The BBC is giving sports fans something to cheer about over the coming months as it opens up its vast archive of classic sporting moments and highlights for broadcast across TV, radio and online.
With many of the summer’s major sporting events have been cancelled, including the Tokyo Olympic Games, BBC viewers will be able to relive some of the most epic sporting moments in recent history – including the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The acclaimed Opening Ceremony, an unforgettable spectacle that celebrated all that is great about the UK, will air once again this spring on BBC One.
A number of highlights programmes showcasing the key moments from the rest of the London 2012 Olympics, including Super Saturday, will also be shown on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer, allowing audiences to once again get lost in the moments that united the nation.
For football fans in June and July, with Euro 2020 postponed to 2021, the BBC will air some of the most memorable recent international matches, including the best of Euro ‘96, when England hosted the prestigious tournament.
While England didn’t triumph on home turf it didn’t stop the competition from being an electric experience, creating a feel-good factor and sense of national pride that was only heightened when Alan Shearer took home the Golden Boot.
At weekends, the BBC is continuing to produce some of its regular football programming with a twist, including Football Focus, which the corporation confirms will be continuing every week, as well as classic matches and special Rewind shows every Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
With no football to watch at 3pm on Saturdays, the BBC Sport website and iPlayer will instead keep fans entertained by streaming in full some of the best matches from the BBC Sport archives, as part of a weekly Rewind series.
In the traditional Match of the Day slot on Saturday nights, BBC One will continue to show the Match Of The Day: Top 10 podcast, as well as classic Premier League action on Match Of Their Day, a new show where the BBC’s football pundits choose their favourite Premier League matches and top moments from years gone by.
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CLASSIC SPORTING HIGHLIGHTS ON THE BBC THIS SUMMER
- April – London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony
- April – World Snooker Championship
- June/July – European Championships / World Cup
- July – Wimbledon
- July – London 2012 & Rio 2016 Olympic Games
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In place of this year’s World Snooker Championship in April, snooker fans can tune into some of the best matches from the tournament in gone by, enjoying some of the best shots and most thrilling matches.
Then in early July, following the cancellation of Wimbledon which has left a huge void in the BBC schedules, tennis fans will be able to relive some of the greatest ever moments from the Championships, featuring classic matches from over the decades, including Andy Murray’s triumph in 2013, which ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s single champion.
Another cancelled event which has left a large gap to fill this summer is the Olympic Games, and the BBC has announced that it will fill the void by taking a trip down memory lane with special highlights programmes from both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.
Cricket fans will also be catered for, in the year that was meant to mark the return of English summer cricket to BBC Television for the first time in over 20 years.
On radio, Test Match Special will delving into its rich archive to mark the 40th anniversary of its renowned ‘View From The Boundary’ feature, with 40 of the best episodes, including interviews with Sir Elton John, Malala Yousafzai and John Cleese, to be made available to listen to via BBC Sounds.
Commenting on BBC Sport’s plans, the corporation’s director of sport, Barbara Slater, said:
“In these unprecedented and difficult times we are delighted to bring some of the most incredible sporting events from years gone by to our audiences over the next few months.
“From glorious moments at the Olympics including the magic of London 2012, thrilling Euro ’96 matches, wonderful Wimbledon moments and the best of World Championship snooker, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
All programmes will be available to watch live and on-demand via the BBC iPlayer.
For a full overview of all major UK-televised sporting events that have been postponed, cancelled or rescheduled, as well as those which are still due to be staged, visit SOTB’s dedicated coronavirus webpage – sotb.in/coronavirus.
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