OPINION: Coverage of Olympic sports needs to be accessible to more fans

Why can’t we watch?

The most popular sports at the Olympic Games, at least from a South African perspective, are athletics and swimming. But you often can’t view events in these codes at domestic level because they are seldom available for everyone to witness.

In a world in which we have become used to watching content when we want, on platforms we prefer, to be limiting broadcasts of national championships is bizarre.

Athletics and swimming coverage

On the opening day of the SA Athletics Championships on Thursday, there was no live stream. And with scheduled programming, the public broadcaster offered very little on television.

Previously, when a satellite broadcaster held the rights, most national events were shown live, though there was a concern that many people couldn’t afford the subscription fees to watch.

And while SABC is available to everyone, it doesn’t help that the public broadcaster doesn’t have a platform to show the three-day national championships live.

Day two and three in Stellenbosch were streamed live, but this too is an issue because many people can’t afford the data costs attached to a live stream.

And viewers were in the same boat for the SA Swimming Championships in Gqeberha last week, which was streamed live but was not available on TV.

A more professional approach is required

The reality is that the national federations need more experts on their boards who understand broadcast rights and are able to negotiate sufficiently in order to ensure as many people as possible can watch these events.

It’s a complex situation, and no solution is perfect, but with enough insight and smart negotiations, surely a hybrid deal is possible in which events are available live on TV and also via live streams.

It is believed that Athletics South Africa is in the process of trying to secure a streaming partner on top of its new deal with SABC, but the federation also needs to ensure that its broadcast partner can offer more than a couple of hours of live coverage a day and some highlights packages.

Athletics and swimming, South Africa’s top Olympic codes, need to do something to expose themselves more and attract financial backers, and ensuring their events are available to watch by most South African fans is key to promoting their sports.

These codes, which should be incredibly popular, need to be given more respect and the people in charge need to take a more professional approach in an attempt to drive them forward.