Yahoo!7 keeps Australian sports fans connected to the 2012 Olympic Games with launch of new mobile optimised coverage website ‘FANGO’

Yahoo!7 today announced a series of special live Olympic events on FANGO and the launch of its mobile optimised Olympics coverage website.

These premium mobile platforms will allow sports fans to get access to the information they want, when they want it and connects them with other fans while they’re watching their favourite Olympic events. Yahoo!7 has sport producers on the ground in London tailoring content specifically for Aussies at home.

FANGO, which has secured more than 500,000 mobile downloads and attracts 300,000 users per month for the desktop version will be connecting fans in real-time throughout the Games.

Users will be able to interact and chat for the duration of the Games, and FANGO will also be hosting live social events, featuring polls and trivia especially tailored to local Australian audiences. Those events include:.

Saturday July 28, 6:00am AEST: Opening Ceremony – The first live experience kicks-off a two hour live experience dedicated to the Opening Ceremony.

Sunday July 29, 430-6.30am, AEST: Swimming – Women’s 400m Individual Medley (featuring Stephanie Rice), Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle Relay.

Monday July 30, 4.30-6.30am, AEST: Swimming – Women’s 100m Butterfly (Jess Schipper, Alicia Coutts) and Men’s 4 x 100 metre relay.

Thursday August 2, 4.30-6.30am, AEST: Swimming – Men’s Freestyle (James Magnussen).

Monday August 6, 4.30-6.30am AEST: Athletics Finals – Men’s 100m sprint (Usain Bolt).

Wednesday August 8, 4.30-6.30am AEST: Women’s Track and Field (Sally Pearson) and Victory Ceremony.

As well as providing a chance for Aussies to interact in real time on FANGO, Yahoo!7 is also offering users round the clock information at their fingertips with mobile optimised coverage with the latest breaking news, photos, medal tallies and a full schedule of events. Olympics fans can also look back at some of the most memorable moments in the history of the Olympic Games on Yahoo!7 Sport’s Olympic coverage website.

Says Sue Carter, head of news, sport and information: “At Yahoo!7, we believe that this will be the first truly digital Olympics. We realise that Aussies love sport and love showing their national pride during the Olympics. While some will stay up to catch the action live, others will dip into the results during daylight hours. We’ve tapped into these user behaviours and recognise that consumers will be reaching for their devices in the morning to catch up on the latest.

“We’ll be rewarding those eager users by sending producers to London and will ensure the FANGO experience is customised to the audience at home. The live content available on mobile devices, and on FANGO for key events, makes it easy for people to join in on the action anytime, anywhere.  We’re anticipating that people will embrace the chance to chat with fans and friends and experience the games no matter where they are,” she continued.

FANGO is available for Android and iOS and can be downloaded now. Click for up to the minute coverage of the Olympics from your desktop or mobile browser.