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BBC Sport facts for kids

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BBC Sport
Department of the BBC
Industry Media
Genre Sport
Founded 17 February 1988; 37 years ago (1988-02-17)
Headquarters MediaCityUK,
Salford, Greater Manchester
,
United Kingdom
Area served
 Specific services for the United Kingdom and rest of world
Key people
 Alex Kay-Jelski (Director)
Services Television broadcasts
Radio broadcasts
Online presence
Parent BBC

BBC Sport is the part of the BBC that brings you all the exciting sports action. They show sports on TV, play them on radio, and share updates online.

BBC Sport has the rights to show many sports in the UK. They broadcast live games and also have popular shows like Match of the Day, Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, and Today at Wimbledon. You can also find results, expert opinions, and more sports news on the BBC Sport website. Plus, the BBC Red Button lets you watch extra sports content on your TV.

How BBC Sport Started

The BBC has shown sports for many years under different programme names. Grandstand was a famous sports show that ran for almost 50 years.

The BBC first started calling its sports coverage 'BBC Sport' in 1988. This was for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. They used a short animation with a globe and four coloured rings. This look was used for the next 20 years. In 1997, when the BBC News website launched, sport was added to the BBC's online presence for the first time.

In 2007, the BBC decided to move several departments, including BBC Sport, to a new building in Salford. This new place, called MediaCityUK, was a big step for the BBC. It meant moving some teams out of London and investing in the north of England. BBC Sport gradually moved into Quay House at MediaCityUK in late 2011 and early 2012. The first sports news was broadcast from the new BBC Sport Centre on March 5, 2012.

In 2017, BBC Sport updated its on-air look. It was the first BBC service to use the broadcaster's new company-wide font.

What Sports BBC Sport Shows

Football Fun

The BBC shares the rights to show the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship with ITV. They show almost an equal number of group stage and knockout games. This includes one semi-final and the final, which are shown on both channels. For the 2018 World Cup, the BBC even showed all its matches in super clear 4K UHD and VR for some viewers.

The BBC shows highlights of the Premier League on Match of the Day. Gary Lineker has hosted this show since 1999. Match of the Day 2 and Match of the Day 2 Extra are presented by Mark Chapman. Alex Scott hosts Football Focus every Saturday lunchtime. Then, Jason Mohammad presents Final Score every Saturday afternoon.

Many famous former players are pundits and co-commentators for Match of the Day. These include Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage, Alex Scott, and Ian Wright. Commentators include Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, and Jonathan Pearce.

The BBC also broadcasts live coverage of the FA Cup. They will continue to do so until 2026.

Cricket Action

Live cricket returned to BBC TV in 2020 after 21 years! The BBC now has rights to highlights of all England's home Test, ODI, and T20 matches. They also show two home T20 matches live each season. Plus, they broadcast 10 matches from The Hundred competition.

Coverage also includes the England Women's games. They show one home T20 and 8 matches from The Hundred for the women's team. Today At The Test, the BBC's Test cricket highlights show, is presented by Isa Guha. Commentators include Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, and Ebony Rainford-Brent.

Tennis Thrills

BBC Sport currently holds the rights to broadcast the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the Queen's Club Championships live on TV. The BBC has had the Wimbledon contract since 1927. This is the longest such contract in the world. The BBC creates over 900 hours of footage for Wimbledon. This footage is sent to broadcasters in 159 countries.

BBC Wimbledon coverage features many former professional players. These include John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, and Tim Henman. Matches are shown live on BBC One, BBC Two, the Red Button, or online via the BBC Sport website. Highlights are also shown on Today at Wimbledon, presented by Clare Balding.

The BBC also shows two traditional grass warm-up events before Wimbledon. These are the AEGON Championships and the WTA AEGON International. Both events are mainly shown on BBC Two.

The BBC also has rights to show daily TV highlights from the Australian Open. Coverage is presented by Sue Barker. The BBC also has exclusive free-to-air TV rights for 8 singles matches from the ATP World Tour Finals. This includes the semi-final and the final.

BBC Radio covers the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. You can hear this on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

Rugby Union Excitement

The BBC shares rights to the Six Nations championship in the UK with ITV Sport until 2029. The BBC shows all Scotland and Wales home matches (except those against England) live. They also show one more match from France, Ireland, or Italy that features Scotland or Wales. Radio commentary for all matches is also available.

