Teams with IAAF to feature world-class track & field events throughout the year

Athletes prepare and train for years before participating in the Olympics, but fans have only had minimal ways to keep track of their progress. Having to get updates through brief digest in the local paper, wire service reports, or text alerts, fans especially in the United States are especially underserved by traditional media outlets that do not provide comprehensive coverage of Olympic sports. World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), however, is changing this concept giving unprecedented access and an immersive experience to the millions of fans around the world throughout the year. With its expanding reach and distribution online at www.wcsn.com and on its 24/7 cable network, WCSN TV and weekly syndicated series, WCSN gives fans the opportunity to follow these sports and the athletes around them.

WCSN delivers extensive coverage of major competitions and events in Olympic and lifestyle sports. Providing live and on-demand coverage for over 60 sports disciplines ranging from track & field, swimming, gymnastics and cycling to skiing, martial arts, rowing and table tennis, WCSN is bringing fans closer to the action and the stories behind the competitors than ever before. This year alone, the company will feature more than 300 World Cup, 60 World Championship and 50 Grand Prix events from around the world.

WCSN works with the international federations and national governing bodies of all these sports, forging partnerships and licensing deals to broadcast tournaments and competitions during the season. WCSN has signed partnerships with 28 of the 35 international federations and works closely with numerous national governing bodies to further promote and create excitement for their respective sport. Additionally, the company builds relationships with community organizations, clubs and associations on a local level to promote their sports offerings as well as through sponsorships online and through traditional publications.

Recently, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) agreed to a multiyear deal giving WCSN broadcast rights to world-class competitions and major tournaments throughout the season. WCSN has already featured the IAAF Super Grand Prix last month from Doha, Qatar and events from the IAAF World Athletics Tour on WCSN's Track & Field section (www.wcsn.com/trackandfield) . With on-demand highlights and events available for the user's convenience in addition to exclusive features like interviews with runner Asafa Powell and sprinting legend Carl Lewis, WCSN is a valuable resource to get in-depth information and features about track & field. Highlighting the season will be exclusive coverage of the IAAF World Championships, which will be streamed live from Osaka, Japan later this year. One of the major events of the season, the World Championships are a likely indicator of what to expect from the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

"We're excited to deliver the IAAF outdoor season to U.S. fans for the third year as WCSN continues its commitment in providing quality content to our audience," said WCSN CEO and chairman Claude Ruibal."The World Championships in Athletics was the very first event broadcast on WCSN.com back in 2005, so we're thrilled to have broadened our coverage of track & field events, distribution over multiple platforms, and our relationship with IAAF and USA Track & Field over the years. We're pleased both organizations recognize us as a premier distribution outlet that will showcase these competitions from around the world all season long as it's an incredible way for fans to follow these amazing athletes as they compete and prepare for the Summer Olympic Games."

Consistent with promoting the caliber of the sports WCSN celebrates, the company also has distribution deals with numerous companies delivering high quality segments and highlights from WCSN content library. Having signed deals with renowned brands like Yahoo! Sports, YouTube, AOL Video and Break as well as with companies using next-generation platforms like Joost, WCSN is leveraging current popular trends and the latest in technology to continue to advance all the Olympic and lifestyle sports it covers. WCSN has also teamed up with Fox Sports Net to cover the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Swimming Championships and even Sirius Satellite Radio for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Ice Hockey Championships.

The WCSN site is run in partnership with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which assists in daily operations and event streaming. Fans can get uninterrupted and complete access to the WCSN Website via a $4.95 monthly subscription (or $49.95 annual) and get free access to results, breaking news, behind-the-scenes interviews, photo galleries, blogs and other features.

LINKS

WCSN's Track & Field section
www.wcsn.com/trackandfield

WCSN Video
web.wcsn.com/media/index.jsp

WCSN Athlete Blogs
wcsnblogs.com/home.php

WCSN video highlights can also be found on the following partner websites:
www.youtube.com/wcsn
http://video.aol.com/wcsn
www.break.com/wcsn