BT Sport to televise Power8 Sprints live

New and exciting sprint rowing event will be shown live on BT Sport on 22 July

BT Sport will televise live the first ever Power8 Sprints, being held on Sunday, 22 July in Bristol.

Power8 Sprints is a brand new rowing event that will see crews from eight cities go head-to-head, in a knock-out tournament, with the winners of the men’s and women’s event crowned Power8 Sprints champions.

Bristol, Cambridge, Exeter, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Oxford will all be represented by crews at the inaugural Power8 Sprints event.

Crews will race in eights – the blue riband event of the Olympic Games – over 350m, where technical skill combined with raw power will be critical to crossing the finish line first. Each race is expected to take around one minute, with high-octane rowing from start to finish.

Sports fans will be able to catch all the action live from Power8 Sprints on BT Sport from 14:30, with the men’s and women’s finals scheduled from 16:40.

BT Sport presenter Craig Doyle will present the show alongside the broadcaster’s commentator Nick Mullins. Joining them will be Olympic gold medallist Greg Searle in the commentary box. Alex Scott, Arsenal Women footballer and presenter will also join the Power8 Sprints BT Sport line-up.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “The Power 8 Sprints further enhance the range and breadth of sports that our viewers can enjoy. We look forward to adding this exciting new rowing format to our summer line up.”

Andy Parkinson, CEO of British Rowing added: “It is fantastic that BT Sport will be broadcasting Power8 Sprints live from Bristol in July. Partnering with BT Sport will help showcase this exciting new rowing event to even more sports fans, bringing them much closer to the action on the water. Fans tuning in can expect to see short, fast and dramatic racing, with plenty of close contact between the crews. It’s a rowing TV broadcast like you’ve never seen before and is an event not to be missed.”

British Rowing is also delighted to be working with industry-leading production company, Sunset+Vine, who will be producing the live TV content on behalf of British Rowing and BT Sport to create a never-seen-before rowing TV experience. Sarah Greene, Executive Producer at Sunset+Vine said: “We have really enjoyed working with British Rowing in developing Power8 Sprints for television. It’s a made-for-TV offer
with the clear aim of bringing competitive rowing to the heart of British cities. A showcase for the gladiatorial nature of head to head rowing, it will open up the sport to new audiences as well as introducing superb athletes to a wider fan base as they battle it out against the stunning backdrop of Bristol’s historic docks.”