Gabby Logan leads the BBC's rugby coverage. Martin Johnson, Sam Warburton, and Jonathan Davies are some of the main experts and co-commentators. The BBC's main commentator is Andrew Cotter.

Rugby League Action

The BBC shows live coverage of the Challenge Cup, including both semi-finals and the final. They also cover the Four Nations and the Rugby League World Cup. Mark Chapman and Tanya Arnold host this coverage. Commentators include Dave Woods and Jonathan Davies.

The BBC's Super League Show shows weekly highlights of the Super League. Also, for the first time, the BBC now shows 12 Super League matches live. They also cover the World Club Challenge.

Olympic Games Glory

BBC 2012 Summer Olympics studio
The BBC One and BBC Three 2012 Summer Olympics studios at the Olympic Park

The BBC has the exclusive rights to show the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games on free-to-air TV. They have shown live coverage of every Summer Olympics since 1960. For the 2012 Olympics in London, the BBC had three channels showing live coverage.

The BBC's current rights deal for the Olympics lasts through the 2032 Summer Olympics. From 2026 onwards, the BBC has rights to the Olympics as part of a joint deal with the European Broadcasting Union and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Commonwealth Games

The BBC showed the 2014 Commonwealth Games with more coverage than ever before. Their coverage was similar to how they covered the 2012 London Olympics. Live coverage was shown for most of the day on BBC One, with BBC Three broadcasting extra coverage.

Athletics Events

The BBC covers events like the Commonwealth Games, the World Athletics Championships, and the European Athletics Championships. They also show domestic British athletics and big running events like the London Marathon and the Great North Run. The BBC has the rights to show coverage of each Diamond League meeting.

Gabby Logan is the main host for athletics coverage. Michael Johnson and Denise Lewis are the studio experts. Steve Cram and Andrew Cotter commentate on track events.

Golf Tournaments

The BBC no longer holds rights to live coverage of golf. Until 2019, they showed live coverage of Saturday and Sunday's play in the US Masters. They also showed highlights of Thursday and Friday's play. From 2020, Sky Sports has exclusive live coverage of all four rounds. Daily highlights aired on BBC TWO up to and including 2022.

Until 2015, the BBC's coverage of The Open Championships was very detailed. Since 2016, Sky Sports has exclusive UK rights to The Open. The BBC now shows a two-hour highlights programme every night. The BBC also shows highlights of two other European Tour events held in Britain: the BMW PGA Championship and the Scottish Open. They also cover the Women's British Open.

The BBC also shows highlights of the Ryder Cup. They have done so since 1997.

Snooker Showdowns

The BBC Two programme Pot Black helped make snooker very popular over the last 50 years. Snooker always gets a lot of viewers for the BBC. The 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor was watched by 18.5 million people. This was the largest audience ever for a BBC Two programme at the time.

The World Snooker Championship, the Masters, and the UK Championship are shown every year on BBC Two. The BBC also broadcasts the Welsh Open snooker tournament. You can watch this on BBC Two Wales or using the BBC Red Button service.

Snooker coverage is often hosted by Hazel Irvine, Jason Mohammad, or Seema Jaswal. Experts and commentators include Steve Davis, John Parrott, and Stephen Hendry.

Darts Competitions

In February 2016, the BBC announced they would cover the first ever PDC Champions League of Darts. Because of this, the BBC stopped showing the BDO World Darts Championships. They had shown that tournament since it started in 1978.

Current darts commentators include Vassos Alexander and Dan Dawson.

American Football

On September 9, 2015, the BBC announced that the NFL would return to its screens. This was an initial 2-year deal. It included rights to show the NFL London Games live. At least one match was exclusively live. The BBC also showed weekly highlights and magazine shows. The deal included live TV, radio, and online rights to screen the Super Bowl.

The London Games were presented by Nat Coombs, Mike Carlson, and Osi Umenyiora. The BBC highlights show is presented by Dan Walker alongside Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell.

Netball

In 2018, the BBC signed a deal to share TV rights with Sky Sports for the Netball World Cup in Liverpool. After the success of the Vitality England Roses Squad at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, the BBC's coverage of netball has grown.

