday, August 2 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Tuesday, August 3 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 4 - 7:00 -7:30 PM Thursday, August 5 - 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Friday, August 6 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Saturday, August 7 - 2:15 - 4:30 PM Sunday, August 8 - 2:30 - 4:00 PM Monday, August 9 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Tuesday, August 10 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 11- 7:00 - 7:30 PM Thursday, August 12 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Friday, August 13 - 7:00 - 7:30 PM Saturday, August 14 - 2:15 - 3:45 PM The Montreal Gazette Saturday July 31, 1971 Televised highlights of the pan-american games The Pan-American Games are the mini-Olympics of Latin and North America, held every four years before the World Olympics, and regarded, as a tryout for those bigger games. Approximately 3500 athletes from some 30 countries compete in 23 sports for the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals. Argentina was the originating country of the Pan-American Games 20 years ago, and Winnipeg was the host city for the games in 1967, in which Canada placed second following a storybook finish that saw Jim Day in the equestrian jumping competition beating out his Brazilian rival by 1.1 seconds to win the last gold medal of the games. The United States, as expected, swept those games with 120 gold medals, 63 second place silvers and 44 bronze for a total of 227. This year's games are being held in Cali, Colombia, a city of about 300,000 and an important commercial centre in this country which is the only one having seacoasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. CBC-TV Sports coverage of the games will be telecast daily on both the English and French networks. Commentators for the English Network telecasts will be Ted Reynolds of Vancouver, Ernie Afaganis of Edmonton, and Don Wittman of Winnipeg. French commentators are Rene LeCavalier, Jean-Maurice Baille and Richard Garneau. The following is the schedule of events to be televised. Saturday Afternoon, July 31 - Opening Ceremonies and a look back at the 1967 games in Winnipeg. Sunday Afternoon, August 1 - Track and Field, Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Women' Volleyball. Monday Night, August 2 - Track and Field, Weightlifting, Gymnastics. Tuesday Night, August 3 - Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Women's Fencin (Independent Foil). Wednesday Night, August 4 - Rowing, Gymnastics, Track and Field. Thursday Night, August 5 - Track and Field, Synchornized Swimming, Gymnastics. Friday Night, August 6 - Track and Field, Gymnastics, Diving. Saturday Afternoon, August 7 - Volleyball (tenative). Sunday Afternoon, August 8 - Swimming and Diving, Weightlifting, Cycling, Men's Fencing, Shooting, Basketball highlights. Monday Night, August 9 - Football highlights, Boxing, Swimming and Diving. Tuesday Night, August 10 - Cycling, Football hightlights, Swimming and Diving, Equestrian reports. Wednesday Night, August 11 - Cycling, Football highlights, Boxing Swimming and Diving. Thursday Night, August 12 - Cycling, Football highlights, Swimming and Diving, Basketball highlights. Friday, Night, August 13 - Cycling, Football highlights, Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, Equestrian highlights, Basketball highlights. Saturday Night, August 14 - Volleyball highlights, Basketball highlights, Field Hockey, Football highlights, Equestrian Grand Prix and Closing Ceremonies. VIIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES MEXICO CITY 1975 CBC Hours: 3 Saturday October 18 - 2-4 PM Pan Am Games Saturday, October 25 - 5:00-6 PM Pan Am Games FRNCH CBC Hours: 6 Saturday, October 18 - 3:30-5 PM Jeux Panamericains Sunday, October 19 - 3:30-5 PM Jeux Panamericains Saturday, October 25 - 4:30-6 PM Jeux Panamericains Sunday, October 26 - 3:30-5 PM Jeux Panamericains VIIIth PAN AMERICAN GAMES San Juan 1979 CBC Hours: 6 Saturday, July 7 3PM-6PM Sportsweekend: Pan American Games coverage. Saturday, July 14 3PM-6PM Sportsweekend: Scheduled events include: coverage of events in the Pan American Games from San Juan, Puerto Rico; highlights of the Grand Circuit Week of Harness Racing from Montreal's Blue Bonnets Raceway; and the British Grand Prix from Silverstone, England. Sunday, July 15 3-5 PM Pan American Games. Closing Ceremonies. (Ottawa Citizen July 13, 1979 - Originally, CBC announced they would air the closing ceremonies, but there has been a change of plans. Now Sunday...will not feature the post game parade, but rather will air highlights of the final day of competition.) FRENCH CBC Hours: 8 Saturday, June 30 2 PM - 3 PM Prevue de Jeux PanAmericains. Sunday, July 1 2-4 PM Jeux Pan-Americains. Ceremonie d'Ouverture. Saturday July 14 3-5 PM Jeux Pan-Americains Sunday July 15 3-6 PM Jeux Pan-Americains IXth Pan American Games Caracas 1983 (No coverage in Canada.) (I have not been able to determine if there was coverage in Canada in 1987, 1991, or 1995) XIIIth Pan American Games Winnipeg 1999 CBC Hours: 38 Host: Brian Williams Play by Play: Ron McLean (Athletics) Scott Russell (Gymnastics) Mark Lee (Volleyball) Paul (Romanuk?) (Baseball) ? Analysts: Dan Whitman (Athletics) Geoff Gowan (Athletics) Carol Angela Orchard (Gymnastics) Charles Parkeson (Volleyball) ? (Note: TSN also aired some coverage with Dave Ransdorf as host.) Friday, July 23 -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM PAN AM GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES: Catch all the pageantry tonight as the 13th Pan American Games begins in Winnipeg. More than 5,000 athletes from North and South America and the Caribbean will gather at Winnipeg Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies tonight. It's the first time in more than thirty years that the Games have been held in Canada. Join host Brian Williams for the Opening Ceremonies of the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 Manitoba) on CBC Television. Saturday, July 24 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnepeg. Among the events you’ll see tonight: Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics 100m Semifinals, Men’s and Women’s 400m Semifinals, Men’s 5000m Final, Decathlon - Day 1, Women’s Long Jump Final, Men’s Gymnastics, Canada versus Cuba in Women’s Volleyball, and Men’s and Women’s Triathlon. That’s the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Sunday, July 25 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Men’s and Women’s 100m Final, Men’s and Women’s 400m Final, Men’s 800m Final, Decathlon 1500m Final, Men’s Gymnastics, and Canada versus Brazil in Women’s Volleyball. That’s the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Monday, July 26 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Women's Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Diving, and Canada versus Argentine in Men's Volleyball. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Tuesday, July 27 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Men's and Women's 200 metre semi-finals, Men's 10,000 metre final, Men's Pole Vault and Women's Gymnastics Final. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Wednesday, July 28 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Men's and Women's 200 metre final, the Men's 400 metre Hurdles final; Women's 1500 and 10,000, Men's and Women's Diving and Cycling, plus baseball and Volleyball. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Thursday, July 29 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Women's Beach Volleyball, Men's and Women's Diving, and Men's and Women's Cycling. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. Friday, July 30 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: the Men's High Jump final, Men's and Women's 4 by 100 relay final, Men's and Women's Cycling finals, Basketball and more. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Saturday, July 31 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM AN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television Saturday night for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see: Men's Beach Volleyball, Men's and Women's Cycling, Boxing, Volleyball, Basketball and more. That's the Pan Am Games, Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Sunday, August 1 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television Sunday night for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see: Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball, Men's Boxing and Basketball, Women's Volleyball, soccer and more. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Monday, August 2 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: the Women's Freestyle 100 metre swimming final and 400 metre relay; the Men's Boxing quarter-finals, Men's Beach Volleyball and Basketball, and more. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Tuesday, August 3 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: the Men's 100 metre Butterfly final, the Women's 200 metre Freestyle final, Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball, Men's soccer semi-final, Boxing and Weightlifting. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Wednesday, August 4 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Women's and Men's Freestyle Swimming, Boxing Semi-finals, Men's Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball and Women's Weightlifting. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Thursday, August 5 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Men's Freestyle Swimming, Women's Butterfly and Breaststroke, Boxing, Women's Basketball and Men's Weightlifting. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Friday, August 6 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television tonight for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see tonight: Men's and Women's Swimming, the Boxing Finals, Softball, Basketball and Women's Weightlifting. That's the Pan Am Games, tonight at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Saturday, August 7 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television Saturday night for coverage of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. Among the events you'll see: Men's and Women's Swimming, Women's Softball and Basketball, Boxing, Men's Soccer and Men's Weightlifting. That's the Pan Am Games, Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Sunday, August 8 -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM PAN AM GAMES: Tune in to CBC Television Sunday night for live coverage of the closing ceremonies of the Pan Am Games from Winnipeg. The Games Flag will be lowered and the flame extinguished as athletes and spectators join in tribute to all who were a part of the Thirteenth Pan Am Games. That's Sunday night at 8:00 (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC Television. CBC, TSN teaming up to cover Pan Am Games GLEN COLBOURN Canadian Press Wednesday, July 14, 1999 It won't be the Olympics, but it will get Olympic-like coverage. The Pan American Games, which will officially start on July 23 in Winnipeg, will dominate the broadcast schedules of both CBC and TSN for two weeks. In fact, the Games will mark the beginning of a groundbreaking partnership between the national broadcaster and cable sports channel. CBC and TSN will also team up to cover the next five Olympics, starting with the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. In the past, the two networks have shared the likes of the Brier, with TSN showing round-robin games during the week and CBC showing the playoffs on the weekend. But the announcers, producers and crews would all change. This time, they'll be sharing personnel, equipment, sets and even on-air talent. Veteran CBC announcer Don Wittman will show up on TSN and TSN's Paul Romanuk will pop up on CBC. "I've been in the business for 25 years and I don't know if I've ever seen this before," TSN executive producer Rick Chisholm said. "This is a true partnership. The director for our program is the director for their program." The deal was struck to share costs and as a way of getting more coverage on air without overwhelming the CBC's schedule. The CBC will televise the Pan Ams from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT for most of the 17 days. A few nights, the network will stay on air until 11 p.m. TSN will broadcast during the afternoon, starting at 1 p.m. EDT on most days. It will show between 90 minutes and five hours of events, depending on the day. Total airtime for TSN is 50 hours, with the CBC providing 38. "In the end, it gave us the same coverage we would normally have on CBC, and then the added coverage of having TSN there is basically a bonus for the sports fans watching at home," said Joel Darling, an executive producer for the CBC. The deal also helps the bottom line. The networks are splitting rights costs and personnel assignments to try to keep overtime under control. The CBC is paying more and dedicating more people -- 100, compared with roughly nine for TSN -- because it is broadcasting during lucrative prime time. The partnership also helps TSN with its licence requirements to show Canadian and amateur sports. The two networks will not only share the same anchor set in Winnipeg's historic downtown Forks district, they will also show the same features and profiles. CBC and TSN have prepared reports on two dozen top Canadian athletes, a series of Manitoba travelogues and a look back at the top performers at the 1967 Pan Am Games, which were also held in Winnipeg. The key difference -- in fact, practically the only difference -- between the broadcasts will be the hosts. The CBC's signature sports host, Brian Williams, will anchor evening coverage, while TSN's Dave Randorf gets a big break with the job of hosting the afternoon shows. Santo Domingo 2003 CBC Hours: 21 Executive Producer: Dave Stewart Host: Scott Russell Play by Play: Don Wittman (Athletics, Baseball, and Basketball) Steve Armitage (Diving, Swimming, Soccer and Volleyball) Bruce Rainnie (Weightlifting and Water Polo) Analysts: Mary Carroll (Diving) Helen Stoumbous (Women's Soccer), Charles Parkinson (Volleyball) Bob Lenarduzzi (Men's Soccer) Sam Cosentino (Baseball) Brian Heaney (Basketball) Features: Catriona LeMay Doan Erin Paul Darryl Kyte Friday, August 1 -- 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM (CBC Country Canada channel only) CBC Country Canada, the digital channel, will air the Opening Ceremony in its entirety Saturday, August 2 -- 5:00 PM -6:00 PM ET LIVE Scott Russell presents a preview of the exciting events to come during the next two weeks. Then, Bruce Rainnie and Erin Paul host a recap of the grand Opening Ceremony - a parade of 5,300 athletes from 42 nations. Jaret Llewellyn, a six-time world champion water-skier, will carry the Canadian flag and lead Canada's 422 athletes into the stadium. Llewellyn, from Innisfail, Alberta, took home a gold and silver at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg. He was a double gold medallist at the 1995 Games in Argentina. Monday, August 4 thru Friday, August 8 -- 11:30 PM - 12:00 AM Local Time Scott Russell hosts a half-hour magazine with a recap of the day's events, as well as colorful features about the athletes, the competition and the Dominican Republic. Saturday, August 9 -- 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM ET LIVE Highlights of the following events:· Men's Basketball Final with Don Wittman and Brian Heaney.· Diving with Steve Armitage and Mary Carroll, Athletics with Don Wittman. Plus, highlights of the day's other events featuring the top Canadian and international performances. Sunday, August 10 -- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM ET LIVE Highlights of the following events:· Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball Finals with Steve Armitage and Charles Parkinson. Basketball -Women's Final with Don Wittman and Brian Heaney. Diving with Steve Armitage and Mary Carroll. Athletics with Don Wittman. Plus, highlights of the day's other events featuring the top Canadian and international performances. Monday, August 11 thru Friday, August 15 - 11:30 PM -12:00 AM Local Time Scott Russell hosts a half-hour magazine with a recap of the day's events, as well as colorful features about the athletes, the competition and the Dominican Republic. Saturday, August 16 -- 3:30-6:00 ET LIVE Highlights of the following events: Men's Baseball Final with Don Wittman and Sam Cosentino. Women's Soccer Final with Steve Armitage and Helen Stoumbous. Weightlifting with Bruce Rainnie. Swimming with Steve Armitage. Men's and Women's Water Polo Finals with Bruce Rainnie. Plus, highlights of the day's other events featuring the top Canadian and international performances. Sunday, August 17 -- 4:00-7:00 ET LIVE Highlights of the following events:· Men's Soccer Final with Steve Armitage and Bob Lenarduzzi. Men's and Women's Volleyball Finals. Weightlifting with Bruce Rainnie. Swimming with Steve Armitage. Plus, highlights of the day's other events featuring the top Canadian and international performances. CBC SPORTS NAMED AS THE HOST BROADCASTER FOR THE 2003 PAN AM GAMES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM AUGUST 1-17, 2003 CBC Sports is pleased to announce that, as part of the new core of the broadcast business for CBC, it has been named as the host broadcaster for the 2003 Pan American Games to be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1-17, 2003. "CBC is proud to have been chosen Host Broadcaster for this major multi-sport event," explains Alan Clark, Project Director. "It is further recognition of the excellence of CBC Sports production." The 2003 Pan American Games, with more than 7,000 athletes and coaches expected to attend, will consist of a full Olympic sport program, with many of the events being Olympic qualifiers for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. CBC HBS (Host Broadcast Services) will provide live coverage of all the major sports events, with 10 crews made up of producers and technicians from the Dominican Republic, Canada and the Americas. It will take more than 400 producers, directors, technicians and support personnel to mount what will be in excess of 500 hours of television. CBC was the Host Broadcaster at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, which were attended by more than 1,000 broadcasters from more than 20 countries in the Americas. CBC HBS most recently was Host Broadcaster for the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. CBC will cover 600 hours of 2003 Pan Am Games According to Terry Ludwick, an executive producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the Pan American Games in August will get 600 hours of live coverage. A crew composed of 300 cameras and over 500 technicians, 300 of whom will be Dominican, will be on site. The International Transmission Center will be installed at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center and live transmissions from the Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome, the Sports Palace, the Boxing Coliseum, and other sites, should bring interest from countries like Brazil, Argentina and the United States. CBC forced to reduce coverage of Pan American Games events By WILLIAM HOUSTON Friday, July 18, 2003 - Page S2 Money problems plaguing next month's Pan American Games have forced the CBC, which is the host broadcaster, to cut back on its coverage. In April and June, the Dominican Republic organizing committee failed to deliver two cash payments owed the CBC. As a result, the network insisted on a renegotiated contract. The Canadian network will be sending less staff and technical equipment to Santo Domingo, and will provide coverage at fewer venues. Alan Clark, the executive producer of the CBC's host broadcast, said live coverage of some events, such as track cycling and gymnastics and the finals of softball, has been dropped. Clark said organizers could not guarantee when the CBC would be paid in full. "We could have walked away, because they were in breach of contract," Clark said. "They had paid us about 80 per cent of what we were owed. But, after 3½ years there, and because of the Games and the people, we said we would give them a program plan based on the reduced budget." The Pan American organizing committee has been hit with setbacks over the past two years, including the collapse of the Dominican currency, the failure of a major bank and a decline in tourism.The CBC's coverage in Canada will consist of late night and weekend programming. THE XIV PAN AM GAMES ON CBC SPORTS GET UNDERWAY SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 BEGINNING AT 5 P.M. ET Nearly 7,000 athletes from 42 countries in North and South America and the Caribbean gather in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the XIV PAN AM GAMES, August 1-17. Scott Russell is in Santo Domingo to host CBC Sports' coverage. 15 days of programming kicks off with a recap of the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, August 2 at 5 p.m. ET. CBC Country Canada, the digital channel, will air the Opening Ceremony in its entirety on Friday, August 1 at 9 p.m. ET. CBC Sports' reporting from the Games includes live weekend coverage on: · Saturday, August 2 at 5 p.m. ET, · Saturday, August 9 & 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET · Sunday, August 10 & 17 at 4 p.m. ET. Each weeknight during the Games, at 11:30 p.m. local time, Scott Russell hosts a half-hour magazine with a recap of the day's events, as well as colourful features about the athletes, the competition and the Dominican Republic. CBC Country Canada, the digital channel, will rebroadcast the weekday recap shows at 9 p.m. ET the following night.Joining Russell is Catriona LeMay Doan - the fastest woman on ice makes her television debut filing reports from Santo Domingo, CBC Halifax's Bruce Rainnie, The Fifth Estate's Erin Paul and Street Cents' Darryl Kyte. Don Wittman (athletics, baseball and basketball) and Steve Armitage (diving, swimming, soccer and volleyball) call the action. The analysts include: Mary Carroll-a 14-time National Champion (diving), Helen Stoumbous-a Canadian National Team member (women's soccer), Charles Parkinson-a four-time National Team member (volleyball), former Canadian National Team member and coach Bob Lenarduzzi (men's soccer) and Sam Cosentino (baseball). Dave Stewart is the executive producer of CBC Sports' coverage of the XIV PAN AM GAMES. (I have not been able to locate information on any coverage in Canada in 2007) XVIth Pan American Games Guadalajara 2011 CBC offering extensive coverage of 2011 Pan Am Games CBC Sports Posted: Sep 29, 2011 6:55 PM ET| Last Updated: Sep 29, 2011 6:49 PM ET The CBC announced on Thursday it is offering a multi-platform broadcasting package for the 16th Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Over 300 Canadian amateur athletes will be showcasing their talent and competing against some of the world's best, with CBC's coverage starting with the opening ceremonies on Oct. 14, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET live on CBCsports.ca and ending with the closing ceremony on Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET, live on CBCSports.ca). In total, CBC-TV, Radio Canada and CBCsports.ca will combine for over 50 hours of programming, with CBCsports.ca displaying 38 hours of coverage. Gemini Award-winning broadcaster Scott Russell will be hosting both the daily and weekly highlights shows. "The 2011 Pan American Games offer another opportunity for Canadian amateur athletes to shine on the international stage," Jeffrey Orridge, CBC's executive director of sports properties, said in a release. "We continue our tradition of raising the profile of not just amateur athletics in this country but also sharing the stories of these talented individuals." One of the most notable Canadian athletes participating is shot putter Dylan Armstrong, who won gold at the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio. Veteran striker Christine Sinclair will lead the 2007 bronze medal-winning Canadian women's soccer team into action as well. The multi-sport event — 46 sports involving 42 countries — encompasses nations from all over the American continent (North America and South America) and is held every four years in the year precluding the Olympic Games. The 2012 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be hosted by London, England. "Pan Am countries are among the top 10 leaders in high-profile summer Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, boxing, soccer, volleyball and baseball," said Ian Troop, CEO of Toronto's Pan Am Games Organizing Committee in 2015 (TO2015). "Coverage of the 2011 Guadalajara Games will showcase the athletic stars of today as well those up-and-coming performers we hope to see in Toronto in less than four years." Mexico will be hosting its third Pan Am Games (1955, 1975) and is the first nation to do so. Toronto will host the Pan Am Games in 2015. CBC To Offer Multiplatform Coverage Of The 2011 Pan American Games Thursday October 6th, 2011 CBC announced a multiplatform-broadcasting package to support the over 300 Canadian amateur athletes competing against some of the best in the world at the 16th Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Starting with the Opening Ceremony on October 14th at 8:00 p.m. ET live on cbcsports.ca and ending with the Closing Ceremony on October 30th, CBC Television, Radio-Canada and cbcsports.ca will combine for over 50 hours of programing including 38 hours of coverage on cbcsports.ca Hosted by Gemini Award winner Scott Russell, the coverage will include a daily highlights show available on cbcsports.ca, a 30-minute highlights show broadcast on CBC Television from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. E.T on Saturday October 22nd and Saturday October 29th and special reports on Radio-Canada. "The 2011 Pan American Games offer another opportunity for Canadian amateur athletes to shine on the international stage,” said Jeffrey Orridge, CBC’s executive director of sports properties. “We are committed to raising the profile of not just amateur athletics in this country but also sharing the stories of these talented individuals.” “Pan Am countries are among the top 10 leaders in high-profile summer Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, boxing, soccer, volleyball and baseball,” says Ian Troop, CEO, TO2015. “Coverage of the 2011 Guadalajara Games will showcase the athletic stars of today as well those up-and-coming performers we hope to see in Toronto in less than four years.” “We are thrilled Canadians will get to experience the pursuit of athletic excellence and the cultural pageantry of the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara,” says Horacio de la Vega, Commercial Director, COPAG. “We are very pleased to have CBC on board as a broadcast partner.” About CBC/Radio Canada CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada. 2011 Pan American Games Broadcast Schedule /All Programming Available On Cbc Television And Cbcsports.Ca Unless Otherwise Noted/ Schedule Subject To Change / Additional Broadcasts May Be Added October 15th – October 31st On Demand Daily Highlight Show – cbcsports.ca Friday, October 14 8 p.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony (LIVE) – cbcsports.ca Saturday, October 15 1 p.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Opening Ceremony Saturday, October 22 12 p.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Week One Highlights Saturday, October 29 12 p.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Week Two Highlights Sunday, October 30 8 p.