International Capsules: Fox kicks off presentations in Olympic rights bids
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Fox led off the presentations Monday by the three U.S. networks bidding for the next set of Olympic television rights, a high-stakes contest that could lead to a multi-billion-dollar deal stretching through 2020.
Fox sports chairman David Hill headed a six-man delegation that went into a scheduled two-hour meeting with International Olympic Committee officials on Monday, making a pitch to secure the first games in the U.S. for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
"It's eight years to the day when we made our last pitch, which is also D-Day," Hill, looking relaxed in a pink open-neck shirt and dark blazer, said as he headed into the closed-door presentation at IOC headquarters.
Asked how he was approaching the meeting, Hill said, "We don't really plan these things. They just happen. We just chat."
Fox is competing against incumbent NBC and ESPN/ABC, which will make their case to the IOC on Tuesday.
The three companies will submit sealed bids on Tuesday afternoon, and the IOC could announce the winner by the end of the day or order another round of bidding. It wants a deal in place before the IOC general assembly starting July 4 in Durban, South Africa.
At stake are rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a new twist, the networks can also bid on a four-games package including the 2018 and 2020 Games, whose sites have not yet been selected.
"We've got three very, very strong competitive bidders," IOC marketing director Timo Lumme told The Associated Press. "Everyone has indicated they're here to win. We look forward to an exciting and competitive process."
It's the first U.S. rights auction since 2003, when NBC secured the 2010 and 2012 Olympics in a deal worth $2.2 billion.
The IOC says it hopes to surpass that fee this time. If the IOC agrees to a four-games deal, the figure could potentially run between $4-5 billion.
"Yes, we're expecting an increase," Lumme said. "What that increase is we don't know. There's every indication to show that premium sports retains a very, very important position in the programming strategies of the networks."
NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988 and every Winter Games since 2002, and holds the rights through next year's London Olympics. Eight years ago, NBC and parent company General Electric outbid the same two competitors, with Fox offering $1.3 billion.
The dynamics have changed sharply this time, with NBC now under the control of cable giant Comcast and with longtime sports and Olympics chief Dick Ebersol no longer at the helm.
Ebersol resigned last month following what was described as a contract dispute with Comcast.
Ebersol was a close partner of the IOC, negotiating several multi-games deals that kept the committee's coffers bulging and ensured the stability of the games in the Olympics' most important financial market.
Comcast executives have made clear they're not interested in a repeat of the 2010 Vancouver Games, when NBC lost more than $200 million in a rough economy. NBC also stands to take a similar hit from the London Olympics.
"The ownership has indicated to us it is very interested in continuing its Olympic history of NBC," Lumme said. "We think the Comcast/NBC combination will be a very strong bidder."
All three contenders have brought top-level delegations to Lausanne. NBC's team includes CEO Steve Burke and Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts, while ESPN has chief executive George Bodenheimer and Disney CEO Robert Iger.
IOC TV rights negotiator Richard Carrion told The Associated Press that the big uncertainty is whether the networks will bid for two or four games. He said each network had asked for the bid forms for both options, meaning the IOC could have to decide between one network bidding on two Olympics and another on four.
"It makes the decision a little more complex," he said. "We may have to make a judgment whether we want to go long term."
If the networks opt for a four-games package, they will do so without knowing where the last two will be held. The IOC will select the 2018 host city on July 6 in Durban. The candidates are Annecy, France; Munich; and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The host of the 2020 Olympics will be chosen in 2013, and Rome is the only official contender so far.
Both Fox and ESPN have said they would carry all Olympic events live, breaking from NBC's longtime practice of airing most of the games on tape-delay in prime time. ESPN broadcast all the matches live from last year's World Cup in South Africa.
"Live coverage, of course, is always interesting to us, but at the end of the day, you've got to look at the whole package and we've got an enormous amount of trust in our broadcast partner to decide what is exactly the right mix of coverage," Lumme said.
ESPN also brings the powerful Disney brand to the table, which raises the prospect of a possible tie-in with the games. GE threw in a $200 million global sponsorship as part of NBC's winning bid for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics.
Also present at the bidding are U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun.
The USOC currently gets a 12.75 percent share of U.S. TV rights deals and 20 percent of global sponsorship revenues, figures many international officials consider too high. Both sides are negotiating a new revenue-sharing deal to take effect in 2020.
The USOC and IOC will renew those talks Wednesday, and say they also hope to have an agreement in place by early July.
