Clare Balding speaks out on Olympics future as Paris 2024 team voice hopes BBC will retain rights

Clare Balding has discussed what lies ahead for her role as the main presenter for the Olympics on the BBC, following their sports coverage at the Paris 2024 games receiving a BAFTA award.

At the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, Balding expressed his enthusiasm: “I truly hope to be engaged in projects based in Los Angeles soon, and I am definitely preparing for the Winter Olympics next year. I find the work thrilling, and I relish the diversity and the challenges it offers…it’s perpetually intriguing.

She mentioned that she intends to continue with it as long as they allow her, yet admitted that ultimately, it’s not within her power to decide.

As a fervent admirer speaking here, I’d like to share insights from Alastair McIntyre, one of the dedicated editors who played a role in covering the Olympics for the BBC. He eloquently expressed the profound significance of this task to our esteemed broadcaster.

He mentioned that the Olympics hold a unique significance for the BBC as it caters exceptionally well to their mainstream viewers. In his opinion, it’s primarily about the opportunity and platform it provides.

During the 16-day Olympic games, BBC One and BBC Two broadcast more than 250 hours of live coverage, even though they no longer hold exclusive broadcasting rights for the event; instead, these rights are now shared with Discovery+.

2023 saw an agreement being made that guaranteed the BBC’s right to air the Olympics up to and including 2032.

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2025-05-12 00:54