SPORTS5 to air Team Phl quest

MANILA, Philippines - SPORTS5, the sports arm of TV5, will deliver a comprehensive coverage of the London Games opening ceremonies live on Saturday at 4 a.m. (Manila time) with replay on AKTV at 12 noon.

Eleven Filipino athletes will go all out for podium finishes in a bid to end a 16-year medal drought in the quadrennial games with boxer Mark Anthony Barriga heading the leanest Phl roster since the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

SPORTS5 covers their exploits through its available platforms, including free TV channels TV5, AksyonTV and AKTV and pay TV channel Hyper along with exclusive Cignal channels Hyper2 and HyperHD

Led by TV5 sports ambassador Derek Ramsay and sports reporter Lia Cruz, SPORTS5 will bring Filipinos closer to London as the Kapatid Network and all its affiliate channels deliver blow-by-blow updates and live coverage of many of the Olympics’ sporting events, especially those involving the Filipino athletes, whose schedules are as follows:

– Cabral and Javier (Archery – Qualifying Rounds) – July 28, 3 p.m.-3:30 p.m. on AKTV

– Lacuna (Swimming – Qualifying Heats) – July 29, 11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on AKTV

– Rosario (Shooting – Qualifying Rounds) – July 31, 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on AKTV

– Hidilyn Diaz (Weightlifting) – July 31, 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on AKTV

– Barriga (Boxing – First Round) – July 31, 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on AKTV

– Jasmine Alkhaldi (Swimming – Qualifying Heats) – Aug. 1, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on AKTV and Aug. 2, 3:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. on TV5

– Hoshina (Judo) – Aug. 3, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on AKTV and Hyper

– Torres (Long Jump) – Aug. 7, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on AKTV

– Herrera (5,000m Race) – Aug. 8, 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on AKTV and Aksyon TV

– Caluag (Cycling) – Aug. 8, 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on AKTV and Aug. 9, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Hyper.

The 2012 London Olympics will run from July 28 to Aug. 13.