FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 15th, 2016

NBC OLYMPICS TO PREMIERE “ROAD TO RIO: 2016 U.S. PARALYMPIC TEAM TRIALS” MONDAY, JULY 18 AT 11 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

One-Hour Special Chronicles the Making of the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Team

Documentary Created in Association with the USOC, U.S. Paralympics and NASCAR Productions

Featuring Gold Medalists Jessica Long, Tatyana McFadden and Brad Snyder, as well as 2016 Paralympic Team Members Lex Gillette, Michelle Konkoly and David Brown

Road to Rio Narrated by Al Trautwig

Stamford, Conn – July 15, 2016 – NBC Olympics, in association with the USOC, U.S. Paralympics and NASCAR Productions, will premiere Road to Rio: 2016 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials, a one-hour special that chronicles the making of the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Team, on Monday, July 18 at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Featuring exclusive access to training sessions and the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Trials, as well as interviews with Paralympic champions and 2016 team members, Road to Rio highlights the training, endeavors and journeys of some of the 2016 U.S. Paralympic team’s most promising swimming, track & field, and cycling competitors. In addition, the documentary special explores the bonds between athletes that are formed during the lead up to the Paralympic Games.

Road to Rio will invite viewers inside the lives of U.S. Paralympians, and give the country a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 2016 U.S. Paralympic team,” said Mark Levy Senior Vice President, Original Productions and Creative, NBC Sports Group. “These athletes are more than just Paralympians, they are sports heroes and ambassadors for all that the Paralympic movement represents. Without the strong collaboration between NBC Olympics, the USOC, U.S. Paralympics and NASCAR Productions, this production would not have been possible.”

Road to Rio features interviews with 12-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist Jessica Long, 10-time Paralympic track & field medalist Tatyana McFadden, three-time Paralympic swimming medalist Brad Snyder, three-time Paralympic track & field medalist Lex Gillette, as well as world record-holders Michelle Konkoly and David Brown.

“We all have unique stories and we all have something that we need to go through,” said McFadden. “If someone looks at my life and says, ‘hey she went through that and here she is today,’ I love that, because you know that you are a champion of someone’s life. When people turn on the TV, I want their reaction to be ‘I can do the same.’”

“It’s definitely been tough during the last two years of training. I could focus on the negative, and all of the things that I haven’t done correctly, but I’m really proud of myself for still being in the sport,” said Long. “You have to continue to find that love for the sport. And I do, no matter the medals or the pressure.”

In addition, the special will include spotlight features on 2016 U.S. Paralympic cycling team members Joe Berenyi and Jamie Whitmore.

Road to Rio is the latest project developed by NBC Olympics and the USOC. It was produced by NASCAR Productions, and is narrated by Al Trautwig.

Additional documentary collaborations between NBC Olympics and the USOC include, The Ranch, which aired last month on NBC and was part of NBC Olympics and the USOC’s Team USA Hometown Stories program, an eight-part series highlighting some of the USOC’s most historic Olympic training centers in the United States.

NBC Olympics’ coverage of the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games begins Wednesday, September 7 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

NBC Olympics will combine to present more than 70 hours of coverage of the Rio Paralympic Games across NBC, NBCSN and the NBC Sports app. Coverage of the 2016 Games will feature an increase of 20 hours from NBC Olympics’ presentation of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games (50), and an increase of 64 hours from the London 2012 Paralympic Games (6).

In addition to NBC Sports Group’s unprecedented coverage, the USOC will provide live online coverage at TeamUSA.org.

Further details about NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Rio Games will be announced soon.

ABOUT THE  RIO PARALYMPIC GAMES

The Rio Paralympic Games will take place September 7 – 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 2016 Games will be the biggest Paralympics ever, featuring more than 4,000 athletes competing in 22 sports.

—RIO 2016—