BBC agree deal with UKA to cover 2022 major events

At least four of the governing body’s big competitions this year will be covered by the network

UK Athletics has confirmed that BBC will be its broadcast partner for their series of 2022 events. This follows criticism last summer when a deal failed to be struck for the Müller British Athletics Championships in Manchester which meant the Olympic trials were not shown on television for the first time in years and merely streamed on the British Athletics website instead.

UKA said: “In an exciting year for the sport boasting no less than four major track and field championships, BBC Sport will bring the key UKA events to fans via a combination of network television and digital coverage on platforms including BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the red button.”

The events start next week with the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Birmingham on February 19 followed by the UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham on February 26-27.

Then, this summer, there is the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on May 21 and the Müller UK Athletics Championships in Manchester on June 24-26.

The news follows last summer’s announcement that BBC will cover the Diamond League series until 2024.

Mark Munro, interim CEO at UKA, said: “We are delighted to once again be partnering with the BBC for our 2022 major events series.

“Athletics is given a brilliant platform by BBC Sport and we’re looking forward to working with the team there to bring great athletics performances into people’s homes in the year ahead.

“The audience reach of their website, red button and iPlayer platforms coupled with the main network means our athletes’ journeys can be followed in a number of ways by fans of the sport and in this stellar year for athletics it is more important than ever to maximise the exposure that the four major track and field championships will bring.”

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