Belarus’ TV may be unable to broadcast Olympics for 10 years

January 17, BPN. Belarusian television may not be able to broadcast the Olympic Games for the next 10 years.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled on January 16 to handed over the exclusive rights to broadcast four next Olympics (2026-2032) in Europe to Warner Bros. Discovery and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

In July 2021, the EBU suspended membership of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company (BSTRC) after it broadcast a controversial interview with jailed blogger Raman Pratasievič.

Before that, Pavieł Łatuška, one of the opposition leaders and the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM), asked the EBU to investigate the involvement of Belarusian TV in torture over videos featuring arrested and beaten people.

Earlier, FIFA, the international soccer governing body that holds the World Cup, granted the 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights to the EBU. As a result, the BSTRC was not given a license to broadcast the World Cup in Qatar.