NBC owns the rights to all Olympic video and is planning an absolute all-out blitz to bring everything they can to you. I am going to attempt to breakdown the coverage for you here focusing on swimming. However I encourage everyone to utilize NBC's Olympics website (www.nbcolympics.com). Here you can click on "TV & Online Listings" at the top and figure out when and where you can go to watch swimming, diving, gymnastics, table tennis, taekwondo, team handball or any of the 34 sports that will be contested in Beijing (trampoline?). In all, NBC will be broadcasting more than 1,400 hours of television coverage over nine different networks (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Universal HD, Oxygen, the NBC Olympic Basketball Channel, and the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel) as well as over 2,200 hours of online coverage.
THE ESSENTIALS: Pool Swimming dates are August 9-17; Open Water Swimming dates are August 20 & 21.
August 8: Don't miss the Opening Ceremony sure to be a spectacle unlike anything ever seen. China has had four years to try and top the Athens Opening Ceremony (and eight to try and top Sydney). NBC starting at 8 pm.
August 9 - 17: As many know by now, the International Olympic Committee and FINA, the International Governing Body for aquatic sports, have changed the schedule for these games. Since Beijing is exactly 12 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone and television ratings are higher for live events then those that are tape delayed the preliminary heats will be held in the evening in Beijing (to be taped for broadcast in the morning on the East Coast) and the Finals will be held in the morning there to be broadcast live for us at home. Prelims will be broadcast on NBC starting at 10 am but you can catch live coverage at nbcolympics.com starting at 6:30 am EDT.
You will be able to watch the live finals action starting at 8 pm EDT each night. The first night will get off to a quick start as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will swim the Final of the Men's 400 IM and Katie Hoff will compete in the Final of the Women's 400 IM. The idea of morning finals does not sit well with most of the swimming community. However the playing field for all swimmers is level, and that is the most important thing. Personally I would much rather watch Finals on NBC in HD live regardless of the time of day.
August 20 and 21: The women's Open Water race will be held on the 20th and the men's race on the 21st. Both will be broadcast live on USA during their daily coverage between 2am and 12pm EDT. Not sure exactly what time the races will begin or when they will be broadcast but I will get this information to you when it becomes available to me.
Open Water racing is an Olympic event for the first time with both the men and women competing in a 10K race. What should we watch for in these events? How about our good friend Sid Cassidy (formerly of Atlantic City Aquatic Club) who is the Race Director for both races.
August 24: The final day of Olympic competition with gold medals to be awarded in Men's Basketball, Volleyball, and Water Polo among other sports. The evening concludes on NBC with the Closing Ceremonies. The Olympic Closing Ceremonies never have the pomp and circumstance of the Opening Ceremonies. But at the conclusion the Olympic Flame is extinguished and the countdown to London 2012 begins.
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