FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 29th, 2018
NBC OLYMPICS TO AIR SPECIAL ON OCT. 31 CELEBRATING ICONIC 1968 OLYMPIC GAMES
Two-Hour Program Combines LA84 Foundation Panel Discussion & 1968 Documentary – Coverage Begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico & Tony Dungy Participated in Summit Discussion on Legacy of 1968 Olympic Games Earlier This Month
October 16 Marked 50th Anniversary of Tommie Smith & John Carlos’ Black Power Salute at Mexico City Games
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 29, 2018 – As part of a month-long effort to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Black Power salute by U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, NBC Olympics will combine its documentary 1968 with highlights from this month’s LA84 Foundation Summit panel discussion on the topic to present a unique two-hour programming special entitled 1968: The Legacy of the Mexico City Games that will premiere Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
1968, narrated by four-time Olympic gold medalist and 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, premiered in February during NBC Olympics’ coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and tells the story of the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, protest movements in North America and Europe, and more. Amidst that backdrop, the Mexico City Games became a stage for the collision of sport and politics, and produced the salute by Smith and Carlos.
Click here for a preview.
On October 18, NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico moderated a panel at the annual LA84 Foundation Summit in Los Angeles that discussed the legacy of the 1968 Olympic Games and their impact today. Panelists included Pro Football Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy, Olympic bronze medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and four-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis. The theme of this year’s summit focused on athlete activism and social justice, while also commemorating the 1968 Olympic Games.
“These men had a voice and they used it, and (my father) encouraged me to do that,” said Dungy during the LA84 Summit earlier this month. “So, when I became head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I talked to our players, ‘Hey, you’ve got a great opportunity to play sports, to be on a national platform, but if all we do is play, you’re going to miss half of what you’re here for. God put you here for a reason. We have to make the communities better.’ I always encouraged my players to be part of making things better.”
– NBC OLYMPICS –
