Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

NBC Olympics, USOC to present unprecedented coverage of Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games

by jmaloni

Submitted

Thu, Feb 20th 2014 09:40 am

NBC Olympics to present 52 hours of Paralympic Winter Games coverage across NBC and NBCSN

Live coverage begins with the opening ceremony Friday, March 7

NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee will present an unprecedented 52 hours of coverage of the upcoming Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games across NBC and NBCSN, including 27 hours of live coverage, beginning with the opening ceremony Friday, March 7, at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN. TeamUSA.org will live stream all events from the Paralympic Winter Games.

NBC Olympics' coverage will include all five Paralympic winter sports - alpine skiing (which includes snowboarding), cross-country skiing, biathlon, wheelchair curling and sled hockey - spread across 11 days of coverage on NBC and NBCSN.

NBCSN will provide 48 of 52 total hours of coverage, as well as live coverage nearly every day of the Paralympic Winter Games. NBC's coverage is highlighted by the sled hockey gold medal game on Saturday, March 15, at 1 p.m. ET.

"We are looking forward to covering the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games and telling the amazing stories of these great athletes across multiple platforms in partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee," said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. "With the support of our six corporate partners - who were critical to providing this unprecedented level of coverage - Paralympic fans can now consume more Winter Games coverage in the U.S. than ever before, whether they are at home or on the go."

"NBC Olympics' commitment to airing the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games marks a significant turning point for the paralympic movement in the United States," said Scott Blackmun, United States Olympic Committee CEO. "Americans have always been interested in the inspiring stories of our Paralympians. With the Paralympic Games on television, Americans will be able to experience the thrill of sport, which is what the Paralympic Movement is about. The Paralympic Games are not about disability. The Paralympic Games are about athletes competing to be the best in the world. Behind the commitment of our broadcast partner and our sponsors, we are excited to bring this world-class sporting event to Americans."

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will feature nearly 700 athletes with a physical disability or visual impairment from 45 countries competing in six sports. The Games feature 72 medal events (34 men, 34 women, four mixed). Team USA will compete in each of the sports contested in Sochi with an estimated team of 77 athletes.

For the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the U.S. sent 50 athletes, winning four gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals, finishing fifth overall in the medal count. In 2010, Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), a U.S. Army veteran who will compete in Sochi, won a bronze medal in the men's sitting 2.4-kilometer individual pursuit biathlon event, becoming the first U.S. biathlete to medal at an Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.

Hometown News

View All News