SVT broadcasts Diamond League

The rights agreement extends over the 2024 season, SVT and TV4 will broadcast half of the competitions each over the next five seasons.

- Great Swedish championship successes in recent years have really increased the Swedish people's interest in athletics, something we see in high viewing figures in SVT1 and SVT Play. It therefore feels very good that we have now secured a long agreement around the Diamond League so our viewers can continue to enjoy world-class athletics and follow the best in their efforts against the European Championships and the World Cup, says SVT's sports director Åsa Edlund Jönsson.

Like all other sports, the Diamond League of athletics has been affected by the ongoing corona pandemic. The season was scheduled to start in May, but six of the competitions have been canceled altogether and two have been decided as show competitions. There are now preliminarily seven competitions left in the calendar, and four of these will be shown on SVT.

- They have suffered with the active people who have been preparing for a long time in uncertainty, nice that they are finally allowed to compete. It has been competed in a modified form, but this will be the first international competition that will be fairly normal and then the heart rate will be raised. Of course, I look forward to seeing Duplantis in a real showdown, says SVT's athletics expert Alhaji Jeng.

In addition to the premiere in Monaco, one of the highlights from a Swedish perspective is of course the competition at home in Stockholm, which will be decided on 23 August and will also be broadcast on SVT.

- It is gratifying that there will be a gala at Stockholm's stadium this strange year as well. There is a desire among all athletes to compete, so it can be a nice evening even with the different conditions that prevail, says Jacob Hård, SVT's athletics commentator.

SVT's broadcasts are commented on by Jacob Hård together with the expert commentators Alhaji Jeng and Kajsa Bergqvist.