Other Sports You Can Watch

Besides these, the BBC broadcasts winter sports, including the Alpine Skiing World Cup, under its Ski Sunday banner. They also briefly cover sports like road and track cycling, sailing, badminton, table tennis, squash, equestrianism, gymnastics, and other less common sports.

BBC Sport also regained coverage of the Boat Race from ITV Sport in 2010. Clare Balding hosts this event.

BBC Sport also holds the rights to the Invictus Games. This event is presented by Clare Balding, Ade Adepitan, and Johnathan Edwards.

The BBC also has highlights of Equestrianism from Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley Horse Trials. Clare Balding hosts this coverage. The BBC also shows the World Indoor Bowls Championships.

Worldwide Sports Rights

  • North West 200: Live practice, qualifying, and races on BBC Sport Online.
  • The Boat Races: Live on BBC World News.
  • IPC Athletics World Championships: Live audio commentary on BBC World Service.
  • Premier League: Commentary on about 50 Premier League matches.
  • FA Cup: Selected matches live on BBC World Service each season.

Radio Sports Rights

BBC Sport used to be the only place for sports commentary on British radio. But since 2000, they have shared coverage of some sports with other stations like Talksport. Most of BBC Sport's radio coverage is on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. However, coverage is also on BBC Radio 4's longwave frequencies, BBC Local Radio, and the BBC World Service. Highlights are also reported on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 news bulletins.

Even though cricket is not always on TV, the BBC fully covers it on its radio stations. This includes BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra, Local Radio, and BBC Radio 4 Longwave. This commentary is also available on the BBC Sports website and the BBC Red Button. While Channel 4 had TV coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the BBC kept the radio rights. They broadcast events on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. BBC Radio 5 Live and its sister station BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra continue to cover the Formula One World Championship.

Past Sports Coverage

Horse Racing

BBC's horse racing coverage had decreased over the years. It ended completely at the end of 2012. This happened when Channel 4 won the rights to the Grand National, Royal Ascot, and the Epsom Derby. The BBC had lost many race tracks over the years. For example, the Cheltenham Festival moved to Channel 4 in 1995.

The Grand National used to be one of the biggest events on Grandstand. It often had over 10 million viewers for the race on a Saturday afternoon. Coverage of other events like Royal Ascot and The Derby was also broadcast.

The most famous BBC TV racing broadcaster was Peter O'Sullevan. He was one of the first TV sports commentators after World War II and stayed with the BBC until 1997. Clare Balding took over presenting duties after Julian Wilson retired.

Cricket

Before 1999, the BBC had shown live cricket coverage for many decades. Richie Benaud was a commentator for the BBC for over 30 years. In 1999, the BBC lost coverage of England home matches to Channel 4. This led to criticism that BBC Sport did not show any live cricket. This was made worse when the BBC did not try to get the rights to show home Test matches. Because of this, cricket's popularity in the UK fell sharply after it left free-to-air television in 2005.

However, in 2020, 21 years after last showing live cricket, the BBC returned to live coverage of the sport.

Motorsport

The BBC covered the World Rally Championship until 2001. It is now shown on ITV4. The BBC also gave up the rights to the British Touring Car Championship at the end of 2001.

Formula E

The BBC had live coverage of all Formula E races from the start of the 2018–19 Formula E season. This is now on Channel 4.

Formula One

The BBC covered Formula One from 1978 to 1996 and again from 2009 to 2015. From 2009 to 2011, the BBC provided live coverage of all races. From 2012 to 2015, the BBC showed 10 races live each season and highlights of all races. The BBC always showed the British Grand Prix and the final race live.

Coverage was presented by Jake Humphrey from 2009 to 2012 and Suzi Perry from 2013 to 2015. David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan provided expert analysis. The main commentators were Jonathan Legard and Ben Edwards. Murray Walker contributed to coverage across the BBC for over sixty years.

Motorcycling

In 2003, the BBC won the rights to the MotoGP World Championship. After a successful first season, coverage was expanded. The BBC showed all MotoGP races. All qualifying sessions were live via the BBC Red Button. In May 2013, it was announced that the rights to MotoGP coverage had been given to BT Sport.

