The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships takes place at the new Atakoy Athletics Arena in Istanbul this weekend, with live coverage on Channel 4 and More4.
Britain’s Jessica Ennis (pentathlon) and Dwain Chambers (60m) will defend the titles they won at the 2010 Championships in Doha, while Mo Farah will take part in the 3,000 metres.
All three are part of a 39-strong GB & NI squad for this year’s event, and with the London 2012 Olympics fast approaching, GB’s athletes will be keen to use this opportunity to go up against other world class competitors in the only World Championship meeting of the year.
Britain have had a strong indoor season, with 19 personal bests and three British records broken, including pole-vaulter Holly Bleasdale, who moved into second on the all-time world list with a clearance of 4.87m earlier this season.
Bleasdale enters as one of the favourites for gold in the pole vault, which takes place on the final day of competition.
Elsewhere Andy Pozzi, GB’s indoor 60m hurdles champion, is one of five new faces in the squad, while 400m hurdles specialist Perri Shakes-Drayton will take part in the women’s 4x400m relay alongside Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu.
Channel 4 and More 4 will have all the action over the three days of competition with more than 19 hours of coverage from Istanbul, presented by Rick Edwards.
Commentary comes from John Rawling and Rob Walker, and analysis provided by Iwan Thomas, Katherine Merry, Dean Macey and Kelly Sotherton.
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IAAF World Indoor Championships – LIVE on Channel 4 & More 4 TV Schedule:Friday 9th March – Day 1
7am-12.15pm – Channel 4 / Channel 4 HD
Britain’s Jessica Ennis takes centre stage in the opening session of the championships, as she starts the defence of her pentathlon title with the opening three events – the 60m hurdles (9.25am), high jump (10.05am) and shot put (11.45am).
There is also plenty of British interest in the first round of the women’s 400m, men’s 800m, women’s 3,000m, women’s 800m, men’s 400m and men’s 1,500m, plus Yamile Aldama competes in the triple jump qualifying.
2.30pm-4pm – Channel 4 / Channel 4 HD
A review of the morning’s action, followed by the start of the afternoon session.
Jessica Ennis continues her defence of the pentathlon with the long jump (3:05pm), then Dwain Chambers goes in round one of the 60m (3.35pm).
Elsewhere, European indoor silver medallist Tiffany Porter goes in the first round of the 60m hurdles.
4pm-6.30pm – More4
Live coverage continues on More4, with Britain’s Mo Farah competing in the first round of the men’s 3000m (5.05pm).
Jessica Ennis will be hoping to clinch her second successive world indoor title in the last of the five pentathlon disciplines, the 800m, at 5.35pm.
There’s also round one of the women’s 1500m and the semi-finals of the women’s and men’s 400m.
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Saturday 10th March – Day 2
7am-8am – Channel 4 / Channel 4 HD
Reflection on the opening day’s events, then Saturday’s action begins with the men’s triple Jump qualifying and the first round of the men’s 60m hurdles (7.40am), featuring Britain’s rising star Andy Pozzi.
9am-10.30am – Channel 4 / Channel 4 HD
The action resumes after The Morning Line with the opening round of the women’s 60m hurdles, featuring Britain’s Asha Philip and Jodie Williams.
There is also the heats for the men’s 4x400m relay (9.20am), plus there is qualifying for the men’s and women’s high jump competitions, the men’s heptathlon, and the men’s 800m semi-finals.
2.30pm-6.30pm – More4
Coverage continues on More4 on Saturday afternoon, starting with a look back at the best of the morning’s action, followed by an afternoon packed with finals.
On the track there is the women’s 1500m (4pm), women’s 400m (4.40pm), men’s 1500m (5pm), men’s 400m (5.30pm) and the women’s 60m hurdles (5.45pm), with the feature event, the men’s 60m, at 6pm.
There are also the finals of the men’s pole vault, women’s triple jump, women’s high jump and men’s long jump.
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Sunday 11th March – Day 3
11.35am-4pm – Channel 4 / Channel 4 HD
Channel 4 has more than four hours of live coverage of the final day’s action from Istanbul featuring 12 finals.
Britain’s Holly Bleasdale will be among the favourites for the women’s pole vault from 12pm.
On the track the men and women go for glory in the 3000m, the 800m, and the 4x400m relays, with the men’s relay event concluding the championships at 3.40pm.
There is also the finals of the women’s 60m (3.05pm) and the men’s 60m hurdles (3.20pm).
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More4 – Freeview (ch. 14), Sky (138) and Virgin Media (147).
Live coverage of selected events is also available on British Eurosport.