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Closing Ceremony (LIVE) - cbcsports.ca Monday, October 31 12:30 a.m. ET 2011 Pan Am Games Closing Ceremony XVIIth Pan American Games Toronto 2015 CBC Host - Prime-time: Scott Russell Host - Late Night: Scott Russell Host - Daytime: Andi Petrillo Opening Ceremony: Scott Russell and Peter Mansbridge Closing Ceremony: Scott Russell, Andi Petrillo, and Perdita Felicien Play by Play: Mark Lee (Athletics) Steve Artmitage (Swimming) Dan Schulman (Basketball) Mitch Peacock (Gymnastics) Analysts: Michael Smith (Athletics) Brenda Irving (Athletics Interviews) Byron MacDonald (Swimming) Ran Fracilla (Basketball) Elfie Schlegal (Gymnastics) CBC/RADIO-CANADA REVEALS ROBUST MULTIPLATFORM BROADCAST PLANS FOR THE TORONTO 2015 PAN AM AND PARAPAN AM GAMES April 29, 2015 CBC/RADIO-CANADA - French- and English-language broadcast hosts were also announced during a joint event with TO2015 in celebration of the 100-day countdown to the Parapan Am Games Tweet this release: http://cbc.sh/wm9vMmi April 29, 2015 – CBC/Radio-Canada today announced its broadcast plans for this summer’s Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games as part of a joint celebration with TO2015 in honour of the 100-day countdown to the start of the Parapan Am Games. CBC/Radio-Canada is the official broadcaster of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games in Canada and will provide Canadians with more hours of coverage than before – including unprecedented coverage of the Parapan Am Games – through an extensive multiplatform approach. The Pan Am Games run from July 10-26, 2015, while the Parapan Am Games take place August 7-15, 2015 in Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. The Pan Am/Parapan Am Games is the world’s third-largest international multi-sport games and Toronto 2015 will be the largest multi-sport games ever held on Canadian soil. In keeping with the magnitude of the event, CBC/Radio-Canada will broadcast nearly 750 hours of coverage over the course of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games across TV, online and mobile platforms. This year’s event marks the first time that the Parapan Am Games will be televised in English and French in Canada. CBC-TV will offer daily broadcasts in the afternoon, primetime, and late night, covering each day’s events throughout the Pan Am Games along with daily primetime and late night broadcasts during the Parapan Am Games. The afternoon broadcasts will air in local time across the country while the evening and late night broadcasts will be live to audiences in Ontario and to the east, airing at local times to audiences west of Ontario. CBC’s Scott Russell will host the nightly primetime show from 8-10 p.m. (8:30-10:30 p.m. NT) and the late night programming block from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (12-1 a.m. NT) each night, recapping the biggest moments from each day’s events. During the Parapan Am Games, Russell will host CBC-TV’s nightly primetime coverage from 8-9 p.m. (8:30-9:30 p.m. NT), followed by the late night block from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (12-1 a.m. NT). In addition to CBC-TV’s coverage, broadcast partner Sportsnet will provide coverage of the Pan Am football (soccer) tournament and will also provide encore broadcasts of CBC-TV’s Parapan Am coverage. French-language TV coverage on Radio-Canada will include daily afternoon broadcasts from 1-4 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 2-5 p.m. on weekends, hosted by the network’s Marie-José Turcotte during the Pan Am Games. Host Marc Durand will guide viewers through Radio-Canada’s coverage of the Parapan Am Games, which will include a nightly hour-long broadcast recapping the best from each day of competition. From a digital perspective, CBC/Radio-Canada will again provide Canadians with unprecedented coverage with more than 650 hours of live streaming competition coverage of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games through cbc.ca/panam in English and ici.radio-canada.ca/panam in French, and via an upcoming app presented by CIBC for iOS and Android mobile devices (available in English and French). Additional features of the website and app will include the latest live and on-demand video, instant results, medal standings and news from in and around the events. The Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games will see more than 10,000 athletes, coaches, and team officials in total from 41 countries and territories visit Canada to take part in 36 Pan Am sports and 15 Parapan Am sports, many of which will be qualifying events for the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. Canada will be represented by its largest teams ever at the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games with more than 750 athletes competing. Further details of CBC/Radio-Canada’s plans for coverage of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games will be made available in the coming weeks. ORONTO 2015 PAN AM AND PARAPAN AM GAMES CBC ENGLISH SERVICES COVERAGE PLANS CBC-TV Three daily hosted programs during the Pan Am Games and two daily hosted programs during the Parapan Am Games o Scott Russell will host the Primetime and Late Night Pan Am and Parapan Am programs The daily weekday programming breakdown will be as follows*: o Pan Am Games (July 10-26, 2015): 3-5 p.m. (Local) – Pan Am Afternoon 8-10 p.m. (Live in ET, local time in areas west of Ontario) – Pan Am Primetime 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Live in ET, local time in areas west of Ontario) – Pan Am Late Night o Parapan Am Games (August 7-15, 2015): 8-9 p.m. (Local) – Parapan Am Primetime 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Local) – Parapan Am Late Night Digital (Online, Mobile, Social Media) More than 650 hours of live streaming coverage available online at cbc.ca/panam and via an upcoming app for iOS and Android devices The website and app will carry live video, on-demand highlights, real-time results, news, and will allow users to track Team Canada athletes through their competitions CBC’s digital offerings allow users one-stop access to everything Pan Am whenever they want it, no matter where they are CBC will be active in social media with the CBC Olympics Facebook and Twitter (#CBCPanAm) accounts, and through the @CBCSports accounts on Instagram and Periscope CBC Sports will also produce exclusive Vine-only features over the course of the Games, offering unique on-site and behind-the-scenes perspectives CBC News Leading up to and throughout the Games, CBC News platforms will keep Canadians informed of the latest news surrounding Toronto 2015 and the athletes from a competition perspective as well as from a news standpoint, all in an effort to bring the Games, athletes, and stories closer to Canadians no matter where they are in the country CBC News will follow the Pan Am torch from the lighting ceremony in Mexico and as it travels across Canada CBC’s local news broadcasts across Canada will follow the torch relay as it crosses the country through various communities CBC News will follow the announcements of the various sports’ Canadian team roster announcements as they are made leading up to the Games Special features within CBC News broadcasts and online will include athlete profiles, inside looks at some of the sports that will be part of the Pan Am and Parapan Am competitions, and more CBC News will produce engaging social media initiatives designed around Canada’s athletes and the communities in which they live and train, giving Canadians a first-hand account of the lives of the dedicated men and women representing them on Pan Am and Parapan Am stage CBC Radio CBC Radio will cover the Pan Am Games unlike any other broadcaster, with a special Pan Am Games Live Update included in several programs across the network throughout the entire event, featuring highlights of each day’s competition, following the progress of Canada's athletes and reporting their stories o Live Update will be included in regular morning sportscasts every hour in all CBC Radio morning shows across the country o Live Update from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC Toronto will be featured every hour on all afternoon shows across the country o World Report and The World This Weekend on Saturdays and Sundays will also include the Pan Am Games Live Update Kids’ CBC Kids' CBC will produce several forms of Pan Am-themed content, including: o A "Go Canada Go" music video featuring Indo-Canadian musician, Raghav, and Kids' CBC host, Patty o A torch craft from CBC Parents that will be shared with schools across Canada, featured on-air and online, and at CBC station events across the country o Kids' CBC 2 will feature an interactive Pan Am microsite including games, and cool facts and information about the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games for kids and families Further details of CBC/Radio-Canada’s plans for coverage of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games will be made available in the coming weeks. *All schedules subject to change. Weekend schedules may differ. Consult cbc.ca/panam for up-to-date schedules CBC announces TV and extensive online coverage plans for upcoming Pan Am Games Republish ReprintSean Fitz-Gerald | April 29, 2015 | Last Updated: Jul 6 4:41 PM ET More from Sean Fitz-Gerald | @SeanFitz_Gerald TORONTO – While offering more than 650 hours of coverage online, the CBC is planning to televise only five hours of programming on most days during the Pan American Games, a total that will generally be spread over three different time slots. The joys of 27-inch 'Thunder Thighs' and why cyclists really shave their legs: 20 Questions with Curt Harnett . The public broadcaster announced the basic framework of its coverage plans Wednesday, inside its downtown Toronto headquarters. Since it lost the NHL rights two years ago, the CBC has made deep staffing cuts and shifted its mandate from professional sports and renewed its focus on the amateur scene. There will be a two-hour bloc of television coverage beginning at 3 p.m. local time every weekday during the Pan Am Games, and there will be another two-hour stretch beginning at 8 p.m. The final bloc will run from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Some of the content will be on a tape delay, and some events will be condensed. “I think they are doing what their national mandate is,” said David Peterson, chair of the Pan Am Games organizing committee. “I have no complaints, honest to God.” The CBC has sub-licensed soccer coverage to Rogers Communications. It was a Rogers deal that shifted the landscape for the CBC, as well as for TSN, two years ago. The communications giant hatched a 12-year deal worth $5.2-billion to snatch rights to the NHL in Canada — sub-licensing games to the CBC, but only after gaining editorial control over Hockey Night in Canada, as well as studio space at the CBC headquarters. Mark Lee and Steve Armitage, long-time voices in the CBC’s sports department, were let go last year. Scott Russell, one of the few remaining on-air personalities, will host two of the Pan Am Games programs in July, anchoring the primetime and late-night shows. CBC 2015 Pan Am Games Broadcast Schedule Friday, July 10 Opening Ceremony 7 – 10:30 pm Saturday, July 11 Pan Am Afternoon 1 - 3:30 pm ET Pan Am Primetime 7 – 10 pm ET Sunday, July 12 Pan Am Afternoon 1 – 3:30 pm ET Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 17 Pan Am Afternoon 3 – 5 pm Pan Am Primetime 8 – 10 pm Pan Am Late Night 11:30 pm – 12:30 am Saturday, July 18 Pan Am Afternoon 3 – 6 pm ET Pan Am Primetime 7 – 10 pm ET Sunday, July 19 Pan Am Afternoon 1 – 4 pm ET Pan Am Primetime 8 – 10 pm Pan Am Late Night 11:30 pm – 12:30 am Monday, July 20 to Friday, July 24 Pan Am Afternoon 3 – 5 pm Pan Am Primetime 8 – 10 pm Pan Am Late Night 11:30 pm – 12:30 am Saturday, July 25 Pan Am Afternoon 3 – 6 pm ET Pan Am Primetime 7 – 10 pm ET Sunday, July 26 Pan Am Games Afternoon 1 – 5 pm ET Closing Ceremony 7 – 10 pm ET Pan Am Games Late Night 11:30 pm – 2:30 am Please note the schedule is subject to change at any time without notice. Pan Am Afternoon is hosted by Andi Petrillo and Pan Am Primetime and Late Night programs are hosted by Scott Russell. More than 600 daily live streaming hours available at cbc.ca/panam and through the CBC Sports App on iOS & Android. CBC 2015 Parapan Am Games Broadcast Schedule Friday, August 7 Opening Ceremony 7 – 9 pm Saturday, August 8 Parapan Am Afternoon 4 – 6 pm ET Parapan Am Primetime 8 – 10 pm Sunday, August 9 Parapan Am Afternoon 5 – 7 pm Monday, August 10 – Friday, August 14 Parapan Am Primetime 8 – 9 pm Parapan Am Late Night 11:30 pm – 12:30 am Saturday, August 15 Parapan Am Afternoon 11:00 am – 1 pm ET Parapan Am Primetime 10 pm – 12:30 am ET CBC, with AMI simulcast, will provide Described Video (DV) on all television coverage of the Parapan Am Games. Over 170 hours will be streamed daily live online at cbc.ca/panam and through the CBC Sports App on iOS & Android. Entertainment Television CBC adds 12 hours to Pan Am coverage By Trish CrawfordMusic Wed., July 15, 2015 Canadian viewers who’ve been clamouring for more Pan Am Games coverage have been heard. The CBC announced Wednesday it adding 12 more hours of coverage until the Games close July 26. Brazil's Thiago Simon competes in a men's 200m breaststroke preliminary heat at the Pan Am Games on Wednesday. CBC has promised more hours of TV coverage of the Games in response to complaints from fans. (Rebecca Blackwell / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) It immediately added an hour a day to its weekday afternoon program Pan Am Afternoon with host Andi Petrillo, which will now run three hours from 2 to 5 p.m. Also, weekend prime-time coverage will be expanded with an extra hour Sunday, July 19 and three hours on Saturday, July 25. In a news release, the broadcaster said it “is committed to providing audiences with as much sports coverage as is made available by Toronto 2015. To that end, all medal moments have been and will continue to be carried on TV, online at cbc.ca/panam and via the CBC Sports App . . . or via highlight clips made available through the host broadcaster.” The sports made available live include track cycling, artistic gymnastics, athletics (excluding road races), diving, synchronized swimming, swimming, equestrian show jumping, volleyball, beach volleyball, boxing, soccer, judo, wrestling, taekwondo, karate, basketball, and opening and closing ceremonies. “We heard in no uncertain terms that Canadians . . . want to see more coverage,” said Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs. The request for more Games programming was matched by robust audience numbers. “There’s been a lot of positive feedback,” said Thompson, adding the CBC already had crews in place at the events so it was easily able to add the 12 hours of coverage. “As we are already streaming live coverage online, the cost to produce and place the additional hours on television was incremental.” This year marks the first time that the Parapan Am Games, which follow the Pan Am Games Aug. 7 to 15, will be televised in English and French in Canada. CBC drops the ball on its erratic coverage of Pan Ams Mike Koreen Published: July 21, 2015 Updated: July 21, 2015 9:56 PM EST Filed Under: Toronto SUN Sports Other Sports TORONTO Bal Gosal was in the stands at Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday night, taking in Canadian basketball history along with a full house of red-and-white clad fans. Unless you were in the building — like Canada’s minister of sport — or on your computer, though, there was no way to see Canada’s first Pan Am women’s hoops gold medal win take place live, even though it was happening just a few kilometres away from the headquarters of the host broadcaster: The CBC. For all the good things that have played out during the first 10 days of the event — big, loud crowds, outstanding Canadian performances and even surging television ratings — there is one clear downer: The inability of the Games to showcase many of its biggest events on live TV at home. "I was surprised," Gosal said outside the beach volleyball venue when asked about the fact there was no live TV of marquee events, such as the men’s baseball final on Sunday (which was also streamed online) and the women’s basketball final on Monday. Story continues below "I would have liked to see more coverage. I thought there would be more coverage … When I went to the Paralympics in London (in 2012), they were slated for very small coverage. Once they saw the ticket sales, once they saw the people, right away they increased coverage. That’s what I’d love to see in Canada, every amateur sport covered much more than it is right now." The CBC won the right to broadcast the Pan Ams and serve as the host broadcaster in 2012. While a Pan Am spokesman said there were other bidders, it’s unclear just how much of a demand there was for an event that drew mostly negative headlines right up until the opening ceremony. It’s reasonable to suggest many were caught off guard by just how much interest there has been in the Games. At the time the CBC won the bid, Jeffrey Orridge, then the executive director for sports for CBC English Services and now the CFL commissioner, said, "As the host broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada will also bring the Pan/Parapan Am Games to the world, which positions us well for a revenue-positive outcome." A request to speak to Orridge through the CFL was not returned on Tuesday, but perhaps he’s right on his revenue theory. Yahoo Sports reported that the top three most-watched sporting events last weekend came from the Pan Am Games. That’s fine and dandy (and good for the bottom line), but ultimately the CBC’s programming decisions are just odd. Baseball was an obvious big storyline — it was the No. 1 story at the Winnipeg Pan Ams in 1999 and Canada was defending its title this year. What’s more, the final was an absolute thriller. And Canada’s women’s basketball team clearly is on the rise, with the sport experiencing a boom in this country. The list goes on — go on Twitter and you’ll see communities from many sports complaining about the coverage. "We knew we were not going to make everybody happy with every decision," said Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs for the CBC. "We’ve provided more coverage than ever before (for a Pan Am Games) and it’s been a huge success." Money, of course, is a factor. The CBC has been rocked by cuts in recent years, including heavy hits in its sports department. Thompson confirmed that the budget for the Pan Ams is "significantly lower" than the CBC’s budget for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games or the 2016 Rio Summer Games. But this matters not to Joe Sporting Fan, in this era of ever-expanding sports television coverage. TSN has five channels, Rogers Sportsnet has six — and yet two Canada-U.S.A. showdowns for gold in big sports in this country can’t find a place on live television? The CBC does have a deal to show several Pan Am soccer games on Sportsnet. Why soccer? "With soccer having such broad appeal in Canada, that decision was made some time ago," Thompson said. It’s unclear if TSN or Sportsnet could have picked up other sports. A Sportsnet spokesman referred all Pan Am questions to the CBC. When asked if his network was interested in the Games, TSN spokesman Greg McIsaac said, "I can confirm that we did have discussions on the Games, but we knew our focus this summer was going to be on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015." TSN and its partner networks showed every single minute of every single game of the World Cup this summer. While the CBC has twice boosted Pan Am coverage since the event started, it is not the extensive multi-sport Games coverage we are used to as Canadians. It feels a bit like the American treatment, where tape delays and canned features are often shown over live events. During the women’s basketball final on Monday, the CBC aired a taped documentary on the Canadian team. "We did sit down with CBC, the host broadcaster, over many, many months and worked out what was feasible (to broadcast) based on what we knew then, about what sports we could broadcast, about what we thought would have interest," said 2015 Pan Am chief executive officer Saad Rafi. "But (in regards to the final) choices, it’s really a question for them. "I think CBC is trying to be as adaptive as possible. Canada is having some outstanding success, so it’s kind of a nice problem to have (not being able to broadcast all Canada’s medal successes). I think as a partner they’ve served us and Canadians as well as they can." Indeed, true pros such as Scott Russell (a fierce supporter of amateur sports) do outstanding work for the CBC. The problem is behind the scenes — the interest among the Canadian public is not matched by the television coverage. "Every single television station — CBC, TSN, CTV — when I talk to them, I (ask) them to put more amateur sport on television," Gosal said. "These Pan Am Games are a prime example. They are a most successful Games. People are embracing it, venues are filled up and we don’t have enough TV coverage." XVIIIth Pan American Games Lima 2019 CBC did not air coverage on traditional television from Lima. All coverage was streamed on the CBC Gem streaming service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I have been compiling information on U.S. coverage of the World University Games over the years and this is what I have uncovered: The first coverage in the U.S. of the World University Games occurred in 1973. Eddie Einhorn (later President of CBS Sports and part-owner of the Chicago White Sox) was founder and owner of TVS. TVS was a syndicated sports network. In the late 1960s and through the 1970s Einhorn would sign up various local television stations to carry sports broadcasts produced by TVS, forming a temporary national "network" for the TVS broadcasts. TVS broadcast many college basketball and football games, the World Football League in 1974, and the North American Soccer League in 1977 and 1978. On June 27, 1973 TVS broadcast the first exhibition basketball match between the USA and China from Beijing. During the telecast TVS play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg announced TVS would be covering the 1973 World University Games from Moscow, as can be seen in this video: (announcement is at 0:10:21 of the video) TVS televised a total of 10 hours of coverage of the games. As the coverage was syndicated, the actual broadcast times would have varied from station to station. The following information is compiled from daily television listings in the Spokane Daily Chronicle newspaper for station KING-TV Channel 6. 1973 World University Games TVS (Syndication) 10 Hours August 15-26, 1973 Wednesday, August 15 10-11PM World University Games From Moscow Friday, August 17 2-3PM World University Games From Moscow 5-6PM World University Games From Moscow Saturday, August 18 3-5PM World University Games From Moscow Wednesday, August 22 10-11PM World University Games From Moscow Saturday, August 25 2-3 PM World University Games From Moscow 11:30 PM -12:30 AM World University Games From Moscow Sunday, August 26 3-5 PM World University Games From Moscow Here is an alternate listing for a station in Detroit that was printed on a plastic mug for sale on ebay: Broadcast times for WKBD TV-50 in Detroit: Wednesday, August 15 10-11 PM* Saturday, August 18 8-10 PM Sunday, August 19 8-10 PM Thursday, August 23 10-11 PM* Saturday, August 25 8-10 PM Sunday, August 26 8-10 PM *Live coverage via satellite New York Times May 24, 1973 page 76 As its first overseas activity, the TVS Television Network, which has been televising domestic sports for seven years, will cover the World University Games from Moscow, Aug. 15 through Aug. 25. Of the 80 commercial minutes (worth $1.28 ‐million) available, 50 have already been sold to such sponsors as J. C. Penney, Equitable Life, State Farm Insurance, Colgate‐Palmolive and Wilkmson Sword. TVS is a subsidiary of Corinthian Broadcasting and the games will be seen here on WNBC‐TV. June 21, 1973 Stephenville Empire-Tribune U.S. Faces China in Basketball Next Week NEW YORK AP - They’re having a cage tilt this week, as they say in basketball circles. What makes it a bit different is that ifs in mainland China and being videotaped by a U.S. firm. The company is the New York-based TVS Television Network, which says it’ll snow the first of eight scheduled Sino-American basketball games next Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. EDT on an estimated 125 U.S. stations. Ifs the first such sports event-aside from those held during President Nixon’s trip to mainland china-covered by an American TV company since NBG filmed the now-famous table tennis matches between U.S. and Chinese teams in April 1971. The basketball battles are between a 12-man team of U.S. collegiate stars and the Chinese national men’s team. The woman’s championship team from John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, Neb., also is on the tour and will compete against China’s national women’s team. The TVS network, which got permission from the government of mainland China to tape the first game for showing in the United States, has specialized in covering U.S. collegiate sports since the mid-1960s. TVS Vice President Alan Fubell said his company will go to Moscow to cover the World University Games which run Aug. 15-25. Often called the ‘‘collegiate Olympics,” the games, involving U.S. college athletes, will include basketball, fencing, gymnastics and wrestling, among other sports. Fubell said there’ll be about a total of 10 hours of Moscow games that TVS teams will transmit from prime-time broadcasting on about 175 U.S stations between Aug. 15 and 26 Most of it will be shown on the weekends. He said TVS initially wanted to broadcast live-via-satellite coverage of the basketball matches in mainland China, but the Chinese government vetoed the idea for reasons they didn't fully explain. The next time the games were seen in the U.S. was in 1981 when ABC showed brief highlights of Nadia Comaneci competing in the World University Games in Bucharest (in her home country of Romania) on Wide World of Sports as seen in the clip below: In 1983 the World University Games came to North American for the first time and were given major TV coverage in the U.S. and Canada for the first time. Canada's CBS network aired 26 hours of coverage of the games with Ernie Afaganis as host and produced the world feed. CBS aired 9 hours of weekend coverage with Brent Musburger hosting. XII World University Games Edmonton 1983 CBC 26 Hours Host: Ernie Afaganis Reporters: Ted Reynolds Anne Rohmer John Wells ? Friday July 1 4-6 PM Universiade '83 (Opening Ceremony) 6:30 PM - 7 PM Universiade '83 Sat. July 2 3-6 PM Universiade '83 More than 4000 athletes from 85 countries gather to compete in gymnastics, basketball, fencing, and other events, live from Edmonton, Alta. Sun. July 3 3-6 PM Universiade '83 Scheduled events are gymnastics, basketball, fencing, swimming and diving, from Edmonton, Alta. Mon. July 4 11:30 PM Universiade '83 Updated coverage of basketball, cycling, gymnastics, fencing, swimming, diving, and tennis from Edmonton, Alta. Tues. July 5 11:30 PM Universiade '83 Updated coverage of basketball, volleyball, gymnastics finals, fencing, swimming, diving, tennis, and track and field preliminaries, from Edmonton, Alta. Wed. July 6 11:15 PM Universiade '83 Thurs. July 7 11:40 PM Universiade '83 Updated coverage of track and field, basketball, volleyball, cycling, swimming, diving, and tennis from Edmonton, Alta. Fri. July 8 11:30 PM - 12:25 AM Universiade '83 Updated coverage of track and field, basketball, cycling, diving, tennis, and water polo, from Edmonton, Alta. Sat. July 9 3-6PM Universiade '83 Scheduled events are track and field, women's basketball finals, men's and women's volleyball finals, tennis and water polo, from Edmonton Alta. Sun. July 10 2-5PM Universiade '83 Scheduled events are track and field, diving, tennis, water polo, basketball finals and volleyball finals, from Edmonton, Alta. Mon. July 11 7-8:30 PM Universiade '83 Scheduled events are track and field and water polo finals, from Edmonton, Alta. 11:30-PM Universiade '83 Coverage of the closing ceremonies from Edmonton, Alta. The Montreal Gazette Saturday July 2, 1983 TV Times Front Cover Universiade '83: Pre-Olympics by Bob Remington Edmonton Rumors that Princess Diana might be bearing another bundle of joy finally ignited a spark of enthusiasm here for Universiade '83, the World University Games. Local organizers gushed with hope that Princess Di would confirm the rumors at the opening of Universiade on July 1, - which at TV Times' press time - she and Prince Charles were scheduled to attend. Such an announcement may have ended a dilemma for Universiade. As recently as early June, the sporting spectacle had failed to generate the overall pregame electricity of the highly successful XI Commonwealth Games, which were staged in Edmonton in 1978, although civic promotional efforts have been impressive. However, there is salvation for Universiade other than a confirmation or denial from the Princess of Wales. That salvation is television. "This will be the first major television coverage for the World University Games and there is no doubt that it will be a major breakthrough," says Dennis Harvey, head of CBC Television Sports. "I don't think there is any doubt of that." The sluggish enthusiasm for Universiade that existed even a few short weeks before the opening ceremonies can be explained by the fact that the World University Games have never received much attention in North America, even though they have been a major testing ground for the Olympics. Prior to the Royal rumor, local interest in Universiade seemed contrived, compare to the Commonwealth Games in the summer of '78. Those games, laced with traditional Commonwealth rivalries, are considered a hard act to follow, even though Universiade is second in size only to the Olympics as a sporting spectacle. The World University Games were begun in 1923 among a few European countries and have grown in 60 years to an event that will be twice the size of the '78 Commonwealth Games and more international in scope than the Summer Olympics held in Montreal in 1976. In this, the first time they have been held on this continent, the University Games have attacted over 5000 athletes from 99 countries - more than for any previously held sports event in Canada or the U.S. Among the athletes are 21 world record holders. Harvey says television could establish the Universiade in North America. "I don't mean to denigrate countries like Bulgaria, which hosted the 1977 University Games, but they had a hard time mounting any coverage. Whereas we in North America are leaders in television technology," CBC English language television will provide 26 hours of national network coverage from the opening ceremonies through the Games' conclusion on July 11. CBC will also make available to international broadcasters a one-hour daily summary of events. CBC, as host broadcaster, will also supply CBS with a main feed on which the network will base 10 hours of coverage to the U.S. CBC's budget for Univeresiade '83 is $1.7 million - far below the $8 million spent on the Commonwealth Games in '78. Because it is the first major television coverage for the World University Games, Harvey says CBC was reluctant to mount an extensive campaign. "The Commonwealth Games were a bigger production because they have been a major meet for the Commonwealth and the rivalry amont Commonwealth countries is established in tradition," he says. The logisitics of coverage are no less comples, however, with events taking place at 10 locations throughout Edmonton. CBC has assigned 185 production and technical personnel to handle coverage for its four networks - English and French radio and television - and to provide coverage to the international community in its role as host broadcaster. CBC's television host is Ernie Afaganis. Other commentators include Ted Reynolds and Anne Rohmer. Coverage will not be limited to sporting events. Edmonton has decked itself out with roadside banners and colorful murals on the walls of neglected downtown buildings in preparation for Kaleidoscope '83, the name given to the cultural activities that will take place in dozens of locations throughout the city during Universiade. Hundreds of international participants are involved. CBC's Edmonton affiliate, which will supply 15 hours of additional Universiade Games programming to Alberta viewers only, has been handling most of the Kaleidoscope production chores, and edited versions of features are scheduled to run on the national network. Universiade's rules say some cultural component must be held in conjunction with the Games, but the extent is up to the host city. Edmonton decided to go big. The cultural endeavors will be familiar to Canadians who tuned to the Commonwealth Games in '78, as will the locations of the athletic events. But there is still some uncertainty as to what these University Games are all about. With major international television coverage for the first time, some of that uncertainty will undoubtedly evaporate. Whoo-oo's Wugie? The mascot for the World University Games is an owl and not coincindentally, the owl is also the mascot of the Province of Alberta. The owl mascot is named Wugie, which stands for "World University Games in Edmonton." Wugie's credentials are impeccable. The owl has a reputation for being canny and wise, which is academic or university aspect. It is also a bird of prey which means it has prowess. XII World University Games Edmonton 1983 CBS Rights Fee: (less than $100,000?) Hours: 9 Executive Producer: Terry O'Neil Host: Brent Musburger Reporters: Tim Ryan (Gymnastics) John Tesh (Gymnastics) Dick Stockton (Swimming and Diving) ? Analysts: Peter Kormann (Gymnastics) Billy Packer (Basketball) ? Sunday July 3 -- 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: at Edmonton, Alberta, second full day of competition involving more than 5,000 athletes from 97 countries in 10 sports. The games run through July 12. Friday's opening ceremonies and focus on swimming, diving, men's gymnastics and basketball will be shown. An estimated 5000 athletes from 97 countries participate in this binennial competition, telecast from Edmonton, Alta. Among the expected U.S. representatives are divers Greg Louganis and Bruce Kimball, and basketball players Keith Lee and Ed Pinckney. The Soviet team is expected to include 1976 Olympic prodigy Nadia Comaneci. (Live) Saturday July 9 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: Over 5000 athletes from 97 countries gather to compete. (from Edmonton, Alberta) Sunday July 10 -- 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: World University Games, at Edmonton, Alberta. Over 5000 athletes from 97 countries gather to compete. Competition in track and field, gymnastics, men's 3-meter diving and basketball will be featured in live and taped highlights. CLOSE UP (TV Guide July 9-15, 1983) World University Games. Telecast From Edmonton, Alta. Athletes representing 97 countries compete in this biennial event. Outstanding competitors in each of the featured sports include... Track and Field: Willie Gault (U.S.A.), (this year's first round draft choice of the Chicago Bears), who has a best time of 13.26 in the 110-meter hurdles; Benita Fitzgerald (U.S.A.), 1983 national champion in the 110-meter hurdles; Ludmila Kondrateva (USSR), 1980 Olympic 100-meter dash winner; Victor Markin (USSR), 1980 Olympic 400-meter champ. Basketball: All-America center Keith Lee of Memphis State and All-Big East forward Ed Pinckney of Villanova. Diving: Greg Louganis (U.S.A.), world champion in the three-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform events; Alexander Portnov (USSR), 1980 Olympic gold medalist in the three-meter springboard. Swimming: Mary T. Meagher (U.S.A.), world-record holder in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly; Vladimir Salnikov, world-record holder in the 400- and 1500-meter freestyle; Ricard Prado (Brazil), world-record holder in the 400-meter individual medley. Gymnastics: