‘SLRC has secured exclusive rights for London Olympics’

Disna MUDALIGE

The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) has secured exclusive rights for free terrestrial, satellite, cable and radio transmissions of the London Olympic Games 2012, within Sri Lanka, SLRC chairman Mohan Samaranayake stressed.

He emphasized that SLRC has no intention of sharing these rights with another media network. He observed that the false propaganda of the Sirasa claiming that the MTV/MBC media network has acquired broadcasting rights to the forthcoming Olympics is plainly a violation of media ethics and discipline.

Samaranayake noted that this private media institution is misleading the sports persons, politicians, businessmen and the entire Sri Lankan society. He added that the SLRC would continue to seek strict legal action against this illegal move. He also noted that so far nobody from this private media network has contacted him over this matter.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the principle rights holder of the Olympic Games.

“The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia obtained the broadcasting rights for the London Olympic Games 2012 for the Asian Pacific region from IOC. The SLRC, having full membership in the ABU officially applied for broadcasting rights to the London Olympic Games, in 2008 soon after the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics. Accepting this application, the ABU awarded exclusive broadcasting rights of this event to the SLRC on December 6, 2011.”

The SLRC chairman and ABU Secretary General Dr Javad Mottaghi signed an agreement and the SLRC paid USD 35,000 for this purpose. The legal adviser to the ABU certified this agreement and we have necessary documents to prove it,”the SLRC chairman explained.

The Chairman observed that the MTV/MBC Media network has not been able to produce a legal document to prove its claim nor has it made any payment to any institution to obtain broadcasting rights. He noted that this private media network uses an email sent by ABU Sports Director John Barton to National Olympic Committee (NOC) president Hemasiri Fernando proposing to share broadcasting rights of the forthcoming Olympics among interested media institutions, to attest its claim.

The chairman revealed that John Barton had been working as a consultant for the MTV/MBC Media network, earning a wage. He also stressed that John Barton’s proposal is too late to be executed now since the SLRC had arrived at an agreement securing exclusive rights. He also said that NOC president Hemasiri Fernando also asserted that the NOC has no role to play in this issue.

The chairman observed that the SLRC is willing to discuss the proposal to form a pool of media institutions to broadcast Olympics for the next olympics, since it always respects media pluralism.