Sir Steve Redgrave explains why he was axed from BBC Olympics punditry role

Sir Steve Redgrave has explained why the BBC snubbed him for a punditry role at this year’s Olympic Games.

A familiar face on the BBC’s Olympic coverage in years gone by, Redgrave announced in April that he wouldn’t appear on the state broadcaster in Paris this summer.

The former rower, who won five gold medals at previous Games, feared he’d be at risk of missing his first Olympics in over 40 years.

However, at the 11th hour, the BBC’s rival radio broadcaster swooped in and secured Redgrave for the upcoming event.

It means Redgrave will attend his 12th consecutive Olympics, starting the Games out in Paris and offering insight on the ground, before returning to the UK and broadcasting from talkSPORT’s London studio.

On his BBC snub, Redgrave told The Daily Mail earlier this month: “I wasn't told that I've been discontinued, but it’s sort of evolved.”

While not in attendance for the Tokyo Games three years ago, Redgrave was working as the high-performance director of the Chinese rowing team.

Ex-teammate Matthew Pinsent continued his original presenting role, while London 2012 heroine Katherine Grainger also stepped up to offer analysis on the rowing events.

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"Matt is the presenter and Katherine Grainger is the equivalent to what I was doing.

“The three of us worked together at the World Championships the year after Rio, but then they went, ‘Male-female, covered on Olympic medals, why have three?’

Later adding: “Working for China at the last Games probably didn't help matters.”

Redgrave will be part of a team broadcasting Olympics coverage on commercial radio for the first time after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the Paris 2024 rights available to purchase for the likes of talkSPORT.

The BBC will provide extensive coverage of the Games, but it won’t be exclusive.

It comes after television viewers have been told they might have to stump up extra cash for a subscription to Discovery Plus, if they wish to watch the Games this summer.

While the BBC will be televising the Olympics throughout the two-week event, much like their radio coverage it will be shared, after the IOC sold the main rights to the Olympics to Warner Bros Discovery, starting with the Tokyo Games.

It’s a gigantic step down from the BBC’s coverage of London 2012, when they had up to eight dedicated channels showing wall-to-wall action. Instead, this time around, there will be just two.