Yuri Kovolev (USSR), 1981 world individual all-around champion. Boca Raton News - July 12, 1983 by Mike Antonucci Knight-Ridder Newspapers The World University Games - dubbed "the WUGs" by CBS' public relations people - produced one memorable story: The Peruvian basketball team arrived in Washington, D.C., before the start of the games, mistakenly thinking it would be given transportation to the competition at Edmonton, Alberta. The Squad ended up taking an 88-hour bus trip, reaching the games broke and exhausted. CBS commentator Billy Packer gave the players $500 to see them through their stay and began trying to arrange return transportation for them. Meanwhile, the Peruvians lost to the U.S. 134-25. The following commericals include one at 3:36 for CBS coverage of the 1983 World University Games: After 1983, the World University Games again were ignored in North America. In 1991 SportsChannel America broadcast one hour of coverage nightly of the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, GBR. Here are listings compiled from several newspapers of their broadcast times: XVIth World University Games Sheffield, 1991 SportsChannel America Hours: 12 Sunday July 14 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Monday July 15 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Tuesday July 16 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Wednesday July 17 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Thursday July 18 -- 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Friday July 19 -- 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Saturday July 20 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Sunday July 21 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Monday July 22 -- 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Tuesday July 23 -- 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Wednesday July 24 -- 11:30 PM - 12:30 AM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Thursday July 25 -- 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM World University Games. From Sheffield, England. (taped today) Buffalo News July 14, 1991 World Games Run an Obstacle Course... ...In the United States, Sports Channel plans to broadcast portions of events and ceremonies at the Games from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. each night. In 1993 The World University Games were hosted by the United States for the first time. (Although the Winter Games were held, without much attention, at Lake Placid in 1972.) Buffalo's organizing committee suffered from major financial woes, due in part to lack of sponsorship. The committee initially signed a contract to pay for 10 hours of coverage on CBS, but were later forced to cancel the contract and signed with ESPN for 6 hours instead. WIVB Channel 4 in Buffalo aired a nightly half-hour highlight show each night of the games. In Canada TSN cable network, partly owned by ESPN, aired one hour of highlights nightly. ESPN's coverage was host by John Saunders. XVIIth World University Games Buffalo 1993 ESPN Rights Fee: $0 (Time Buy by Organizing Committee) Hours: 6 Host: John Saunders Reporters: Larry Rawson (Athletics) Ron Franklin (Basketball) Paul Sunderland (Volleyball) John Nabor (Diving) Adrian Karsten (Features) Analysts: Craig Masback (Athletics) Sherri Howard (Athletics) Dwight Stones (Athletics) Larry Conley (Basketball) Kathy Gregory (Volleyball) Steve McFarland (Diving) Michelle Mitchell-Roache (Diving) Saturday July 17 -- 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM From Buffalo, N.Y. (Live) Sunday July 18 -- 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM From Buffalo, N.Y. (Live) WIVB Channel 4 Hours: 5 1/2 Host: Reporters: Thursday, July 8 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Friday, July 9 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Saturday, July 10 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Sunday, July 11 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Monday, July 12 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Tuesday, July 13 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Wednesday, July 14 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Thursday, July 15 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Friday, July 16 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Saturday, July 17 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights Sunday, July 18 -- 11:35 PM - 12:05 AM Highlights The Buffalo News CBS PLANS TO TELEVISE 10 HOURS OF WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES HERE By JON R. SORENSEN AND IRENE LIGUORI Mar 28, 1991 Updated Jul 22, 2020 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print CBS will televise 10 hours of the 1993 World University Games from Buffalo, according to a tentative agreement reached with the network. A handshake agreement was reached with CBS earlier this week, although a binding letter of agreement has yet to be signed, according to two sources. The deal is for two hours of network coverage on the first and second Saturday of the two-week event to be held here in July 1993, plus three hours on the first and second Sunday. Details of the deal were otherwise sketchy, and no one was willing to attach any price tags. The deal is expected to help guarantee the success of the Games, which will be held in the United States for the first time in their 32-year history. The amateur sporting competition is second in size to the Olympics and draws 6,000 athletes from around the world. David Warfel, the Games' marketing director, could not be reached for comment, and Games chairman Burt P. Flickinger refused to discuss the talks. A spokesman for CBS Sports said the network had "no comment on the negotiations." But sources said that in a somewhat unorthodox arrangement with the network, the Buffalo Games' London-based sports marketing arm will be solely responsible for lining up sponsors for the programming. Normally network sales staff line up sponsors. Games officials reportedly like that aspect of the agreement. Sources say it was the only viable strategy to pursue in a soft economy and a glutted television sports market. And it allows the degree of control the Games desired. Under the agreement, the network controls the programming, but the Games control the ad spots, a source said. "The Games will guarantee the network income, and the Games can guarantee their sponsors exclusivity," the source said. World Games officials couldn't have picked a more difficult time to negotiate a television contract. "The TV sports market is the worst it's ever been," one source said. "The marketplace has broadened. The economy is soft. Finite advertising budgets mean that some sports programming won't make it." The strategy of having sponsors lined up by the London-based Pascoe Nally International Ltd. instead of network sales staff is unorthodox, but not novel. Ted Turner, owner of CNN, will reportedly use the same approach in acquiring network time for the Goodwill Games in 1994. Also, ESPN's rights to the U.S. Olympic Festival expire this year, and industry speculation is that the U.S. Olympic Committee may try to acquire network time to get the event on TV after that. World University Games officials apparently are still seeking cable coverage for the weekday events, the sources say. In addition, there are plans to sell a daily one-hour program of highlights produced locally, which Games officials believe they can sell to some select markets in Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and maybe one dominant channel in Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The Buffalo News WORLD GAMES' TV AGREEMENT DOESN'T FOLLOW SCRIPT By Alan Pergament Apr 9, 1991 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print World University Games officials are paying CBS Sports between $3 million and $3.5 million to televise 10 hours of the 1993 competition from Buffalo, according to sources in New York City. That arrangement is the opposite of what once was expected to happen. In 1989, when local officials were still basking in the glow of winning the rights to the Games, they said the group's budget called for $5 million to be received from television and licensing of the Games' logo. The officials speculated that about $3 million was expected from the television rights alone. Two years later, the Games will be paying the $3 million rather than receiving it. However, officials hope to recoup that figure and more by attracting corporate advertisers. The CBS-World University Games deal was to be announced today in New York City and was to be followed by an evening reception at the 21 Club to be attended by members of CBS Sports, the Games committee, national news media and possible advertisers. The advertisers, no doubt, will be the most important people there. They are the ones who ultimately will determine if the television strategy is going to be successful. Under the arrangement, Games officials have agreed to pay CBS for 10 hours of Saturday and Sunday afternoon time during the July 1993 Games. They also are paying an additional fee for production costs. Normally, networks pay rights fees for sporting events and then offset the cost by selling advertising. Lacking the name or the track record to attract a seven-figure rights fee, the Games officials feel this arrangement has more financial potential. CBS, which suffered a $55 million after-tax loss on its baseball package, is happy to accept the $3 million without the risk of losing any more money in a soft economy for sports advertising sales. Neal Pilson, the president of CBS Sports, has been the brunt of many a joke recently because of his department's extravagant spending. Only last week at the Sports Emmys, host Dennis Miller cracked that Pilson was the only one who has lost more money gambling on sports than Pete Rose. But in the World University Games deal, CBS isn't gambling. Jay Rosenstein, vice president of programming for CBS, said: "We've done the World University Games before. We're delighted to cover a multisports event and feel the fact it will be held in the United States for the first time will provide additional interest." Games officials also expressed their satisfaction with the arrangement. "We're delighted that CBS, the No. 1 sports network, will present the Games, which are second in size only to the Summer Olympics," said John T. Lazarus, the president and chief executive officer of World University Games Properties, the Games' marketing arm. "The World University Games will create excitement in this country that will carry over to the Soccer World Cup in 1994 and culminate at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta." Burt P. Flickinger Jr., chairman of the Buffalo Organizing Committee, added, "We're extremely fortunate to have this relationship with CBS Sports, the network of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics with a rich tradition in collegiate athletics." It will be Lazarus' job to line up advertisers. His resume includes several years in sales at ABC Sports under Roone Arledge, director of radio and television for Major League Baseball under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and vice president of sales for the Fox Broadcasting Network. Lazarus said advertising on television will be only one element in an integrated package he plans to sell to sponsors that also includes the use of the World University Games logo and mascot, and VIP treatment. The Games' TV arrangement is similar to the way golf's annual "Skins Game" and some other golf and tennis events are packaged to sponsors. Lazarus said he hasn't approached any sponsors yet but disputes industry speculation that the Games' strategy has a big risk factor. "I see zero risk," said Lazarus. "We are selling sponsors in the $2 million, $3 million, $4 million and $5 million range. If we bring in one good sponsor, we've covered our cost. I'm not concerned." Lazarus said the U.S. Olympic Committee is interested in the Games' success. "Every USOC sponsor is a logical prospect for us," said Lazarus. "The people in the sports world know of these Games. CBS doesn't take on any obscure events." To those who suggest CBS isn't taking any of the risk, Lazarus replies: "They are lending the name of their corporation to this event. To me, that is stepping up as close to the plate as you can. I don't say no risk." The Games, which are expected to attract 6,000 athletes from 120 nations, will be held in the United States for the first time in their 70-year history and will be seen for the second time on CBS. CBS last televised a portion of the World Games from Edmonton, Alberta, in 1983 for a very reasonable rights fee, believed to be less than $100,000. The Games averaged about a mediocre 4 rating for nine hours of coverage over two weekends. And that was before the cable television explosion severely lowered network sports ratings. The absence of the Games from network television since then is an indication of interest. Games officials, however, hope that the fact they will be held in this country for the first time will increase the public's awareness of the competition. Lazarus said he hasn't spoken to cable networks yet but he hopes to sign a deal for a one-hour nightly cable highlights show during the week. When Buffalo was awarded the rights to the Games, Sean McManus, who helps negotiate the TV rights to major international sporting events, said the Buffalo organizing committee should be happy if a broadcast network was willing to underwrite the massive production costs in exchange for the right to broadcast the Games. McManus added that the key to the Games' success is not television money, but how much money they can get from corporate sponsorship. This TV deal appears to validate McManus' theories. The Buffalo News GAMES OFFICIALS CAN VOID CBS-TV PACT ESCAPE CLAUSE WRITTEN INTO DEAL IF SUFFICIENT SPONSORSHIPS CANNOT BE FOUND By IRENE LIGUORI, IRENE LIGUORI AND ANTHONY CARDINALE, IRENE LIGUORI AND CHARLES ANZALONE, IRENE LIGUORI AND DAVE CONDREN, IRENE LIGUORI AND HAROLD MCNEIL, IRENE LIGUORI AND KEVIN COLLISON, IRENE LIGUORI AND MATT GRYTA, JAMES T. MADORE AND IRENE LIGUORI, JON R. SORENSEN AND IRENE LIGUORI Apr 11, 1991 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print World University Games officials say that if they don't round up a sufficient number of sponsors, they can withdraw from a $3 million television deal with CBS-TV at no cost. The network this week formally agreed to air 10 hours of the Games from Buffalo over the course of two weekends in July 1993. The Games' executive director said Wednesday that there is a certain date -- which he did not reveal -- when the Games could bail out of the deal. "But we don't think that's going to happen," Ron Ferguson said, explaining that the Games' marketing arm feels confident about selling 15 national sponsors on the idea of the event. The Games committee will have complete control over 180 advertising spots on CBS, each lasting 30 seconds. A total of about $26 million in sponsorships is needed. At a press conference announcing details of the marketing package, Games officials unveiled a short film, featuring recognizable former Games athletes such as basketball star Larry Bird, that they plan to use in attracting corporate sponsors. The film is scored with segments of Johannes Brahms' emotion-tinged "Academic Festival Overture," the music traditionally played during Games medal ceremonies. John T. Lazarus, president of the marketing arm, said experts will be trying to create a strong awareness of the World University Games. He noted that the event has been in existence in one form or another for 70 years. For the first time in any major international athletic competition, scholarships will be awarded to qualified participants, Lazarus said. Principal - Games sponsors will contribute to a $1 million scholarship fund for 75 student-athletes for graduate studies. "It's a way to give something back to the athletes," Lazarus said. Corporate advertisers' names will be attached to the scholarships as part of the sponsorship package. Asked how long it will take to draw some big names into the sponsorship fold, Lazarus said: "We're shooting for a year." That also will provide sufficient time for sponsors to begin actively promoting the Games through their own marketing efforts, further raising the visibility of the event, he said. The Buffalo News N.J. FIRM WINS GAMES' TV RIGHTS By Staff Oct 18, 1991 Updated Jul 22, 2020 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print ANew Jersey firm has been awarded the global television distribution rights for the 1993 World University Games, which will be held in Buffalo. Tofanelli & Young Inc. of Vineland, N.J. will attempt to market televised coverage of the games to broadcasters overseas, said World University Games' Properties. The company will begin marketing the games during a broadcaster's meeting later this month in Cannes, France. U.S. and Canadian network rights have been sold to CBS-TV. The Buffalo News '93 GAMES COVERAGE SHIFTS TO ESPN SWITCH FROM CBS PACKAGE WILL REDUCE VIEWING AUDIENCE, SAVE OVER $1 MILLION By ANTHONY CARDINALE AND SHARON LINSTEDT, BY SHARON LINSTEDT, CAROLYN RAEKE AND SHARON LINSTEDT, CHARLES ANZALONE AND SHARON LINSTEDT, DOUGLAS TURNER AND SHARON LINSTEDT, ESTHER MILLER AND SHARON LINSTEDT, FINISHED PRODUCT WILL BE ARCHITECTURAL GEM, LEGISLATORS TOLD BY SHARON LINSTEDT, HENRY L. DAVIS AND SHARON LINSTEDT, JON R. SORENSEN AND SHARON LINSTEDT, JUAN FORERO AND SHARON LINSTEDT Nov 20, 1992 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print Sports fans will be tuning into ESPN, not CBS, next summer to catch the final rounds of competition in the World University Games. In a deal nearly complete, the Games will back out of a broadcast arrangement with CBS Sports, in favor of a less-costly television package with the nation's largest cable network. The channel switch will reduce the Games' broadcast bills by more than $1 million, without a significant drop in viewers, officials said Thursday. "We think the advantages of going with ESPN outweigh any slight audience reduction it will cause," Games President Burt P. Flickinger Jr. said. "We think this is the best move we can make." Flickinger's comments followed the announcement that New York Telephone and its parent, NYNEX Corp., would contribute as much as $1 million to the Games. The Games chief acknowledged ESPN's cable broadcasts reach only 66 percent of U.S. households, while CBS has the potential to reach virtually every home with a television. However, he said there was a possibility local CBS affiliates might have pre-empted the Games with their own programming. "In terms of numbers, we will start out with a smaller audience, but there won't be the pre-emption problem," Flickinger added. "Another plus is we'll be broadcasting to an audience that is watching because they want to see sports." Games officials are close to striking a deal with the cable sports network to air six hours of events on July 17 and 18 at a cost of $350,000. Organizers will pay an additional television production fee of between $450,000 and $500,000 to an independent production company to package the coverage for broadcast. The arrangement with ESPN comes after non-productive discussions with CBS Sports to rework a $3 million, 10-hour deal developed in 1990. In recent months, Games officials expected to renegotiate with CBS to bring down the cost of broadcasts to about $2 million for eight hours of coverage. Flickinger said inquiries were made to ESPN at the suggestion of the U.S. Olympic Committee, which has worked with the network on broadcast of several U.S. Olympic Festival competitions. Curt Pires, an ESPN publicist, declined to provide additional details of the draft contract, but said the arrangement has the potential to draw viewers. "Because it has age restrictions for athletes, it will tend to offer a higher level of competition than the Olympic Festivals," he said. "These will be college-age athletes, many with names people who follow these sports will recognize." Under the proposed ESPN deal, the Games will have access to 57, 30-second commercial slots during the broadcasts Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Organizers have filled 32 of those ad openings through New York Telephone's just-announced sponsorship. The remaining 25 slots will be offered as enticements to lure other major sponsors. New York Telephone and its parent, NYNEX Corp., announced Thursday morning they are contributing $550,000 initially to the Games, with the possibility of another $450,000 later. This is the major cash sponsorship that organizers of the money-strapped Games have waited for, and they hope it will trigger cash support from other major corporations. But the contribution comes with strings attached. New York Telephone and NYNEX gave Games organizers a check for $550,000 and pledged to make additional contributions in three installments, based on the Games' private or corporate fund-raising achievements. The Games will get $112,500 if organizers can raise $2 million by Feb. 1; another $112,500 is triggered by raising an additional $2 million by April 1. The last $225,000 would be handed over July 1 if the Games can reach $3.5 million. "What we want to be is a catalyst," said Richard Jalkut, president and chief executive officer of New York Telephone. "We wouldn't have agreed to be a corporate sponsor if we didn't believe if could be a big success. We're going to use our corporate muscle to make that happen." Jalkut has sent letters to several business executives, urging them to support the Games. The importance of the New York Telephone/NYNEX sponsorship to the Games is underscored in the unveiling of a redrawn Games logo, which now incorporates New York Telephone's familiar bell emblem with the Games' existing five-colored star graphic. The Buffalo News CHANNEL 4 SIGNS TO BE THE STATION OF WORLD GAMES By Alan Pergament Mar 27, 1993 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print TALK ABOUT irony. Channel 4, which has angered sports fans by pre-empting key basketball games and golf events to carry paid programs featuring Cher and the Juice Man, has made a deal to be the "official local television station" of the World University Games. In other words, it likes sports after all. Some confusion reigned at Channel 2 and Channel 7 after the Games deal was announced. What does it mean to their coverage plans? Basically, Channel 4 is getting many things in the deal that Channel 2 and Channel 7 will be prohibited from getting. While Channel 4 will do a nightly, 30-minute highlight show, Channel 2 and Channel 7 will only get 2 or 3 minutes of highlights a night, according to Gretchen Sorensen, the director of marketing and community relations for the Games. Channel 4 also has the exclusive right to go live inside Games venues and the exclusive right to the use of the Games logo. That means viewers can expect to see Carol Jasen, Jacquie Walker, Rich Newberg, Kevin O'Connell, Van Miller and Brian Blessing wearing World Games shirts during newscasts. "The analogy would be to the networks and Olympic sponsorship," Channel 4 General Manager Stephen H. Kimatian said. When a network like CBS purchases the rights to the Olympics, it has exclusive live broadcast rights. It also restricts the highlights that can be carried by competitors and frequently delays their use by a day. To get its exclusive rights, Channel 4 has agreed to some profit-sharing with the Games for advertising it sells during the highlights show and some prime time specials it has agreed to carry to promote the Games. "We will jointly market our efforts and there will be an economic benefit both ways here," said Kimatian. He feels the Games are better off with an exclusive deal because he believes the one station that gets it will work harder to make it work. And how are the competitors taking the restrictions? "I've got a problem with any kind of restrictions that are basically preventing us from televising public events inside a public building," said Channel 2 News Director Bob Pfeiffer. "The World Games seem to be funded by a lot of public monies and the state. If these games are supposed to be public events in public facilities, I don't see how one TV station should have more access than any other TV station. I think we should have complete access to these games." Channel 7's news director, Steve Van Vliet, was more accepting of the turn of events. "It is what we live with, with every other major sporting event," said Van Vliet. "The Olympics, the World Series, the Super Bowl." The difference is that this so-called major event is being held in Buffalo. One wonders if the money that the Games will make from this arrangement with Channel 4 will be worth the cost it will pay from the reduced exposure on the other channels. It stands to reason that the largest number of spectators for the Games will come from Western New York. Presumably, more viewers would be drawn to the games by maximum exposure on all the local affiliates. The Games should have considered whether making an exclusive deal was worth the drawback of losing what is essentially more free advertising on the other two stations. On the plus side, at least Games officials were able to convince one station to make this deal. But without this deal, Channel 2 and Channel 7 probably would have devoted more time to the Games. Sorensen said the Games held discussions with all the affiliates before making the deal with Channel 4. One wonders just what did Channel 4 really "win" by getting the exclusive rights. It now has the right to inflate the importance of the Games on television all by itself. In a sense, Channel 4 can turn the highlights of the Games into a nightly paid program. Unfortunately, it looks like the Juice Man and Cher have easier sells than the World Games. Wondering what competition the World Games will be facing when ESPN carries its coverage from noon to 3 p.m. July 17 and from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 18? On July 17, CBS is carrying a baseball game at 1 p.m. (The Royals at the Blue Jays is one of three alternatives) and a senior golf tournament. On that day, ABC is carrying the Games' most prestigious competition -- golf's British Open -- from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is also carrying a bowling event at 3 p.m. and Wide World of Sports at 4:30 p.m. The only event on NBC's schedule that day is a women's golf tournament at 4 p.m. On July 18, the finals of the Ameritech Senior Golf Open is CBS' only scheduled event. On that day, ABC is carrying the final round of the British Open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the Molson Indy auto race from Toronto from 4 to 6 p.m. The only event on NBC's schedule that day is the finals of the women's golf tournament from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. On the one hand, the soft network schedule shows that the Games are on at a good time to get attention. On the other hand, the networks' disinterest shows they believe the Games are less compelling events than seniors golf and women's golf. Ouch. The Buffalo News GAMES TO BE AIRED GLOBALLY By Staff May 29, 1993 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print Sports fans in 43 nations will have an opportunity to tune into World University Games action under an international television deal announced Friday. Games spokesman George Russell said broadcast deals have been signed with China Central Television, STAR TV, Thailand Broadcasting, ARE TV of Egypt, Saudi Arabia TV, and a state-owned network in India to telecast the Western New York event to a potential audience of 2.7 billion people. The Games officials said the broadcasting contracts will allow viewers as far west as Egypt and as far east as China to watch a number of events. The Buffalo News ESPN IS SENDING 13 STAFFERS TO WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES By Alan Pergament, SPORTS ON THE AIR/ Jun 24, 1993 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print AIRWAVES: John Saunders, one of ESPN's most visible and respected personalities, will host ESPN's six hours of weekend coverage of the World University Games July 17 and 18. The cable sports network is sending 13 on-air staffers (including Saunders) to Buffalo to cover four sports -- basketball, diving, track and field and volleyball. The lineup to be announced by the cable network later today: Basketball: Ron Franklin and Larry Conley. Diving: John Naber, Steve McFarland and Michelle Mitchell. Track and field: Dwight Stones, Sherri Howard, Craig Masback and Larry Rawson. Volleyball: Paul Sunderland and Kathy Gregory. Features: Adrian Karsten. . . . TSN (The Sports Network), Canada's equivalent to ESPN, has signed to carry 10 days of highlights of the Games. . . . THE NEW YORK TIMES WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES; Buffalo Flips Over Games, Hopes for No Flops By Richard Sandomir July 4, 1993 Section 8, Page 7 The largest athletic event of its kind in the world except for the Olympics starts on Thursday with opening ceremonies featuring Kenny Rogers and Natalie Cole, but anxiety and civic pride are fencing for predominance as the World University Games shifts from four years of intensive planning to 11 days of reality. Standing in line in a cavernous accreditation and operations center to enlist as a volunteer pizza shuttler, Don Naughton confessed he was there because "a lot of people don't want this to flop." Standing nearby, Rose Marie Boraciak, another one of the 19,000 volunteers for the Games, said: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing." A bit defensively, but wearing a smile, she added: "We have a very good image of ourselves." Perhaps Buffalo's defensiveness derives from its image as the world's snow capital, the Johnny Carson jokes, the devastating loss of the steel industry, or the Buffalo Bills' three consecutive Super Bowl defeats. The last major global event held here, the 1901 Pan American Exposition, saw the assassination of President William McKinley. 