However, BBC Sport still gives detailed coverage of the Irish Road Racing Championship. This includes the International North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix.

Paralympic Games

The BBC had shown coverage of the Paralympics since the 1980s. The amount of coverage increased in the 2000s. However, the BBC lost the TV rights to the event to Channel 4.

Darts

The BBC covered the BDO World Championships from its start in 1978 until 2016. In February 2016, the BBC announced they would cover the first ever Professional Darts Corporation-sanctioned Champions League of Darts. This ended their 38-year connection with the British Darts Organisation.

Tennis

The BBC broadcast the French Open for many decades until it lost the rights to ITV in 2012. The BBC had only shown very limited coverage of the event.

The BBC had a joint deal with Eurosport to show all of Britain's Davis Cup matches until 2017. However, after the ITF launched the new Davis Cup format in 2019, the BBC lost the free-to-air rights to Eurosport.

Football

The BBC has occasionally shown the FIFA Club World Cup. In 2000, it showed Manchester United's games in the first tournament. The BBC also broadcast the 2019 and 2020 tournaments. Liverpool matches were live on One (final) and Two (semi-final) in 2019.

List of Sports Rights Held by BBC Sport

* If live rights are shared, the other broadcaster is listed:

Football on TV and Radio

Television

Television broadcasting contracts for football
Event Broadcast details
FIFA World Cup Finals All 2018 and 2022 matches live on either BBC Sport or ITV Sport
European Championship Finals All matches live on BBC or ITV with final live on both broadcasters until Euro 2028
Premier League Highlights until 2025
FA Community Shield Highlights on BBC Sport until 2025
FA Cup BBC Sport (16 live matches from round 1 to final including replays featuring one exclusive semi-final and shared final per season and highlights on Match of the Day) and ITV Sport (25 live matches including one semi-final and shared final per season) until 2025; up to one additional match per round involving Welsh clubs on S4C or BBC Wales
Scottish Professional Football League Highlights of Scottish Premiership matches on BBC One Scotland and BBC Scotland; 27 live SPFL Championship on BBC Scotland; 38 delayed SPFL Premiership matches and six live Scottish Championship or Scottish League One matches on BBC ALBA until 2024–25
Scottish Cup 11 live matches including final until 2024 plus highlights
Scottish Challenge Cup Live on BBC Alba
Scottish Junior Cup Final live
NIFL Premiership Ten live Friday night matches on BBC Two NI and up to 55 matches streamed on BBC Sport NI website & iplayer, highlights on Irish League Show on BBC iPlayer & BBC Two NI on Monday nights
Irish Cup Final Live coverage of one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final live on BBC Two NI, other matches streamed on BBC Sport NI website & iplayer highlights on Irish League Show on BBC iPlayer/BBC Two NI from Monday nights
Northern Ireland Football League Cup Final Live on Sky Sports Football, Highlights on Irish League Show on BBC iPlayer
Northern Ireland Milk Cup 16 live matches throughout the week on BBC Sport NI website including with live coverage of finals night on BBC NI
Northern Ireland National Team Highlights of all qualifiers and nation league games on BBC NI
Wales National Team Highlights of all qualifiers and nation league games on BBC Wales, selected friendly games live
Scotland National Team Highlights of all games on BBC Scotland, selected friendly games live
FA Women's Cup Selected live matches on BBC TV and BBC Red Button with final live on BBC One
FA Women's Super League 22 Live Matches on BBC One, BBC Two or BBC Red Button with weekly highlights on BBC
FIFA Women's World Cup All games live on BBC
UEFA Women's Championship Live coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Red Button
CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-final and Final

