Posted: July 22, 2005

Athletics: Groundbreaking Webcast of World Championships to be available

INDIANAPOLIS - Track fans in the United States and U.S. territories will be able to watch, for the first time ever, an unprecedented 58 hours of live Webcast coverage of the 2005 IAAF World Championships, plus archived footage and broadcast highlights, USA Track & Field announced Friday.

The live Webcast of all nine days of World Championships competition, August 6-14 in Helskinki, Finland, is available in the United States and U.S. territories for only $4.95 at wcsn.com. In addition, fans who register for the groundbreaking coverage can experience what the World Championships Webcast will look like when wcsn.com provides a Webcast of the Exxon Mobil Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, on July 29. The live Webcast, available to all World Championships Webcast subscribers, will give fans a chance to experience live, TDK Golden League track and field coverage prior to the start of the World Championships on August 6.

The World Championships Sports Network (WCSN), in a unique partnership with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), will provide the IAAF international feed for the Webcasts at its Web site, wcsn.com. Primary commentary will be provided by the IAAF host broadcast crew of Steve Ovett, Peter Matthews and Sean Pickering, with U.S. commentators to be added.

Revolutionary coverage of Worlds

For $4.95, fans will be able to watch every day of competition from the World Championships in Helsinki, which run from August 6-14. The Webcast will include every heat of every track event, as well as extensive field event coverage. Sign-up for the Webcast will begin later this month at wcsn.com.

"This Webcast has the potential to revolutionize the way track & field is viewed in this country," said USATF CEO Craig Masback. "Thanks to cooperation between WCSN, MLBAM, the IAAF, USATF and many other dedicated parties, devoted track fans will get precisely what they've requested for so long - uninterrupted coverage of action on the track and in the field. To think that fans can see more of the meet than they could in person, and for only $4.95, is incredible."

The low subscription price, developed by World Championship Sports Network, will provide a high-quality feed, along with tech support, for subscribers to the Webcast at wcsn.com. Viewing the Webcast will require fans in the United States and U.S. territories to have a broadband Internet access at a speed of 350 kilobytes per second.

"Our objective is to try to provide ubiquitous coverage in the U.S. of an event that is the pinnacle of track and field," said Claude Ruibal, president and CEO of WCSN. "By working with the IAAF and USATF, we are pleased to give American viewers the opportunity to see the great athletes who make Team USA the most successful team in the world."

In addition to the live feed, subscribers also will be able to view archived footage of each day's Webcast one hour after the conclusion of the day's coverage at wcsn.com. WCSN also will provide subscribers archived access, after midnight, to the one-hour highlight show that will be telecast each day on the PAX cable network. (For broadcast schedule, see http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2005_06_25_12_29_41 )

Fans interested in pre-registering for the Webcast should go to the WCSN landing page, www.wcsn.com, to sign up.

For more information on the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, and Team USA, visit USATF.org.

About World Championship Sports Network

World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the first programming network dedicated to capturing the athletes and international sports federation competitions from around the world. Showcasing a wide variety of global sports including, among others, track and field, gymnastics, ski jumping, fencing, and volleyball, WCSN celebrates international and domestic victories with exclusive year-round coverage. The WCSN website, www.wcsn.com, launches on July 29, 2005, with streaming video from the Exxon Mobile Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway.