RTE to average 17 hours a day

RTE yesterday unveiled details of their extensive television coverage of the Sydney Olympic Games, which begin two weeks from today with the opening ceremony on September 15th.

With an average of 17 hours coverage a day, the station plans to provide a range of broadcasts throughout the day to suit both the 10-hour time-difference with Sydney and the peak-viewing times in Ireland.

The focus of the latter will be Today in Sydney, broadcast from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each evening, which will look back on the day's action of the Games, including news and medal updates from Sydney. Bill O'Herlihy - a veteran of the last six Olympic Games with RTE - will present the programme, along with co-host Sharon Monaghan, who will cover internet and email aspects of the night-time coverage.

That will be followed each night by Talking Sydney (10.30 p.m. to midnight), a discussion-based programme also chaired by O'Herlihy which will feature a variety of sporting names and past Olympians including Gary O'Toole, Eamonn Coghlan, John Treacy, Sean Kelly and Mick Dowling.

The first televised live action, however, will feature in All Night Sydney (midnight to 7.0 a.m.), where presenter Tracy Piggott will take viewers through the variety of sporting action as it unfolds live from Sydney.

Those sessions will then be reviewed in Good Morning Sydney from 7 a.m to 9 a.m., with presenters Michael Lyster and Flor McCarthy reviewing the night's action as well as providing regular Olympic reports. Finally, the evening sessions in Sydney will be covered by Sydney Live, where host Tom McGurk will feature the live coverage of the majority of the athletic and swimming finals.

In addition, there will be extensive coverage on RTE radio as well as their website (www.rte.ie/olympics), Aertal and daytime news bulletins. "These Olympics will crown a very busy summer of sport on RTE," said deputy head of sport Niall Cogley.

"But they are the biggest sporting events in the world and through television, radio and online services, we will be providing comprehensive coverage of all events."