Photo Courtesy: Brendan Maloney – USA Today Sports<\/p>\n
SYDNEY \u2013 Television broadcasters appear to be affecting the time schedule for the 2016 Olympics, with news this week that swimming finals at the Games could start at 10 p.m. in Rio de Janeiro to fit with NBC\u2019s plan to air races live to American viewers.<\/p>\n
The move harkens back to the 2008 Olympics, where NBC\u2019s influence was a major part of moving swimming finals to the morning in Beijing to allow the network to air all of Michael Phelps\u2019 eight gold medal swims live in the United States \u2013 but only to half of the country. In Mountain and Pacific time zones, races were shown in tape delay.<\/p>\n
Australian Olympic champion Libby Trickett won\u2019t be competing at the Rio Olympics, but she has stood up for those who might face a late-evening start time, according to the release of a preliminary schedule by the Olympic organizers. In an article published by Fox Sports Australia<\/a>, Trickett used the words \u201cridiculous\u201d and \u201ccrazy\u201d in describing the 10 p.m. start time that would mean most athletes would not leave the venue until after midnight. The early draft of the schedule indicates that the morning heats would still go off at 10:30 a.m., which would be too early for those who might not leave the swimming facility until 3 a.m. due to media interviews and drug testing.<\/p>\n John Coates, the president of the Australian Olympic Committee, has spoken against the planned start of swimming finals, saying it is \u201cunreasonable.\u201d No other sport at the Olympics appears to be as adversely affected by a schedule change as swimming, which is regularly one of the most-watched sports every four years. The likelihood that Michael Phelps might return to Olympic waters, as well as the presence of superstars Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky could boost viewership ratings in a society where social media brings instant results to the world.<\/p>\n Shane Tusup, the husband\/coach\/manager of top Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu, posted a tweet calling for the Hungarian swimming federation to join the stand against the late finals sessions.<\/p>\n I fully expect the HUN Olympic Committee 2 stand up along side AUS against proposed Olympic Sched.<\/p>\n — Shane Tusup (@toos11) November 21, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n