大象传媒

Thanks for your comments to my post of last week. Inside Sport's second series is nearly here, as it returns on Monday, 3 September at 2305 on 大象传媒 ONE.

If you look on the page on the 大象传媒 Sport website, you'll be able to see a sneak preview of our first big . The whole interview is a fascinating watch. Lawrence talks not just about what he calls his "addiction" to rugby, but also the tragic death of his sister, who died in the , and the effect that it had on his life and family.

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A number of people have asked how football coverage is divided among the broadcasters. Until this season, any part of any Premier League match you saw anywhere in the world would have been covered either by the 大象传媒 or or, between 2001 and 2004, by or Sky. Now the pictures all come from one of three sources: the 大象传媒, Sky or .

This is how it works: on Premier League weekends, Sky pick two or three live games which are moved to Saturday lunchtime, Sunday at 4pm and, most weekends, to an early afternoon slot on Sunday. Setanta move a live game to Saturday teatime, and on some weekends another to Monday evening, or, as in the case of last weekend, to a Sunday early afternoon slot.

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With all the pre-event hype, controversy and criticisms of the bodies that run the sport - even the 大象传媒, undeservedly we think, was a target - it's been great to see the real action take centre stage.

It has been a busy weekend for our teams in Osaka and London, with many impressive performances to feature and stories of success and failure to report.

Congratulations in particular to Britain's sole medal winner , and the six athletes who have so far achieved top-eight-in-the-world status - Jo Pavey, Jessica Ennis, Marlon Devonish, Phillips Idowu, Nicola Sanders and Christine Ohuruogu.

Only two more medals and seven more top eight finishers to reach the target for the championships set by !

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The season already feels like it鈥檚 several months old. The November-like weather (in London at least) may have something to do with it, or perhaps it's just that the games are coming thick and fast.

Full league programmes at the weekends, last midweek and just gone.

I likened pre-season friendlies to listening to opera singers gargle the other week, and while , the only really important result this midweek was the one which took Northern Ireland back into a Euro 2008 qualifying position.

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I know it's been a lousy summer, but you can bet the sun will be shining at 1500 BST on Saturday - in North London at least.

That's because it's back, after an eight-year gap, at its spiritual home - Wembley. And any rugby league fan will tell you the sun always shines on this day, well ever since the famous "Water splash" final of 1968 anyway.

Forget the cost, forget that it's still a mess outside, forget that there's no parking, forget that it's seven quid for fish and chips, the north will descend on this hallowed venue with a communal smile to walk up , raise voices for "" and cheer the homespun heroes of the world's greatest game for 80 minutes that will not disappoint.

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New York, LA, London, Moscow, Sydney鈥ver the next three months, David Beckham is embarking on a world tour which Posh and the rest of the Spice Girls would be proud of.

Take the middle of October for example: four crucial games in nine days, travelling across 20 time zones, more than 24 hours in the air and barely the chance to draw breath - let alone recover - in between.

Beckham is going to be doing more flying than Superman. And the fear for Steve McClaren and England is that American soccer鈥檚 newest super hero is heading for a fall.

Is it really tenable for a 32-year-old to play in Minnesota, then London, then Moscow and 33 hours later back in Los Angeles - all in the space of nine days (October 10th to 18th)?

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Hello everyone, and welcome to the first Inside Sport blog of the new series. For those who haven鈥檛 yet clocked it, we return on Monday, 3 September, 2305 BST on 大象传媒 ONE.

I know a lot of you wondered whether the show could run in an earlier slot but, as I think I said, it鈥檚 not a decision for me and I really hope you will continue to stay up and watch the programme whatever time it鈥檚 on.

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is a massive multi-player online role player game ( to use the jargon) which has apparently been more than two years in the making and is costing several million euros.

A closed beta version is due to be launched at this weekend's annual in Leipzig with a public beta said to be going live before the end of the year.

I鈥檓 not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination (I quit when I found myself dreaming in the character of ) so don't take this as any kind of expert view.

But for what it鈥檚 worth, I think I may have seen the future 鈥� and I can鈥檛 work out if it is very exciting, or very scary.

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The is always a great sporting spectacle and promises to be no different. We'll savour some epic confrontations, to glory and watch the emergence of those set to dominate in the future. However, our enjoyment will always be affected, to a greater or lesser extent, by the performance of British athletes on the global stage, and it has to be said that the omens are not good.

Nobody can accuse of not being ambitious and they have set a target for the team of 14 finalists (top eight) and three medals. However, that has to be achieved by a team badly affected by injuries and without potential medal prospects such as . The team have been acclimatising in at the preparation camp which the will use next year for many of the sports, including athletics. As I was able to see for myself recently, facilities are very good and, most importantly, the high heat and humidity are very similar to the weather the athletes will encounter in Japan.

