Lists NTA, FRCN and AIT as broadcast partners
The broadcast partners of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for the 2012 London Olympic Games have promised effective coverage of the Games scheduled to hold from July 27 to August 12.
Akinloye Oyebanji, the General Manager (Sports) of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), gave the assurance on Wednesday at the unveiling of the partners at a news conference in Abuja.
The NOC had, earlier at the conference, named NTA, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Africa Independent Television (AIT) as the broadcast partners.
Oyebanji assured Nigerians of satisfying coverage that would help to enhance Nigerian sports at the Games.
“At the Moscow Olympics in 1980, we started our comprehensive coverage of the Olympics, in spite of the fact that we were not making profits from the coverage,” he said.
“It was seen as a public service and we have not stopped since then. But now, we are happy with this new era of commercialisation of rights.
“Now that Team Nigeria is going to the Olympics without its football teams, we are aware that the Games must be covered. The Olympics must be celebrated all the same, football or no football.”
He said the broadcast partners were ready to play their part by doing a good job.
“We are prepared and you will all get the best you can get,” he said.
Oyebanji said that followers of Team Nigeria, as well as the Olympic Games as a whole, would be adequately served by NTA’s 24-hour sports channel.
Emeka Odikpo, FRCN’s Deputy Director (Sports and Outside Broadcast), also promised extensive Olympic Games coverage.
“We will have many pre-event programmes in our countdown, through all these stations, while the Games’ coverage itself will be outstanding,” he said.