'Confidence Is Lacking' "Our confidence is lacking and we're a little unsure of ourselves," said Dennis Gorski, the Eric County Executive. "We're just a blue collar town on Lake Erie. But having this kind of event will not only establish our confidence, but we can take pride that we beat bigger cities to do this." Backers of the World University Games Buffalo '93 portray the 11-day event as a local feel-good extravaganza to expand Buffalo's image to the world, where the Games are esteemed as the next best thing to an Olympics. Gretchen Sorensen, marketing director of the Games, said: "There's a real hope that this will be a catalyst to take Buffalo into the 21st Century." Whether a flood of tourism, trade or events sparked by the World Games will come Buffalo's way is impossible to measure now. "I'd like to think this will mean more than one event," said Paul Morris, a vice president of Fleet Bank. "But a year from now tourists may not know the World Games were here." Buffalo's Misfortune It may be Buffalo's misfortune to be host for an event known virtually everywhere but in the United States, where the Olympics, Goodwill Games, Olympic Festivals and Pan American Games are much better known. In New York, the Empire State Games, the statewide Olympics, retain a higher profile. "I've been promoting it," said Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. "I've done some commercials. I did a poster. But it's not easy." In addition, some of the athletes may be past Olympians or future Olympians, but none carry the cachet of a Carl Lewis or a Dream Teamer. Those managing the massive event, which will bring 7,000 athletes from 137 countries to western New York for the first World Games in the United States, are wrestling with the logistics of staging the games at venues from downtown to Canada and the task of merely breaking even on its $32 million budget. No one anticipates anything like the $18 million lost by the city of Sheffield, England, in the 1991 World Games. The local group incurred no facility-building costs as Sheffield's did -- a track and field stadium at the University of Buffalo and a natatorium at Erie Community College were government funded -- but there are fears that a small loss may taint the image-building event. "If they fall short, how will they cover the loss?" asked Stanton Lipsey, publisher of The Buffalo News. "It became a municipal liability in Sheffield, but the state has made it clear it won't pick up the deficit." Kathy Scanlon, the executive director of the World University Games Buffalo '93, said its board of directors "wants to make every vendor whole." There is no plan for how to pay any debts. Scanlon, the chief operating officer of the 1990 Goodwill Games, added: "We have a shot at breaking even." When Scanlon came last August, the budget had bloated to $50 million, corporate sponsorship money was lagging and no television deals had been made. "As recently as March of 1992, people were asking me whether we should cancel the Games," said Gorski, the county executive. Much of that heavy pessimism has faded. Scanlon pared the budget mainly by reducing inflated expectations for sponsorship and television revenues, which her predecessor had budgeted at nearly $30 million. A dribble of corporate money, which accelerated in recent months, will add up to $12.5 million. But there is no television cash; the Buffalo group paid $350,000 to buy six hours of time on ESPN. Getting up to $12.5 million in sponsorship has not been easy, and took until a week before opening ceremonies. Reasons abound: No major national corporations are based in Buffalo; the World Games are a cipher in the United States so companies frequently had to be briefed about the World Games were before they committed thousands of dollars, and the recession limited spending. "We just committed $100,000," said Bob Rich, whose family food company owns the Buffalo Bisons baseball team. "One-time event marketing is difficult when it's something people haven't seen. It lends itself to a lot of second-guessing. But they've been making great strides." New York Telephone's $1 million contribution demonstrated some doubt about the organizers' fundraising skills when it was announced last year. The cash was meted out in three installments to push organizers to raise the last $7.5 million from sponsors. Financial Dispute Oddly, within weeks of that goal being met, the Brussels-based governing body of the World University Games run by Primo Nebiolo, threatened to sue the Buffalo group if it didn't share half the marketing and television revenues. Organizers say the governing group is entitled only to one-third of television revenues. "They're not entitled to that," said Robert Fine, counsel to the games. "There is no signed agreement." The threat demonstrates an apparent power play by Nebiolo's group and a lack of knowledge of the Buffalo finances. Financial trouble for the Buffalo organizers will now be measured in ticket sales. The current local obsession is whether 65,000 seats available in Rich Stadium, the home of the Bills, will be sold for the opening ceremonies. With 30,000 seats unsold, the goal of raising $2.3 million (out of $6 million for tickets to all events) is far away. The Buffalo News has quoted grumblers who insist that the ticket-selling has been executed badly, that 65,000 is an impossible dream and that Rogers is overpaid at $150,000. Sorensen and Scanlon insist with a preternatural calm that with sales picking up at a rate of 2,500 to 3,000 tickets a day, more outlets selling tickets, and more phone lines being installed, the goal is attainable. "Buffalo is a late town," said Sorensen, a Seattle native, "and everyone waits until the last minute." What they will see is a show including Rogers, Cole, the Buffalo Philharmonic, a 110-member local choir, 400 local children, Native American dancers and a dozen sky jumpers landing in Rich Stadium. "A lot of people are very much for the games," said the producer, Ricky Kirshner, who has produced the Tony Awards and two United States Olympics festivals. "Some are against them for reasons I don't know. They should just shut up." They won't, of course, should the games lose money. But one facet of the games that cannot be argued with is the physical legacy. Without the games, the much needed $25 million field house (site of the natatorium) and the $23 million track and field/ football university stadium would not have been built. "It took 13 years to get the facility," said Sharon West, chairwoman of Erie Community College's board of trustees. "It was in nobody's budget. Along came the games and both the state and county governments came along. If we didn't get it now, we'd probably have to go to court." The 16,500 grass-surface stadium will allow the university's football taem to step up to Division I-AA for the 1993 season. "And one day," said Gorski, "we expect to be in Division I-A playing Penn State." Buffalo News LOCAL TV POLICY IS MISGUIDED ON COVERAGE OF WORLD GAMES By Alan Pergament Jul 8, 1993 0 Facebook Twitter Email Print AIRWAVES: A reminder. If you are looking for extended highlights of the World University Games over the next 10 days, better tune in to Channel 4, the official World Games station. Channel 7 and Channel 2 have been prohibited from carrying more than two minutes of highlights from the Games' television supplier in any news block. Basically, that means the two stations can carry a total of two minutes of highlights in newscasts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 to 7:30 p.m., and 10 to 11:30 p.m. The TV policy is similar to the ones networks operate under during Olympic coverage owned by one of them. But I repeat, the policy is misguided here and evidence of Games officials' lack of understanding of this area and its media. To get the "exclusive rights," Channel 4 is sharing any revenue it receives with the Games for its 11:35 p.m. highlights show. Whatever the Games are receiving, it won't compare to all the free advertising they would have received if Channel 7 and Channel 2 were able to send their own photographers out to cover the competition and to devote as much time as they wanted to in newscasts. It stands to reason that stations would spend more time on the Games if they had better access to them. "They are not going to get the kind of coverage they would have if they allowed us to shoot some of the athletic events," said Channel 7 News Director Steve Van Vliet. "I'm covering this to the best of my ability given the limitations I'm facing." The 50 best alien movies ever made Asked how many staffers Channel 2 would assign to cover the Games, News Director Bob Pfeiffer said: "With no video, it doesn't do much good" to have sports reporters covering the competition. The Olympics are an event that draws fans internationally. That may have been the original intention for the World Games, too. But it appears obvious now that the attendance primarily will come from the Western New York and surrounding area. That makes the TV decision even more misguided because it is certain to reduce the local TV hype competition. And from past Super Bowls, we know how hard the stations compete for the hype title. If Channel 4 hadn't received "exclusive rights," all three stations would have been in a hype battle that surely would have increased attendance. . . . Say goodbye to Channel 2 reporter-anchor Steve Keeley. He is leaving WGRZ-TV July 14 and joins WKYC-TV in Cleveland a day later. He was hired by Tony Ballew, the former Channel 4 news director who now has the same job at WKYC. Keeley had been here 5 1/2 years and did some of his best work covering the Robert Delano investigation and trial. Keeley said during the course of the Delano trial that Channel 4 reporter Marie Rice told him that Ballew was a great guy to work for. "You don't hear that much about news directors," said Keeley. Near the end of his Channel 2 stint, Keeley's aggressive reporting was put in check because he was busy with other assignments at the short-staffed station. And it looks like Channel 2 is going to be even more short-staffed. Asked if Keeley would be replaced with a new staffer, Pfeiffer said: "Not at this point." . . . Former Channel 4 anchor Kevin O'Connell expects to know by the end of the week where he is headed. He is talking to Channel 7 officials and adds, "There are other people involved." Channel 2's Pfeiffer says his station hasn't talked to O'Connell. Ditto Channel 29 General Manager Willard Stone. "I would have no role for him," said Stone. Does O'Connell expect to stay in Buffalo? "I'm doing everything I can, yes." . . . Linda Pellegrino, the co-host of "AM/Buffalo" and weathercaster, has signed a long-term contract with Channel 7, according to her agent, Ross T. Runfola. "It is the fairest contract I have ever been part of," said Runfola. He adds the contract gives her "an opportunity for exciting new creative ventures." . . . Roger Moore, the former evening personality at WBLK-FM, has moved to afternoon drive. Mike Lewis, also known as "The Youngest in Charge," has taken Moore's slot. Departing the air is Program Director Eric Faison. "There is too much to do around here (to stay on the air)," explained Faison. Faison adds that WBLK has been nominated by Billboard for R & B Station of the Year. . . . The Discovery Channel notes that the U.S. premiere of "The Wonderful World of Dung" doubled the channel's average prime-time audience. The show was described as "an offbeat look at how animals interact with their excrement." I guess this is further proof that TV is turning into . . . well, you know. If you missed it, Discovery plans repeats Oct. 23 and 24. The World University Games would not be seen in the United States again until 2007 when FOX College Sports cable channel picked them up: FCS presents World University Games marathon by FOX Sports Net Updated: December 18, 2007, 5:25 PM EST AMERICA'S FINEST YOUNG ATHLETES SHINE ON CHRISTMAS DAY ON FOX COLLEGE SPORTS FCS TO PREMIERE THE 2007 SUMMER WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES ALONG WITH ENCORE PRESENTATIONS OF THE 2005 SUMMER & WINTER GAMES PLUS 2007 WINTER GAMES As a continued demonstration of its commitment to provide a showcase for collegiate athletics, Fox College Sports will offer an exclusive presentation of the 2007 Summer World University Games. FCS Pacific will provide the presents on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, as it premieres the 2007 Summer Games starting at 6 a.m. ET. FCS' presentation of the 2007 Summer World University Games will focus on U.S. medal-winning performances in Artistic Gymnastics, Swimming, Taekwondo, and Volleyball. To supplement FCS Pacific coverage of the 2007 Summer World University Games, FCS Atlantic and Central take viewers down memory lane with encore telecasts of the 2005 Winter and Summer World University Games as well as the 2007 Winter World University Games. The World University Games, or the "Universiade" as it is also known, is an international, multi-sport event that includes both winter and summer versions that are held every two years for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 28. The event attracts thousands of university athletes for the purpose of competing in a variety of summer and winter Olympics-style events. FCS will be the exclusive home of the winter & summer World University Games in the U.S. through 2009. "It's a thrill for Fox College Sports to present our Winter World University Games marathon on Christmas morning." said Max Casanova, Director of Programming for FCS. "This event has given America's student-athletes the tremendous opportunity to compete against their peers from all over the world while enjoying an Olympics-style experience." The 24th Summer Universiade was held August 8-18 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event attracted more than 8,000 athletes from 200 countries, including the 142-member delegation from the United States that fielded teams to compete in the 10 disciplines of swimming (men, women), diving (men, women), basketball (men, women), fencing (men, women), artistic gymnastics (men), rhythmic gymnastics (women), volleyball (men), golf (men, women), softball (women), and taekwondo (men, women). Golf made its first appearance at the World University Games. For more information visit www.foxcollegesports.com. In 2013 CBS Sports Network aired the World University Winter Games, 30 years after broadcasting the summer games in Edmonton: CBS Sports Network to Air Coverage of the Winter World University Games December 10, 2013 | Posted in CBS Sports Network, World University Games | 29385No commentshttp%3A%2F%2Ffangsbites.com%2F2013%2F12%2Fcbs-sports-network-to-air-coverage-of-the-winter-world-university-games%2FCBS+Sports+Network+to +Air+Coverage+of+the+Winter+World+University+Games2013-12-10+11%3A00%3A25Ken http%3A%2F%2Ffangsbites.com%2F%3Fp%3D29385 Starting tonight, the CBS Sports Network will air same day coverage of the Winter World University Games from Trentino, Italy. The Games officially run from December 11 through December 21 and will award medals in 12 winter sports of which the United States is sending teams for six. CBS Sports Network will air ten days of competition including gold medal finals in men’s hockey, snowboarding and skiing. The first event to air from Trentino will be a men’s hockey game tonight against Sweden. It will face off at 9 p.m. ET on CBSSN. We have the CBS Sports Network press release which includes the schedule of events from the Winter World University Games. Winter World University Games 2013CBS SPORTS NETWORK AIRS 10 DAYS OF WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES COVERAGE BEGINNING TUESDAY, DEC. 10 Coverage Includes Hockey, Snowboarding, Skiing, Figure Skating and Curling December 9, 2013- Seattle, WA- CBS Sports Network airs the 2013 World University Games from Trentino, Italy beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 10 (9:00 PM, ET) featuring the world’s best college-aged athletes, many of whom are bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, competing in hockey, snowboarding, skiing, figure skating and curling. CBS Sports Network’s schedule features nine men’s hockey games including the Bronze and Gold Medal games on Saturday, Dec. 21 (4:30 and 7:00 PM, ET), as well as the Gold Medal finals in various snowboarding and skiing events. Trentino is located in the heart of the Alps, on a mountainous territory that has always been a link between the Mediterranean area and Central Europe. The complete World University Games schedule on CBS Sports Network is listed below. CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com. Find out more info, results, and behind the scenes at the World University Games and USA Teams at wugusa.com. The Winter Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival, which is staged every two years in a different city. It is only second to the Olympic Games. The program of the Winter Universiade currently includes 6 compulsory sports (10 compulsory disciplines) and 1 or 2 optional sports chosen by the host country. It gathered a record of 2,511 participants in Torino, Italy, in 2007 and a record number of 52 countries in Erzurum, Turkey, in 2011. Embracing FISU’s motto of ‘Excellence in Mind and Body’, the Winter Universiade incorporates educational and cultural aspects into 11 days of sports competitions, allowing university student-athletes worldwide to celebrate with the host city in a true spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. CBS Sports Network IICBS SPORTS NETWORK WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EASTERN) Dec. 10 (Tuesday) Men’s Hockey USA vs. Sweden 9:00 PM Dec. 11 (Wednesday) Snowboarding Men’s & Women’s SBX 10:00 PM Dec. 12 (Thursday) Snowboarding Men’s & Women’s SBX Gold Finals 8:30PM Men’s Hockey Russia vs. Great Britain 10:00 PM Dec. 14 (Saturday) Men’s Hockey USA vs. Latvia 5:30 PM Dec. 15 (Sunday) Freestyle Skiing Gold Finals 2:00 PM Men’s Hockey USA vs. Italy 3:30PM Dec. 17 (Tuesday) Snowboarding Men’s & Women’s Half-pipe 9:00 PM Alpine Skiing Men’s Giant Slalom 10:00 PM Dec. 18 (Wednesday) Alpine Skiing Women’s Giant Slalom 5:00 PM Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal Game 6:30 PM Freestyle Skiing Men’s & Women’s Slope Style Gold Finals 10:30PM Dec. 19 (Thursday) Alpine Skiing Men’s Slalom Combined 5:00 PM Snowboarding Men’s & Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom Gold Finals 7:00PM Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal Game 9:00PM Dec. 21 (Saturday) Curling Men’s Gold Final 11:00 AM Men’s Hockey Semifinal Game 2:00PM Men’s Hockey Bronze Medal Game 4:30PM Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game 7:00PM Men’s & Women’s Slope Style Gold Finals 9:30PM Highlights and Closing Ceremony 10:30PM ESPN got into the act in 2013 airing the Summer Games from Kazan, Russia: ESPNU and ESPN3 First to Carry Daily World University Games Coverage in United States BasketballCollege Basketball - Men'sCollege Basketball - Women'sCollege Sports (Miscellaneous) Photo of Gracie Blackburn Gracie Blackburn Follow on TwitterJuly 2, 2013 FacebookTwitterLinkedIn ESPN Networks Set to Air 115 Hours of International University Sport Competition from Kazan, Russia For the first time, the World University Games will be available to a national television audience in the United States. ESPNU and ESPN3 are set to carry 115 live hours of the 27th edition of the Summer Universiade taking place in Kazan, Russia July 6 – 17. The international competition features student athletes aged 17-28 and is second only to the Olympic Games in terms of number of participating athletes and countries represented. FISU (International Federation of University Sport) is the international governing body of the Universiades. ESPNU will air 40 hours of competition that will include the United States Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Men’s & Women’s Beach Volleyball,Track & Field, Men’s Volleyball (indoor) and Men’s Water Polo teams in action abroad. ESPN3 will carry all 115 hours live, that will include additional coverage of the aforementioned sports as well as: Opening Ceremonies, Men’s & Women’s Diving, Men’s & Women’s Gymnastics, Swimming. ESPN networks will air 14 events featuring some of the nation’s best collegiate athletes, over 11 days. Every event will be aired live on either ESPNU or ESPN3, with primetime re-airs on ESPNU to account for the time difference. The Universiades have proven to showcase future stars that have gone on to perform at World Championship and Olympic level. American swimmer Dana Vollmer, a gold and silver medalist at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Izmir, Turkey went on to win three gold medals during the Olympic Games in London last summer. This year Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado), Luke Hancock (Louisville) and Doug McDermott (Creighton) are among the 12 chosen to represent the USA Men’s Basketball. Viewers will also have an opportunity to watch Sergey Karasev, a small forward for Russia just selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Draft. Full USA team rosters in each sport can be found here. ESPNU World University Games (schedules subject to change; Primetime airings also listed): Date Time (ET) Event Sun, July 7 7:30 a.m. Men’s Water Polo UNITED STATES vs. MONTENEGRO 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball* UNITED STATES vs. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 5:30 p.m. Men’s Water Polo (re-air) UNITED STATES vs. MONTENEGRO Mon, July 8 5 a.m. Men’s Basketball UNITED STATES vs. CZECH REPUBLIC 1 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball* 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball (re-air) UNITED STATES vs. CZECH REPUBLIC 9 p.m. Men’s Volleyball (Indoor) UNITED STATES vs. RUSSIA Tue July 9 7 a.m. Men’s Volleyball (Indoor)* UNITED STATES vs. RUSSIA 1 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball* 2 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball* 9 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) 10 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) Wed, July 10 7:30 a.m. Men’s Water Polo UNITED STATES vs. BELGIUM 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball* UNITED STATES vs. SWEDEN 9 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball* 10 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball* Thu, July 11 1 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball* 2 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball* 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball* UNITED STATES vs. AUSTRALIA 9 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) 10 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) Fri, July 12 5 a.m. Men’s Basketball UNITED STATES vs. CANADA 1 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball 2 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball* 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball (re-air) UNITED STATES vs. CANADA 9 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) 10 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball (re-air) Sat, July 13 1 p.m. Women’s Basketball Semifinal 3 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball Gold Medal Game* 9 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball Gold Medal Game (re-air) 10 p.m. Women’s Basketball Semifinal (re-air) Sun, July 14 10 a.m. Track & Field* 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal* Mon, July 15 6 a.m. Men’s Basketball Semifinal 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball Semifinal (re-air) 1:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball Gold Medal Game 9 p.m. Women’s Basketball Gold Medal Game (re-air) 11 p.m. Track & Field (re-air) Tue, July 16 7 p.m. Men’s Basketball Bronze Medal Game* 9 p.m. Men’s Basketball Gold Medal Game* *Same-Day delayed; live on ESPN3 ESPN3 World University Games Schedule: Date Time (ET) Games Sat, July 6 4 a.m. Men’s Volleyball USA vs. ESTONIA 1:30 p.m. Opening Ceremony Sun, July 7 6:25 a.m. Men’s Diving Springboard (3-meter) 7:30 a.m. Men’s Water Polo USA vs. MONTENEGRO. 10 a.m. Track & Field 10:30 a.m. Men’s Basketball USA vs. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11:30 a.m. Women’s Gymnastics (Team Competition) Mon, July 8 5 a.m. Men’s Basketball USA VS. CZECH REPUBLIC 6 a.m. Men’s Water Polo SERBIA VS. USA 6:15 a.m. Men’s Diving Springboard (1-meter) 8 a.m. Women’s Diving Platform (10-meter ) 10 a.m. Track & Field 10:20 a.m. Men’s Gymnastics (Team Competition) noon Men’s Volleyball USA VS. RUSSIA TBD Women’s Beach Volleyball Tues, July 9 11 a.m. Track & Field 11 a.m. Men’s Gymnastics (Individual all around) noon Women’s Volleyball CZECH REPUBLIC vs. USA TBD Men’s & Women’s Beach Volleyball Wed, July 10 5:40 a.m. Women’s Diving Springboard (3-meter) 7:30 a.m. Men’s Diving Platform (10-meter) 7:30 a.m. Men’s Water Polo USA vs. BELGUIM 7:30 a.m. Men’s & Women’s Gymnastics (Individual) 9 a.m. Track & Field 11 a.m. Swimming 11 a.m. Men’s & Women’s Gymnastics (Individual) 1 p.m. Men’s Basketball USA vs. SWEDEN TBD Men’s & Women’s Beach Volleyball USA matches Thu, July 11 4 a.m. Women’s Diving Springboard (3-meter) Synchronized Final 5:30 a.m. Men’s Diving Platform (10-meter) Synchronized Final 7 a.m. Men’s Volleyball USA vs. SOUTH KOREA 10 a.m. Track & Field 12:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball USA vs. AUSTRALIA 11 a.m. Swimming TBD Men’s & Women’s Beach Volleyball USA matches Fri, July 12 4 a.m. Men’s Diving Springboard (3-meter) Synchronized Final 5 a.m. Men’s Basketball CANADA vs. USA 5:50 a.m. Women’s Diving Platform (10-meter) Synchronized Final 10 a.m. Track & Field 11 a.m. Swimming TBD Men’s Beach Volleyball 1 p.m. Women’s Beach Volleyball Final Sat, July 13 5 a.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball Semifinals 6 a.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball Semifinals 10:30 a.m. Women’s Basketball Semifinal 11 a.m. Swimming 1 p.m. Women’s Basketball Semifinal 1 p.m. Men’s Beach Volleyball Final TBD Men’s Water Polo Quarterfinal Sun, July 14 11 a.m. Swimming TBD Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal Mon, July 15 6 a.m. Men’s Basketball Semifinal 8:30 a.m. Men’s Basketball Semifinal 11 a.m. Swimming 1:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball Final Tue, July 16 11 a.m. Swimming 11 a.m. Men’s Basketball 1:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball Final Wed, July 17 5 a.m. Men’s Water Polo ESPN to provide first Universiade coverage in United States for Kazan 2013 Wednesday, 26 June 2013By James Crook June 26 - World university sport governing body FISU have secured a deal with sports network ESPN which will see Kazan 2013 become the first Universiade to be broadcast live in the United States. ESPN will provide more than 40 hours of coverage throughout next month's Summer Universiade in Tatarstan on ESPNU, whilst an additional 250 hours will be shown live on ESPN3 throughout the Games, which is due to run from July 6 to July 17. With the potential of reaching 85 million households online through WatchESPN.com, along with the WatchESPN app for smartphones and tablets and through Xbox Live and Apple TV, the deal represents a huge step in the progress of university sports. "Our agreement to deliver FISU events is a testament to our commitment of serving sports fans with quality programming, both domestically and from around the world," said Todd Myers, director of programming and acquisitions for ESPN. "We look forward to carrying these events to a US audience." The coverage will focus mainly on basketball, water polo, swimming, athletics, beach volleyball and volleyball. The United States finished fifth in the overall medal table at the last Summer Universiade, held in Shenzhen two years ago, taking 17 gold, 22 silver and 11 bronze, with 12 of those gold medals coming in the pool. FISU President Claude-Louis Gallien hopes that the deal will prove fruitful for the popularity of university sports in the US. "I am extremely pleased that ESPN will bring the FISU flagship event to the homes of our American student athletes, their family and friends and the sport-loving American audience," he said. "Like FISU, which strives for excellence on campus and on the sports field, ESPN brings excellence with its quality coverage and story-telling, by relating the sport stories that matter most to US audiences. "I am confident that with the help of ESPN, the International University Sport Movement will continue to grow in popularity on the American continent." With Eurosport also providing live coverage from the Games to Europe, Kazan 2013 looks set to be the most-covered in Universiade history. DATE EVENT TIME [EST] CHANNEL JULY 6 Opening Ceremonies of 2013 Kazan Games 1:30 PM – 6:00 PM ESPN3.com Volleyball: M USA vs EST 4:00 AM ESPN3.com JULY 7 Diving Springboard 3m Men final 6:25 AM ESPN3.com Waterpolo: M MNE vs USA 7:30 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Waterpolo: M MNE vs USA *5:30 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Track and Field 10:00AM -1:00PM ESPN3.com Basketball: M USA vs UAE 7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Gymnastics: W Team Competition Sub IV 11:30 AM ESPN3.com JULY 8 Basketball: M USA vs CZE 5:00 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Basketball: M USA vs CZE *7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Diving: Springboard 1m Men final 6:15 AM ESPN3.com Diving: W platform 10m final 8:00 AM ESPN3.com Volleyball: M USA vs RUS 12:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Track and Field 10:00 AM ESPN3.com Gymnastics: M Team Competition Sub V 11:30 AM ESPN3.com Beach volleyball USA Women TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 9 Track and Field 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Gymnastics: M Indi. all around 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Beach volleyball USA Men TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 10 Diving W Springboard 3m final 5:40 AM ESPN3.com Diving: M platform 10m final 7:30 AM ESPN3.com Waterpolo: M USA vs BEL 2:30 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Waterpolo: M USA vs BEL *7:30 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Gymnastics: M &W Indi. finals 7:30 AM ESPN3.com Track and Field 9:00 AM ESPN3.com Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Gymnastics: M &W Indi. finals 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: M USA vs SWE 7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Beach volleyball USA matches TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 11 Diving: W springboard 3m synch. Final 4:00 AM ESPN3.com Diving: M platform 10m Synch. Final 5:30 AM ESPN3.com Track and Field 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: M USA vs AUS 7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Beach volleyball USA matches TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 12 Diving: M springboard 3m synch. Final 4:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: M CAN vs USA 5:00 AM and *7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Diving: W platform 10m synch. Final 5:50 AM ESPN3.com Track and Field 10:00 AM ESPN3.com Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Beach volleyball USA match TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com Beach volleyball W final TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 13 Beach volleyball 1/2 finals TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: W JUST USA 1/2 final 1:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Beach volleyball M final TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 14 Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com One Hour Track Special TBD ESPNU and ESPN3.com Basketball: M 1/4 final – USA team 6:00 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 15 Basketball: M 1/2 final 6:00 AM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: W Gold Medal Game 1:30 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com JULY 16 Swimming 11:00 AM ESPN3.com Basketball: M Bronze Medal Game 7:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com Basketball: M Gold Medal Game 9:00 PM ESPNU and ESPN3.com **Times and dates subject to change * Denotes replay ESPN again aired the Summer Games in 2015 from Korea: ESPNU, ESPN3 to Cover World University Games From South Korea July 3-12 By Derek Volner @DerekVolner Posted on June 29, 2015 AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to Facebook 439 Share to Twitter Share to Print Share to Email Share to More More than 100 Hours of Coverage across 15 Sports Including Extensive Coverage of Team USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Kansas Represents Team USA Men’s Basketball ESPNU and ESPN3 will cover the World University Games from July 3 through July 14 from Gwangju, South Korea, with an emphasis on Team USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball. Team USA Men’s Basketball is comprised of mostly the Kansas Men’s Basketball roster and is coached by Kansas’ Bill Self. Team USA Women’s Basketball team is comprised of top college players, including Maryland’s Brionna Jones and Tennessee’s Diamond DeShields. ESPNU will televise the Team USA Men’s Basketball pool play games on July 3, 5, 7, and 8. Should Team USA advance out of the pool play, ESPNU will televise their quarterfinal game (July 11), semifinal game (July 12), and Gold Medal game (July 13). ESPNU will also televise Team USA Women’s Basketball pool play games on July 4 and 6. If they advance to the medal round, ESPNU will televise their semifinal game (July 11) and the Gold medal game (July 13). A potential Bronze Medal game will be carried on ESPN3 (July 12). A full schedule for both Team USA Men’s and Women’s teams are below. Additionally, ESPNU will televise Team USA’s Men Volleyball (July 2) and a one-hour recap of Track and Field (July 15) and Swimming and Diving (July 16) competition. ESPN3 will cover more than 35 World University Games events spanning 11 sports, including Men and Women’s Gymnastics, Springboard, and Track and Field. “The World University Games — the second largest international competition outside of the Olympics, and part of the Olympic development program for many countries around the world — is now in its 56th year and we are thrilled to be sending almost 600 NCAA athletes and participants to South Korea, our largest contingent ever,” said Craig Jonas, Head of Delegation for Team USA. “Then, to have select events from the World University Games available on the ESPNU and ESPN3 for fans and family is just the icing on the cake for our continued growth in this world-class event.” A complete schedule: ESPNU Schedule Date Time (ET) Event Thur, Jul 2 12 a.m. - 2 AM Men’s Volleyball: Team USA vs. Czech Republic Fri, Jul 3 11 p.m. - 1 AM Men’s Basketball: Team USA vs. Turkey Sat, Jul 4 9 p.m. - 11 PM Women’s Basketball: Team USA vs. Italy Sun, Jul 5 7:30 a.m. 9:30 AM Men’s Basketball: Brazil vs. Team USA Mon, Jul 6 4:30 a.m. - 6:30 AM Women’s Basketball: China vs. Team USA Tue, Jul 7 1:30 AM - 3:30 AM ? 