BBC sports boss Peter Salmon wants to screen more minority sport

The corporation issued a statement after the Evening Standard newspaper published a story quoting Director of Sport Peter Salmon.

"The BBC has no plans to set up a sports channel," said a spokesman.

"The article in the Evening Standard was based on a series of quotes taken out of context that Peter Salmon gave to the Financial Times last week."

Salmon told the FT he thought "in the course of the next licence period" (which will run from 2006 to 2016) there should be some debate about the possibility of a separate channel.

But the spokesman stressed this would not broadcast Premier League football, but operate as a vehicle for minority sports.

"In the FT interview, [Salmon] talked about the potential of minority sport in the UK and the BBC's inability to schedule it on terrestrial television," the spokesman added.

"He was discussing whether there might be a role in the future for the BBC, as a public service broadcaster, to give air-time to these minority sports in a new service."