STAMFORD, Conn. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WWE® and FOX Sports today announced that Celebrating Champions: 2014 Special Olympics USA Games, a one-hour television event chronicling the passion, dedication and determination of America’s most inspiring athletes during the week-long celebration of the 2014 USA Games, will air on FOX Sports 1 this Monday, June 30 at 7 pm ET. The special, produced by WWE, will be hosted by Mike Hill and Molly McGrath of FOX Sports 1’s America’s Pregame. Customers of participating video providers can also watch via FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content through iOS and Android devices, as well as on desktops through FOXSportsGO.com.
The one-hour special will highlight six Special Olympics athletes as they travel from their hometowns to the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games. Viewers will experience a first-hand account of the excitement and pride each athlete exudes while training for, traveling to, and participating in the Games.
The special will include the following six athletes:
- Theo “TC” Bazile, a 40-year-old from Vacherie, Louisiana, is a track and field athlete in sprints and shot put. Theo is very involved his community, where he volunteers at the local nursing home and fire department, sings in his church choir and remains active with his former high school football team.
- Erica Bookout is a long-distance runner from Christiansburg, Virginia. The 22-year-old is a Junior at Radford University in Virginia majoring in Special Education. She is also the 2013 Special Olympics Virginia Athlete of the Year.
- Andy Miyares, a 31-year-old from Miami, Florida, has competed in multiple sports, but has a passion for swimming and holds numerous records in the sport. He works for Special Olympics Miami-Dade and speaks both Spanish and English. In 2010, Andy was selected to serve a four-year term as one of just 12 Special Olympics International Global Messengers chosen from around the world to represent Special Olympics.
- Derrick and Delon Noble, identical twin brothers from Bloomfield, New Jersey, compete in flag football. At 21-years-old, Derrick is the Quarterback and Delon is the Running Back. In addition to playing in the 2014 USA Games, during the last two weeks they’ve attended prom, seen their images on a Times Square billboard to promote the Games and graduated from high school. The twins were also honorary captains at a Rutgers football game last fall.
- Scott Rohrer, a 24-year-old from York, South Carolina, is the 2010 Special Olympics USA Games Gold Medal Golfer with record scores for both 18-hole and 54-hole tournaments. Scott was also the 2013 South Carolina Special Olympics Athlete of the Year and he will be playing in Special Olympics World Golf Cup this August in Denmark.
Promo to Celebrating Champions: 2014 Special Olympics USA Games: http://youtu.be/5cxv4f2CY3A
In addition to the athlete profiles, the TV special will include highlights from the 2014 USA Games Opening Ceremony from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which was hosted by actress and model Brooklyn Decker and Philadelphia 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams. The Ceremony included the traditional parade of athletes, athlete oaths and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron. Other celebrities that participated in the Opening Ceremony included WWE Superstars Big Show® and David Otunga®, TV personality Jack Ford, Glee’s Jane Lynch and musical artists Michael DelGuidice & Big Shot.
Also included is coverage of the first-ever Young Athletes Festival, held at the Special Olympics New Jersey Sports Complex. Children between the ages of two and seven, and their families, were invited to learn more about this program which provides critical early childhood development through the power of play.
Founding Partner WWE has helped promote the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games through its global platforms, including TV broadcasts, live events, digital and social media, all of which increased the exposure of Special Olympics and reached a larger and more diverse audience. The partnership was announced in 2013 during WrestleMania® 29 in front of more than 80,000 fans at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and millions more watching around the world. Over the past year, WWE has hosted Special Olympics athletes at its weekly live events, including WrestleMania® 30 in New Orleans, where the athletes got a chance to meet WWE Superstars and Divas, sit ringside and be recognized on TV for their accomplishments. WWE Superstars and Divas also served as honorary coaches for Special Olympics Unified Sports competitions around the country. WWE is the Official Production Partner of the 2014 USA Games, which included producing Celebrating Champions, producing the official sizzle reel and PSA, filming and serving as a production consultant for the Opening Ceremony, and creating daily electronic press kits for national media to help enhance coverage of the Games. In addition, WWE Superstars and Divas participated in various events at the Games, including daily autograph signings and medal presentations, while WWE employees served as volunteers.
21st Century Fox announced its Founding Partnership with the 2014 USA Games in November 2013. The network serves as the Official Presenting Media Sponsor and provided broad exposure for the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games across its U.S. channels, which include FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, FOX Broadcasting, FOX Sports, 28 local stations and FOX Sports 1. As Presenting Media Sponsor of the 2014 USA Games, 21st Century Fox committed to media exposure across its cable and broadcast networks as well as its local stations, most notably WNYW and WWOR in New York and WTXF in Philadelphia. In addition, 21st Century Fox provided exposure via live and recorded segments on FOX News Channel; FOX Sports 1, including a preview segment that ran the week before Super Bowl XLVIII; a PSA created by YES Network featuring New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter; and, on FOX Television Stations across the country, more than 50 athlete profiles, a 30-minute Games special, and the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games PSAs which have aired thousands of times, among many other efforts. On site at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games, Mike Hill and Molly McGrath, hosts of AMERICA’S PREGAME on FOX Sports 1, hosted the Closing Ceremony, capping a great week of events. Cleatus and five FOX Sports Girls from across the country – Sara (Ohio), Kendall (North), Katie (Midwest), Chyna (Wisconsin) and Morgan (South) – came out to interact with athletes and fans at the 21st Century Fox tent in Corporate Park.
About the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games
The Special Olympics USA Games was hosted by New Jersey June 14-21, 2014. Nearly 3,500 athletes competed in 16 Olympic-style team and individual sports, with the support of 1,000 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 70,000 family, friends and spectators. The Special Olympics USA Games celebrated the Special Olympics movement, promoted the ideals of acceptance and inclusion through sport and showcased athletes from throughout the U.S. and the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. The 2014 USA Games also highlighted Special Olympics’ work in sport, education, health and communities. Founding partners for the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games include 21st Century Fox, Barnabas Health, HESS, KPMG, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, Prudential, PSE&G, ShopRite, Toys “R” Us and WWE. Learn more about the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games at www.2014specialolympics.org and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsUSAGames and Twitter @2014USAGames.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE:WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Munich and Tokyo.
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About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is America’s new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer, UFC and Golden Boy boxing, and adds USGA events, including the U.S. Open, and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1’s flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: NASCAR RACE HUB; AMERICA’S PREGAME; MLB WHIPAROUND and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a new authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel’s digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1.
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