3:30 AM - 5:30 AM ? 11 p.m. - 1 AM Men’s Basketball: Team USA vs. Serbia Wed, Jul 8 9 p.m. - 11 PM Men’s Basketball: Team USA vs. Switzerland 11 PM - 1 AM ? Thurs. Jul 9 4 AM - 6 AM ? Fri. Jul 10 1 AM - 2:30 AM ? 2:30 AM - 4:30 AM ? 4:30 AM - 8:45 AM ? Sat, Jul 11 1:30 a.m. - 3:30 AM Men’s Basketball: Quarterfinal* 3:30 AM - 5 AM ? 5 AM - 7 AM ? 7 a.m. - 9 AM Women’s Basketball: Semifinal* 9 AM - 11 AM ? 11 AM - 1 PM ? 1 PM - 3 PM ? Sun, Jul 12 2 a.m. - 4 AM Men’s Basketball: Semifinal (Option 1)* 5 a.m. - 7 AM Men’s Basketball: Semifinal (Option 2)* Mon, Jul 13 5 a.m. - 7 AM Women’s Basketball: Gold Medal Game* 7:30 a.m. - 9: 30 AM Men’s Basketball: Gold Medal Game* Wed, Jul 15 7 p.m. Track and Field** Thur, Jul 16 7 p.m. Swimming and Diving** *Only if Team USA is participating **One-hour special recapping the events Please note: Team USA Women’s Basketball potential quarterfinal and Team USA Men’s Basketball potential Bronze medal games are unable to be carried as of this release ESPN3 Schedule Date Time (ET) Event Thur, Jul 3 12:15 a.m. Women’s 1M Springboard 1:45 a.m. Men’s 3M Springboard 6:00 a.m. Swimming 7:15 a.m. Gymnastics Sat, Jul 4 1:45 a.m. Men’s Synchronized 3M Springboard 3:15 a.m. Women’s Platform 6:00 a.m. Swimming 7:15 a.m. Gymnastics Sun, Jul 5 1:30 a.m. Men’s Gymnastics 2:00 a.m. Women’s Synchronized Platform 3:30 a.m. Men’s 1M Springboard 6:00 a.m. Swimming 6:30 a.m. Women’s Gymnastics 10:00 p.m. Gymnastics Mon, Jul 6 2:30 a.m. Men’s Synchronized Platform 3:00 a.m. Gymnastics 6:00 a.m. Swimming Tues, Jul 7 2:30 a.m. Women’s 3M Springboard 3:00 a.m. Track and Field 6:00 a.m. Swimming Wed, Jul 8 12:00 a.m. Women’s 3M Synchronized Springboard 1:45 a.m. Men’s Platform 2:00 a.m. Track and Field 6:00 a.m. Swimming Thur, Jul 9 4:00 a.m. Track and Field 6:00 a.m. Swimming Fri, Jul 10 1:00 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 3:00 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 3:30 a.m. Track and Field 5:30 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics Sat, Jul 11 1:00 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 3:00 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 4:00 a.m. Track and Field 5:30 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics Sun, Jul 12 1:00 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 3:30 a.m. Rhythmic Gymnastics 7:30 a.m. Women’s Basketball: Bronze Medal Game* *Only if Team USA is participating About World University Games (Universiade) and BTI Events The World University Games or “Universiade” is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The Universiade is staged every two years in a different city. It is second only to the Olympic Games in size. The Summer Universiade consists of 10 compulsory sports with 13 compulsory disciplines and up to 3 optional sports chosen by the host country. The record figures are 10,622 participants in Shenzhen, China, in 2011 and 174 countries in Daegu, Korea, in 2003. The United States teams are organized and selected by BTI Events and the United States International Sports Federation (US-IUSF) in coordination with each respective sport’s National Governing Body (NGB). Embracing FISU’s motto of ‘Excellence in Mind and Body’, the Summer Universiade incorporates educational and cultural aspects into 12 days of sports competitions, allowing university student-athletes from all over the world to celebrate with the host city in a true spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. The 2017 Summer Games aired on CBS Sports Network (Basketball games only): WUG TV / Streaming Coverage Announced Boilermaker games to be aired tape-delayed on CBS Sports Network Aug. 18, 2017 LiveStream / Apple App / Android App TAIPEI - Fans in the United States, as well as globally, will have the chance to watch the Purdue men’s basketball team represent USA Team in the World University Games, FISU announced today. USA Team’s games with Argentina (Aug 20; 5:30 a.m. ET), the Czech Republic (Aug 23; 5:30 a.m. ET), Romania (Aug. 24; 3 a.m. ET) and Estonia (Aug. 25; 12:30 a.m. ET) will all be streamed online at https://livestream.com/fisu, as well on the FISU TV App on Apple and Android devices. The medal rounds featuring the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will also be streamed live. In addition, CBS Sports Network has announced that they will air all of the games mentioned above on a tape-delay basis, typically about 30 hours after the completion of the original contest. • Argentina – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 21) • Czech Republic – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 24) • Romania – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 25) • Estonia – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 26) • Quarterfinals – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 28) • Semifinals – 1:30 p.m. ET (Aug. 29) • Finals (USA Pending) – 1 p.m. ET (Aug. 30) The only contest not available to view will be the United Arab Emirates game on Aug. 21. Follow Purdue Basketball on Twitter (@BoilerBall) for frequent updates from that contest. The team will partake in opening ceremonies on Aug. 19, and open pool play against Argentina on Aug. 20, tipping at 5:30 a.m. ET. Note: In addition to the U.S. and Canada coverage, their was also coverage on British TV in 1987 and 1991 - apparently on ITV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I also have some information on the U.S. coverage of the 1979 Spartakiade in Moscow. The Spartakiade was the Soviet National Games. In 1979 the Soviets invited foreign athletes to compete in the Spartakiade as a test for the 1980 Olympics. In the U.S. a company called Synducast produced television coverage of the games for a syndicated network of local stations. The man responsible for organizing the telecasts was former CBS Sports President Robert Wussler, who in 1986 helped Ted Turner create and broadcast the Goodwill Games in Moscow. The listings below were compiled from TV Guide and various newpapers. No footage of these telecasts has turned up on youtube or elsewhere, although gymnastics video from the Japanese coverage has. Spartacade 1979 Syndicated Hours: 32 Executive Producer: Robert J. Wussler Hosts: Win Elliot and Andrea Kirby Reporters: Curt Gowdy Paul Hornung ? Analysts: Leroy Walker (Athletics) Michael O'Hara (Basketball and Volleyball) ? Sunday July 22, 1979 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM (5) “SPARTACADE ‘79.” The first installment in a month‐long presentation of videotaped highlights of the Soviet Union's athletic competition that is held in Moscow one year before the Olympic Games and that this year for the first time is open to athletes from outside the U.S.S.R. Events scheduled for coverage include the opening ceremonies, track and field, basketball, wrestling and water polo. For details, see the Close-up below. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming) Close-up Spartacade Telecast from the USSR Special: A major pre-Olympic competition, held at the site of the 1980 Games. More than 80 countries have accepted a bid from the Soviet Union to participate in the sixth SPARTACADE, which had been closed to foreign entrants until this year. Thirty-two hours of programming will be available to members of the SPARTACADE network. (Not all members will carry all 32 hours, however.) A preview of the competition in three of the sports to be covered follows. Track and Field: Among the proven performers on the U.S. team are Edwin Moses, the 1979 400-meter hurdles champion; and Evelyn Ashford, the 100-meter winner at the Pan American Games. Familiar names on the Soviet squad include Valery Borsov, the 1972 Olympic double sprint champion; and Vladimir Yaschenko, the world-record holder in the high jump. Weightlifting: AAU titlists Tom Hirtz and Kurt Settterberg of the U.S. will try to hold their own against a more powerful Soviet team, led by world champions David Rigert and Yurik Vardanian. Gymnastics: Montreal winners Nelli Kim (vault) and Nikolai Andrianov (all-around, floor exercise, long horse, and rings) are on the Russian squad. (90 min.) Monday July 23, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Competition continues in the USSR. Event scheduled for coverage include track and field, boxing, basketball, gymnastics. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Tuesday July 24, 1979 No Telecast Wednesday July 25, 1979 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Competition continues in the USSR. Event scheduled for coverage include track and field, boxing, basketball, gymnastics. (2 hrs.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Thursday July 26, 1979 No Telecast Friday July 27, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Competition continues in the USSR. Event scheduled for coverage include boxing, weightlifting. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Saturday July 28, 1979 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage of the important pre-Olympic competition continues in the USSR. Among the events available for coverage include track and field, boxing, basketball. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Sunday July 29, 1979 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage of this important pre-Olympic competition continues from the USSR. Among the events available for coverage are track and field, boxing, basketball, diving, swimming and weightlifting. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Monday July 30, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage of this important pre-Olympic competition continues from the USSR. Among the events available for coverage are track and field, boxing, basketball. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Tuesday July 31, 1979 No Telecast Wednesday August 1, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage of this important pre-Olympic competition continues from the USSR. Among the events available for coverage are boxing, swimming, gymnastics. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Thursday August 2, 1979 No Telecast Friday August 3, 1979 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage of this important pre-Olympic competition continues from the USSR. Among the events available for coverage are boxing, basketball, gymnastics, weightlifting, diving and archery. Hosts: Win Elliot and Andrea Kirby. (2 hrs.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Saturday August 4, 1979 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. Scheduled events include basketball, diving, weightlifting. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Sunday August 5, 1979 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. Scheduled events include boxing, diving and volleyball. (2 hrs.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Monday August 6, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. Scheduled events include soccer and the closing ceremonies. Hosts: Win Elliot and Andrea Kirby. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Tuesday August 7, 1979 No Telecast Wednesday August 8, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Thursday August 9, 1979 No Telecast Friday August 10, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. Hosts Win Elliot and Andrea Kirby. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Saturday August 11, 1979 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Sunday August 12, 1979 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Monday August 13, 1979 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (2 hrs.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Tuesday August 14, 1979 No Telecast Wednesday August 15, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Thursday August 16, 1979 No Telecast Friday August 17, 1979 11:30 PM - 1:00 AM (5) SPECIAL: SPARTACADE: Coverage continues from the USSR. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) Saturday August 18, 1979 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (5) Coverage of this important pre-Olympic competition in the USSR concludes. (90 min.) (Pre-empts regular programming.) New York Times Soviet, in Shift, Lets Foreigners Into Festival By FRANK LITSKYMAY 30, 1979 The Spartakiade, the Soviet Union's quadrennial sports festival and this year a dress rehearsal for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, will have a new look. For the first time, there will be foreign athletes, including up to 116 Americans. For the first time, there will be American television exposure —32 hours of 90‐minute and two‐hour syndicated shows. The Soviet athletes will be joined in Moscow and four other cities July 21 through Aug. 5 by more than 2,000 foreign athletes from 100 nations. There will be no athletes from China, Israel, Egypt or South Africa. Israel and Egypt are members of the International Olympic Committee and are expected to take part in the 1980 Games in Moscow. The I.O.C. has banned South Africa since 1967 because of that nation's restrictive racial policies. China is not yet a member of the I.O.C. “We have no sports relations with these countries,” said Valentin Savin, a member of the Soviet Sports Committee, at a news conference here yesterday. Wussler Is Producer “The Spartakiade is not a political event, but a sports event,” said Boris Davidov, first secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Others at the conference included Lothar Bock, the West German theatrical agent and producer who holds international television rights to the Spartakiade, and Robert Wussler, president of Pyramid Enterprises Ltd., who will produce the shows for American television. Wussler said he and Bock had urged the Russians to invite Israel. “Their response was always respectful,” said Wussler. “But they keep telling us that this is an invitation event.” Wussler, a former president of CBS Sports, said American television rights had been offered to NBC, which will televise the 1980 Olympics from the same sites. The asking price was believed to be $10 million. NBC declined the offer. A television‐industry source said NBC lost interest in the Spartakiade when it learned that Israel would not be invited. Simmons declined to comment. The Spartakiade will be televised to at least 75 nations. Wussler said videotapes for American viewers would be relayed by satellite. There will be no live shows in this country. The 29 Spartakiade sports range from track and field and swimming to such non‐Olympic competitions as tennis and chess. Chicago Tribune Advertisers cool to Soviet Spartakiad By Myron Kandel and Philip Greer THE CORPORATE world Is witnessing a high-powered full-court press to line up final advertising support for the sure-to- be-controversial television production of a Soviet sports extravaganza. The event is Spartakiad, the latest edi- tion of the huge sports festival the Soviet Union holds every four years to prepare Russian athletes for the Olympics. This year, for the first time, non-Soviet bloc athletes, including more than 100 Ameri- cans, have been invited to take part. Portions of the games will be televised in the United States by a group of inde- pendent stations - the networks turned the project down - during a four-week period starting July 22. THERE S ONE sticking point. though. The Soviets, who won approval to host the Olympics by promising to keep poli- tics out of the games, excluded Egypt and Israel in inviting some 2,000 athletes from 100 countries to participate in Spar- . The Soviets deny that their opposition to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty had anything to do with the exclusion, ex- plaining blandly that they don't have "sports relations" with those two coun- tries (which are members of the Interna- Kandel/Greer tional Olympic Committee and are ex- pected to take part in the 1980 games). The producers of the U.S. TV presenta- tion of the event. sensitive to the resent- ment that the exclusion could create in the United States, urged the Soviets to invite Israel and Egypt. But they were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, 32 hours of the games will be televised by more than 55 stations around the , including the Metromedia . Gaylord, and Field chains, which account for 17 outlets. Sponsors already signed up include Anheuser- Busch, which has taken 25 per cent of the 180 national commercial minutes avail- able for its Biidweiser beer. Bristol- Myers, British Leyland, Sanyo, Seiko watches, and Pentax cameras. WORLD TV RIGHTS to Spartakiad are held by Lothar Bock, the West German TV promoter who helped NBC-TV nail down the 1980 Olympics and walked away with a couple of million dollars for him- self. Bock is syndicating the U.S. presen- tation in partnership with New York- based Syndicast Services, Inc. Leonard Koch. executive vice president of Syndicast, said the Soviet exclusion of Egypt and Israel has not been a factor in station clearances or the sale of commer- cial time, which he said is well over 50 per cent accounted for. "We certainly think the American public would not be sympathetic or supportive of using an international sports event to punish Egypt and Israel for waging peace." The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith expressed opposition to what an official called the Soviet Union's familiar tactic of politicizing sports. We certainly.think the American pub- lie would not be sympathetic or suppor- tive of using an international sports event to punish Egypt an4 Israel for waging peace," he said. ALTHOUGH THE TV syndication appears to be picking up some momentum after a very slow start - Koch's original hope to sell 180 hours of Spartakiad was cut down to 70 hours earlier this year and finally to 32 hours - another one of his plans really fell flat, at least in this country. The idea was to sell billboard, scoreboard, and poster locations to U.S. advertisers. An elaborate marketing pre- sentation was prepared by a New York public relations firm. It stressed the "un- usual opportunity" the games offered for reaching Soviet consumers and officials. "The consistent and repetitive appearance of a Western company's name associated with the most important Soviet sports events will not be lost on the Soviet bureaucrat," the sales package asserted. "They will recognize you as a reliable business partner of the -Soviet Union because you already proved your interest." The only trouble, a representative of the firm said, was that there weren't any sales of scoreboard or poster space that he knew of in the U.S. But he thought Koch was doing better in Europe, he hastened to add. WNEW's prime offering this summer, before “Against the Wind” begins, will be “Spartacade '79,” 20 programs transmitted from Moscow by satellite in a preview of the 1980 Olympics. The four unaffiliated Metromedia stations, of which WNEW is one, are part of a special national network set up by Syndicast Services. The telecasts are being produced by Robert S. Wussler, former president of CBS‐TV. “Spartacade,” a sort of dry run of the Olympics, which will have 100 participants from the United States, will begin July 22. The schedule calls for five programs a week, of varied lengths and in differing time periods, for 32 hours’ coverage in a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spielerfrau1 Posted November 2, 2020 Report Share Posted November 2, 2020 Thanks for all the information. That probably took some time to gather all this. I will definitely have to read through all of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 The National Sports Festival/United States Olympic Festival National Sports Festival I Colorado Springs Dates: July 26-31, 1978 Opened by: Richard Lamm, Governor of the State of Colorado Final Torchbearers: Essie Kelley (athletics) and Ric Rojas (athletics) Oath: Harvey Glance (athletics) Athletes: 2165 Sports: 26 TV: ABC Hours: 2 Saturday August 5 -- 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM Wide World of Sports: “U.S.A. Mini‐Olympics.” Coverage of the National Sports Festival, featuring competition in Summer Olympic events, plus the Winter Olympic events of figure skating and ice hockey, at Colorado Springs. (Taped highlights.) Move to Colorado was first step in USOC's success Updated Mar 28, 2019; Posted Jul 28, 2008 Facebook Share Twitter Share By David Campbell, cleveland.com Thirty Years Ago This Week, August 1, 1978, The United States Olympic Committee Made Colorado Springs Its Home By Mike Moran Colorado Springs, Colo. - While headlines and national television coverage this week trumpet success stories of major sports events in Colorado Springs, it's good to pause briefly to recall that thirty years ago this week, the fledgling United States Olympic Committee, with an annual budget of around $19 million, made this city its home. The USOC left New York City after decades of residency, and authored the first chapter of its dynamic growth and influence in very humble surroundings. Friday marks the 30-year anniversary of the opening of the USOC's Colorado Springs Olympic House and the birth of what has become the city's landmark sports icon, with state-of-the-art new facilities underway downtown after an aggressive $53 million proposal from the city and business community was accepted by the USOC on March 1 to remain in Colorado Springs for at least the next quarter century. On the horizon in the next 18 months are new facilities for athletes and shining construction projects at the Olympic Complex at Boulder and Union, the former ENT Air Force Base that has housed the organization since 1977. More than 350,000 American athletes have come and gone from these facilities as they chased their dreams. The USOC made its historic decision to leave New York City in 1977, with the help of a $1 million grant from the El Pomar Foundation and the gift of the 34-acre former military installation that had been unoccupied for years after NORAD moved underground at Cheyenne Mountain. The USOC was to pay an annual rental of one dollar for the complex. The training center opened in the fall of 1977, with Olympic hero Bob Mathias as its first director and the arrival of the first batch of athletes for training in preparation for the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. On Aug. 1, 1978, USOC Executive Director F. Don Miller and his tiny staff moved into Olympic House a day after the end of the inaugural National Sports Festival and set in motion three decades of events that have placed Colorado Springs in the national and international sports spotlight on an annual basis. Only seven executives had made the move with Miller from New York that summer, and the total USOC staff was less than 15 people by year's end when Colorado University Sports Information Director Mike Moran was hired, beginning a 25-year-odyssey as the organization's chief spokesman. But those early days were forgettable, and the collection of ramshackle buildings, dilapidated former military offices and barbed wire fences gave no one an inkling of what was ahead. On the evening of July 26, 1978, a perfect Colorado Springs summer evening, there were 8,000 spectators, 2,200 athletes, legendary broadcaster Alex Dreier, Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm, USOC President Robert J. Kane, and 150 members of the media gathered in Memorial Park on grassy slopes for the opening ceremonies of the 1978 National Sports Festival, an event put together in fewer than 10 months by Baaron Pittenger, assistant John Colbrunn and an organizing committee headed up by local businessman Bill Tutt. The principals in the rebuilt and energized USOC were Executive Director Miller and Treasurer William E. Simon, the former secretary of the treasury for the Nixon and Ford administrations. Miller, a former Army colonel and decorated World War II combat officer, was, like Simon and Kane, a man of tremendous strength, idealism, substance and toughness. These three would steer the USOC through a period from 1978 to 1984 that tested the organization and its future unlike any in its history. The athletes, dressed out in parade outfits in green, red, orange and blue, representing the East, West, Midwest and South regions, had little knowledge of why they were in Colorado Springs for this four-day event, but they knew something special was about to happen. Among the collection of over 2,000 athletes were Olympic gold medalists such as four-time discus winner Al Oerter; track and field long-jump champ Arnie Robinson; sprinter Eddie Hart; and the world's best male gymnast, Kurt Thomas. Watching, as well, as the Festival flame arrived after its descent from Pikes Peak through an elaborate torch relay, were young athletes whose names soon would be recognized by millions of Americans as heroes in the 1980Olympic Winter Games and beyond: figure skaters Linda Fratianne, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Brian Boitano and a kid from Denver named Scott Hamilton. There was a collection of 80 ice hockey players at the park on this mellow summer evening, too. Goalie Jim Craig of Boston University fumbled with his blue sweatpants, which had been hemmed at the entrance of the Olympic Training Center by volunteers with staplers and scissors, because the outfits had arrived hours before the athletes walked the five blocks to the ceremonies with spectators and officials. Craig looked around and saw players like his BU teammates Mike Eruzione and Jack O'Callahan, Minnesota's Steve Janaszak, Bill Baker, Steve Christoff, Phil Verchota and Rob McClanahan, Bowling Green's Ken Morrow and Mark Wells, and Wisconsin stars Marc Johnson and Bob Suter. Those players went on to take part in the most dramatic sports event in U.S. history, an epic 4-3 win over the Soviets in Lake Placid 20 months later. The flame arrived, borne by track stars Essie Kelley and Ric Rojas after Dreier delivered a stirring presentation built around patriotic themes. Kane had been recognized earlier by the athletes, who rose in unison to applaud the USOC president for his support, a sharp contrast to the reception that USOC leaders had received since the 1968 Games in Mexico City. Most had been considered pompous stiffs, arrogant and disinterested in the plight of the athletes. But not now, with Kane in tears and Miller and Simon stunned by the outpouring of positive emotions from the athletes. The flame was lit by Kelley and Rojas as Lamm applauded with the others. Ironically, it was the Colorado governor, then a state legislator, who led the 1972 charge that torpedoed the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Denver, a blight on the state and its sports history now mostly forgotten. Barely noticed during the Festival were demonstrators at Memorial Park who carried signs demanding that the International Olympic Committee move the 1980 Games from Moscow because of human rights violations and policies by the then Soviet Union and its government. The demonstrators were jeered by the athletes and some of the crowd, then removed by police officers. It was an ominous sign of a growing tempest that would lead to an Olympic boycott forced on the USOC by the Carter administration, and the near destruction of the organization. Only the courage and resolve of Miller and Simon would ultimately save the USOC and the Games. However, an event that went almost without attention as the Festival ended occurred at Olympic House, and it changed the course of Olympic Games and USOC history. The 1984 Games had been awarded provisionally to Los Angeles in May, 1978,and the USOC had been enjoying the heady prospect of back-to-back American Games in Lake Placid and Los Angeles. The economic and image benefits were impossible to calculate, but they were huge for the USOC, which had been rocketed into the leadership role of amateur sports and the Olympic movement when Congress passed the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. The organization was in charge of the nation's Olympic future, and the old NCAA-AAU turf wars were over. But Los Angeles and its citizens were backpedaling, and it had become clear the city would not allow its taxpayers to foot the bill or take financial liability for a Games like the '76 event in Montreal that had left its citizens with a massive debt and obligations that still exist today. