Olympics: Tv Holds Key to a Midnight 100m in London

NBC is under pressure from advertisers to broadcast the 100 meters final at peak time in the United States, raising the prospect that the 2012 event will take place after midnight London time.

Usain Bolt led the fastest 100m in history here at 10.30pm on Saturday but American viewers missed out as NBC held back its telecast by 12 hours before releasing it to viewers. At the time of the race - 10.30am in New York - the broadcaster was showing a basketball match between Spain and the US.

With NBC and the International Olympic Committee "protecting" their rights in the US - code for preventing internet access to pirate footage - it meant a tedious wait before track-and-field fans had any chance to see the race. A spokesman for NBC said: "We have an obligation to our affiliates and advertisers to show marquee sports at peak time, when the US is watching."

NBC holds a two-Games contract with the IOC worth $2.2bn (£1.18bn). That deal makes it comfortably the IOC's most important commercial partner.

A spokeswoman for London 2012 said that schedules will not be arranged for two years but admitted that "rights holders want to maximize viewership; we will work this so everyone has the best opportunity to watch."

NBC did not comment on whether it wants a post-midnight 100m final but US broadcasters routinely enforce early-hours scheduling for UK-based boxing bouts, doing the domestic audience a great disservice.No capital gains

British Gymnastics' search for the next Louis Smith, below, and a local icon for 2012 is being hampered by the closure of gym clubs across London. Without a title sponsor, BG's program aimed at taking the sport into leisure centers is meeting resistance from the operators who say it is viable only for pre-school classes paid for by middle-class parents. Although there are strong grass roots in council-run facilities in Leeds, Birmingham and Beth Tweddle's Liverpool there is such drop-off in the capital after the age of five that the program is failing there. It now seems inconceivable that the next Olympics host city can produce a home-grown medal-winner. "With the size of London's population there are probably world champions walking round just waiting to drop in to a facility," said BG's chief executive, Brian Stocks. "But the kids can't afford to participate and the gyms are miles out of town. "We need a commercial or philanthropic backer."End of a brief affair

The International Olympic Committee has given in to its host here by putting a stop to its daily press conferences. The morning briefing has been an increasingly fractious affair, with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games (Bocog) breaking pledges to respond to questions ranging from Tibet to the number of passes allocated to protesters. Now it is the IOC which has broken a promise, abandoning its offer to provide formal access to its officials and Bocog. Disappointingly, there will be only two more opportunities to address the IOC and Bocog between now and the end of the Games.

More for Romero?

Amid speculation that Rebecca Romero, only the second person in history to win medals in two disciplines at summer Games, might make another leap for London in 2012, do not rule out her participating at Sochi's winter Olympics in 2014. Having added a track-cycling gold medal to her rowing silver from Athens, Romero has entertained thoughts about taking up biathlon. Politically correct

At risk of overly name-dropping someone whose views this newspaper does not generally subscribe to, Cameron on Cameron, the book by David Cameron about - you get the gist - has at last come up with something this newspaper can certainly agree with. "My dad used to buy newspapers for the racing," said Cameron. "So sometimes they would switch to the Guardian because they had brilliant racing - lots of people still buy that newspaper for the sport. That's the way it is."