Eurosport has announced its line-up of presenters and experts that will spearhead the broadcaster’s comprehensive multi-platform coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The pan-European broadcaster will be the only place for UK audiences to watch live coverage of every single sporting event at the Games, with full streaming coverage on Eurosport Player and Discovery+, plus live TV coverage across its two UK main channels – Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, as well as bonus set of seven extra channels available to Sky, Virgin Media and BT TV customers.
Eurosport’s UK coverage will be led by presenters Orla Chennaoui, Reshmin Chowdhury and Radzi Chinyanganya, who will bring every inspiring story and unmissable moment of the Games to fans.
Sir Bradley Wiggins, Greg Rutherford and Joanna Rowsell will headline Eurosport’s team of UK experts, bringing with them a wealth of Olympic experience from 10 Olympics collectively, resulting in 12 medals, 10 of them gold.
The British public will remember the stars of London 2012 very well. Wiggins headed into his home Olympics as the first and only person to win the Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie, Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France in a single season. He took his imperious form onto the roads of London, winning the London 2012 time trial.
Over in the Olympic Park, Rowsell shone on the track with teammates Dani King and Laura Trott. The trio set consecutive world records in the team pursuit qualifying round, semi-finals and final, flying round a raucous velodrome to win her first Olympic title.
Meanwhile, Greg Rutherford was one of the stars of Super Saturday, adding his gold medal in the long jump to those already won by Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah at the Olympic Stadium.
All three followed their sensational Olympic performances at London 2012 with World Championship titles and more medal glory at future Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Wiggins and Rowsell both added World Championship titles to their accolades while Rutherford held every elite outdoor title between September 2015 and June 2016 and broke the British record, which still stands.
Alongside the three Olympic stars are three sports broadcasters with a wealth of experience on the Olympic stage.
Experienced sports presenter Orla Chennaoui, well-known for hosting Eurosport’s Grand Tour cycling coverage, has previously covered London 2012 and Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, plus the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, while Reshmin Chowdhury, boasts a wealth of knowledge from her involvement in London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympics alongside some impressive football credentials. She will be turning her attention to Tokyo 2020 after the conclusion of UEFA EURO 2020.
Radzi Chinyanganya completes Eurosport’s main presenting line-up. The passionate sportsman competed at national level in karate and skeleton bobsleigh, and brings Olympic reporting experience from both London 2012 and the 2018 Winter Games from Pyeongchang.
On the ground in Tokyo, Wiggins will offer expert punditry across the cycling competitions, as he does on Eurosport’s season-long coverage. Rutherford, Chennaoui and Chinyanganya will report across various sports from a selection of different locations across the capital.
Back in the UK, Chowdhury will present from Eurosport’s ‘Cube’ studio, featuring next generation immersive technology to help deliver unrivalled analysis and insight. Rowsell will feature as a studio guest as well as delivering expert commentary on all cycling disciplines.
Commenting on Eurosport’s UK coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Simon Downing, Head of Factual and Sport at Discovery Networks UK said:
“Each of our Olympic heroes are embedded in British Olympic history, having featured in some of the most memorable moments from Games gone by. Their expertise on the Olympic stage will bring the Games to life and help tell all the key stories as competition unfolds, bringing viewers closer to the action than ever before.
“There’s a tremendous level of excitement among sports fans and Discovery’s multi-platform ecosystem across linear, direct-to-consumer digital services will ensure every unmissable moment is captured to deliver the ultimate Games experience.”
Eurosport experts from other European territories will also feature as part of the broadcaster’s UK coverage, all bringing their vast sporting experience across its multiple broadcast platforms, including discovery+, Eurosport and Eurosport app.
Subscribers to Discovery+ or Eurosport Player can access every unmissable moment of the action from Tokyo with over 3,500 hours of live action throughout the 17 days of competition.
Both apps will also deliver 50+ live event feeds, plus there will be an additional seven Eurosport pop-up channels categorised by sport genre, available to Sky, Virgin Media, BT and Amazon Channels customers. Sky Q customers will also be available to access the 50+ live event feeds via a Discovery+ subscription.
On TV, Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 will provide 445 hours of live coverage, with Eurosport 1 focussing on more traditional Olympic sports and prospective Team GB medal events, while Eurosport 2 coverage will include new Olympic sports including skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing.
Eurosport 3 to 9 will host seven pop-up channels categorized by sport genre in HD on Sky, BT, Virgin Media and Amazon alongside a UHD/HDR channel on Virgin Media and Sky.
In addition to the live action, Eurosport 1 will also broadcast a daily highlights programme – Tokyo Today – which will go out daily at 4pm and repeated at 9pm. Eurosport’s channels will also air extended highlights from selected sports during the daytime and evening hours, before the live overnight action resumes.
Scott Young, Senior VP of Production, Content, Eurosport, added:
“Our star-studded line up of world-renowned sport stars and experts for Tokyo 2020 is the most experienced and distinguished team we’ve ever had at any sporting event.
“After an unprecedented 18 months, there’s a tremendous level of excitement, not only among sports fans, but across the world, as one of the most eagerly anticipated Olympic Games in history approaches. Discovery’s team of Olympic medallists and multi-sport experts will help to make it an unforgettable experience for viewers across all Discovery platforms as they unearth the greatest Olympic stories. Alongside our on-screen talent is a small army of passionate, experienced commentators who will bring every moment of every event to life, in their local language.
“Team Discovery will provide top-class insight, analysis and entertainment, working alongside next generation immersive technology to put viewers at the heart of the action for every unmissable moment to deliver the ultimate Olympic experience for viewers across Europe.”
In addition to extensive TV coverage on Eurosport and live streaming on Eurosport Player and Discovery+, Eurosport’s dedicated Olympics website – eurosport.co.uk/olympics – will provide up-to-the-minute news, live updates and analysis across all sports, as well as video highlights and interviews.
Tokyo 2020 is the first Summer Olympic Games where Discovery, owners of Eurosport, have the rights to show every sporting event across its platforms in the UK and across Europe, as part of pan-European deal negotiated in 2015.
Free-to-air rights in the UK were sub-licenced to the BBC, who will only be permitted to run two channels featuring Olympic coverage for the 2020 and 2024 Summer Games – its main network TV output on BBC One, plus an additional live stream via the Red Button and BBC iPlayer.
After a delay of a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held on 23 July, with the sporting action beginning two days before with the start of the football and softball competitions.
Watch every moment of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games only on Eurosport