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and John C. Argue, head of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, had come to Colorado Springs to meet with Kane, Miller and Simon to seek a resolution and to keep the Games from rejection by the United States, as Denver had managed to do in 1972. It would be a terrible and embarrassing blow to the USOC and American Olympic interests for the future. The IOC gave Los Angeles Olympic bid leaders and the USOC until Aug. 31 to work out a plan to guarantee the financial aspect of the '84 Games, or else. It was a bluff, because the only other city even interested in hosting the '84 Games was Tehran. On July 30, Bradley, Argue, and the USOC leaders hatched a bold plan at the new Colorado Springs Olympic House. It called for a panel of Los Angeles businessmen and the USOC to create a privately assured Games, with no liability to the city. The key was the USOC literally betting its financial assets and future, a $25 million indemnity, to guarantee the Games against a shortfall. The LAOOC would be on the hook for another $25 million. The USOC also agreed to make a $300,000 " good faith" deposit with the IOC. The L.A. team returned to the West Coast and events began to unfold that would lead to the IOC reluctantly accepting the private blueprint and keeping the Games in Los Angeles. In February, 1979, Los Angeles was officially awarded the Games. In the end, the USOC's gamble paid off big, and the Los Angeles Games saved the future for the world's largest sporting event. The USOC's involvement jump-started the fledgling L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee, which hired Peter Ueberroth in March, 1979. The dynamic former water polo player and travel industry executive led a five-year effort that produced, despite yet another boycott, a successful Games that turned a staggering profit, boosted by a $225 million television contract with ABC Sports, and a bevy of corporate sponsors that supported the Games and became the blueprint for the future. For its gamble, the USOC signed a contract, which would return 40 percent of any Los Angeles Games' surplus, an amount that Simon, as USOC president, forecast at about $20 million on the final day of the '84 Games. It turned out to be some $111 million, and Miller and Simon turned it into the U.S. Olympic Foundation, assuring the USOC's future. Kane, Miller and Simon are dead, but what they managed to achieve from 1977 to 1985 created the wellspring of resources and inspiration for the USOC and America's athletes to this day. At the conclusion of the memorable opening ceremonies of the '78 Sports Festival at Memorial Park, Kane told reporters, "I think you are seeing the beginning of something great for the future." The next three decades have produced controversies, conflicts and a legacy of rich success for the USOC that has made it the world's richest and most influential National Olympic Committee. America has been the host for Olympic Games in Lake Placid, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City. This week, Kane's words are prophetic and recalled as the massive USOC support staff and hundreds of American athletes who trained and lived in Colorado Springs begin their journey to Beijing, China, and the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Colorado Springs, yes, the city "Where Olympic Dreams begin." But who knew that on Aug. 1, 1978? (Mike Moran served the USOC as its Chief Communications Officer from 1978 to 2003, through 13 Olympic Games, before joining the New York 2012 Olympic bid organization. He is now a sports consultant and the Director of Communications for the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.) It Was A Towering Success (Sports Illustrated Article) https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/08/07/it-was-a-towering-success-the-first-national-sports-festival-took-place-in-the-shadow-of-pikes-peak-and-2165-athletes-had-their-day-in-the-sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 National Sports Festival II Colorado Springs Dates: July 26-31 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Oath: Athletes: Sports: 31 TV: NBC Rights Fee: $500,000 Hours: 7 Saturday July 28 -- 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM United States Mini‐Olympics: Live and taped coverage of the national competitions for Olympic hopefuls in 31 sports (From Colorado Springs, Colorado) Sunday July 29 -- 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM United States Olympic Committee National Festival, at Colorado Springs. -- 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM SportsWorld: United States Mini‐Olympics, at Colorado Springs. Close up U.S. Mini-Olympics Preparing for 1980 Special: America's best gear up for the world's best. Sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Mini-Olympics was initiated in 1978 to provide our athletes with the opportunity to train and compete in an Olympic-like setting. More than 2300 athletes have come to Colorado Springs, Colo., to avail themselves of that opportunity. NBC's coverage (live and on tape) focuses on track and field, gymnastics, boxing, diving and figure skating. (The final hour of today's telecast airs on "SportsWorld.") Among those expected to participate are Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah, the world-record holder in the men's 110-meter hurdles; Kurt Thomas, the gold medalist in the floor exercise at the 1978 World Gymnastics Championships; and Linda Fratianne, the two-time world figure skating champion. (3 hrs.) Sunday, August 5 -- 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM USA Mini-Olympics. Coverage of national competition for Olympic hopefuls in 31 sports, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. -- 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM SportsWorld: Coverage of the USA Mini-Olympics from Colorado Springs, Colorado. TV Rights to NBC This year, however, the television rights have been sold to NBC-TV for $500,000. 7 Hours live. Don McGuire He was coordinating producer for the 1979 US Olympic Festival and all the 1980 US Olympic Trials events. McGuire helped start Raycom Sports in 1983 producing hundreds of college football and basketball games yearly for syndication. Turner Sports[edit] In 1987, he was hired by Robert Wussler to be executive producer of TBS Sports. He was executive producer on the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics,[4] the 1991 Pan American Games from Havana, Cuba,[5] the 1990 World Cup from Italy and the 1994 Goodwill Games from St Petersburg Russia. Clips of NBC coverage of Figure Skating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 National Sports Festival III Syracuse Dates: June 24-July 3, 1981 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Joe Morris (american football) Oath: Athletes: 2500 Sports: 33 TV: ABC Hours: 6 Host: Reporters: Analysts: Eric Heiden Saturday July 25 -- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Wide World of Sports: ABC Sports will present exclusive coverage of the National Sports Festival III, a showcase for 2600 of America's top amateur athletes in 33 different sports. Sunday July 26 -- 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wide World of Sports: ABC Sports will present exclusive coverage of the National Sports Festival III, a showcase for 2600 of America's top amateur athletes in 33 different sports. The 33 sports include almost all the sports which are part of the Winter Olympic Games, Summer Olympic Games, and the Pan-American Games. In addition to the event coverage, ABC Sports will present features and interviews on the Festival and it's participants. Sunday August 2 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM The climax of ABC Sports six hours of coverage of National Sports Festival III, a showcase for 2600 of America's top amateur athletes in 33 different sports, from New York. Network TV coverage, while nothing unusual for the festival, is growing more ambitious. ABC, the "network of the 1984 Olympics," is scheduled to produce six hours of coverage. The first installment will be aired this Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern daylight time, with a 2 1/2 hour-segment Sunday beginning at 1:30, and a wrapup Aug. 2. Olympic hero Eric Heiden will work as an ABC commentator, while former US hockey coach Herb Brooks assumes a similar position with Enterprise Radio. ESPN, the cable TV network, will even get into the act by showing replays during August. UPI ARCHIVES FEB. 3, 1981 ABC-TV and the U.S. Olympic Committee have reached an... NEW YORK -- ABC-TV and the U.S. Olympic Committee have reached an agreement to televise the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Trials and the 1981-82-83 National Sports Festivals. The agreement was announced jointly Tuesday by Roone Arledge, president of ABC News and Sports, and F. Don Miller, executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee. ADVERTISEMENT The 1981 Sports Festival will be televised from Syracuse, N.Y., July 25 and 26 and Aug. 2. The 1982 and 1983 Festivals are scheduled for Indianapolis and Los Angeles, respectively. FESTIVAL IS OFF TO EARLY START AP July 24, 1981 The National Sports Festival opened today, somewhat abruptly. Officials, the 2,500 athletes and a capacity crowd at the Carrier Dome witnessed the opening ceremonies. The actor Cliff Robertson, Mayor Lee Alexander and John F.X. Mannion, chairman of the Syracuse Organizing Committee, were among those delivering speeches. But the opening was upstaged by the unexpected, early start of competition. Overnight, figure skating officials decided their events had been scheduled too closely together and that they were not happy with the ice they had been given. With little notice to the public, the officials decided to hold the men's compulsory figures a day early, at 7 o'clock this morning. So, for a few hours anyway, Scott Hamilton the national and world champion, upstaged the ceremonial torch-bearers. Hamilton took the lead in the skating by scoring 7 ordinal points to 14 for secondplace Mark Cockerell and 26 for Brian Boitano. Moses Among Absentees Hamilton's stongest rival, David Santee, was expected to compete, but he announced yesterday that he had a knee injury and would not skate. Santee's brother, James, was fourth, with 28 points. Elaine Zayak, the national women's champion from Paramus, N.J., also is not competing. Edwin Moses, the world-record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, was among the absentees. He notified track officials today that he would not return from Europe to compete here. The Festival comprises 33 winter and summer Olympic sports and is conducted by the United States Olympic Committee to provide competition for American amateur athletes in non-Olympic years. A full schedule is set for tomorrow, including swimming, women's basketball, cycling, weight lifting and wrestling. Track and field events begin Saturday. Joe Morris, the Syracuse University tailback, ran through the downtown area carrying the National Sports Festival torch to the Carrier Dome. Morris had ignited his torch from flames carried by two other runners, Mary Kesel and Joe Peraino, who had carried them across New York State. Their contributions finished a flame relay involving 400 runners. They started July 4 from Pike's Peak in Colorado, near Colorado Springs, site of the previous two Festivals. UPI ARCHIVES JULY 30, 1981 National Sports Festival III, which started with a riotous... ByPOHLA SMITH, UPI Sports Writer SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- National Sports Festival III, which started with a riotous display of green and blue laser lights a week ago before thousands of cheering fans and athletes, ended quietly and without witnesses just after midnight Wednesday. A few moments after the final medal was decided, a lone security guard at Clinton Square in downtown Syracuse received word by walkie-talkie to douse the flame that stands as symbol of brotherhood and good sportsmanship in the world of amateur athletics. ADVERTISEMENT He turned a small valve, and the fire disappeared without a trace of glowing embers. But the spirit it represented lived on for the 2,600 hopefuls who competed in the first of three Festivals that will in large part determine the United States' representatives in the 1984 Olympic Games. 'I think it could be the most exciting and moving thing after the Olympics,' Tim Daggett, gold medalist in the men's horizontal bar gymnastics event, said of the Festival. 'I got chills during the opening ceremonies -- it seemed like America was together again. This could be the American Olympics.' And Festival and U.S. Olympic Committee officials felt they had succeeded at least in part in getting the permanent attention of both amateur athletes and the American public, who tend to think of the Olympics only in Olympic years. 'If I had this (the Festival) when I was 17 or 18, I would have been better prepared for international competition,' said veteran sprinter Harvey Glance. ADVERTISEMENT 'It was important for some of our younger people to rub shoulders with world class athletes,' said Festival Director Baaron Pittenger. 'They'll go away more motivated to be world class themselves. They'll learn something from this experience, and they'll understand a little better what's needed from them.' Crowds were near capacity at Wednesday's festival-ending events -- in judo, ice hockey, indoor speedskating and men's and women's volleyball and basketball -- despite unseasonable chilly weather and rain that fell intermittently amidst gusty winds from early morning until late afternoon. And the fans got their money's worth. In men's basketball, UCLA almost stole the limelight away from the West in the gold medal basketball game. UCLA recruit Stuart Gray scored 22 points; UCLA sophomore-to-be Ralph Jackson scored 18, and Nigel Miguel, another UCLA recruit, added 13 to lead the West to a decisive 109-97 victory over the South. The West victory snapped a perfect Festival record for the South, which had won the first two NSF basketball titles in 1978 and 1979. Steve Carfino scored 23 points in the bronze medal game to lead the Midwest to a 93-92 win over the East earlier Wednesday. In women's basketball, the South took advantage of Medina Dixon's second-half foul trouble to mount a rally that gave it the gold medal with a 93-84 victory over the East. The East was leading 48-47 when the high-scoring Dixon, from Mattanpan, Mass., left the game two minutes into the third period. South star Janet Lawrence, a member of the national AIAW champion Louisiana Tech team, quickly scored eight of her game-high 28 points to give the South a six-point lead going into the final period. ADVERTISEMENT Still, Dixon, who finished with 19 points, brought the East back to within 85-83 on a layup with 4:10 left to play. But Lisa Ingram, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., prep star, and Tanya Haave, a Tennessee freshman, scored in quick succession to ice the game. The bronze medal went to the Midwest, which defeated the West, 87-82, in the consolation game earlier Wednesday. In indoor speedskating, pony-tailed Gloria Bogacki, 18, of Park Ridge, Ill., and Steve Merrifield, 26, a motorcyle racer from Canoga Park, Calif., each picked up their third and fourth gold medals of the Festival, completing sweeps of the events in their respective divisions. Bogacki, also a four gold medal-winner at the 1979 Festival, was in last place after three laps of Wednesday's first event, the 1,000-meter, but she charged to the lead in the fourth circuit and was never headed as she finished in 1:59.13. Later, she anchored the winning East team that took the gold in the 3,000-meter relay in 6:27.52. Earlier in the Festival, Bogacki won the golds in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events. Merrifield, considered a longshot in all the events until pre-Festival favorite Paul Jacobs, 19, of Park Ridge, Ill., was disqualified from the competition, wasted no time completing the sweep he began by winning the golds in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events Tuesday. Wednesday, Merrifield led from start to finish in the 1,000-meter to win in 1:48.44 and then helped the Midwest team win the gold in the 5,000-meter relay in 8:25.24. ADVERTISEMENT In ice hockey, the Great Lakes took the gold medal with a 5-2 victory over the Central squad. The West defeated the Midwest, 3-2, for the gold medal in women's volleyball, and the men's volleyball championship went to the East, which upset the West, 3-2. Clips of ABC Coverage of Gymnastics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 National Sports Festival IV Indianapolis Dates: July 23-31,1982 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Two Indianapolis Athletes (A Black Male and White Female) Oath: Athletes: 2600 Sports: 33 TV: 1982 National Sports Festival ABC Hours: 5 1/2 Host: Jim McKay Boxing: Chris Schenkel Diving: Bill Flemming and Sitzberger Athletics: Jim Lampley and Marty Liquori Sunday July 25 -- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM National Sports Festival: More than 2,600 competitors in 33 Olympic-style events. Live coverage will feature track and field, boxing, figure skating, and diving. (from Indianapolis, Ind.) Saturday July 31 -- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Wide World of Sports: Scheduled: The continuation of the National Sports Festival: Highlights of boxing and figure skating from Indianapolis, Indiana. Motorcycling: U.S. Invitation Sidecar Motocross Championship, at Carlsbad, California U.S. Skydiving Championships from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Sunday August 1 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM National Sports Festival: Live coverage of competitions in boxing, track and field, swimming, gymnastics and figure skating. Highlights of the hockey and weight-lifting events, from Indianapolis, Indiana. Olympic hopefuls display wares, seek recognition at National Sports Festival By Ross Atkin, Sports writer of The Christian Science Monitor July 27, 1982 Indianapolis — What better place to host the National Sports Festival than Indianapolis, the ''crossroads of America.'' For symbolically a juncture of another kind has been reached by many of the 2,600 athletes assembled here for the nine-day competition that began last weekend and runs through Saturday. Their performance in this, the United States Olympic Committee's fourth such festival, may help determine whether there's an Olympics in their future. The event, at its acorn stage, was the idea of former USOC President Robert Kane, who envisioned a national multi-sport event in non-Olympic years similar to those held in several other countries. At this point the US version is still barely out of swaddling clothes, but growing like a weed - at least in terms of local attention lavished on it. Here in Indianapolis, for example, the host Indiana Sports Corporation has gone all out to present an Olympic-type spectacle. The opening festivities were dressed in almost as much color and pageantry as the Games themselves. There was a parade of athletes through downtown, the lighting of a 27-foot torch that will become a permanent city landmark, an opening ceremony at Market Square Arena with comedian Bob Hope, and a special street fair. The attention has since shifted to the competition in 33 sports, including Pan-American games and Olympic demonstration sports, and to an impressive array of athletic facilities scattered throughout the city. The cement is hardly dry at some of these sites, which collectively may be the finest in the nation and are a major source of burgeoning civic pride. ''The festival has never utilized as many big league facilities,'' states Mike Moran, the USOC's media coordinator, citing a new cycling velodrome, swimming and diving natatorium, and gleaming outdoor track and field stadium that are among the city's recent editions. The first two festivals, in 1978 and 1979, were incubated at the USOC's 34 -acre national training center in Colorado Springs. Beginning last year, however , the show hit the road, with cities invited to bid for the privilege of hosting these festivals. Last year Syracuse did a creditable job for a community of its size. But in Indianapolis, the USOC found what may be nearly an ideal environment for the festival. It is sufficiently large (more than four times the size of Syracuse in population) to provide a solid base of support, but not so big that the festival becomes just another event. This is particularly important in the case of the festival, where the unknown prospects outnumber established veterans and there are many so-called minor sports such as yachting and archery. Among this year's headliners are sprinter Evelyn Ashford, diver Greg Louganis , and long jumper/sprinter Carl Lewis, whose parents are co-coaches of the East's women's track team. Every athlete represents one of four regions - north, south, east or west. These divisions seem to add little to spectator interest and sometimes are loosely adhered to. In ice hockey, for instance, players were drafted out of a central talent pool before the festival began in an attempt to achieve greater competitive balance. Other situations have dictated juggling regional rosters too. During the competition's first weekend, 32 of 41 festival track records fell, but world records seldom are toppled at these summerfests. ''There's really not enough pressure at the festival for world records to be broken,'' says Moran. Veteran athletes generally don't view participation as a make or break proposition. The younger, up-and-coming types consider it important to leave a calling card, though. Only about one-third the number of athletes here will ever secure a berth in either the summer or winter Olympics. And even to return to the festival requires an invitation from one of many national sports governing bodies. Of course, the athletes are competing for medals, too, ones that have been emblazoned on the back with the famous LOVE motif of local artist Robert Indiana. The bulk of a brisk advance ticket business saw people snatching up admissions to the glamour sports of track and field, figure skating, and basketball. Organizers were particularly ecstatic over the large day-of-event sales during the first weekend. And with prices generally running in the $3-$5 range, there is an excellent chance of reaching the goal of $750,000 in ticket income. This amount, plus that from the sale of souvenirs and local corporate sponsorship, should just about cover the costs of putting on the festival. Next year's festival was originally scheduled for Los Angeles, where athletes could have tried out the 1984 Olympic venues and prepared for the 1983 Pan-Am Games in Caracas. But figuring this might have been biting off a little too much a year before the Olympics, the LA contingent bowed out, allowing Colorado Springs to step in as the '83 host. In Moran's opinion, however, ''the festival's future falls into mid-range population centers. I think the USOC will be quite amenable to having the festival return to Indianapolis. Other cities that might do well with it but who haven't contacted us are Omaha, Kansas City, and Milwaukee, to name a few. San Diego and Philadelphia are possible sites as well.'' One thing is for sure, though. Whoever gets the 1985 festival will find Indianapolis one very tough act to follow, which is just the way the USOC wants it. 2 Radio reports on the festival Clips of ABC coverage of Figure Skating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 National Sports Festival V Colorado Springs Dates: June 24-July 3, 1983 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Kathy Arendson (softball) and Scott Johnson (gymnastics) Oath: Athletes: 2700 Sports: TV: ABC Hours: 7 Host: Frank Gifford Saturday June 25 -- 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM American athletes participate in 33 Olympic Sports. Taped and live coverage of boxing semifinals and women's platform diving. (live from Colorado Springs, Colo.) Sunday June 26 -- 4:45 PM - 6:30 PM American athletes participate in 33 Olympic Sports. The telecast will concentrate on taped and live coverage of boxing, men's platform diving and swimming. (live from Colorado Springs, Colo.) Saturday July 2 -- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM National Sports Festival. American athletes participate in 33 Olympic Sports. Gymnastics, track and field, and boxing. (live from Colorado Springs, Colo.) Sunday July 3 -- 4:45 PM - 6:30 PM National Sports Festival. Third day of track and field competition, including a marathon. American athletes participate in 33 Olympic Sports. (live from Colorado Springs, Colo.) OLYMPICS HARBINGER AND SPECIALS FOR A FUND DRIVE By JOHN J. O'CONNOR Published: June 24, 1983 ABC SPORTS will be covering the National Sports Festival this weekend and next from Colorado Springs. The event attracts attention as a proving ground for about 2,700 athletes who hope to participate in next year's Olympics. The competitors are grouped in regional categories - East, Middle West, South and West - and 33 official Olympics sports are represented. The United States men's ice hockey and women's field hockey teams are determined at this festival. Beginning tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. on Channel 7, ABC is planning to offer taped and live coverage of boxing semifinals and women's platform diving. On Sunday at 4:45, there will be live boxing and men's platform diving. Coverage ends next weekend with gymnastics, track and field and more boxing. The host for ABC Sports will be Frank Gifford. Lewis Out Of Festival Special to the New York Times July 1, 1983, Section A, Page 17 Carl Lewis, who says he has injured a leg, has withdrawn from the three-day track-and-field competition that will begin Friday at the National Sports Festival. Meanwhile, a key event involving Edwin Moses has been switched from Friday to Sunday to accommodate live television. Moses had been scheduled to run the 400-meter hurdles Friday, with the presence of Dave Patrick, David Lee and Larry Cowling making the field the most attractive of the year. But ABC-TV, which will show the Festival in its ''Wide World of Sports'' program Sunday, requested that the hurdles race be moved to Sunday so that it could be shown live. Festival officials obliged. Lewis was scheduled to run the anchor leg for the national 400-meter relay team in an attempt at the world record Sunday. Lewis's brother, Mackie, who lives with Carl in Houston, said by telephone, ''He doesn't want to risk any kind of injury. He's had problems with muscle spasms at the end of the season because he ran too much.'' A version of this article appears in print on July 1, 1983, Section A, Page 17 of the National edition with the headline: Lewis Out Of Festival. June 25, 1983 NATIONAL FESTIVAL OPENS BEFORE 40,000 By LAWRIE MIFFLIN and SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES Following Olympic custom, the National Sports Festival was officially opened here this evening with the lighting of a perpetual flame, ignited by a torch carried by one female athlete and one male athlete. But in a small break with tradition, this time the female athlete towered over the male. Kathy Arendson, a premier softball pitcher who stands 6 feet 2 inches, carried the torch with Scott Johnson, a 5-3 national collegiate champion gymnast. Miss Arendson, who comes from Holland, Mich., and pitches for the Raybestos Brakettes of Stratford, Conn., is considered one of the better woman softball pitchers in history. She led the United States to the gold medal in the last Pan American Games, in 1979, and has competed in all five National Sports Festivals. ''This is unbelievable, I can't even compare it to the first festival,'' she said, referring to the 1978 event, which was also held here. ''One big difference is the importance the athletes put on it. Before, nobody really knew what it was. Now it's something to look forward to qualifying for.'' The Festival Flame Wearing red T-shirts and blue shorts, she and Johnson jogged around the perimeter of Falcon Stadium, home of the United States Air Force Academy football team, then strode up 40 steep steps, along a red carpet, to reach the massive dish waiting to hold the flame. As they lit it, several of their fellow athletes dashed onto the red carpet to snap photographs, and the crowd of more than 40,000 cheered. The 2,700 athletes have been divided into four regions, with East wearing blue, North yellow, South green and West red. For the opening parade of the athletes, an outline map of the United States was formed by Colorado Springs youngsters, and the four groups of athletes filled in the appropriate regions. Madeline Manning Mims, who won the gold medal in the 800-meter run in the 1968 Olympic Games, sang the national anthem. In one of the finals held before the opening ceremonies, Kelly McCormick, with her famous mother looking on, recorded one of the biggest victories of her diving career Thursday night. Miss McCormick, 23 years old, captured the gold medal in the three-meter springboard competition, Her mother is Pat McCormick, winner of gold medals in diving at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. Louganis Wins Again The victory put Miss McCormick, a national champion at Ohio State University, and Wendy Wyland of Mission Viejo, Calif., who was second, on the United States team for the Pan-American Games in August. In the men's three-meter springboard event, Greg Louganis, the world champion, earned four perfect scores of 10 en route to the gold medal. David Burgering, also of Mission Viejo, Calif., was second. Home Movie footage of Opening Ceremony Clip of ABC coverage of Men's Gymnastics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 19, 2021 Report Share Posted April 19, 2021 National Sports Festival VI Baton Rouge Dates: , 1985 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Greg Louganis (diving) and Valerie Brisco-Hooks (athletics) Oath: Athletes: 3500 Sports: 34 TV: ESPN Executive Producer: Bill Fitts Host: Jim Simpson Reporters: John Naber Leandra Reilley Phil Boggs Greg Louganis Roger Twibell Jim Kelly John Misha Petkevich Judy Sladky Ralph Boston Larry Rawson Dick Vitale Chris Marlowe Friday July 26 -- 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Preview, Taped Highlights -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Opening Ceremonies Saturday July 27 -- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Diving - Women Figure Skating - Women -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Track & Field Swimming Sunday July 28 -- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Diving - Men Figure Skating - Men - Long Program -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Track & Field Swimming Monday July 29 -- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Tape) Diving - Men Figure Skating - Men - Long Program -- 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM (Tape) Track & Field Swimming -- 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM Basketball - Finals Swimming Volleyball - Finals -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM Volleyball - Men - Final (Tape) Tuesday July 30 -- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Volleyball - Men - Final (Tape) -- 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM Basketball - Finals Swimming Volleyball - Finals -- 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Swimming Volleyball - Finals -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM Swimming (Tape) Wednesday July 31 -- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Swimming (Tape) -- 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM (Tape) Swimming Volleyball - Finals -- 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM Volleyball - Women - Final Basketball - Finals -- 12:30 AM - 3:00 AM (Tape) Volleyball - Women - Final Thursday August 1 -- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Tape) Volleyball - Finals Basketball - Finals Baseball - Finals -- 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM Basketball - Men - Final -- 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Tape) Volleyball - Finals Basketball - Finals Baseball - Finals -- 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM Boxing - Finals Gymnastics - Men - Finals -- 1:00 AM - 3:00 AM (Tape) Gymnastics - Men - Finals Friday August 2 -- 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM (Tape) Boxing - Finals Gymnastics - Men - Finals -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing - Finals Gymnastics - Women - Finals -- 1:00 AM - 2:30 AM Gymnastics - Women - Finals (Tape) Saturday August 3 -- 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Synchronized Swimming - Duets -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Ice Hockey Water Polo Gymnastics - Men - Finals -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM (Tape) Synchronized Swimming - Duets Sunday August 4 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Synchronized Swimming - Team Competition -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Gymnastics - Women - Finals Ice Hockey Water Polo Boxing - Finals -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM Gymnastics - Women - Finals (Tape) Monday August 5 -- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Gymnastics - Women - Finals (Tape) -- 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM Gymnastics - Women - Finals Ice Hockey Water Polo Boxing - Finals -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Review Closing Ceremonies -- 12:30 AM - 2:30 AM (Tape) Review Closing Ceremonies -- 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM (Tape) Review Closing Ceremonies UPI Archives March 13, 1985 Sports Briefs PERTH, Scotland -- ESPN has acquired the exclusive television rights to the National Sports Festival for three years beginning in 1985, it was announced Tuesday. ESPN will televise over 35 live hours of the 1985 Festival, which will be held in Baton Rouge, La. This year's competition will feature over 150 events in 34 sports from the schedule of the Olympic and Pan American Games. The Festival, which was designed to develop and showcase American amateur athletes, is expect to attract almost 3,000 competitors and 250,000 spectators. The 1986 Games are scheduled to be held in Houston with the 1987 event taking place in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. UPI ARCHIVES JULY 26, 1985 The National Sports Festival, America's largest gathering of Olympic-quality... ByMIKE RABUN, UPI Sports Writer BATON ROUGE, La. -- The National Sports Festival, America's largest gathering of Olympic-quality amateur athletes, officially opened Friday night in typical Louisiana summer conditions -- hot and humid. A crowd estimated at 60,000 braved the warmth and the traffic to watch the three-hour spectacular patterned after the cermonies which open the Olympics every four years. The opening cermony of the sixth Festival featured the lighting of a torch above Tiger Stadium by a laser beamed from one end of the arena to the other. Olympic stars Steve Lundquist, Greg Louganis and Valerie Brisco-Hooks took part in the torch lighting ceremony. Sweat poured off performers and spectators alike in temperatures and humidity which left the discomfort index close to 100 degrees. The conditions so concerned Festival officials that they decided to reduce the length of two long-distance races this weekend. The men's and women's marathon, scheduled for Sunday, will not be conducted over the traditional distance of just over 26 miles and instead will be cut to 13 miles. The shortened marathons will be held at 6 a.m. to take advantage of cooler temperatures. The 50-kilometer walk has also been shortened to 30-kilometers. 