S4C Sport
S4C has the rights to many sporting events, which it covers in the Welsh language.
Coverage
Rugby Union
S4C's rugby coverage has been at the heart of the Saturday evening schedule for over a decade. S4C has joint rights, along with BBC Cymru Wales and Sky Sports, to broadcast matches from the Pro 12, which it does under the Clwb Rygbi brand. Matches are generally shown on Sunday afternoons, and involve where possible at least one Welsh regional team. S4C also have the rights to live matches from the conclusion of the SWALEC Cup and the Principality Premiership at club level, as well as the Welsh Autumn Internationals and Six Nations at international level. Highlights of the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup, as well as the French Top 14 are also shown. BBC Cymru Wales produces most of the sporting coverage on S4C, as part of obligation to provide several hours of Welsh-language programming each week. In the past, the channel has shown action from the Welsh Premiership and Welsh-Scottish League.
Rugby League
S4C began its second foray into rugby league in June 2007, when they broadcast four Celtic Crusaders matches live starting with the home match against Barrow Raiders on Saturday 9 June 2007. The Crusaders are Wales' only professional rugby league club. The only other time that S4C have screened the 13-man code was when they showed all three of Wales' 1995 Rugby League World Cup matches where the Dragons progressed to the semi-final stage. These matches will be part of the first individual club deal with a television company in rugby league. However, since the Crusaders selection for the Super League competition, this coverage has now ceased.
Association Football
S4C broadcasts highlights of the Welsh Premier League every Saturday night usually after the rugby coverage. The channel also shows live matches from the Welsh Premier League, Welsh Cup, and highlights of Welsh internationals, as Sky Sports have the rights to live coverage. There is also coverage of selected European ties involving Welsh clubs. Coverage is shown under the Sgorio Cymru brand.
The channel also shows Sgorio, which broadcasts highlights of games from Serie A, Bundesliga and Premiera Liga. The programme is broadcast on Tuesday nights, usually at 22:00.
For the 2010/11 season, S4C will broadcast live Saturday afternoon clashes from the Welsh Premier League, as well as a results service covering football from the English League Pyramid and the rest of the Welsh club matches.
Harness Racing
S4C broadcast action from harness race meetings during the summer in Rasus, broadcast on Monday nights. The programme usually consists of live coverage from meetings at Tir Prince Raceway in Towyn and the Amman Valley Trotting Club in Tairgwaith. Live coverage of the annual two-day Tregaron festival is also broadcast as well as highlights programmes from meetings at Aberystwyth, Caersws and Boughrood.
Rallying
Due to the Wales Rally GB, S4C bid for and won rights to broadcast highlights from each event of the World Rally Championship. Coverage is shown the Thursday after the event.
Cricket
From 2010, S4C will introduce coverage of county cricket from Glamorgan, including 5 live matches from the counties' Twenty20 matches and highlights from all other games. Live coverage will also include action from the newly formed Welsh Village Cup.
Sport 2000 sizzle reel
In 2000, S4C launched a promotional branding for a new season of sport coverage in the new millennium, it featured a ancient history theme with Welsh sport personalities and presenters, known as gods and goddesses stripped bare to re-creating classic works of sizzling Greek and Roman art masterpieces.
- Chris Wyatt struck the famous Discobolus pose.
- Colin Charvis as muscular Atlas with the world on his both sweat and shoulders.
- Lowri Pugh as naked Cleopatra doing a smooth massage with a sensuous erotic tone.
- Eleri Siôn sizzles for the monumental sculpture The Kiss by Auguste Rodin.
- Ray Gravell as Adam and Wyn Gruffydd as God relaxing in his both hands from Michelangelo’s masterpiece, The Creation of Adam.
- Amanda Protheroe Thomas re-created a scene for Botticelli’s painting, The Birth of Venus.
Among the other personalities taking part were rugby players Shane Williams and Matt Cardy, cricketers Robert Croft, Matthew Maynard and Steve James, and jockey Hywel Davies.
On 29 June 2001, the Sport 2000 promotional film has won three silver awards in the "Best In-House Promo" at the world Promax Awards ceremony in Miami, Florida, it was directed by Rhys Evans of S4C’s Marketing Department and co-produced by Luned Whelan and Rhian Evans.
