Games-European Games leave British broadcasters unconvinced (Reuters)
By Alan Baldwin LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) – Britain’s leading free-to-air broadcasters expressed reservations on Thursday about the sporting merits and future prospects of next month’s inaugural European Games in Baku. More than 20 sports, 11 of them offering direct or indirect qualification for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, will be represented but top swimmers and track athletes will be absent. Speaking at a Daily Telegraph Business of Sport conference, BBC director of sport Barbara Slater sounded unconvinced about the event’s appeal to viewers in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Several federations are planning their own European sports championships for 2018, a year before the second edition of the European Games.