POSTED: Tuesday December 2nd 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PARALYMPICS SPECIAL NARRATED BY BOB COSTAS TO RE-AIR SATURDAY ON NBC SPORTS

NBC Sports ' Paralympic special goes in-depth with top Paralympic athletes

       “It’s a 90-minute continuous ‘Oh my’ journey…” – NY Times


       “What I saw on NBC makes it abundantly clear that the Paralympics are too good to miss.” – Chicago Tribune


       “There will be no better television (sports or otherwise) on offer this weekend. I promise.” – Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK – December 2, 2008 – NBC Sports will present an encore presentation of the critically acclaimed Paralympics special that the Los Angeles Times called “Please See TV” and TV Guide called “Stirring.”  The 90-minute special presented by GE, hosted by Bob Costas and produced by Emmy Award-winning NBC Sports producer David Michaels, airs Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports’ Paralympic special goes in-depth with top Paralympic athletes as they trained for and competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. The program takes viewers on a journey into the lives of eight athletes plus the Wheelchair Basketball Team with compelling stories of determination.

“In 30 years of covering Olympic sports, I have never witnessed such a rich tapestry of stories and competition. Every race, every event brings wonder and intense excitement,” said Michaels. “For anyone who loves pure sport, the Paralympics takes us back to why we fell in love with sports in the first place.

CRITICS HAIL PARALYMPICS SPECIAL: Below is a sampling of what television critics said about the NBC Sports Paralympics Special when it first aired on November 6:

“As I write this, I have finished crying inside my cubicle after watching NBC’s documentary about the Paralympics in Beijing.  It is a 90-minute, continuous ‘Oh my’ journey with amputee sprinters and swimmers, wheelchair basketball players and racers, a paralyzed shot-putter, a sailor with Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Marin Morrison, a swimmer devastated by a brain tumor.”
– Richard Sandomir, New York Times

“A dramatic and more than occasionally emotional documentary.”
- Leonard Shapiro, Washington Post

“NBC is airing a 90-minute documentary directed by Dave Michaels (brother of Al Michaels) on the 2008 Paralympic Games, and there will be no better television (sports or otherwise) on offer this weekend. I promise.”
       - Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times

“Smartly edited and beautifully shot, producer David Michaels clearly surrendered heart and soul to this project.”
- Phil Mushnick, New York Post

“By the end, you find yourself eagerly anticipating the race or game in which the athletes profiled are competing.  You will likely cry when you watch some of the segments, but not merely because it is moving to see these Paralympians overcome adversity.  You will cry because you share their joy at having hard work and athletic ability result in Paralympic medals or, in the case of the men’s basketball team, because you share heir disappointment in falling short of its goal.  What I saw on NBC makes it abundantly clear that the Paralympics are too good to miss.”
 – Phil Hersh, Chicago Tribune

“NBC Sports has captured the spirit and heartbreak of the Paralympics in an emotional documentary…If there is a football game you can’t miss at that time, figure out a way to TiVo this special because it will change the way you watch any swimming or track and field event.”
       - Matt Futterman, Wall Street Journal

“If you thought the Olympic feats of Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Nastia Liukin were impressive, prepare to be overwhelmed by the competitors of the 2008 Paralympic Games…the subject of a stirring NBC documentary.”
       - Rich Sands, TV Guide

“The 90-minute film, narrated by Bob Costas, does an awesome job of capturing the dedication and the true athletic abilities of these men and women that, in many cases, outshines the accomplishments of their able body counterparts.”
- Jim Williams, Washington Examiner

“It’s a moving show – one that cuts through the hype and silliness of big-time sports and puts the focus back on the true heart it takes to compete against serious physical odds.”
- Ron Judd, Seattle Times

PARALYMPIC ATHLETES FEATURED IN SPECIAL:
·       Marlon Shirley – Chula Vista, Calif., (track & field world record holder in 100m, 200m and Long Jump)
·       April Holmes – Somerdale, N.J., (track & field world record holder in 100m, 200m and 400m)
·       Jessica Long – Baltimore, Md., (Beijing gold medalist in 100m butterfly and world record holder in 400m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley)
·       Tatyana McFadden – Clarkesville, Md., (wheelchair racing champion)
·       Cheri Blauwet – Larchwood, Iowa, (wheelchair racer in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and marathon)
·       Marin Morrison – Sammamish, Wash., (U.S. Paralympic swimmer)
·       Nick Scandone – Newport Beach, Calif., (Beijing yachting gold medal in SKUD-18 class)
·       Scott Winkler – Pittsburgh, Pa., (world record holder for adaptive shot put)
·       USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team

PARALYMPIC COVERAGE FROM BEIJING RE-AIRS ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Complementing the NBC Sports special, Universal Sports present 28 hours of encore broadcasts of the 2008 Paralympics beginning Wednesday, December 24. (All times ET).

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24:
·       7– 9 p.m.  – Show #1 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Great Britain; Swimming; Track and Field
·       9 – 11 p.m. – Show #2 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Germany; Swimming; Track and Field
·       11 p.m. – 1 a.m.  – Show #3 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball preliminary – USA vs. Australia; Swimming; Track and Field

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25:
·       9 – 11 a.m. – Show #4 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Semifinals – USA vs. Australia; Wheelchair Rugby preliminary – USA vs. Canada; Swimming; Track and Field
·       11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Show #5 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Semifinals – USA vs. Canada; Swimming; Track and Field
·       1 – 3 p.m. – Show #6 – Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Gold Medal Game – USA vs. Germany; Wheelchair Rugby Semifinals – USA vs. Great Britain; Swimming; Track and Field
·       3 – 5 p.m. – Show #7 – Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Bronze Medal Game – USA vs. Great Britain; Wheelchair Rugby Gold Medal Game – USA vs. Australia; Swimming; Track and Field

From Dec. 25-31 Universal Sports will present a two-hour Paralympics program each night at 10 p.m.

PURCHASE DVD OF 2008 PARALYMPICS SPECIAL: Relive the determination of these remarkable competitors and the magic of the Beijing Paralympic Games, through this exclusive DVD from NBC Sports and Universal Sports.  The DVD will be available at NBCUniversalStore.com.  Go to 2008 Olympics, or search Paralympic.


       Members of the media can get more information about NBC Universal and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com.

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Keywords · NBC · Paralympics · Bob Costas ·

Name: Adam Freifeld
Organization: NBC
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