Radio

Radio station Events
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 128 live Premier League commentaries per season (shared with Talksport); live commentaries from the FA Cup (shared with Talksport), League Cup (shared with Talksport), Scottish Premiership, UEFA Champions League (shared with Talksport), international qualifiers and friendlies involving England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales plus 16 live FA Women's Super League games and FA Women's Cup Final.
BBC World Service 5 Live commentary on Sportsworld on approximately 50 Premier League matches per season plus commentary on selected FA Cup matches, League Cup Final and UEFA Champions League final
BBC Local Radio Local commentaries on Premier League, Championship, FA Cup and League Cup matches
BBC Radio Scotland Live commentary from all Scottish Premiership matches plus Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and Scotland international matches
BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru Commentary on all Swansea City, Cardiff City matches with reports or commentary on Newport County and Wrexham matches, with commentary on Wales international matches, and reports or commentary on select Welsh Premier League matches
BBC Radio Ulster Live commentary and reports on Irish League, Irish Cup, Irish League Cup, County Antrim Shield and Northern Ireland International matches.
BBC Radio Foyle Live commentary and reports on Irish League, Irish Cup, Irish League Cup, County Antrim Shield and Northern Ireland International matches and live commentary on Derry City matches.

American Football

Television

  • National Football League: Live coverage of Super Bowl, Live coverage of NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium in London and weekly highlights from the NFL Season (live and highlights on BBC Sport, also on Sky Sports and Channel 5)

Radio

Rugby Union

Television

  • Six Nations Championship: Live coverage and highlights on BBC Sport, ITV Sport and S4C to 2029. Five matches featuring Wales & Scotland live on BBC One. Ireland, France and Italy home matches and all England matches live on ITV. Wales Home matches also live on S4C (Wales only)
  • Women's Six Nations Championship: Live coverage and highlights of all games on BBC Sport and S4C to 2029. Wales only live on S4C (Wales only)
  • Six Nations Under 20s Championship: Live coverage and highlights of all games on BBC Sport and S4C to 2029. Wales only live on S4C (Wales only)
  • Melrose Sevens: Live on BBC Scotland
  • St Patrick's Day Schools Cup Final: Live on BBC Northern Ireland
  • United Rugby Championship: Live Coverage of selected matches involving Welsh regions on BBC Wales & S4C and Ulster matches on BBC Northern Ireland
  • Premier 15 Women: Live coverage on BBC Iplayer

Radio

Commentary on Six Nations, Gallagher Premiership and European Rugby Champions Cup matches
  • BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru
Commentary on all Wales international matches
Commentary on British and Irish Lions tests on BBC Radio Cymru
  • BBC Radio Ulster
Commentary on all Ulster European Rugby Champions Cup matches and Ulster Pro 14 matches.
Live commentary on all Ireland Six Nations matches
Commentary on all Scotland Six Nations matches

Cricket

Television

  • England Men & Women Test, ODI & T20 - Highlights of all games on BBC Two (to 2024)
  • England Men T20 International - Live coverage of 2 Men's T20 Internationals (to 2024)
  • England Women's T20 International - Live coverage of 2 Women's T20 Internationals (to 2024)
  • The Hundred - Live coverage of 10 Men's Matches & 8 Women's Matches from the Hundred (to 2024)

Radio

Test Match Special Live commentary on all England home Test, ODI and T20 matches until 2024
Commentaries on England overseas tours and World Cup matches

Reports every 15 minutes plus wicket flashes on England Test, ODI and T20 matches

  • BBC Local Radio

Commentary on all County Championship matches on BBC Sport website. Selected matches on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

Tennis

Television

  • Wimbledon: Live coverage and highlights on BBC Sport until 2027 across all platforms and highlights on British Eurosport.
  • Australian Open: Highlights on BBC Sport *Live on British Eurosport)
  • Queen's Club Championships: Live on BBC Sport (also live on Amazon Prime)
  • Eastbourne International: Live on BBC Sport; (Also live on Amazon Prime)
  • Fed Cup: Great Britain matches live on BBC Sport

Radio

Commentary on Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australian Open, ATP World Tour Finals, Queens Club Championships plus Davis Cup and selected ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events including the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

  • BBC World Service

Commentary on Wimbledon men's and women's singles finals

Golf

Television

  • The Open Championship: Live on Sky Sports with highlights on BBC Sport until 2024
  • US Masters: Highlights from all 4 days on BBC Sport, Live on Sky Sports
  • Ryder Cup: Live on Sky Sports with highlights on BBC Sport until 2025
  • BMW PGA Championship: Live on Sky Sports with highlights on BBC Sport
  • Scottish Open: Live on Sky Sports with highlights on BBC Sport
  • Wales Open: Live on Sky Sports; highlights on BBC Wales
  • Irish Open: Live on Sky Sports and RTÉ Sport; highlights on BBC NI
  • Women's British Open: 2017–21: Live on Sky Sports; highlights on BBC Sport

