Paralympics excluded from free-to-air list

By Paul Carter

A long awaited review into what live sporting events should be broadcast on free-to-air television has failed to include the Paralympic Games, Disability Now can reveal.

Under current legislation, so-called ‘crown jewel’ sporting events such as the World Cup and the Grand National are ‘protected’ events, and have to be shown on terrestrial television.

Last year the former Culture Secretary Andy Burnham ordered a review of the listing regime, to consider what sports, if any, should remain under legislative protection.

However, although the independent panel’s report has recommended that the Olympic Games be retained as a listed event, a spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed that the Paralympics would continue to be considered a separate event and therefore remain outside of the protective process.

If the proposals in the report are accepted, it again raises the possibility that the 2012 Paralympics in London could be broadcast on non-terrestrial, pay-per-view television, or even on the internet.

Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Olympics Spokesperson, called the panel’s findings “highly regrettable.”

“It would be totally unacceptable if access to the Paralympics Games was restricted to just people who can pay to watch them,” she said.

“Such a development would marginalise the Paralympic Games and be a complete betrayal of the promises that were made about the 2012 Games being fully accessible.”

The review panel was led by David Davies, a former executive director of the Football Association, supported by nine other members with a variety of sporting and broadcasting experience.

There were no people on the panel with a background in disability sport.

Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said that the government wanted to “ensure that everyone has access to the sports events that matter most to the nation.”

He said that a formal Government consultation on the report’s recommendations would be published “shortly.”

“Following the conclusion of the statutory 12 week consultation period, the Government will bring forward its final decisions," he said.