Events in each of the five aquatic disciplines FINA represents - swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, open water swimming, and water polo - will be featured on all outlets, with WCSN.com providing live exclusive coverage of the swimming events and final water polo matches online. The FINA World Championships are held every two years and 2007's event is anticipated to be the largest ever, consisting of approximately 2,000 competitors from 175 nations, more than the aquatic events at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
"We are excited to partner with FINA, USA Swimming, and FSN to bring this incredible competition to the U.S. audience for the first time," said WCSN CEO Claude Ruibal. "Via FSN's 80 million homes and WCSN's exclusive coverage and online reach, this is a great opportunity for fans to follow these world class athletes in competitions that are typically among the Olympics' most popular."
Fox Sports Net (FSN)
Fox Sports Net's regional stations will launch its World Championship coverage on March 25 with a one hour highlight show and continue through April 1, featuring top highlights and recaps from the day's events. The World Championships are an important stop for athletes rigorously training for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games. U.S. athletes hope to repeat the success of the last World Championships, which garnered the team 39 total medals, including 17 gold, the most of any nation. Audiences will be able to watch top swimmers such as Michael Phelps, Ian Crocker, Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff as well as the women's water polo team try to improve on their silver medal in 2005, who all represent the U.S. in what promises to be an intense two weeks of competition."FSN is pleased to expand its reach into the international sports scene with the telecast of the FINA World Championships," said Josh Oakley, FSN Acquisitions Manager. "Our partnership with WCSN promises to provide U.S. swimming fans with numerous memorable moments from this tremendous competition."
Swimmer Blogs
In addition to producing the event for TV and the Web, WCSN is also launching several interactive features and promotions. WCSN.com will offer exclusive behind-the-scenes blogs from U.S. swimmers Tara Kirk, Cullen Jones and Kate Ziegler, discussing first-hand accounts of their experiences in Melbourne. The rising star athletes will continue to contribute blogs throughout the year as they all prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games.Results
Fans will also enjoy easy access to the latest news and world records from Melbourne via text messages on their mobile phones, conveniently getting alerts and current results wherever they are. In addition to USA Swimming, WCSN is working with USA Diving, USA Water Polo, US Synchronized Swimming and US Aquatic Sports to further generate buzz and cross promote awareness of these competitions and athletes across these disciplines."We at USA Swimming are very pleased that WCSN will be carrying the FINA World Championships this March, and we will do everything we can to support their endeavors," said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming's executive director. "This event will showcase the best swimmers in the world on an international stage, will highlight intense rivalries and, of course, will feature some very fast swimming. We look forward to working together with FINA and WCSN to bring the biggest swimming event of the year to fans across the United States."
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN)
On WCSN.com, fans can follow their favorite athletes through additional hours of exclusive coverage available on the broadband site via a $4.95 monthly subscription fee. WCSN.com will also have complete live and on-demand video footage plus free access to medal counts, news, results, photo galleries, behind-the-scenes features and more. Broadcast schedules of all live and on-demand events can be found at WCSN.com. Fans can also contact their local cable operator to get more details on the WCSN television channel. Check local listings for airing times on Fox Sports Net.About International Federation of Swimming (FINA): The "Fédération Internationale de Natation" (FINA) was founded in London (GBR) on July 19, 1908 and is the world governing body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Synchronised Swimming, Open Water Swimming, and Masters movement (in these five aquatic disciplines). In 2007, under the presidency of Mustapha Larfaoui, FINA comprises 194 National Member Federations in the five continents.
About USA Swimming: USA Swimming is the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States. As such, USA Swimming is the official representative to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and to the Federation Internationale de Natation or FINA. In this role, USA Swimming is responsible for organizing and training the U.S. Swim Team for international competition including the FINA World Championships and the Olympic Games. The USA Swimming national headquarters is located at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Co.
About World Championship Sports Network (WCSN): World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in depth access to sports news and information. WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines.
