With the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro now just 130 days away, NBC has announced this summer’s Games will see the most number of hours of U.S. Olympic Trials coverage ever.
76 total hours of coverage, with more than 60 of those occurring during primetime, is included in NBC’s coverage, an amount which surpasses that of the 67.5 number of hours broadcast ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Coverage begins with the U.S. Olympic wrestling trials, which begin next week, with diving, swimming, gymnastics and track and field also included in the robust line-up. All of the events listed on NBC and NBCSN below will also be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.
Below is the just-releasted Trials coverage schedule from NBC:
| Date | Sport | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| 4/9/2016 | Wrestling | Freestyle, Greco-Roman Finals | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| 4/10/2016 | Wrestling | Freestyle, Greco-Roman Finals | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. |
| 5/8/2016 | Rowing | Finals | NBCSN | 5 p.m. |
| 5/22/2016 | Water Polo | U.S. men, women vs. Australia | NBCSN | 4 p.m. |
| 6/18/2016 | Diving | Synchro Semifinals | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| 6/19/2016 | Diving | Synchro Semifinals | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| 6/20/2016 | Diving | Individual Semifinals | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| 6/21/2016 | Diving | Individual Semifinals | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| 6/22/2016 | Diving | Synchro Finals | NBCSN | 9 p.m. |
| 6/23/2016 | Diving | Men’s Synchro Platform | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Gymnastics | Men’s Trials | NBCSN | 8:30 p.m. | |
| 6/25/2016 | Diving | Men’s Springboard | NBC | 4:30 p.m. |
| Diving | Women’s Platform | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Gymnastics | Men’s Trials | NBC | 9 p.m. | |
| 6/26/2016 | Diving | Women’s Springboard | NBC | 4:30 p.m. |
| Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 6 p.m. | |
| Diving | Men’s Platform | NBC | 7 p.m. | |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| 6/27/2016 | Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| 6/28/2016 | Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| 6/29/2016 | Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| 6/30/2016 | Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| 7/1/2016 | Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
| Swimming | Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Track | Men’s Shot Put, 10,000m Finals | NBC | 9 p.m. | |
| 7/2/2016 | Track | Women’s 10,000m, Long Jump Finals | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| Swimming | Qualifying Heats | NBCSN | 5 p.m. | |
| Track | Decathlon | |||
| Swimming | Finals | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| 7/3/2016 | Swimming | Finals | NBC | 7 p.m. |
| Track | Men’s, Women’s 100m, 400m Finals | |||
| 7/4/2016 | Track | 800m, Men’s Pole Vault | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| 7/7/2016 | Track | Women’s Steeplechase, Shot Put | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| 7/8/2016 | Track | Men’s 1500m, 100m Hurdles Semifinals | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
| Track | 100m Hurdles, Steeplechase Finals | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Gymnastics | Women’s Trials | NBC | 9 p.m. | |
| 7/9/2016 | Track | Men’s 110m Hurdles, 200m, 5000m | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| 7/10/2016 | Track | 1500m, Women’s 200m | NBC | 7 p.m. |
| Gymnastics | Women’s Trials | NBC | 8:30 p.m. | |
| 7/18/2016 | Field Hockey | U.S. Women vs. India | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
Will there be 3D coverage?
So excited to be competing at my first OTs! Just wondering, knowing I’m not going to final (lol), will there be a place for athletes to watch finals?—I don’t particularly want to pay for a meet I’m swimming in 😉
Rowdy is the absolute best announcer for swimming ..I love his knowledge, enthusiasm, and his love of this sport comes through the screen!
Dont diss on Rowdy too much. Everyone in the business misses a call from time to time and to a swim geek he can say things that make you wonder aloud but he’s a great guy and a wonderful ambassador for our sport. He is very good at explaining to the average viewer what is obvious to a swimmer or coach. I love his enthusiasm and energy.
I agree, and he’s really good at explaining concepts that are second nature to us swimmers but which are foreign to the general viewership. I also think that it’s a lot harder than it looks.
I don’t think anyone is doubting Rowdy’s positive role as a swimming ambassador. However, I’m not alone when I say that I believe that there newer and fresher people who are more than capable of providing informative TV color commentary (e.g., Mel, Garrett). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Phelps get the job after 2016.
Was Rowdy calling ’em back in ’88 and ’92? If so, it’d be interesting to hear what he said about your races. One thing we know for sure that he DIDN’T say: “Berkoff’s breathing to his right.”
(BTW: I met you back in 1987 at a US Swimming pre-Olympic camp in Honolulu (I was a speaker). At that time you and your coach were just… Read more »
Based on his interview performances, I can only imagine Phelps being way worse than Rowdy on the calls.
1988 had John Naber and 1992 was Mike O’Brien. Believe me. Rowdy is waaaaay better than those two.
Jaybirde, the last 2 trials there was a free live webcast of the prelims on the USA swimming website.
I think it will be the case this year too.
Way more annoying than Rowdy or lane line color is the zooming in on specific lanes rather than just showing the entire field the best they can… I know swimmers get spread out sometimes, but lots of people are watching to not just see the leader. The focus of the camera person should be how can I keep the entire field showing if at all possible. Don’t zoom in, don’t show the crowd or the coaches, don’t show from the block end, etc. while a swim is going on.
Especially with Ledecky, it’s more fun to see how far ahead of the rest of the field she is. Zooming in too much robs us of context!!
I know this is off-topic, but any update on the Mens NCAA pick’em contest?
Suck it up years of plains suck. Is it really hard to keep track of 8 or 10 swimmers? For any swim fan worth their salt,you should be able to identify the swimmer by their stroke.