Jun 18, 2009, 12:20 GMT
Lausanne, Switzerland - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has renewed its broadcasting deal with the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) for coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 Summer Games.
The IOC said in a statement Thursday that ASBU will have at least 200 hours of coverage in 2016 and a daily highlight show from Sochi in 2014 in the deal covering 20 states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
'The ASBU has been the IOC's broadcast partner in the region since 1976 and has shown a great commitment to the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. We are delighted to be able to extend our partnership with the ASBU for a further four years,' IOC President Jacques Rogge said.
No financial details were given, but ASBU is expected to be paying more than 30 million dollars (21.6 million euros), an alleged increase of around 30 per cent to the previous deal.
The 2016 host city is elected by the IOC from Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro on October 2 in Copenhagen.
Your Talkback on this Story