NBC & Universal Sports Worlds coverage to top 100 hours

Universal Sports’  live coverage of the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships continues this week with the team event, as well as men’s and women’s giant slalom and slalom races. 

The best skiers in the world will compete for gold medals one year before the start of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games as NBC Sports and Universal Sports present over 100 hours of exclusive coverage of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Feb. 3-15 from world-famous Val d’Isère, France.Universal Sports’  live coverage of the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships continues this week with the team event, as well as men’s and women’s giant slalom and slalom races.

The best skiers in the world will compete for gold medals one year before the start of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games as NBC Sports and Universal Sports present over 100 hours of exclusive coverage of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Feb. 3-15 from world-famous Val d’Isère, France.

Coverage available to the U.S. includes live and same day broadcasts on the Universal Sports t.v. network and UniversalSports.com, plus televised coverage of the men’s and women’s downhill, airing this weekend on NBC Sports. In addition, Ski Racing editors will be posting the inside story and pictures on skiracing.com minutes after the conclusion of each race.

Held every two years, the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships showcases the talent vying to compete at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Four-time world champion Bode Miller has medaled in three World Championships, winning double gold at the 2003 and ’05 championships. Lindsey Vonn swept the final two World Cup races before the World Championships and now shares the American record for most World Cup victories (18) with Tamara McKinney. The American skiers enjoyed one of their best seasons ever in 2007-08, and Ted Ligety, Vonn and Miller are all challenging for World Cup titles in the 2008-09 season.

Veteran broadcaster Tim Ryan hosts NBC Sports and Universal Sports’ coverage from the Universal Sports studio in Los Angeles. Ryan is joined by former Canadian Ski Team member Todd Brooker and former U.S. Ski Team member Christin Cooper. Steve Porino, former U.S. Ski Team member, will provide on-site reports from Val d’Isère.

COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS: NBC will broadcast coverage of the men’s downhill and women’s super-G races on Saturday, 2-3 p.m. ET, and the women’s downhill and men’s super-G races on Sunday, 3-4:30 p.m. ET. A two-hour highlight show featuring all of the World Championship events will be broadcast Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. ET.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, available in 30 million homes, will offer more than 100 hours of coverage of the entire Alpine World Championships on its 24-hour television network, including multiple encore presentations of each race. Check the schedule below for details.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will webcast each race LIVE, and in its entirety. Races will be available on-demand after the competitions. The skiing channel on UniversalSports.com will feature updated schedules (TV and online), news, video highlights, special features, photo galleries, athlete interviews and more.

PORINO ON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: “Unlike the World Cup tour where there is always ‘next week’ the Worlds happen every two years. With all the pressure, much like the Olympics, there are always some wild surprises. You got to love that part. But the true champions always find a way.”

PORINO ON MILLER’S PLACE IN HISTORY: In over 50 years, only four skiers have won more Championship medals than Miller (four). Among them is Frenchman Jean Claude Killy. Lots of people actually compare the two. Killy also had this maverick, hair-raising style. And you talk about a star; the greater Val d’Isère region is named “Espace Killy.” It’d be like naming New York metro – DiMaggioland. Killy will be watching to see if Miller can tie his mark of six gold medals. Miller was in a class of his own on that downhill track last year, and will be a favorite this time in the super combined.”

PORINO ON MILLER WANTING TO WIN SLALOM: “The one Miller wants most is the only one he doesn’t have – the slalom. but it’s a long shot.

PORINO ON LINDSEY VONN BEING A COMPLETE SKIER: “The U.S. has never, not even close, had as complete a package going into a Worlds as they have in Lindsey Vonn. She can and has won in slalom, downhill, super-G, and super combined. And it’s not impossible she could find the podium in GS as well.”

PORINO ON VONN BEING THE BEST U.S. FEMALE SKIER EVER: I’m pretty sure that by Feb. 15, Vonn will break McKinney’s four-medal record for U.S. women. And in a year, it’s likely Vonn’s name will be the U.S. Olympic standard. But there is no question in my mind we are watching the best U.S. female skier ever. And she’s only 24.”

ABOUT Val d’ Isere: This is the first time Val d’Isère – the self-proclaimed “Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World,”– has hosted the World Championships, although they were the home of four of the five men’s events at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville (the slalom was held at Les Menuires). Val d’Isère is a regular stop on the men’s FIS World Cup circuit, usually in early to mid-December. Val d’Isère is also the birthplace of Jean-Claude Killy, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World champion alpine ski racer from the late 1960s.”

2009 FIS ALPINE WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TV AND ONLINE SCHEDULE:

NBC SPORTS SCHEDULE:
(all times ET)
Saturday, February 7
Men’s Downhill & Women’s Super-G
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Sunday, February 8
Women’s Downhill & Men’s Super-G
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 15
Highlights of all the races
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

UNIVERSAL SPORTS AND UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM SCHEDULE*:
(all times ET)
Tuesday, February 3
Women’s Super-G
7 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. (same day)
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. (encore)
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (encore)
10 p.m. – 12 a.m. (encore)

Wednesday, February 4
Men’s Super-G
5 a.m. – 7:05 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (same day)
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. (encore)
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (encore)
10 p.m. – 12 a.m. (encore)

Thursday, February 5
Men’s Downhill Training Run
5 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. (LIVE, online only)

Friday, February 6
Women’s Super Combined/Downhill
5 a.m. – 7 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (same day)
Women’s Super Combined/Slalom
8 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (same day)
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. (SC/Downhill; encore)
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (SC/Downhill; encore)
9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. (SC/Slalom; encore)
10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. (SC/Downhill; encore)
12:30 a.m. – 2 a.m. (SC/Slalom; encore)

Saturday, February 7
Men’s Downhill
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (encore of NBC broadcast)
10 p.m. – 12 a.m. (encore)

Sunday, February 8
Women’s Downhill
7 a.m. – 9 p.m. (encore of NBC broadcast)
10 p.m. – 12 a.m. (encore)

Monday, February 9
Men’s Super Combined/Downhill
4 a.m. – 6:05 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. (same day)
Men’s Super Combined/Slalom
8 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (same day)

7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (SC/Downhill; encore)
9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. (SC/Slalom; encore)
10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. (SC/Downhill; encore)

Tuesday, February 10
Men’s Super Combined
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. (SC/DH; encore)
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (SC/Slalom; encore)

Wednesday, February 11
Team Event #1
5 a.m. – 6 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (same day)
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (encore)
Team Event #2
8 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (same day)
9:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. (encore)

Thursday., February 12
Women’s Giant Slalom #1
4 a.m. – 5:45 a.m. (LIVE; online only)

Women’s Giant Slalom #2
7:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (same day)
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (encore)
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (encore)
10 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. (encore)

Friday, February 13
Men’s Giant Slalom #1
4 a.m. – 5:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
Men’s Giant Slalom #2
7:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (same day)
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (encore)
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (encore)
10 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. (encore)

Saturday, February 14
Women’s Slalom #1
4 a.m. – 5:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
Women’s Slalom #2
7:30 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (same day)
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (encore)
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (encore)
10 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. (encore)

Sunday, February 15
Men’s Slalom #1
4 a.m. – 5:40 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
Men’s Slalom #2
7:30 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. (LIVE; online only)
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (same day)
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (encore)
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (encore)
10:00 – 11:30 p.m. (encore)

UniversalSports.com will provide LIVE coverage; all events available for on-demand viewing. Universal Sports 24-hour t.v. network will provide same day coverage with multiple encore presentations

NOTE: The men’s and women’s downhill will only be available online after the NBC broadcast on Feb. 7 and 8