Universal Sports Network will debut Countdown to Sochi, a weekly show capturing the most compelling stories leading up to the 2014 Sochi Games tomorrow, October 30, at 8 PM ET – just 100 days from the opening ceremonies. The 15-week show will air every Wednesday at 8 PM ET until February 5, and showcase Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls through exclusive interviews and profiles like the new "Train Like a Champion" and "Countdown Conversation" segments. The show will also have extensive coverage of recent winter sports competitions and Olympic qualifying events and "Sochi Social," a weekly roundup of the hottest topics and trends on social media.
Wednesday’s premiere episode features alpine skier and two-time Olympian and World Cup gold medalist, Steven Nyman, in the Countdown to Sochi "Train Like a Champion" series. Every week, Universal Sports reporter Nick Gismondi literally steps into the shoes, boots or skates of a different athlete to experience what it really takes to perform at an elite level. This week, Nyman takes Gismondi along for a 60 mph ride during wind tunnel training to show him the efforts he takes to increase speed on the slopes.
Also featured in the premiere episode is U.S. Figure Skating men’s champion Max Aaron for the show’s exclusive "Countdown Conversation." Aaron sits down in-studio to talk about his love of ice hockey and how he overcame a devastating back injury, which put him in a body cast for four months, and left the sport to ultimately pursue his Olympic dream in figure skating.
"Countdown to Sochi will bring viewers closer to Olympic hopefuls and familiarize them with their stories, and is an essential guide for those who want to know what to watch this February," said Dean Walker, SVP of production, Universal Sports Network. "Universal Sports airs the most Olympic sports programming of any network year in and year out, so no one is better positioned than we are to tell the stories of these athletes and to deliver all the news leading into Sochi over the next 100 days."
In addition to each week’s half-hour show, universalsports.com will have bonus content and outtakes from interviews and features in addition to extensive highlights from upcoming Alpine Skiing, Figure Skating, Bobsled, Skeleton, Luge, Speedskating, Snowboarding, Ski Jumping and Curling international events.
The show’s hosts include veteran sportscaster and the network’s Countdown to London host, Craig Hummer, who has covered the past five Olympic Games, and sports reporter Jenny Cavnar. The show will also feature a mix of analysts, along with a number of other studio guests.
Universal Sports Network is now available on Time Warner Cable, Cox, Verizon FiOS, satellite providers DIRECTV and DISH and numerous regional cable and IPTV operators in markets across the country.
For more information contact:
Catherine Philbin
Director, Communications
Universal Sports Network
818 593-3967
cphilbin@universalsports.com
@universalsports
www.universalsports.com
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