'We decided in the best interests of the runners and their safety to shorten these events,' said Festival track and field coordinator Phil Henson. 'We consulted with the USOC sports medicine staff and Dr. Robert Voy, the USOC's chief medical officer, and we agree that it will benefit the athletes in view of the possible problems from heat and humidity.' Although limited sporting activity began on Wednesday night, the first major rush of action does not take place until Saturday with action in 20 sports scheduled around the city. Track and field will dominate the first weekend of the Festival, with such Olympic stars as Brisco-Hooks, Al Joyner, Willie Banks and Jeannete Bolden on display. Basketball will also begin on Saturday in a prime showcase for young talent who hope to make the United States' 1988 Olympic team. As the initial outbreak of competition neared, however, the concern over the weather conditions seeped into almost every venue. University of Kansas basketball coach Larry Brown, who will guide the North team during the Festival, said he thought the weather would even have an affect on indoor sports. 'You've got to be careful with these conditions,' Brown said. 'The kids sweat a lot, the basketball gets slick and they tend to slip on the floor more than usual. 'Of course most of them play in the summertime anyway so maybe it is not that much of a problem. United States Olympic Committee secretary general George D. Miller said that while the weather was a drawback to having the Festival in cities such as Baton Rouge, other factors outweighed the conditions. 'There is a spirit in this town,' said Miller. 'They are very proud of their country and they are proud to have all these athletes here. 'They wanted to Sports Festival here and were willing to work hard to put it on. That is the kind of community we want hosting the Festival. 'We have the best medical staff possible. We will do everything we can to make sure all health precautions are taken.' The weather, however, seemed just fine to some people, including Olympic gold medalist Lillie Leatherwood. Leatherwood, who ran a leg on America's winning 4x400 relay team, is from Ralph, Ala. 'This weather doesn't bother me at all,' said Leatherwood, who was sitting in the shade when she said it. 'I'm used to it. If I was back home it would be worse than this.' Sports Festival Off To A Blazing Start July 28, 1985 By Jody Homer, Chicago Tribune. BATON ROUGE — It wasn`t the Olympics and there wasn`t the hoped-for full house, but all things considered, the people of Baton Rouge could be proud of Friday night`s opening ceremonies at the National Sports Festival. They have worked for the last year on this biggest sports event in their history. Some 60,000 of them came dressed in red, white and blue to watch it begin. Organizers of the two weeks of competition modeled the opening ceremonies on the Olympics. They kept secret how the torch, or cauldron, would be lit and who would have the honor of carrying the flame into the Louisiana State University stadium. They promised it would be one of the most unusual torch lightings anywhere, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It was. Rumors had circulated that the mystery guest would be an Olympic gold medal-winner, either Carl Lewis or Edwin Moses. Moses carried the American flag into the stadium, but two Baton Rouge athletes, a weightlifter and a blind swimmer competing in one of the five disabled events, brought the flame into the stadium. They passed it to double Olympic gold-medal winning swimmer Steve Lundquist. The relay continued when Lundquist passed the flame to Olympic diver Greg Louganis and track superstar Valerie Brisco-Hooks, who have five 1984 gold medals between them. Louganis and Brisco-Hooks took their torches to the far end of the stadium, and then the mystery of the cauldron lighting was solved. A green laser beam transported the flame from the Olympians` torches across the field to the cauldron, which burst into flames in the darkened stadium. The Sports Festival is held in non-Olympic years, with competition in 34 sports for thousands of already established and up-and-coming U.S. amateur athletes. A handful of events began Wednesday and Thursday, before the opening ceremonies. Most begin Saturday. All track and field events will be Saturday and Sunday. Gymnastics is saved for the end of the week. At the first NSF in 1978 in Colorado Springs, only 3,000 curious spectators watched the opening cermonies. It was a record Festival crowd that packed Tiger Stadium for Friday`s festivities, which included 1,000 aerobic dancers, bands such as Cheap Trick, parachute teams, thousands of colorful balloons and the traditional parade of 3,500 athletes. The entertainment was staged on a 60-foot wide, two-tiered platform. A pyramid towered 70 feet over the platform with a cauldron resting on top. NSF officials had hoped to sell out the 76,000-seat stadium, but with only 40,000 to 50,000 tickets having been sold by Thursday, they revised their estimates. NSF executive director Bill Bankhead said just under 40 percent of the 300,000 tickets for all events must be sold to break even, and close to that percentage was gone by Friday. None of the past Sports Festivals have lost money. Only a few events in Baton Rouge were sold out. Oddly, the one area where ticket sales are particularly weak is track and field, despite the presence of many would-be medalists. To boost attendance, track tickets have been dicounted $3. Earlier in the day, officials of The Athletics Congress and the NSF decided to shorten the race-walking event and the marathons for men and women. ``We decided it was in the best inteests of the runners and their safety,`` said TAC festival coordinator Phil Henson. ``We consulted with the USOC sports medicine staff, and we agree that it would benefit the athletes in view of the possible problems from heat and humidity.`` The weather was on everyone`s mind Friday as the temperature reached into the 90s and was expected to stay there. The marathons have been shortened to half-marathons beginning at 5:45 a.m. Sunday. And Sunday`s 50-kilometer race- walk has been shortened to 30 kilometers. ESPN coverage of Gymnastics ESPN coverage of Swimming https://www.youtube.com/user/swam4texas/videos Playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival - Figure Skating - YouTube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 OOPS! The dates of the 1985 Festival were July 24-August 4. Sorry for the omission! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 1986 United States Olympic Festival Houston Dates: July 25-August 3, 1986 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: Kirk Baptiste (athletics) and Kristie Phillips (gymnastics) Oath: Athletes: 3000 Sports: TV: ESPN Host: Jim Simpson Co-host: Leandra Reilly Reporters: John Nabor Tim Brando Jim Kelly Judy Sladsky Misha Petkevich Becky Dixon Betty Yopko Al Bernstein Friday July 25 -- 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM Opening Ceremonies -- 3:00 AM - 5:00 AM Opening Ceremonies (Tape) Saturday July 26 -- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Figure Skating Team Equestrian Speedskating - Men -- 8:30 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing - Semifinals Figure Skating Judo Cycling -- 3:00 AM - 7:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat of day's broadcasts) Sunday July 27 -- 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Figure Skating Individual Equestrian Speedskating - Men -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing - Semifinals Figure Skating Cycling -- 3:00 AM - 8:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat of day's broadcasts) Monday July 28 -- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Basketball - Men - East vs South Roller Skating Tae Kwon Do -- 3:00 AM - 8:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat of day's broadcast) Tuesday July 29 -- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing - Finals Tae Kwon do Rythmic Gymnastics Wednesday July 30 -- 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Ice Hockey Rythmic Gymnastics Wrestling - Freestyle Diving Thursday July 31 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Basketball - Men - Finals Gymnastics - Men Diving - 3m Springboard Weightlifting Friday August 1 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Track & Field Diving - 10m Platform Gymnastics - Women -- 3:00 AM - 5:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat) Saturday August 2 -- 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Diving - Men - 10m Platform Volleyball - Women - Final Ice Hockey - East vs West -- 8:00 PM - 11:30 PM Track & Field Gymnastics - Men Soccer - Men - Final -- 1:00 AM - 2:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 3:00 AM - 6:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat) Sunday August 3 -- 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Volleyball - Men Team Handball Wrestling Diving - Women -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Track & Field Ice Hockey - Final Gymnastics - Women - Individual Closing Ceremonies -- 12:00 AM - 2:30 AM (Tape) (Repeat) -- 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM (Tape) (Repeat) Monday August 4 -- 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (Tape) (Repeat) UPI Archives July 25, 1986 Sports Cast--Preview: Broadcast column;NEWLN:ESPN carries U.S. Olympic festival By RANDY MINKOFF, UPI Sports Writer CHICAGO -- For those of you who miss neo-Olympic style sporting events provided by the Goodwill Games the past three weeks, ESPN has some more coming up. The U.S. Olympic festival begins Friday in Houston with many of the nation's top young athletes competing. The major difference between the festival and the Goodwill Games is that the competition will be an all-American affair. However, the festival, formerly the National Sports Festival, does beg comparisons. Gymnastics, basketball, boxing and track and field are the big lures for the festival, just as they were for the Goodwill Games. ESPN will have 37 hours of live coverage, with a heavy emphasis this weekend. The Festival is in its second year of a three-year contract with ESPN and the cable network is hoping overexposure from the Goodwill Games won't be a factor in mirroring the disappointing rating numbers recorded by WTBS with its Moscow-based event. One advantage the Olympic Festival may have is in familiarity. The Goodwill Games could serve as a 'tease' for viewers who want to see more of the same; additionally, more names should be familiar to the average viewer because they are all from the United States. The festival is ESPN's biggest annual undertaking with 125 people involved, including six play-by-play announcers and 12 analysts. ESPN has sold nearly all of the ad inventory for the 10-day coverage, according to Jack Bonanni, an ESPN vice president for advertising sales. 'Companies were particularly enthusiastic about securing sponsorship in the Festival, primarily because they desire involvement in an event that will feature the young athletes likely to represent the U.S. in the 1988 Olympic games,' Bonanni said. Coverage begins Friday with the opening ceremonies and full competition is set to begin Saturday. Beginning at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday, figure skating, equestrain and men's speedskating will be featured. After that two-hour segment, ESPN will show a 2 -hour segment beginning at 8:30 p.m. with boxing, figure skating and cycling. Sunday, a 3-5:30 p.m. slot will include figure skating, equestrain and men's speedskating. An 8-11 p.m. segment features boxing, figure skating and cycling. The Modesto Bee Thursday July 24 1986 E3 Sports Linda Cearley TVRadio Olympic Festival begins 10-day run on ESPN Have your days seemed empty since the Goodwill Games ceased to fill the television screen for half of your waking hours? Do you miss the thrill of ranging across the sports and the seasons all in a single day? Well cheer up Bunky ESPN is ready to help Beginning Friday with the opening ceremonies you will be able to catch 37 hours — spread over 10 days —of the US Olympic Festival or as ESPN likes to call it for Ted Turner's sake "this year's only competition officially sanctioned by the Olympics" And just for good measure the cable network will have a nightly one-hour program of highlights from tile Commonwealth Games although that event has lost much of its appeal with 31 of the 58 eligible countries boycotting in protest of Great Britain's policy on South Africa But back to Houston for the Olympic Festival It's hard to imagine how ESPN following hard on the heels of the Goodwill fiasco could botch up its presentation badly enough to do anything but come out smelling like a rose in comparison to TBS' debacle from Moscow For starters ESPN will once again have reliable Jim Simpson and Leandra Reilly (a Goodwill survivor) anchoring the Festival telecasts Among the other announcers will be veterans Al Bernstein ' Jim Kelly Marty Liquori John Sanders and Dick Vitale And the analysts will include Bart Conner (gymnastics) John Naber (swimming) Misha Petkevich (skating) Chris Marlowe (volleyball) and Phil Boggs (diving) - Ten sports — boxing basketball diving figure skating gymnastics track and field volleyball equestrian roller skating and rhythmic gymnastics (no I'm not kidding) —will get comprehensive coverage usually two sports to a telecast In addition ESPN will have single cameras at competition sites to cover seven additional sports — ice hockey speedskating cycling taekwondo (a form of martial arts) team handball weightlifung and wrestling The festival's 18 other sports will be covered briefly with news reports and "Page Two" pre-filmed features But ESPN will not gut its regular schedule of live-action and feature programs in order to show the Olympic Festival Formula One racing pro bowling tournaments and US Pro tennis action all will be shown not to mention Australian rules football ' In me past the Olympic Festival has showcased many of the United States' best young athletes Dont let the pall cast by the Goodwill Games keep you from tuning in a pretty good show. Los Angeles Times U.S. Olympic Festival : Houston Celebrates the Occasion With a Party July 26, 1986 JULIE CART Times Staff Writer HOUSTON — Here in Yew-ston, where, we are frequently told, the greatest athletes in the world breathe the sweetest air, we had us a party Friday night. Invited a few folks over to the Astrodome. Everyone wore a cowboy hat and boots, and there was fringe on the girls' skirts. We waved the flag--the red, white and blue one with only the one star. Almost forgot. We got to talking about The Great State of Texas so much we near forgot to mention the U.S. Olympic Festival. Those were the U.S. Olympic Committee officials in the corner with the tight smiles. Don't ask a Texan to give a party and expect to get a word in edgewise. Friday night's expansive, huge, bloated U.S. Olympic Festival opening ceremony was meant to celebrate amateur sport. The festival is a showcase for the nation's Olympians of tomorrow. Instead, 32,401 fans were treated to what amounted to a Chamber of Commerce highlight film. Most out-of-town sportswriters wanted to hear about Texas' sesquicentennial about as much as they wanted to spell it. The problem with most international sports events is the rampant nationalism. No trouble with that here. What we have here in Texas is rampant statism. By the time "Houston's own" Carl Lewis carried the other flag with all the stars onto the AstroTurf to lead the athletes processional, the crowd was ready to cheer anything that even had a remote twang to it. Some 3,000 athletes followed Lewis, marching behind the banners that delineate the four geographical teams here. To nobody's great surprise, the appearance of the South team drew a roaring cheer. But the ovation was premature. The Texans on the South team decided to march in apart, behind the banner of the Lone Star. The Texas delegation was by far the rowdiest to enter the arena. Their enthusiasm was infectious. As the renegade Texas athletes circled the infield behind the South team, Texans who had been placed on other teams broke rank and joined their fellow statesmen. The arrival of the athletes, more than one hour into the 1 1/2-hour program, lifted the mood from glitzy variety show to youthful celebration. Wherever athletes gather and are told to behave, there will surely follow pandemonium. Many of the athletes here are in their first major competition, and to parade in front of 32,000 fans is heady stuff. As festival ushers attempted to herd each team around the infield in some semblance of cohesiveness, the athletes danced and waved for the cheering crowd. Among the colorful marchers were the usual unauthorized "Hi Mom" signs and others carrying various personal messages athletes no doubt hoped to beam home via ESPN, which televised the ceremonies. One section of the North team hoisted a cardboard polar bear, an apparent reference to their regional climate. It will be an achievement of no small measure for the athletes to sustain over the 10 days of the festival the youthful exuberance they showed Friday night. The crowd offered only polite applause to the cavalcade of drill teams, western dancers, Mexican dancers, bands, color guards and 100 pre-teen fiddlers in red cowboy hats. The arena warmed with the arrival of rock and roll group Otis Day and the Knights. When the group cut loose on "Shout," the collective inhibitions in the Astrodome fell away. Impromptu dancing broke out between baton twirlers and trombone players, while square dancers from the Texas Hoedown segment mixed it up with the Folkloric Dancers from the Mexican Fiesta group. The festival torch arrived, carried by Olympic sprinter Kirk Baptiste and diminutive gymnast Kristie Phillips. Guess in which Great Texas City Kirk and Kristie live. The Olympic Festival Torch was first lit June 21 at the summit of 14,000-foot Pike Peak near Colorado Springs, where a permanent flame burns in tribute to the 1,100 Americans who have won Olympic gold medals since 1896. From there the torch crisscrossed the state on a 4,600-mile course. Hundreds of runners from Texas ran through 125 cities, although organizers do reluctantly admit that between Midland and Lubbock the torch traveled by car. Hey, it's a big state. Houstonians are especially proud of The Desert Rats--a group of two dozen lawyers who used their vacation time to run the torch day and night the 625 miles from Colorado Springs to El Paso in four days. The torch, flame blazing, was brought to the Astrodome Friday night via bicycle. It was then entrusted to Baptiste and Phillips. The pair mounted a platform on the floor of the Astrodome and lit the torch to officially open the competition. Festival chairman Ernest Deal opened another kind of competition when, in his remarks during the lighting ceremony, he took the opportunity to announce Houston's interest in bidding as a site for a future Summer Olympic Games. "In 10 or 12 years, when it becomes North America's turn to host the Olympics, there is only one place for them to be," Deal said. "That is right here. We want our gold medal." Why wait? If they're giving medals for showmanship, give Houston one right now. ESPN coverage of Gymnastics Playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating ESPN coverage of Roller Figure Skating ESPN coverage of Heptathlon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 1987 United States Olympic Festival Raleigh-Durham Dates: July 13-26, 1987 Opened by: Final Torchbearers: J.R. Reid (basketball) and April Heinrichs (soccer) Oath: Athletes: 3000 Sports: 34 TV: ESPN Hours: 43 Hosts: Jim Kelly and Gayle Gardner Friday July 17 -- 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Preview, opening ceremonies, swimmming and wrestling finals, and diving preliminaries. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Saturday July 18 -- 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM Scheduled events: Figure skating, diving, and basketball. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing, figure skating, diving, Greco-Roman wrestling. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Sunday July 19 -- 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Scheduled events: Figure skating, diving, and basketball. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Figure skating, boxing, diving. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Monday July 20 -- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM United States Olympic Festival. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Basketball, roller skating, speed skating, and volleyball. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Tuesday July 21 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM United States Olympic Festival. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Boxing finals and hockey. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Wednesday July 22 -- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM United States Olympic Festival. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM Basketball, roller skating, speed skating, and volleyball. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Thursday July 23 -- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM United States Olympic Festival. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Volleyball final and gymnastics. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Friday July 24 -- 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM United States Olympic Festival. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Gymnastics, track and field, synchronized swimming, and tae kwon do. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Saturday July 25 -- 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Gymnastics, track and field, synchronized swimming, and tae kwon do. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Track and field, equestrian, and finals in tae kwon do, From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) Sunday July 26 -- 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and equestrian. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Hockey finals, track and field finals, and closing ceremonies. From Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (Live) U.S. Olympic Sports Festival Roundup : Flame Is Lit at Opening Ceremony July 18, 1987|From Times Wire Services RALEIGH, N.C. — University of North Carolina athletes J.R. Reid and April Heinrichs highlighted the opening ceremony of the U.S. Olympic Festival Friday night, lighting the symbolic flame at Carter-Finley Stadium. Reid, 19, the Atlantic Coast Conference's basketball rookie of the year last season, played in the 1986 Festival at Houston and will play for the South team this year. Heinrichs, 23, was named U.S. Olympic Committee female soccer athlete of the year last season by the U.S. Soccer Federation, and was America's leading scorer in international competition. The co-captain of the national women's team was a star at Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo., a Denver suburb. The torch bearers were chosen by the competing athletes. The Festival, the largest single event in the history of the state, will encompass competition in 34 sports by 3,000 athletes. Events are held in Raleigh, Durham, Carey, Chapel Hill and Greensboro. A crowd of 52,700 filled the North Carolina State stadium for the opening ceremonies. A marching band of 300 members and a concert orchestra from the area opened the ceremony with "N.C. Olympic Fanfare," followed by a fireworks display." At Durham, two noted athletes--divers Greg Louganis and Michele Mitchell--continued their Festival domination by winning the preliminary rounds of platform diving. Greco-Roman wrestlers were the only other athletes competing Friday. The Festival gets into full swing today with competition in 17 sports. Louganis, holder of 41 national titles, two gold medals from the 1984 Olympic Games and all but two of the golds in Festival diving since 1979, led the preliminary round off the three-meter springboard Thursday. He moved into first place in the platform event Friday with a late surge. "I felt pretty steady," Louganis said after taking the lead on his sixth dive, a reverse triple-twist on which he scored 91.08 points. "I hate to rate myself today, but I was probably a 6 1/2." That still was far better than Bruce Kimball, who was second with 578.25 points, well behind Louganis' total of 645.90. Mike Wantuck was third with 577.56. In wrestling, two-time Olympian Mark Fuller of Gresham, Ore., led the advance into the third-round. Fuller, a 114.5-pounder, beat Steve Biedrycki of Quantico, Va., 3-2, 8-2, reaching today's final against top-seeded Shawn Sheldon of Albany, N.Y. Highlights of Opening Ceremony ESPN coverage Day 2 playlist ESPN coverage Day 8 ESPN coverage Day 10 ESPN coverage of Gymnastics Playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 1989 United States Olympic Festival Oklahoma City Dates: July 18-30 Opened by: Henry Louis Bellmon, Governor of the State of Oklahoma Final Torchbearer: John Smith (wrestling) Athletes Oath: Trip Zedlitz (swimming) Officials Oath: Tommie Lou Vernon (boxing) Athletes: 4200 Sports: TV: ESPN and TNN Hours: 32 (ESPN) 2 (TNN) Total: 34 Host: Jim Kelly Opening Ceremony: Jim Kelly, Lorianne Crook, and Charlie Chase Reporters: Tim Brando Ron Franklin Barry Tompkins ? Analysts: Dick Vitale Al Bernstein Bart Conner Dwight Stones ? Friday July 21 -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM TNN Opening Ceremonies Saturday July 22 -- 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM ESPN Boxing Figure Skating Synchronized Swimming -- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM ESPN Boxing Figure Skating Sunday July 23 -- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM ESPN Boxing Figure Skating Synchronized Swimming Monday July 24 -- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Wrestling Figure Skating -- 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM ESPN Equestrian Speed Skating Basketball Tuesday July 25 -- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Wrestling Rythmic Gymnastics -- 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM ESPN Boxing Equestrian Rythmic Gymnastics Wednesday July 26 -- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM ESPN Basketball - Men Wrestling - Freestyle -- 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM ESPN Basketball - Men - Final Wrestling - Freestyle Thursday July 27 -- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Diving Gymnastics Weightlifting -- 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM ESPN Diving Gymnastics Friday July 28 -- 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Diving Gymnastics Track & Field -- 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM ESPN Gymnastics Diving Track & Field Saturday July 29 -- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Diving Volleyball Track & Field Gymnastics -- 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM ESPN Diving Volleyball Track & Field Sunday July 30 -- 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ESPN Diving Gymnastics Track & Field -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM ESPN Track & Field Diving Volleyball Main event: 1989 Olympic Festival TV coverage Mel Bracht Published: Mon, July 20, 2009 12:00 AM The Olympic Festival provided 32 hours of needed summer programming for ESPN, then just 10 years old and without a broadcast deal with Major League Baseball. Jim Kelly hosted the coverage. Tim Brando, Ron Franklin and Barry Tompkins handled most of the play-by-play assignments. Among the analysts were Dick Vitale, Al Bernstein, Bart Conner and Dwight Stones. ESPN had 250 press credentials, the most of any media organization. TULSA WORLD Olympic fest crowd a record GIL BROYLES Jul 22, 1989 NORMAN - As an event, it was bigger than Oklahoma-Nebraska football. As theater, not much could hold a candle to the record 76,014 fans who packed the University of Oklahoma's Owen Field, held miniature torches aloft and joined in a fireworks-punctuated rendition of "Oklahoma!" The 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival is only beginning. Opening ceremonies Friday night smashed the festival attendance record and set a standard for Owen Field, where sellouts of the 75,004-seat stadium are standard in a football-crazy state. Olympic gold medalist John Smith, a wrestler from Del City, was selected by the 4,200 participating athletes to bear the torch up stairs and light the flame that will burn until closing ceremonies July 30. Over the past month, the flame criss-crossed the state for 3,000 miles, borne by runners in all 77 counties. "The feeling . . . I can't describe it," Smith said. "You're representing a lot of athletes and also representing the state of Oklahoma. "All I was thinking was, don't fall." There was no evident faltering in the 2 1/2-hour extravaganza that lacked nothing in terms of patriotic goosebumps and down-home, country-and-Western music. Former President Reagan had top billing on a program that featured a homecoming for some of Oklahoma's best-known names in sports and entertainment. Reagan, making the precompetition charge to the gathered athletes from teams representing the North, South, East and West, drew an ovation when he asked them to "win one for the Gipper." Reagan told the athletes they "represent all that is good about our country" because of their years of sacrifice and hard work in pursuit of a goal. It was an adoring crowd that gathered on a bright, breezy evening for the ceremonies, televised to a national cable audience by The Nashville Network. The previous record crowd of 60,000 saw 1985 opening ceremonies at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. The packed house was a boost for the sponsoring Oklahoma Centennial Sports Inc. that is spending $1 million of a $10.5 million operating budget on opening and closing ceremonies. The crowd repeatedly erupted into cheers for local and national celebrities, including comedian Bob Hope and 1988 Olympic gold medal sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner. FloJo, who won the 1988 Sullivan Award as the top American amateur athlete, was a "mystery torch runner" whose identity was kept from the crowd until she entered the stadium. She created a sensation as a spotlight focused on her graceful form gliding around the field attired in a snug, hot-pink track suit. She handed the torch to a group of Oklahoma sports legends, who in turn gave the flame to figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi of Fremont, Calif. Smith lit the gas cauldron at the center of Owen Field. Trip Zedlitz of Oklahoma City, who won two gold medals in festival swimming competition that was completed Thursday, took the athletes' oath on behalf of participants. Tommie Lou Vernon, a boxing official from Broken Arrow, took the