'RCTI' carries Olympic torch with special lineup<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the next five days, all eyes will turn to
\nSydney for the biggest sports event in the world. Olympic fever
\nis set to take hold.<\/p>\n
Sports fans are waiting with baited breath to see how the
\nGames turns out. Who will stand on the podium as the fastest man
\nand woman on Earth? Who will be the king and queen of the pool?<\/p>\n
Are the Williams sisters in high gear to power past the
\nopposition on the tennis court? Is boy wonder Taufik Hidayat of
\nIndonesia ready for gold in badminton? Can the Chinese
\ncontingent, already depleted by the loss of many athletes for
\nsuspected doping, save face?<\/p>\n
And which country will finish atop the medal standings?<\/p>\n
The answers may be found on private television station RCTI,
\nwhich holds the exclusive rights to the Games in the country.<\/p>\n
The station is putting on special programs during the Olympics
\nto meet local viewers' demands to find out how all their
\nfavorites, from Taufik to Marion Jones and Alexander Popov, are
\ndoing.<\/p>\n
It started its pre-Olympics programs on Aug. 15. It is also
\nbroadcasting Dari Melbourne ke Sydney (From Melbourne to Sydney),
\nreplacing the regularly scheduled Raket Mania every Sunday at 1
\np.m. (Melbourne was the host of the 1956 Olympics).<\/p>\n
Seputar Olahraga, usually shown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, has
\nbeen temporarily replaced by Indonesia and the Olympics.<\/p>\n
Major highlights of the Games will be the opening and closing
\nceremonies.<\/p>\n
Who can forget the spectacular opening of the 1992 Olympics in
\nBarcelona when the cauldron was lit by an archer from a distance
\nof more than 100 meters? Or will it be done by a famous sportsman
\nlike Muhammad Ali who, despite his debilitating Parkinson's
\ndisease, opened the Games in Atlanta four years ago?<\/p>\n
The Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG)
\nhas kept mum on who will light the cauldron. However, singers
\nOlivia Newton John, Julie Anthony and Tina Arena have been given
\nthe honor of performing at the opening ceremony, which will be
\naired live beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 15.<\/p>\n
A special 30-minute program about the Indonesia contingent
\nduring the Olympics, Indonesiana, will be broadcast from Monday
\nto Friday at 8:30 a.m., from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Hosted by the well-known comic duo of Edwin and Jodi, the show
\nwill look at the condition of Indonesian athletes during the
\nevent.<\/p>\n
Sydney 2000 will air live events daily from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.,
\ncontinued by a second session from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5
\np.m. to 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Hosted jointly by Ari Sudarsono, Dian Purba and Olan Fatah,
\nthe programming will start 30 minutes earlier on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The station's assistant producer, Herti Purba, told The
\nJakarta Post that favorites sports, especially track and field,
\nswimming and badminton, will have top priority in the
\nprogramming.<\/p>\n
For events which cannot be included in Sydney 2000, the
\nstation will feature them in a special tape-delayed show,
\nPertandingan Pilihan (Select Events), to be broadcast at 12:30
\na.m.<\/p>\n
There is also Buletin Sydney 2000, presenting a round-up of
\nresults from the 34 sports. The program will be aired from Monday
\nto Friday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"We also have one-minute segments including 'golden moments',
\n'new record', 'medal tally' and 'unforgettable moments' that will
\nbe broadcast daily and repeatedly,\" Herti said.<\/p>\n
RCTI will also invite competing athletes' family and former
\nathletes to join its Warna Warni program, where they can
\ncommunicate directly with the athletes in Sydney via satellite
\nlinkup. (yan)<\/p>",
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