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We hope you have been enjoying watching the . It's great to be able to offer lots of new video content on the 大象传媒 Sport site every week.

But we have had several e-mails today asking why the on Saturday isn't already available on our site.

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Three weeks to the World Cup and the waiting is over for players, with the final squads announced by coaches earlier this week.

The choices of England boss Brian Ashton have made the most headlines. Four years ago Clive Woodward's squad in Australia were quickly tagged because of their age - and took great delight in ramming the name back down the throats of local scribes .

, announced on Monday, actually has a higher average age than four years ago. Chris Rattue, of the , has been quick on the uptake here saying that if four years ago it was 鈥淒ad's Army鈥�, England will be sending the cast of "Last of the Summer Wine" to France next month.

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Challenging is probably the kindest way to describe the next 12 months for the (IOC). By this time next year, we will know whether their decision to award the was a masterstroke - or hopelessly misguided.

When Jacques Rogge took on the IOC's top job some six years ago, he was well aware of the controversy surrounding that decision. But over the coming weeks and months, as Rogge's Beijing in-tray bulges, the spotlight on China's capital city will only intensify.

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I'm the Disability Executive looking after our multi media disability coverage across Television, Radio and Online. It's my responsibility to promote Paralympics/disability events, features and stories across the 大象传媒.

I always knew I wanted to be involved in sport and that I wanted to work for the 大象传媒. I had an idea which turned into reality when I joined the 大象传媒 Sports Department at 18.

A few years ago I was looking at jobs in the 大象传媒 and felt there was a gap in the market. I felt we needed to improve the coverage of disability sport on the 大象传媒.

It came off the back after the Sydney Paralympics and the lack of ramp for Tanni Grey-Thompson at the 大象传媒 Sports Personality awards. It was a real opportunity to make progress.

The role was to coordinate multi-media coverage and improve it by looking for new faces, new stories and new people. We cover disability sporting events - preview and review them, and bring new names and faces to the public.

The Disability online site was born from that and has been successful and award-winning. It's home for all Paralympic sports across the world. The aim is to raise awareness and look at different sports and be a provider for news stories as and when they happen.

Disability sport needed, and still does, a dedicated person to push it. It's one of the many minority sports and it's up to the small team and myself to make it newsworthy and bring attention to the stories/personalities.

Our television coverage has increased during the past years with more comprehensive coverage of the Paralympics, the introduction of the Paralympic World Cup from Manchester, and the integration of disability sport into events such as Wimbledon and the London Marathon.

With radio we try to get more coverage on Five Live. If there's a story/event then there are opportunities during the daytime and evening shows. Disability sport coverage should be on, just as an able-bodied sport would be. With the 大象传媒's many outlets it's important to tell the story across Radio 4, Children's TV, the World Service, 大象传媒 News and the local Regions to name just a few.

I used to compete for GB in wheelchair table tennis. I played at the World and European Championships but just missed out on being selected to participate at the Paralympics. Although I was working on our coverage of the Sydney Paralympics here in London, I was delighted to be part of our successful team in Athens and am looking forward to Beijing.

Outside of work I live with my teenage daughter Emma and naturally have a keen sporting interest. I am a season ticket holder at the Valley following the fortunes of Charlton and am Chairman of Charlton Athletic Disabled Supporters Association.

Cricket and Rugby are my other favourite sports and one of my most memorable sporting moments was watching England win the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. I am also playing a bit of wheelchair tennis and enjoy swimming.

After an all too brief summer break, the MotoGP circus is back on the road and heading for the Czech Republic. The team have scattered around the world and will be re-grouping at Heathrow early on Thursday morning.

Since I last wrote we have had the news that . It鈥檒l be fantastic to have a British rider back on the grid and the bike should be much more competitive next year. We鈥檒l be hearing from James and catching up with his new team boss Herve Poncharal at .

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When I joined 大象传媒 Sport, we had a show called which ran every Wednesday night throughout the winter. It sometimes showed boxing or snooker, but most weeks we were frantically editing highlights of football: England and other home nations' internationals, FA Cup replays, and European club competitions were all given their first airing on Sportsnight. It seems incredible looking back, but none of those games were shown live anywhere in those days.

So, we were the only outlet for any of it, and the rapid turnaround made for some unbelievably hairy nights in the videotape area. Today, we have a rare chance to relive those days with an (2240 BST, 大象传媒 ONE and UK broadband simulcast) for the midweek Premiership action. Six games are being played on the night, and we'll round-up last night's game, too.

