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NBC SPORTS GROUP & WORLD ATHLETICS PARTNER ON LONG-TERM MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TRACK AND FIELD

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NBC Sports Continues as the Long-Term U.S. Home of Global Track and Field through 2029; Partnership Features Next Five World Athletics Championships 

NBC Sports’ to Present First-Ever World Athletics Championships Held in U.S. – July 2022 in Eugene, Oregon

STAMFORD, Conn. & MONACO – November 23, 2020 – NBC Sports Group and World Athletics have partnered on a media rights agreement that provides NBC Sports Group with exclusive multi-platform media rights to World Athletics Series events through 2029, both parties announced today.

The new agreement extends the previous World Athletics-NBC Sports partnership, which now includes the next five installments of the World Athletics Championships, the sport’s marquee track and field event.

The 2022 competition will take place in the U.S. for the first time, from July 15-24, 2022, at the iconic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. NBC Sports has also televised most of the previous World Athletics Championships, beginning with the inaugural event in Helsinki in 1983.

“The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will be an historic occasion for our sport and we are delighted to have such a trusted broadcast partner by our side to showcase our sport in the United States,’’ said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. “The next decade presents a tremendous opportunity for us to build our American fanbase for track and field by highlighting the amazing athletes the U.S. produces, and telling their stories as they take on the greatest athletes from around the globe. NBC Sports’ ability to take fans inside those must-watch moments will be vital to our efforts.”

“We are thrilled to extend our long-term partnership with World Athletics,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “Track & Field is a cornerstone of the Olympic program, and with the World Championships coming to the U.S. for the first time ever in Eugene in 2022 and a group of young and talented American stars on the rise, we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to deliver these events and tell their stories for years to come.”

The new agreement, delivered with the support of World Athletics’ global commercial partner, Dentsu Inc, covers every official world championship in track and field, road and cross-country events until 2029.

The following events will be presented across NBC Sports platforms:

    • Five World Athletics Championships
    • Five World Athletics Indoor Championships
    • Five World Athletics Cross Country Championships
    • Five World Athletics Relays
    • Five World Athletics Half Marathon / Road Running Championships
    • Five World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships
    • Five World Athletics Under 20 Championships

 

In addition to the complete suite of World Athletics Series events, NBC Sports currently holds the long-term U.S. media rights to the Wanda Diamond League series and elite USA Track and Field events.

–NBC Sports–

2020 WORLD ATHLETICS HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS IN GDYNIA, POLAND, PRESENTED LIVE THIS SATURDAY AT 5 A.M. ET ON OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA

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World Record Holders Joshua Cheptegei (Men’s) and Ababel Yeshaneh and Peres Jepchirchir (Women’s) Headline Field

Paul Swangard and Deena Kastor to Call the Men’s and Women’s Races

Encore Presentation – Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

All Olympic Sports Coverage Televised and Streamed Across NBC Sports Platforms is Presented by Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 15, 2020 – Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA presents live coverage of the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, this Saturday at 5 a.m. ET. An encore presentation of the event will be featured Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Approximately 250 runners from over 50 countries will compete at the World Half Marathon Championships. The competition will mark the only World Athletics championship that will take place in 2020 with all other events either cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda), the world record holder in the 10,000 and 5,000m, will make his half marathon debut. He has won all three of his races this year, setting world records in each (having set the 5km record in Feb. in addition to the 10,000 and 5,000m).

On the women’s side, Ababel Yeshaneh (Ethiopia) is the current outright world record holder in the half marathon, which she set earlier this year in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. She will compete against the women’s-only half marathon world record holder, Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya. Netsanet Gudeta (Ethiopia) will attempt to defend her world half marathon title from 2018.

Paul Swangard will call both races alongside analyst and 2004 Olympics women’s marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor.

All coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will stream on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app, in addition to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Coverage of Olympic Sports on NBC Sports Group platforms is a presentation of Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA.

–NBC SPORTS–

CHRISTIAN TAYLOR, RYAN CROUSER & SAM KENDRICKS HEADLINE LIVE COVERAGE OF INAUGURAL WORLD ATHLETICS CONTINENTAL TOUR SERIES THIS WEEK ON OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA

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The 59th Ostrava Golden Spike Kicks Off Coverage From Czech Republic – Today at 12:15 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

Tour Stops Include Ostrava, Czech Republic; Samorin, Slovakia; Berlin, Germany; & Zagreb, Croatia

Coverage Live Streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass”

All Olympic Sports Coverage Across NBC Sports Platforms is Presented by Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 8, 2020 – Two-time Olympic triple jump gold medalist Christian Taylor, reigning Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, and 2016 Olympic pole vault bronze medalist Sam Kendricks headline Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA’s live coverage of the inaugural World Athletics Continental Tour series this week, starting today at 12:15 p.m. ET, from Ostrava, Czech Republic. Taylor and Crouser highlight the Americans expected to compete in the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike, while two-time reigning world champions Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) and Karsten Warholm (Norway) headline the international field.

Crouser is coming off a historic performance at a World Continental Bronze event – Drake Blue Oval Showcase in Des Moines (August 29) – where he produced the 13th-best throw in history with 22.72m. Also, Crouser became just the second man ever to finish with all six throws surpassing 22 meters. The last athlete to accomplish this feat was 1984 Olympic champion Alessandro Andrei (Italy) in 1987.

Hassan (Netherlands) is competing in the women’s 5000m, just four days after setting a world record in the women’s one hour race at the Diamond League Brussels meet. Just over two weeks ago in the Diamond League Stockholm meet, Warholm (Norway) came within a tenth of a second of breaking a 28-year old world record in the 400m hurdles event, held by American and 1992 Olympic champion Kevin Young.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will continue live television coverage from Samorin, Slovakia on Friday, September 11, at 12:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, September 13, the Berlin, Germany meeting airs at 10:30 a.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. Taylor and Kendricks are expected to headline the American contingent at ISTAF Berlin.

The week’s meetings conclude from Zagreb, Croatia, next Tuesday, September 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. 2016 Olympic medal-winning shot putters Crouser and Joe Kovacs highlight the Americans expected to compete at Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb.

Meetings from Ostrava, Berlin, and Zagreb will stream live throughout the week on NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass.”

Replacing the World Challenge series, the World Athletics Continental Tour is a new annual global circuit of the best one-day competitions outside of the Diamond League. The Continental Tour is divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze – meet status is determined by the quality of competition and prize money offered.

Coverage of Olympic Sports on NBC Sports Group platforms is a presentation of Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. All coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will stream on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app, in addition to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

NBC SPORTS GOLD: NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — gives fans access to major marathons, and top U.S. and international track and field events with its “Track and Field Pass.” The direct-to-consumer pass offers fans unprecedented coverage — including some exclusive coverage beyond what is available on linear TV in the United States — live and on-demand, online, on mobile, tablets and connected TV devices.

NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass,” is available for $74.99 (originally $99.99) and can be purchased by visiting NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS & tvOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast and NBCSportsGold.com, and also on Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex.

NBC SPORTS APP: The NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

Following is NBC Sports’ World Athletics Continental Tour schedule for the week (all times ET, subject to change):

Date Time (ET) Event Network
Tues., Sept. 8 12:15 p.m. Ostrava, Czech Republic (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Fri., Sept. 11 12:30 p.m. Samorin, Slovakia (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Sun., Sept. 13 10:30 a.m. Berlin, Germany (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA
Tues., Sept. 15 12:30 p.m. Zagreb, Croatia (LIVE) Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

 

–NBC SPORTS–