BBC stars to have mandated 11-hour breaks between shifts for Olympics
- Working time directive states employees must have 11-hours between shifts
BBC stars will have mandated 11-hour breaks between coverage shifts at the Olympics due to France‘s strict employment laws, it has been revealed.
Lead presenters including Clare Balding and Gabby Logan will be absent from the morning coverage during the Games.
It comes as the working time directive dictates that employees must have a minimum of 11-hours between shifts.
The BBC’s coverage finishes late and athletics events begin at 9am locally, meaning the laws cannot be met with one presenter.
As a result, Jeanette Kwakye, JJ Chalmers and Hazel Irvine will front the early shows instead.
Gabby Logan told The Telegraph: ‘It’s quite a change for all of us because we are used to these really early sessions in the morning’.
It is understood that broadcasters found breaking the rules could be stopped from working.
Gabby Logan (pictured) will be absent from the morning coverage of the Olympics due to France’s strict employment laws
BBC stars will have mandated 11-hour breaks between coverage shifts at the Olympics due to France’s strict employment laws, it has been revealed
Clare Balding (pictured) will also be absent from the morning coverage but will host the evening swimming finals
At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, the presenters would clock in for their shift at 7.30am and work through to 11pm at night.
The French working time directive will apply to all BBC staff across the course of the Games, but the absence of presenting stars will be noticed by viewers.
Logan will present the evening athletics with pundits Jessica Ennis-Hill, Michael Johnson and Denise Lewis at the studio inside the Stade de France.
Clare Balding will host the evening swimming finals from La Defence Arena, with Jeanette Kwakye — a former Olympic sprinter — taking over for the morning coverage.
Logan added: ‘We are all working to those rules within the BBC. We know the French work to live. It just means we split the day up slightly differently’.
She said the rules will allow her to ‘keep her eyes across more sports’ during the day which she is excited about.
Jeanette Kwakye, JJ Chalmers and Hazel Irvine will front the early shows instead
The BBC’s Olympic presenters L-R: Fred Sirieix, Isa Guha, Hazel Irvine, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, Jeanette Kwakye, JJ Chalmers, Laura Kenny
Presenter Hazel Irvine will take over the afternoon shifts before the prime-time coverage by either Balding at the swimming or Logan at the athletics.
A highlights programme on BBC One from 10.40pm will be presented by Mark Chapman and Isa Guha.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games promises to be a breathtaking spectacle, taking place along the iconic River Seine in Paris.
Athletes from around the world will make a grand entrance by boat, with fans lining the riverbanks to witness the historic event.