Radio

Commentary on The Open Championship, US Open, US Masters, PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup

Commentary on the Scottish Open on 810 MW

  • BBC Radio Ulster Commentary on the Irish Open when played in Northern Ireland

Ice Hockey

Radio

National commentary on the National Hockey League, Elite Ice Hockey League, Champions Hockey League and the IIHF World Championships

  • BBC Local Radio, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Ulster

Local commentary on the Elite Ice Hockey League

Motorsport

Television

  • North West 200: Live on BBC Northern Ireland, BBC Sport Online and BBC Red Button; highlights on BBC in rest of UK
  • Ulster Grand Prix: Highlights on BBC
  • Other Road Racing Motorcycling events: Highlights on BBC
  • Goodwood Festival of Speed: Live on BBC Sport Online

Radio

All Formula One races live, qualifying sessions and some practices on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Live commentary on British Moto GP
  • BBC Radio Ulster
Live commentary of the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix

Online

Boxing

Radio

Multi-Discipline Events

Television

Radio

Athletics

Television

  • UK Athletics major events: Live on BBC Sport until 2023
  • London Marathon: Live on BBC Sport until 2026
  • Great North Run: Live on BBC Sport
  • Great Edinburgh Cross Country: Live on BBC Sport
  • Great Manchester Run: Live on BBC Sport
  • Great Scottish Run: Live on BBC Sport
  • Great Manchester City Games: Live on BBC Sport
  • Great North City Games: Live on BBC Sport
  • IAAF World Championships in Athletics: Live on BBC Sport until 2025
  • IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics: Live on BBC Sport until 2027
  • IAAF World Cross Country Championships: Live on BBC Sport until 2023
  • IAAF Diamond League: Live on BBC Sport until 2024
  • IAAF World Relays: Highlights on BBC Red Button
  • European Athletics Championships: Live on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • European Team Championships: Live on BBC Sport
  • European Athletics Indoor Championships: Live on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • European Cross Country Championships: Live on BBC Sport

Radio

Reports and commentary from IAAF World Championships, European Athletics Championships, IAAF Diamond League and UK Athletics major events
Commentary on London Marathon

Rugby League

Television

  • Super League: Live on Sky Sports & Channel 4 with highlights on BBC Sport
  • Challenge Cup:Live coverage of at least 1 game in every round on BBC Red Button; Live coverage of two sixth-round matches, two quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final live on BBC Sport until 2024 (shared with Premier Sports)
  • World Club Challenge: highlights on BBC Sport (Live on Sky Sports)
  • Rugby League World Cup: All matches live on BBC Sport in 2021
  • Women's Rugby League World Cup: All matches live on BBC Sport in 2021
  • Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup: All matches live on BBC Sport in 2021

Radio

Snooker

Television

Radio

Reports on World Snooker Championship, UK Championship, and Masters events.

Horse Racing

Radio

Commentary on all major races with full coverage of Cheltenham Festival, The Grand National and The Derby until 2020
  • BBC World Service
Commentary from 5 Live on The Grand National

Equestrianism

Television

  • Olympia Horse Show: Live on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • Global Champions Tour: Live coverage of London event on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • Badminton Horse Trials: Live on BBC Sport until 2016
  • Burghley Horse Trials: Live on BBC Sport until 2016
  • World Equestrian Games: Live on BBC Sport
  • European Show Jumping Championships: Live on BBC Sport

Darts

Television

  • World Seniors Darts Championship: Live on BBC Iplayer in 2022

Rowing

Television

Radio

Commentary on The Boat Race

Cycling

Television

  • UCI Road World Championships: Live on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • World Track Championships: Live on BBC Sport
  • UCI Track Cycling World Cup: Live on BBC Sport (UK event only)
  • UCI Women's Road World Cup: Highlights on BBC Red Button and British Eurosport

Radio

Tour de France reports on Five Live; commentary on Sports Extra and BBC Sport website
UCI Road World Championships and World Track Championships: Live on Sports Extra

Swimming

Television

  • World Championships: Live on BBC Sport and British Eurosport
  • European Championships: Live on BBC Red Button and British Eurosport