ESPN makes pitch to IOC for Olympic rights
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — ESPN, backed by parent company Disney, is making its pitch for U.S. Olympic television rights in the three-way contest with Fox and incumbent NBC.
ESPN president George Bodenheimer and Disney CEO Robert Iger headed a nine-person delegation that went into a scheduled two-hour meeting with IOC officials on Tuesday, the second day of a high-stakes bidding process worth billions of dollars.
"I feel confident," Bodenheimer said minutes before the presentation. "We have our plans. We'll see."
Fox made its presentation on Monday, while NBC will get its chance later Tuesday.
The networks will submit sealed bids Tuesday afternoon. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge could announce a winner by the end of the day or order a new round of bids. The IOC wants a deal in place before its general assembly starting July 4 in Durban, South Africa.
At stake are exclusive broadcast rights to at least two Olympics — the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The networks can also bid on a four-games package including the 2018 and 2020 Games, whose sites have not yet been selected.
Fox sports chairman David Hill said Monday his network will bid for the four games.
It's the first U.S. rights auction since 2003, when NBC secured the 2010 and 2012 Olympics in a deal worth $2.2 billion.
The IOC hopes to surpass that fee this time. If the IOC agrees to a four-games deal, the figure could potentially run between $4-5 billion.
"Yes, we're expecting an increase," IOC marketing director Timo Lumme told The Associated Press.
NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988 and every Winter Games since 2002, and holds the rights through next year's London Olympics. Eight years ago, NBC and parent company General Electric outbid the same two competitors, with Fox offering $1.3 billion.
But the dynamics of this contest have shifted, with NBC now under the control of cable giant Comcast and longtime sports and Olympics chief Dick Ebersol no longer at the helm.
Ebersol resigned suddenly last month in what he said was a contract dispute with Comcast. He had been a close partner of the IOC, negotiating several multi-games deals that kept the committee's coffers bulging and ensured the stability of the games in the Olympics' most important financial market.
NBC's delegation in Lausanne includes CEO Steve Burek and Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts.
Comcast executives have made clear they're not interested in a repeat of the 2010 Vancouver Games, when NBC lost more than $200 million in a rough economy. NBC also stands to take a similar hit from next year's London Olympics.
Both Fox and ESPN say they would carry all Olympic events live, breaking from NBC's longtime practice of airing most of the games on delay in prime time. ESPN broadcast all the matches live from last year's World Cup in South Africa.
"We've been very vocal about that," Bodenheimer said. "Certainly we believe that live is the way to go."
ESPN also brings the powerful Disney brand to the table, which raises the prospect of a possible tie-in with the games. GE threw in a $200 million global sponsorship as part of NBC's winning bid for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics.
If the networks opt for a four-games package, they will do so without knowing where the last two will be held. The IOC will select the 2018 host city on July 6 in Durban. The candidates are Annecy, France; Munich; and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The host of the 2020 Olympics will be chosen in 2013, and Rome is the only official contender so far.
-- Stephen Wilson
Cycling
New race features two 12,000-foot passes on same day
DENVER (AP) — The inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge in August will feature the two highest climbs in competitive international cycling history on the same stage.
The jewel of the nearly 500-mile course through mountain and metro roads is the Queen's Stage from Gunnison to Aspen on Aug. 24, the third day of the weeklong race. It includes ascents over 12,126-foot Cottonwood Pass and 12,095-foot Independence Pass, where oxygen levels are close to half of what they are at sea level.
"Our motto is, 'The Mountain Changes Everything,'" said race director Jim Birrell of Medalist Sports, the race producer. "The key elements are elevation and altitude."
The first 12 miles up Cottonwood Pass are on dirt, adding to the challenge on the riders' thin road tires.
"I don't think we've ever taken riders on such a long journey on dirt," Birrell said.
The cyclists will ascend 2,740 feet over nearly 14 miles to reach Cottonwood Pass, the highest point during the weeklong race. After a tough climb and fast descent comes another grueling climb up Independence Pass, a road that's narrow and steep with a 6.5 percent gradient and numerous switchbacks.
Organizers had to seek permission from the International Cycling Union to route their race over the twin peaks.
"I don't know if you can pick another stage anywhere in the world that has the physical and mental demands of the Queen's Stage," said Shawn Hunter, race CEO and co-chairman.
Despite grueling ascents and fast descents, Birrell said safety was paramount in designing the arduous route.
Last month, 26-year-old Belgian Wouter Weylandt died when he crashed after clipping a wall during a decent in the Giro d'Italia.