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The start of the new season saw a new look for the 大象传媒鈥檚 televised football coverage, with Match of the Day, Football Focus and Final Score now all being presented from the same brand-new set. And the pre-season optimism of executive producer Jim Irving seems to have been well-justified, judging by the overwhelming majority of your comments:

鈥淚t looks fresh and more sophisticated鈥�

鈥淣ice new studio 鈥� well done!鈥�

鈥淩eally like the new set鈥�

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As I promised last week we can bring you some .

Our researcher Zak Oomer, did a fantastic job of getting players and managers all around the country to take part.

In the video linked above, you鈥檒l see the likes of Aaron Lennon, Bobby Zamora, Kevin Doyle and others in a studio surrounded by green walls.

The reason for all the green is so we can cut the players out using a sophisticated computer programme and place them in a three-dimensional world that we鈥檝e created for the new titles.

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As summer finally seems to have replaced the monsoons across the country, the autumn rugby union international season has arrived in the northern hemisphere, which comes early this year due to the forthcoming . The prize is huge for the players, with places in the final squad of 30 for each country in the World Cup confirmed after this weekend.

大象传媒 TV cameras will be

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Pre-season friendlies, even the Community Shield, are football's equivalent of watching opera singers gargle. This weekend the opening night curtain goes up and the Premiership will be in full voice. I could carry on in this vein, with talk of penalty arias and putting a tenor on the first goalscorer, but you'd probably prefer to read something about the return of this weekend.

My colleague Jim Irving wrote last week about our new-look set and graphics.

Editor's UPDATE 3pm 10/08/07: Jim has posted a link to a behind-the-scenes clip showing the new titles being made.

It's three years since the MOTD Premiership highlights came back and with this season marking the start of a new contract, it was time for an update. The titles have been revamped and have been given a private unveiling this week.

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At we鈥檇 like your help to find Britain鈥檚 deadliest finisher. It鈥檚 often been said that the likes of Alan Shearer and Robbie Fowler 鈥榢now where the back of the net is鈥�. That they are born with an instinctive ability to score. Can that really be true? Well, this season we鈥檝e decided to try our best to check it out, by getting players to take penalties. Blindfolded.

The way you can help is by letting us know who you think is the most gifted finisher at your club. Please leave your suggestions at the bottom of this blog. We鈥檒l get in touch with as many players as we can and go to any club in Britain that will have us! We鈥檝e already visited a couple of league sides including Championship newcomers .

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Beijing - As our plane begins its descent from bright blue sky thousands of feet in the air through the clouds into Beijing's Capital Airport, I鈥檓 excited at the prospect of my fourth visit to China and a chance to see what progress had been made since my last visit in February.

The aircraft makes that familiar bump as the wheels hit the runway 鈥� but to my disappointment, visibility on the ground is barely a few hundred metres; it is grey and dull. I get out of the airport into the polluted atmosphere that has unfortunately become all too familiar on previous visits.

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London - So, a year from now we will be licking our lips at the prospect of the start of the Olympics (or , depending on your point of view).

In fact, the Games will already be under way as the Olympic football tournament .

Brits have not had a team to cheer since 1960 (thanks to the petty politics of the home nations鈥� football associations) but that will hopefully change by 2012 鈥� and .

Next year however, I am predicting a lot more people in this country will be watching the football 鈥� mainly because of the fantastic rights portfolio we have, coupled with the time difference.

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After 13 short weeks, and our interactive service Score return this Saturday, for what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons across the board in recent years.

As you will know from reading Paul Armstrong's recent blog, all 大象传媒 Sport's studio output will now come from a single set within Television Centre. A video wall and coloured perspex panel will give each programme its own feel.

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It seems like no time at of the 2006/07 Premier League season... and already the wait is nearly over. And with the new campaign comes a new look for and Match of the Day 2.

We've made various changes, some subtle, some more obvious than others. The first change you鈥檒l probably notice is a new set of titles for both programmes. Gone are the badges emerging from stadiums across the country - the new titles include some of the Premier League鈥檚 biggest names.

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Over the last month viewers, listeners and readers have witnessed the best golfers in the world strut their stuff over the finest golf courses anywhere, all of them in Scotland. From the to and last week鈥檚 - all produced memorable action and mighty champions.

Time to step aside chaps, this week all the attention turns to the (WBO), and for a number of very good reasons. It鈥檚 not just the quality of play nor the characters involved that make this year鈥檚 championship a must watch, it鈥檚 the historic element of being the first championship for women professionals to be played at the "Home of Golf"鈥�. - scene of 26 Open championships, and numerous other professional men鈥檚 tournaments.

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