IOC shrugs off EBU protest over swimming finals

The International Olympic Committee rejected the European Broadcasting Union's protest over the schedule for the Beijing 2008 Games swimming and gymnastics finals on Wednesday, saying its decision was irreversible.

The IOC last week decided to hold the swimming finals and much of the gymnastics at the Beijing Games in the morning, to the delight of American broadcasters.

"The decision on the competition schedule for 2008 was taken by the IOC's executive Board after a thorough consultation process with all stakeholders - broadcasters, athletes, international federations - and is final," IOC Director of Communications Giselle Davies said.

The EBU, which represents public service broadcasters in Europe and neighbouring regions said on Tuesday the IOC's decision ended a tradition of staging finals in the host country's evening.

"Viewers in Europe as well as the vast majority of the global TV audience will be disadvantaged," it saidt.

Due to the time difference between Europe and China, the change means that Europeans will need to stay up very late to watch the popular swimming finals.

In China, the team and all-round individual events in the gymnastics are set for the morning, although the individual apparatus events will be contested in evening sessions.

All the track and field finals will take place in the evening with the customary exception of the marathon.

The proposed morning shift for the swimming finals had caused uproar when the news was leaked earlier this year, with some swimmers accusing the IOC of putting the interests of US broadcaster NBC before the needs of the athletes.