To think that the Olympics coverage on BBC is a bit too British?

[BlueberryPancake]

I don't know much about anything to do with sports, but I have always seen the olympics as being an international event. Isn't that the essence of it all.

So why is the BBC only interviewing British medalists? Aren't there any other winners? They had John McEnroe on the other day commenting on various achievements, but why don't they make the effort to try and interview athletes from other countries, just a bit even, once a day or something. Profiles. Whatever.

I have the family of an athlete staying with us right now, they are from the US, their daughter won a silver medal last night. I am trying to find a little bit of coverage about the high jump final on the bbc and really, there is so little. Almost nothing at all. I wanted to show it to my kids. But there is nothing at all.

I know they can't cover everything but the olympics has been only about our medals, and Husain Bolt. I am sure that the Americans are covering American athletes on their shows, but we are the host country. Shouldn't there be a bit more about other athletes?

I agree with ohforfoxsake, it has been wonderful to switch on the news and have positive, good news stories about Britsh people doing well. Such a shame that it then gets knocked in the usual way. People were so pessimistic about the games, the transport system wouldn't cope etc etc , and yet it has gone wonderfully well - a surprise to foreigners who are not used to the British way of doing ourselves down. You can be sure that the Chinese are not complaining about too much Chinese coverage! A woman was on the radio the other day talking about the same thing and she had been in the US and said that UK was very balanced in comparison.

Maybe the other athletes dont want to be interviewed by the BBC? And prefer to do interviews with channels from their own country?

Bolt, Phelps, Pistorius, James, Chad Le Clos...just of the top of my head...they are not british, they got lots of british media airtime.

YABU - BBC coverage has been fantastic & yes, it does have a British focus, but that's where we are

As others have pointed out, all other countries media focus on their athletes. I was in the US during the 2004 Olympics & they were entirely US focused - perfectly fine as that's where they are & what their audience wanted to see.

Oh and look they are now interviewing a member of the ethiopian contigent talking about the ethiopian marathon runners, and comparing them to the kenyan runners.

For once - why CAN'T it be about us? I want to hear about GB wins, losses, euphoria, emotions, post-mortems etc. As mentioned, other nations will be concentrating on their own, they are not getting our coverage. The events run concurrently, it's impossible to cover everything. Go Team GB!!!!!!!

YABU.

We paid billions for the Olympics and we all pay for the BBC so I want to get my monies worth.

YABU, I have seen them interviewing various other athletes from other countries trackside.

Yes its British heavy on the reporting but I am sure if you went to Germany/any other place they would be the same for THEIR team.

yabu
I think it is great that for once we can celebrate british achievements, and as we are hosting it. more reason to do so

Yabu-its lovely to be able to support our own country and the athelites which are doing us proud

OP, you have not got a leg to stand on. Every national broadcaster covers its own athletes. I saw most of the Beijing Olympics on the other side of the Atlantic, and frankly had no idea GB had done so well on the medal front; plenty of idea what was happening with Chinese athletes, US and Canadians, but itwas like Europe didn't really exist; same goes for the majority of news events to be honest.

You have to choose your media outlet accordingly, or watch the live feeds, if you genuinely want to see coverage of other nations.

I'm still pissed off that I was on holiday during the Opening ceremony and the only choices on my telly in the hotel was either German or Arabic commentary .
We had BBC world news but they didn't show it live, bastards.

Why would we watch foreigners competing when we've got plenty of British athletes to watch?

YABU

I think perhaps you haven't experienced coverage in other countries if you thought the BBC coverage was so partisan as to ruin everything.

I watched the 10m womens springboard final the other night, there were no British competitiors. Many other countries only televise events that their own ahtletes are competing in.

I think the BBC has on the whole been fairly balanced especially when you consider the US coverage even changes the way of displaying the medal table to ensure they appeared on top even when China were in the top slot for most of the games.

That's just cos nobody likes China. Plus nationalism.

YABU OP. Because of the area I worked in I have access to many foreign TV stations and dozens of international newspapers. They ALL concentrate on their own athletes. If you are in doubt just google up a dozen or so and look.

And as a point of scheduling, there is limited time for trackside/poolside interviews. The first obligation of winners is, in the main, to their own media.

As other posters have pointed out there have been numerous interviews, discussions and profiles on foreign athletes such as Bolt, Phelps, Missy Franklin, Zonderland, etc. And I'm sure the BBC interview with David Rudisha has introduced many to a great guy who may gave gone under the radar to non-sporting types. Had you heard of him before OP (British athletics fans have) or did it take the BBC to bring him to your attention?

TBH I think your opening sentence about not knowing much about sports sums up why you seem surprised at the coverage.

As for not having interviews "even once a day" with non British competitors, you must have been watching a different BBC from those most others watched.

I've worked in many countries round the world at times when big international sporting events were on and was in Sydney when their Olympics took place (for example). I can assure you that the coverage by the BBC has been less nationalistic than that of many other countries.

Also, I wonder how many foreign stations have British pundits in the way we had foreign pundits such as Ian Thorpe and Michael Johnson to give an objective non-British view?

Trust me, compared to my past experience with the Olympic coverage on American t.v. stations, the BBC is absolutely "cosmopolitan" in its broadcasting. I've seen events during these Olympics that I did not even realize existed b/c Americans don't take any medals in them they've never ever been aired before on U.S. channels.

God love the BBC. They actually acknowledge the rest of the world.

Stunning I take it when you say nobody likes china you mean the US as the majority of the world get on rather well with China.

I was at the boxing last night.

First match was Chinese boxer vs. Thai boxer. The Chinese boxer was booed from the outset. Everyone wanted the Thai to win.

Why? Because nobody likes China.

(Ok, some countries probably do, but there's an instinctive and - at least partly justified - mistrust of them.)

Really, stunning? I'm shocked. That seems extraordinarily rude. All the reporting I've seen on the crowd reaction was about how sporting they were.

I don't give a flying fig about other athletes. I want to know about British ones. Why can't we concentrate on our own for once

Mistrust of China by whom!!! How do you justify that stunning. Many in the US do I realise yes but they mistrust anyone who is better than them.

Erm well we are in Britain are we not! The other countries will have coverage of their medal winners a and interviews