Gymnastics

Television

Field Hockey

Television

  • EuroHockey Championships: Live on BBC Red Button

Winter Sports

Television

  • Winter Olympics: Live on BBC Sport until 2022
  • Alpine Skiing World Cup: highlights of selected European races on BBC Sport with some live BBC Red Button coverage
  • Skeleton World Cup: Highlights of European races on BBC Red Button
  • Alpine Skiing World Championships: Live on British Eurosport and BBC Red Button
  • Bobsleigh World Championships: Live on BBC Red Button
  • Skeleton World Championships: Live on BBC Red Button
  • World Figure Skating Championships: Live on British Eurosport and BBC Red Button

Sailing

Television

  • America's Cup: highlights on BBC Red Button until 2017
  • Sailing World Championships: Live on BBC Red Button in 2014

GAA

Television

  • BBC Northern Ireland: GAA live and deferred coverage of the Ulster Senior Football Championships

Radio

  • BBC Radio Ulster:

GAA live coverage of the Ulster Club and Ulster Senior Football Championships and games in the National League, qualifiers and All-Ireland Championship involving Ulster counties

Shinty

Television

  • Live coverage of Premier Division matches plus Camanachd Cup Final, Macaulay Cup Final and Scotland v Ireland shinty–hurling international on BBC Alba

Bowls

Television

  • World Indoor Bowls Championships: Live on BBC
  • Scottish International Indoor Open: Live on BBC Scotland

BBC Sport Online: Your Digital Sports Hub

BBC Sport (2022)
BBC Sport logo used since 2022 for online and mobile app purposes
BBC Sport Online homepage 29 May 2012
BBC Sport website as it appeared in May 2012

BBC Sport has a special part of the BBC Online website. This website adds to the TV and radio sports services. The website gives you scores and analysis from many different sports. This includes sports that the BBC doesn't broadcast on TV. The site also has news stories about teams or specific sports. You can also find live broadcast coverage of some sports there.

The website launched around 2000. It was updated in 2003 to fit bigger screens. It also got a sidebar to include more sports and match the new BBC News website. The current look was put in place in February 2012. It uses the bold colours of the logo and a new navigation bar across the whole site. This new look gave more importance to live sports, programmes, and events. It also highlighted news on individual teams.

In January 2013, the BBC Sport app was launched for Apple devices. An Android version came out in February of that year. An app for Smart TVs was released in 2012. This app was retired in 2020, with most video content moving to the iPlayer Smart TV app.

Sports Forum: 606

Until 2011, the BBC Sport website had an online sports forum called 606. It was named after the radio programme's original start time. It covered many topics like cricket, football, rugby, tennis, athletics, and motorsport. Sports teams usually had their own pages where members could post and comment. Users needed an account to comment and rate opinions. The BBC moderated the forum.

The forum was closed on May 31, 2011. This was part of a plan to reduce the BBC Online's budget. Since conversations were increasingly happening on social media websites, the forum was no longer seen as essential.

Interactive Services: BBC Red Button

Sports personality of the year trophy
BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy

BBC Sport also offers a service on the BBC Red Button interactive TV service. This service provides a multi-screen sports experience. It covers sports news stories. It also has five streams that can broadcast sports through the red button. This is often used for uninterrupted coverage and scores without commentary. Or it can be used for an alternative sport event that can't be shown on the main BBC TV or radio.

A good example is the broadcasts of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Matches on other courts might be shown through the red button. This happens while a more important match on a main court is being shown on the main TV channel.

Awards from BBC Sport

See also: BBC Sports Personality of the Year, BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, and BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award

BBC Sport also gives out several awards to celebrate the sports community. The most famous is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. It was created in 1954. It is given out at a big ceremony every December. There are other awards given around the same time. These focus on different parts of the sports world, like young performers and coaches.

The awards also include the BBC Nations and Regions awards. These are often given at local ceremonies for similar reasons. The winners of these local awards are often put forward for the national awards. This allows all parts of the country to be represented at the national awards.

More to Explore

  • BBC News
  • Sports broadcasting contracts in the United Kingdom
  • Broadcasting of sports events

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: BBC Sport para niños

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