The Olympic Channel was created in 2016 and went live in August 2016 but for the past three years the International Olympic Committee didn't bother to communicate about it or do anything much to publicise its existence.
The Olympic Channel said at launch that it would have original programming, in English, and showcase content from around the world, including some live sports events, news and highlights, as well as features and documentaries about sports and athletes.
Now Olympic Channel content has been folded into SuperSport's website for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa as part of a new online section from 13 June.
The Olympic Channel content digital add is a precursor to SuperSport's TV coverage for the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games through 2024, as well as a linear Olympic Games channel packaged by SuperSport that will run for and start before the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
For the new Olympic Channel section on its website SuperSport will be making and adding existing and new locally-produced content, where documentaries and Olympic-themed content commissioned by the Olympic Channel will also be available.
News about the Olympic Games 2020 will also now be placed here, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games taking place in Dakar in Senegal in 2022.
Content in this section includes the film Apart about Odessa Swarts and her son, Wayde van Niekerk, sharing their stories about sport against the context of apartheid, as well as Africa Cycling Revolution, a series about a new generation of cyclists in Africa.
"With Tokyo 2020 just over a year away, we look forward to further developing our partnership with SuperSport across multiple platforms with the common goal of building excitement for the upcoming Olympic Games through relevant and local content that engages their audience," says Mark Parkman, the general manager of the IOC's Olympic Channel, in a quotable as part of a joint statement released on Thursday by the IOC and SuperSport.
Gideon Khobane, SuperSport CEO, says "The countdown has begun in earnest for the 2020 Olympic Games and SuperSport is determined to bring the many stories and the vibrant build-up to viewers across the African continent".
"Doing so via our popular digital platform and the Olympic Channel ensures a wide reach and will complement our linear broadcast offering".
"Our partnership with the IOC is something we cherish and we look forward to building towards the action in Tokyo, where Africa will be well represented."
The agreement between the OIC and SuperSport includes distribution in 45 territories in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa including Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Helena and Ascension, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