officials' oath. On an evening filled with emotional moments, one of the earliest came when former OU football coach Barry Switzer was introduced as a celebrity escort for the South team's entry into the stadium. Switzer, the winningest active college football coach when he resigned from the troubled program June 19, made a triumphant circuit of the football field where he reigned for 16 years. OU 1978 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, in Switzer's group, grasped his former coach in an exuberant bear hug as the ovation rose from the crowd. The patriotic prologue to the 10-day festival provided a glimpse of the top amateur athletes in the country early in the four-year Olympic quadrennial period. The 4,200 competitors, who are staying at the athletes' village across the street from the stadium, paraded around the field waving miniature U.S. flags. In the next week, new gymnastics darlings and track and field heroes likely will emerge from the field of athletes preparing for the 1992 Olympics. For Oklahomans who braved traffic jams, the ceremonies provided a massive dose of Sooner pride along with the country-and-Western theme. Oklahoma native Reba McEntire, in a shining white fringed outfit, led the crowd in hand-clapping sing-alongs. Oklahoma's Patti Page and Roger Miller also performed musical numbers in the show. The Oak Ridge Boys performed laser-punctuated songs before an ear-popping fireworks display ended the ceremonies. Opening Ceremony - TNN live telecast ESPN coverage of Gymnastics playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Track & Field playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 1990 United States Olympic Festival Minneapolis Dates: July 6-15, 1990 Opened by: Final Torchbearer: Jackie Joyner-Kersee (athletics) Athletes Oath: Officials Oath: Athletes: 3000+ Sports: 37 TV: ESPN Hosts: Barry Tompkins and Tim Brando Reporters: Bart Conner John Nabor Tracy Caulkins Candy Costie-Burke Saturday July 7 -- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Figure Skating - Pairs Figure Skating - Women's Original Program Basketball - Men - West vs South Synchronized Swimming - Duet -- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Boxing - Semifinals Figure Skating - Ice Dancing Figure Skating - Men's Original Program Basketball - Men - North vs South Synchronized Swimming - Duet Sunday July 8 -- 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM Boxing - Semifinals Figure Skating - Women's Free Program Figure Skating - Pairs -- 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Synchronized Swimming - Team Figure Skating - Ice Dancing Figure Skating - Men's Free Program Monday July 9 -- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Basketball - Men - North vs West Weekend Highlights -- 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Swimming Basketball - Men - East vs South Rythmic Gymnastics - Preliminaries Tuesday July 10 -- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Basketball - Men - Bronze Medal Game Ice Hockey - South vs East -- 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM Swimming Basketball - Men - Gold Medal Game Ice Hockey - North vs West Rythmic Gymnastics - All-Around Final Wednesday July 11 -- 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Water Polo - Men - Gold Medal Match -- 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Boxing - Finals -- 12:30 AM - 2:00 AM Boxing Water Polo - Women - Gold Medal Match Water Polo - Men - Bronze Medal Match Thursday July 12 -- 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM Diving - Men - 3m Springboard - Preliminaries Diving - Women - 3m Springboard - Preliminaries Gymnastics - Men - Team and Individual All-Around Track & Field Friday July 13 -- 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Diving - Women - 10m Plaform - Preliminaries Track & Field Weekend Preview Saturday July 14 -- 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Track & Field Diving - Women - 3m Springboard - Finals -- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Track & Field Diving - Men - 3m Springboard - Finals Gymnastics - Men - Individual Event Finals Ice Hockey - Gold Medal Game Sunday July 15 -- 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM Track & Field Diving - Men - 10m Platform - Finals Diving - Women - 10m Platform - Finals Gymnastics - Women - Individual Event Finals LOS ANGELES TIMES Is This Something to Feel Festive About? July 07, 1990 MIKE PENNER TIMES STAFF WRITER MINNEAPOLIS — They have finally settled on a name, the United States Olympic Festival, but don't let that fool you. This is really America's Summer Camp, 10 days of fun and frolic for children of all ages, and this year, they picked the right spot for it. Lots of lakes here. A big tent, too--that fabulous fiberglass fixture known as Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, famed for Hefty bag home runs, collapsing roofs, collapsing Rams and now, the world's largest indoor Bunsen burner. No festival is really Olympic without a flame, so they erected a 30-foot high caldron inside the Metrodome and had Jackie Joyner-Kersee light it. That was the highlight of Friday night's opening ceremony, although a lower roof would have added a needed edge to the proceedings. So what's an Olympic Festival? It's best to start with what it's not. It isn't the Sports Festival--and, as the event's organizers will rush to remind, hasn't been since 1986. It isn't the Special Olympics or the Olympic trials or the pre-Olympics. And it isn't the Mini-Olympics, which is what ABC's Wide World of Sports labeled it while covering the inaugural competition in 1978, which was more than a mini-mistake in the eyes of many chagrined festival organizers. This year, it isn't even the Mini-Goodwill Games, which has been a considerable problem no one in the Twin Cities is eager to address. Ted Turner's athletic extravaganza, scheduled two weeks hence in Seattle, has siphoned off most of the world-class competitors, leaving the Olympic Festival with Joyner-Kersee, 1988 Seoul divers Wendy Lucero and Wendy Williams and a handful of others recognizable outside their hometowns. Joyner-Kersee, twice a gold medalist at Seoul, will run two relays here and brush up on her high-jumping and javelin-throwing. So thankful were the festival planners that they immediately named her official torch lighter. A favor for a favor. This Olympic Festival, as with most others, is a sprawling intramural meet, attended by 3,000-plus participants, from 50 states and 37 sports. Since sides are required, there is the North, the South, the East and the West. Or, the Yellow, the Green, the Blue and the Red. Or George, Paul, John and Ringo. The affiliations are only for affiliation's sake. The South ice hockey team, for instance, features six players from Minnesota. Joyner-Kersee attended UCLA and lives in Southern California but will run for the North's 400-meter team. And the West hockey team is basically a device for tuning up young prospects for this year's world juniors championships. The experience is what matters. Most of the field here won't get anywhere near Barcelona in 1992. But maybe a few will be ready by 1996. That's the hope, the supposed premise of the Olympic Festival. The long-range future is now. But the festival also attempts to go where the real Olympics can't, or won't. An 11-year-old gymnast, Lily Chang of Walnut Creek, is here. So is a 60-year old shooter, Don Hamilton of Kingston, Mass. So, too, is 29-year old judoist Eddie Liddie, participating in his 10th festival and looking for his 10th medal. Even some of the sports are on the fringe. A gold medal in bowling? Someone will win one here. Racquetball is scheduled. Badminton shuttlecocks are cocked. Roller skaters are ready. That's one more reason why Minneapolis is right for the Olympic Festival. Quaintness plays well in this corner of the country, where every barely published author from Minnetonka and folk singer from Winona is toasted with chest-puffing civic pride. This is the place, remember, where an entire state fell into depression when Garrison Keilor left for Denmark. Schmaltz and feel-good go down smoothly here, which is why tens of thousands waved their souvenir flashlights in the dark Friday night, cheering Joyner-Kersee on during her last leg to the semi-Olympic flame. Or why others danced in the aisles while The Fabulous Thunderbirds--the rock band, not the roller derby team--played their clean-cut boogie and Sarah (100-Meter) Dash belted out the festival's theme song, "The Road to '92." Or why hundreds of festival athletes rushed the stage when Otis Day and the Knights launched into the song that made them famous in "Animal House," "Shout." They even applauded the official festival mascot, Willie Win One, which is supposed to be a cute and cuddly abominable snowman--of course--but looked more like someone's runaway pet shaggy dog after ear-removal surgery. Bigfoot under fiberglass. There were also fireworks inside the Metrodome, a blimp inside the Metrodome, drill teams, marching bands, audience-participation card tricks and a choir. Much ado about nothing that really matters? To Friday night's revelers, this was the Super Bowl. The big time, even if it's just the kind-of-big-time, had come to the Twin Cities. The Minny Olympics were under way. Clip of Opening Ceremony ESPN coverage of Gymnastics Clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating https://www.youtube.com/c/3Axel1996/search?query=1990 U.S. Olympic Festival Clips of ESPN coverage of Track & Field Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamfan Posted April 20, 2021 Report Share Posted April 20, 2021 1991 United States Olympic Festival Los Angeles Dates: July 12-21, 1991 Opened by: Ronald Wilson Reagan, Former President of the United States Final Torchbearers: Lily Chiang (rhythmic gymnastics) and Mike Swain (judo) Athletes Oath: Officials Oath: Athletes: 3000+ Sports: 36 TV: ESPN Hours: Hosts: Barry Tompkins and Sharlene Hawkes Reporters: Al Bernstein (Boxing) Tim Brando (Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Swimming) Steve McFarland (Diving) Drew Goodman (Athletics) Ron Frankin (Basketball) Adrian Karsten (Features) Analysts: Sugar Ray Leonard (Boxing) Peter Carruthers (Figure Skating) Debbie Thomas (Figure Skating) Cynthia Potter (Diving) Wendy Wyland (Diving) Craig Masback (Athletics) Dwight Stones (Athletics) Bart Connor (Gymnastics) Kathy Johnson (Gymnastics) John Naber (Swimming) Friday July 12 -- 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM (PDT) (KTTV Channel 11) Preview -- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM (PDT) (KTTV Channel 11) Channel 11 presents live coverage of the opening ceremonies of the U.S. Olympic Festival ’91 from Dodger Stadium. Saturday July 13 -- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's figure skating and boxing semifinals. From Los Angeles. (Live) -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's figure skating and boxing semifinals. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Sunday July 14 -- 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's figure skating and boxing semifinals. From Los Angeles. (Live) -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Men's figure skating and boxing semifinals. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Monday July 15 -- 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Swimming and Women's basketball. From Los Angeles. (Live) -- 12:30 AM - 2:30 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Men's basketball. From Los Angeles. (Live) Tuesday July 16 -- 2:00 AM - 3:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's basketball gold medal game. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Wednesday July 17 -- 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Men's basketball gold medal game. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Thursday July 18 -- 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Boxing finals. From Los Angeles. (Taped) -- 12:30 AM - 2:30 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Men's gymnastics and track and field. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Friday July 19 -- 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - From Los Angeles. (Live) -- 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's gymnastics and track and field. From Los Angeles. (Taped) Saturday July 20 -- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's diving and track and field. From Los Angeles. (Live) -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - From Los Angeles. (Taped) Sunday July 21 -- 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Men's 10m diving finals. From Los Angeles. (Taped) -- 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM U.S. Olympic Festival - Scheduled: Women's diving and track and field. From Los Angeles. (Taped) UPI Archives July 10, 1991 Once a staple of ESPN's summer programming, the U.S.... By JEFF HASEN UPI Sports Writer (0) LOS ANGELES -- Once a staple of ESPN's summer programming, the U.S. Olympic Festival will see the majority of its premier events shoved to tape-delay and the wee hours by a cable network now replete with major league baseball telecasts. The festival, featuring more than 3,000 athletes in 37 Olympic or Pan American Games sports, will still get 30 hours of air time, but the basketball finals will be delayed until the early-morning hours in most of the country and the boxing finals won't be shown until two days after they are contested. Sponsored by weedingwisely.com Sponsored Video Watch to learn more Only nine hours will be shown live during the games, which begin in Los Angeles Friday night with opening ceremonies and end July 21. 'These games aren't really for the viewers of ESPN who get to watch pro athletes 24 hours a day,' said swimming and diving analyst John Naber, who will work his sixth consecutive festival for ESPN. 'They're designed to give the up-and-coming athletes the experience of what it will be like if they make the Olympic Games. 'You have to look at the festival from a long-term perspective. These games will not help (athletes for) next year (at the Olympics), but they might help in 1996.' Some sports, including boxing, will feature athletes who surely will be in Barcelona next summer. But many squads are split because of the Pan American Games in early August and swimming's greatest hopes are eying the more important Pan-Pacific meet later this summer. 'For swimmers who need to 'taper,' you have to pick your spots very carefully,' Naber said. Saturday's live coverage from 4:00-7:00 p.m. EDT includes pairs and the women's original program in figure skating and boxing semifinals. A midnight-2:00 a.m. delayed show has the men's original program and more boxing semifinals. Sunday's 4:30-6:30 p.m. live show has more skating and boxing, as will the midnight-2:00 a.m. taped telecast. U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL : LOS ANGELES--1991 : Baseball Puts Festival on Back Burner : Television: Priorities change at ESPN, which has angered some by cutting back events and shifting coverage to late night. By LARRY STEWART JULY 10, 199112 AM TIMES STAFF WRITER After the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, ESPN and the U.S. Olympic Committee struck a deal in which the all-sports cable network would televise the next three U.S. Olympic Festivals, beginning in 1985. It was an arrangement beneficial to both parties. The USOC would be getting the exposure it sought for the event it had been staging in non-Olympic years since 1978, and ESPN would be getting quality summer programming. ESPN allotted 39 hours of coverage for the 1985 Festival, which was far better than the spotty weekend coverage previously provided by ABC. Most of the coverage was scheduled for prime time, and the ESPN publicity department put out tons of promotional material. For ESPN, the Olympic Festival was the next best thing to the Olympics. For the USOC, sports that got television exposure only once every four years were going to get an annual display on national television. And in prime time, no less. The first three years of the marriage between ESPN and the USOC went well. So, after the 1988 Seoul Olympics, ESPN and the USOC renewed their vows for three more years. ESPN, according to sources, paid $2 million to the USOC for the rights to the Olympic Festivals in 1989, ’90 and ’91, and the relationship remained solid. But as the third and final of those Olympic Festivals gets under way later this week, the marriage is on the rocks. The big change came in 1990, when ESPN added baseball to its summer fare, turning the Olympic Festival into a fifth wheel. With the addition of baseball, the need for summer programming was diminished greatly, and scheduling conflicts put the Festival on the back burner. The number of hours was cut to 30, and some of the coverage went from prime time to late night. The use of tape delay increased. The women’s basketball gold-medal game, for instance, is scheduled to be shown Tuesday, July 16, at 11 p.m. That’s 2 a.m., Eastern time. The men’s title game the next night will be on at 10 p.m., 1 a.m. in the East. On Friday, July 19, late-night viewers can watch women’s gymnastics and track and field at 11 p.m. (2 a.m. in the East). The boxing finals will be tape delayed two days. Of course, not all the Festival coverage will be at odd hours. On Saturday, the first day of competition, there’s figure skating and boxing on from 1 to 4 p.m. and then again from 9 to 11 p.m. Sunday, there’s figure skating and boxing from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m. And much of the weeknight coverage begins at 9 p.m. in the West. The opening ceremony Friday will be covered in a two-hour special from 8 to 10 p.m. on Channel 11, with Marc Summers and Susan Anton as the co-hosts. Channel 11 also offers a half-hour preview show at 7:30. ESPN takes over Saturday and follows the Festival, as best it can, through its conclusion, July 21. An ESPN spokesman acknowledged that commitments to other programming is one reason for moving much of the coverage to a later start. “But,” the spokesman pointed out, “some of the late coverage in the East will be on in prime time in the West, and we are talking about a West Coast event.” The question now is, will ESPN continue to televise the Festival in the future? “ESPN has completely washed its hands of the Festival,” said a source close to the USOC. Ideally, the USOC would like to sell about 30 hours of weekday coverage to the Prime Network or Turner Broadcasting, then sell an additional 10 hours on weekends to a major network. That thinking, however, would appear to be unrealistic, as is a three-year, $2-million rights fee. No matter how well intended an event may be, if it is expensive to cover and gets only a 1 cable rating, it simply is not attractive to television. But ESPN executives, at least publicly, are not talking about giving up on the Festival. “We love the Olympic Festival,” said Steve Bornstein, ESPN president. “We think it’s a good event and would like to continue our association with the USOC. “We’d like to continue televising the Festival, but on a more affordable basis, at a more reasonable rights fee.” However, industry sources say ESPN, by selling time to Olympic sponsors, probably has not lost money on the Festival. Loren Matthews, ESPN senior vice president in charge of programming, said: “I don’t think you can simply say that since we now have baseball we’re no longer interested in the Olympic Festival.” Added Matthews: “To be honest, we haven’t given future Olympic Festivals a lot of thought. The next one isn’t until 1993, and negotiations on a new deal probably won’t take place until after the 1992 Barcelona Games.” Matthews did acknowledge that the presence of baseball has changed things, but, he said, so has the presence of other summer programming, such as water sports, auto racing, horse racing and bowling. “Our overall summer inventory has improved greatly since 1985,” he said. Baseball averages a 1.8 rating in ESPN’s 59.1 million homes, other summer programming averages about a 1.5 and the last two Olympic Festivals have averaged a 1.1. Couple low ratings with high rights fees and production costs, and the Festival loses considerable appeal to television networks. Besides the three-year, $2-million price tag, production costs for the Olympic Festival were reportedly running as high as $2 million a year at one time. ESPN, before the 1989 Festival, hired an outside company, Windfall Productions, to produce the coverage. For Windfall, the Festival hasn’t been a windfall, causing the production company to look for ways to cut costs. One way was to eliminate coverage of some the Festival’s 37 sports. Event coverage this year will be limited to track and field, boxing, figure skating, gymnastics, swimming and diving and men’s and women’s basketball. Naturally, those involved in the eliminated sports are not pleased. Betty Watanabe, the executive director of synchronized swimming, wrote a letter to Ralph Mole, the head of Windfall Productions, in May. Watanabe and others involved in the eliminated sports feel short-changed. “While I am sensitive to the costs associated with the production and recognize there may be other factors involved, I also have the responsibility of providing our athletes with the benefits they expect and deserve from their participation in the Festival,” Watanabe wrote, echoing the feeling of other executive directors. “We have benefited from the television coverage and exposure in the past and would like, very much, for it to continue, especially the year before the Olympics.” On the phone, Watanabe said: “The Festival is the only place in the past where we’ve gotten a lot of coverage. It’s a slap in the face for us to send our top athletes, which a lot of sports don’t do, and get no coverage out of it.” An ESPN spokesman said some of the other sports will be covered in feature form, and also pointed out that 30 hours is a still a pretty healthy amount of time to devote to one event. ESPN also has a impressive list of announcers working the Festival. Barry Tompkins will be the host and will be joined in the studio by feature reporter Sharlene Hawkes. Commentators include Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson (gymnastics), Sugar Ray Leonard (boxing), Cheryl Miller (basketball), Peter Carruthers and Debi Thomas (figure skating), Dwight Stones (track and field) and John Naber (swimming). Play-by-play duties will be shared by Al Bernstein (boxing), Tim Brando (gymnastics, figure skating and swimming), Ron Franklin (basketball), Craig Masback (track and field) and Steve McFarland (diving). Times staff writer Randy Harvey contributed to this story. Bill Fitts bio at espnpressroom.com https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/bill-fitts/ He led ESPN’s efforts at the multi-sport, multi-venue U.S. Olympic Festival throughout the 1980s. Record-breaking heat in Baton Rouge caused the primary remote truck to catch fire. Personnel begged Fitts “to abandon ship.” He yelled, “Not until the next commercial.” U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL / LOS ANGELES 1991 : Opening Ceremony Plays on Past in Hopes of Igniting the Present July 13, 1991|RANDY HARVEY | TIMES STAFF WRITER Email Share For at least one night, U.S. Olympic Festival organizers tried to put their financial woes on hold and celebrate the beginning of the largest multi-day, multi-sport competition in Los Angeles since the 1984 Summer Games with an impressive opening ceremony at Dodger Stadium. Befitting the smaller scale of the event, one which involves more than 3,000 athletes in 36 sports over 10 days, the ceremony was not as grand or extravagant as the one for the Olympics seven summers ago at the Coliseum. With the crowd reported at 29,500, neither was it as well attended as organizers had hoped. But it was colorful, featuring 1,000 choir members, 1,000 dancers, 700 musicians, three sky-divers and fireworks in a 2 1/2-hour program produced by Radio City Music Hall. There were other reminders of 1984, including the official opening declaration--"Let the Games begin"--by Ronald Reagan, who, as President, performed the same function for the Summer Olympics. The games will have competition in 15 sports today. A 27-day, 1,700-mile torch run through the state culminated with heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, who competed in the 1983 Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo., running one lap around Dodger Stadium before handing the torch to two California athletes, rhythmic gymnast Lily Chiang of Walnut Creek and judo player Mike Swain of Santa Clara, who ignited the flame in the caldron. Elizabeth Primrose-Smith, the local organizing committee's executive director, said that she hopes the Festival will "re-ignite the Olympic flame" in Los Angeles. References to the 1984 Summer Games were appropriate because U.S. Olympic Committee President Robert Helmick said earlier Friday that the Festival was brought to Los Angeles by the USOC as a reward for the city's contribution to the Olympic movement. "It's been seven years since we were here in 1984, when the Olympic movement for (years) before the opening ceremony almost came to an end on several occasions," he said, referring specifically to the financial problems in 1976 at Montreal and the U.S.-led boycott in 1980 at Moscow. "But as a result of the success in Los Angeles . . . the Olympic Games are again in good shape and we are able to independently finance them. I would like to thank Los Angeles." Helmick's tribute to the city's glorious Olympic past diverted the focus at least temporarily from the uncertain future of the Festival over the next nine days. He confirmed that the local organizing committee's financial problems were so serious as recently as January that the USOC considered moving the Festival to another city. The only time the USOC has taken such action before was in 1983, when Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee officials said that they did not want to be responsible for another multi-sport event one year before the Summer Games. The Festival was moved that summer to Colorado Springs. "We received a report that there could be some problems tied to holding the Festival in such a large city," Helmick said of findings submitted last December to the USOC by its Olympic Festival committee. "But we made the decision that there would be a Los Angeles Festival and committed to making this a success for the organizing committee. We think you'll see over the next few days that our efforts will produce results." USOC officials emphasized that the difficulties this year should not reflect upon the organizing committee, which has recruited more corporate sponsors and raised more money than any of the organizers for the past 10 Festivals. The problem is that the local organizing committee also has a record $15-million budget, which Don Porter, chairman of the USOC's Festival committee, attributed to the "the high cost of doing business in Los Angeles." Primrose-Smith expressed optimism Friday that the Festival will generate $3.4 million in ticket revenues, which the organizing committee needs to break even. In response to a question at a news conference about the progress of ticket sales, she said: "I can't give you a figure, but I don't think you're going to see empty seats all over the place." Primrose-Smith clarified a report in Friday's Times about a $1-million, short-term, no-interest loan the organizing committee acquired to bridge the gap between bills that are due and anticipated revenues. She said that $600,000 came from the Amateur Athletic Foundation, $300,000 from the USOC and $100,000 from ARCO. Helmick said that the USOC loaned the money "to ensure that no one closed down a venue" but added that it was not an unprecedented gesture. He cited the $800,000 that 1987 Pan American Games organizers at Indianapolis borrowed. The USOC, he said, eventually forgave about $300,000 of that debt. The Festival has lost money in other cities, but there has been particular concern about this one because of the competition for the entertainment dollar in Los Angeles. USOC spokesman Mike Moran pointed out Friday that the Festival has been held in other major markets, including Houston and Minneapolis-St. Paul, but said: "This is the first time it's been in an astronomically sized market." USOC officials have expressed disappointment that, unlike other Festival sites, Los Angeles has not greeted the event with considerable fanfare. Harry Usher, chairman of the organizing committee's board of directors, said that the city government's policy of spending no public funds on events such as this one, including the 1984 Summer Olympics, extended to banners and flags. "I'd like to have more money so that we could have banners around and things like that, all those things you can do when you're running the Olympics," said Usher, who was second in command to Peter Ueberroth with the LAOOC. "It would be wonderful if the city had pumped this event. But there's no city of L.A. money involved, and that's the game we have to play here." U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : NOTEBOOK LAT ARCHIVES JULY 21, 1991 12 AM PT ASSOCIATED PRESS Mayor Tom Bradley will pass the U.S. Olympic Festival torch to San Antonio’s mayor, Nelson Wolf, in tonight’s 7:15 p.m. closing ceremony at Loyola Marymount’s Gersten Pavilion. San Antonio is the site of the 1993 Festival. There is no Festival in Olympic years. The ceremony also will include closing statements from the local organizing committee’s chairman of the board, Harry Usher, executive director Elizabeth Primrose-Smith and Bradley. Her profession takes 94-pound Sherry Getchman into combat with psychopaths, drug dealers and street gangs. For a break from the tension, Getchman goes in for a foot in the face and a fist in the chest. By day and a lot of nights, the 5-foot-4 Getchman is a member of the vice squad with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. Otherwise, she is a single parent with a teen-age son and one of the country’s best in her weight class in the martial arts sport of taekwando. Getchman, 34, who lost a decision Friday in the finweight division (95 pounds or less) at the Festival, said that she discovered taekwando when she signed her son up for lessons in the sport seven years ago. “Watching my son’s classes, I couldn’t sit there anymore,” Getchman said. “I had to do it.” U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : NOTEBOOK : Closing Ceremony a Picnic for Volunteers July 22, 1991|ELLIOTT ALMOND Email Share The closing ceremony was held Sunday, appropriately enough, in the Sunken Gardens at Loyola Marymount. A parade of politicians took the podium to praise the volunteers who attended the ceremony, which really was a giant picnic. "This was just a thank-you to all the volunteers," said Harry Usher, one of the movers behind the Festival organizing committee. Paying homage to the city and its workers were Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and San Antonio Mayor Nelson Wolff. San Antonio will be the host of the 1993 Festival. While the Festival party was under way, across campus in Gersten Pavilion, the Southern California Basketball Summer Pro League was being held. People were lined outside the arena waiting to get a seat, something that rarely happened during the weeklong Festival. But those having a grand time in the Sunken Gardens did not care. Manuel Morales, 28, an El Salvadoran who lives in Los Angeles, was flipping hamburgers all day in preparation for the grand finale. He said he cooked 875 burgers. "This is for the Olympic Festival," he said. "They've been staying here three or four months. Everybody seems to be happy." Clip of Opening Ceremony ESPN coverage of Gymnastics Playlist of clips of ESPN coverage of Figure Skating Clip of ESPN coverage of Track & Field Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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