The Nine Network today announced an all-star team to bring Australia all the excitement and action from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
For 17 days Vancouver will be the sporting capital of the world and Nine will bring viewers all the action, colour and excitement of the Olympics. Nine will broadcast more than 130 hours from the Games in Vancouver, treating viewers to thrills and spills on snow and ice: from the downhill skiing to acrobatic aerials and moguls, luge and bobsleigh, speed skating, figure skating and more, in the biggest free-to-air broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games ever seen in Australia.
Spearheading Nine’s coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be Eddie McGuire and Ken Sutcliffe. McGuire will host the prime-time coverage from Vancouver, with Sutcliffe hosting the daily live coverage. Leila McKinnon and Cameron Williams will keep viewers up to date with all the results and news from the Games throughout the day and night.
Nine’s coverage of the 2010 Olympics commences with the live and exclusive broadcast of the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, February 13 (Australian time). McGuire and McKinnon will commentate on both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Backing McGuire and Sutcliffe will be an expert team of commentators and reporters.
At Cypress Mountain, Olympic gold medallist Alisa Camplin will join McGuire to call the aerials competition that made her a household name in 2002.
Cricket and AFL commentator James Brayshaw and Michael Kennedy, former international moguls competitor and dual Winter Olympics coach, will call the thrills and spills of the moguls competition. Kennedy, who is CEO for Ski and Snowboard Australia, will also team up with McGuire to call the exciting ski cross competition.
Jay Onley, a three-time Australian snowboard champion and former world number three, will team up with Brayshaw to call the action from the snowboard competition.
Up the mountain at Whistler, Phil Liggett, arguably the world’s finest sports caller, will head up Nine’s coverage of the alpine skiing. Renowned as the voice of the Tour de France, the eight-time Olympic commentator will be joined Steven Lee, a three-time Olympian, to call the slalom, giant slalom, downhill, super combined and Super G.
Luge, skeleton and bobsleigh are three of the most dangerous and high-energy events at the Winter Olympics. Roger White, the first and only Australian male to compete in the luge, at the Winter Games in Lillehammer in 1994, will team up with Andrew Voss to call these three daredevil events.
At the Pacific Coliseum, the grace of the figure skating competition is set to dazzle audiences. With more than 30 years’ experience as an international athlete, three-time Olympic coach and commentator Belinda Noonan will provide the insight on the competitors, teaming up with commentator Warren Smith.
Australia’s first gold medallist at an Olympic Winter Games, Steven Bradbury, will return to the sport that made him famous when he calls the short track speed skating competition. Bradbury, one of Australia’s favourite sportsmen, was the last man standing on the ice when he claimed a sensational gold medal in speed skating at Salt Lake in 2002. He will be joined by veteran broadcaster Mike McCann in commentary at Pacific Coliseum.
Across town at the Olympic Richmond Oval, three-time Olympic speed skater Carla Zijlstra will be the commentator on the men’s and women’s speed skating competitions, supported by Olympic and AFL broadcaster Dwayne Russell.
Nine has assembled an esteemed team of reporters to bring viewers all the latest colour and news from the Games. Olympic swimming gold medallists Grant Hackett and Giaan Rooney will be on the ground in Vancouver. Joining them will be Tony Jones, based up at Whistler for the alpine events, Tim Sheridan and Tim Gilbert.
Nine News will be on the ground in Vancouver, providing viewers with the inside stories from Vancouver and profiling the big names in winter sport, with Damian Ryan and Peter Stefanovic leading the charge. Colleague Ken Sutcliffe will anchor Sydney’s 6.00pm sports break live from Vancouver.
Today show sports presenter Cameron Williams will also be based in Vancouver for the duration of the Games, bringing viewers live updates and interviews from where the action is happening. Maintaining its strong affiliation with sport, Today will cross to events live as medals are decided in selected sports.
Nine Network Head of Sport, Steve Crawley, said on the announcement of Nine’s Olympic Winter Games team: “This is an outstanding group of talented presenters, commentators and reporters set to bring Australian viewers all the action and excitement of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
“Nine is committed to providing more than 130 hours of exceptional coverage across 17 days of elite competition.”
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