Birrell asked cycling teams and cycling federations about the feasibility of the grueling second stage and then checked with the Colorado Department of Transportation and other agencies to ensure road conditions would be good.
The race through Colorado's front range and the picturesque Rocky Mountains begins with an ultra-fast prologue in which riders will descend from the Garden of the Gods at 50-plus mph and into Colorado Springs. The race ends in downtown Denver on Aug. 28.
After the prologue, Stage 1 starts in Salida and goes up the 11,312-foot Monarch Pass with a mountaintop finish on Mount Crested Butte. After rides up Independence and Cottonwood passes, Stage 3 revives the Coors Classic time trial around Vail, where the 10-mile route is primarily uphill.
An easier Stage 4 will greet the 128 riders. Without significant climbs or high-speed descents, cyclists will have numerous opportunities for breakaways between Avon and Steamboat Springs, but the stage does feature a net elevation change of 5,000 feet.
Stage 5 from Steamboat Springs to Breckenridge gives riders another day filled with opportunities for breakaways and aggressive racing, but this one includes another mountain pass, the double-summit Rabbit Ears.
The final stage goes from Golden to Denver over treacherous Lookout Mountain, where the overall King of the Mountain will be decided. An average 6.1 percent grade and 1,300 feet of elevation gain over 4.8 miles provides a big challenge on the tour's final day.
After winding their way down Lookout Mountain, the racers will speed their way to Denver, where they'll take six laps around a five-mile downtown circuit with the finish line next to the State Capitol Building.
The race will feature national and international TV coverage, a boon to Colorado's tourism industry. Ever since it was announced last year that the pro cycling circuit was coming back to Colorado for the first time since the Coors International Bicycle Classic ended its run in 1988, cycling enthusiasts have speculated about the race traversing the two 12,000-foot passes during Stage 2.
Now that the route has been released, fans are expected to ride the stages themselves over the next 2½ months.
Twelve pro teams have been guaranteed spots in the race and four more eight-man teams will be invited in the coming weeks.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Van den Broeck wins first stage of Criterium
SAINT-PIERRE-DE-CHARTREUSE, France (AP) — Jurgen Van den Broeck of Belgium held off a late charge from a small group of riders in the final climb to win the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on Monday, while Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan took the yellow jersey.
Van den Broeck, who finished fifth in last year's Tour de France, completed the 89-mile stage in 3 hours, 36 minutes, 42 seconds.
"The group almost came back," Van den Broeck said. "Then I said 'I play all or nothing.'"
Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver of Spain took second place, six seconds behind Van den Broeck, and one second clear of Cadel Evans of Australia.
Vinokourov was fourth in the same time as Evans and overtook Dutch rider Lars Boom for the overall lead. Boom won Sunday's prologue ahead of Vinokourov.
Samuel Sanchez of Spain finished 58 seconds behind Van den Broeck while Robert Gesink of the Netherlands trailed the race winner by 1:31. Tony Martin of Germany crossed the finish line 2:40 after Van den Broeck.
On Tuesday, riders have a 111-mile trek from Voiron to Lyon. The warmup race for the Tour de France ends Sunday.
Rasmussen wins Philly International cycling race
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Rasmussen of HTC-Highroad won a sprint finish Sunday in the 156-mile Philadelphia International Championship pro cycling race.
Rasmussen finished with a time of 5 hours, 59 minutes, 4 seconds, just ahead of Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale and Robert Forster of Team UnitedHealthcare.
Riders made 10 circuits of a course of almost 15 miles from central Philadelphia to suburban Manayunk and back, along with several shorter loops before the final dash to the finish.
In the women's Liberty Classic, current world champion Giorgia Bronzini of Colavita Forno d'Asolo finished the 57.6-mile course in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 28 seconds, ahead of Shelley Olds of Diadora Pasta Zara and Jennifer Purcell of Team Danbury Audi.
Volleyball
Olympic volleyballer faces drunken driving charge
ANGOLA, Ind. (AP) — A former U.S. Olympic volleyball player has been charged with drunken driving in northern Indiana.
WLKI radio reports Steuben County prosecutors filed formal misdemeanor charges on Monday against 39-year-old Lloy James Ball. Ball is an Olympic veteran who played on the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing games.
Court records say a state trooper pulled over the Lake James man late Saturday night for driving left of center and speeding on Indiana 727 near an outlet mall. Police said he had a blood alcohol level over the state limit.
Ball was freed on $2,500 bond. A recording said a phone number listed in Ball's name in Lake James was disconnected.
