Nine Network faces sanction over Olympic rights breach

 

By AAP, 6 Aug 2008

Tagged:

 Australian Olympic Committee, Grant Hackett, IOC, Seven Network

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Australia’s Nine Network faces possible expulsion from the Olympic Games in Beijing after breaching security to film at the Water Cube swimming venue yesterday.

Swim team media director Ian Hanson confirmed the Australian Olympic Committee had made a complaint after non-broadcast holders Nine and a Korean television crew approached and filmed swimmers within the venue.

Dolphins team captain Grant Hackett was confronted by cameras as he got off the team bus in an area which falls within the Olympic venue, and as such is exclusive to rights holders NBC and Seven Network.

The Seven Network has also reportedly raised the issue with the IOC, with the matter to be discussed at a meeting today where the accreditations could be revoked.

“I have raised it with the venue broadcast host and they have followed it up,” said Hanson.

“This morning the security is much, much tighter at the pool. The athletes were able to arrive without having cameras in their faces.

“It is something that happens when you get the two major teams (Australia and USA) come in and the security is not tight and the media is going to be all over the place.”

The Nine Network has secured the rights to broadcast the 2012 London Games.

It is not the first breach by a non-broadcast rights television crew at these Games. A Korean TV station formally apologised to Games organisers after leaking footage of the opening ceremony last week.

An IOC spokesman said they are looking into the matter after Channel Seven supplied footage of the incident involving the Nine Network.