US $ 23 million was not enough for British BSI / IMG to secure a 10-year extension of the rights to operate the World Cup speedway. At this weekend's summit in Monaco, the international motoring union FIM chose Discovery to take over the grandprix series and hold the World Cup from 2022 to 2031.
By Ib Søby
What Discovery has been giving out to FIM has not been disclosed, but apparently the International Motor Union has also had other aspects included in the change from BSI / IMG to Discovery.
According to Polish sources & #8211; close to FIM management & #8211; It has been very important that with the ownership of Eurosport, Discovery has a global TV platform and know-how in relation to the production of TV sports. Another argument is that Discovery will expand the Grand Prix series to more departments outside Europe. It is a project that BSI / IMG, despite several tedious attempts, has never really been successful.
The Grandprix World Cup series ran this year for the 25th time since the 1995 changeover from the one-day finals. The first years it was the Danish speedway legend Ole Olsen who arranged the series, in collaboration with Nordisk Film and TV. In 1999, British Benfield Sport came on the field, led by John Postlethwaite. In that direction - with Ole Olsen as race director - the visions emerged sharper tournament formats and with grand prix races at large stadiums, such as Cardiff and the Park in Copenhagen. World Championships have also been run in Australia and New Zealand on several occasions, with financial losses as a result.
Discovery Inc. is a giant in the global media market. In recent years, the company has upgraded its ownership of international sports rights such as the Olympic Games and the PGA Golf Tour.
