Roger Mosey is to lead the BBC’s preparations and operations for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Mosey, the BBC’s director of sport who has overseen the Corporation’s coverage of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, will take on the new job of BBC director of London 2012. He now will take charge of what will be the biggest ever BBC production.
“London 2012 is one of the biggest events in the UK to be held in our lifetimes and requires all our focus and energy,” the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, said. “Now is the right time to take this important step in the BBC’s planning for this momentous year.
“I witnessed first hand in Beijing what is required to successfully deliver such a major broadcasting event, and we all saw the outstanding coverage by the BBC. I believe Roger Mosey is ideally placed to fulfill such a challenging and important new role.”
Mosey will step down as director of sport once a replacement has been appointed.
“While there isn’t a host broadcaster, the BBC has got to be perfect,” Guardian Media today quoted an unnamed source. “It has really got to do a job where everyone says ‘thank God for the BBC’ and we need a big figure to make this happen.”
Mosey, who has been director of sport since August 2005, has had a number of high-profile roles within the BBC – he has been editor of Radio 4’s Today programme, controller of BBC Radio 5 Live and head of BBC television news.
In his new role, he will report to the deputy director general, Mark Byford, who is chairman of the BBC-wide London 2012 steering group.
The change of role will mean Mosey will not move with the rest of the sport department to its new home in Salford in 2011. A small team, thought to be around 20 to 30 people, will stay in the capital to oversee preparations.
BBC Sport’s head of events, Dave Gordon, who co-ordinated the Beijing coverage, has also been confirmed in the role for the London Games.
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