ESPN has announced they’ve extended their relationship with Special Olympics for an additional eight years. ESPN will continue to serve as the Global Broadcasting Partner of Special Olympics including coverage of Special Olympic games through 2027.
What’s happening:
- ESPN and Special Olympics have extended and expanded their game-changing relationship, with an eight-year extension of global programming and ESPN’s Global Presenting Sponsorship of Special Olympics Unified Sports.
- The new eight-year programming agreement will see ESPN continue as the Global Broadcast Partner of signature Special Olympics events through 2027. This agreement includes global coverage and distribution of:
- Special Olympics World Winter Games Sweden 2021
- Special Olympics USA Games 2022 (Walt Disney World, Orlando)
- Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023
- Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 (host city TBD)
- Special Olympics USA Games 2026 (host city TBD)
- Special Olympics World Games 2027 (host city TBD)
- ESPN’s coverage of major Special Olympics events will continue to reach fans around the world via ESPN and Disney networks and media platforms in:
- North, Central and South America
- The Caribbean
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Europe
- Middle East
- In addition, Special Olympics and ESPN will work together, along with host-market broadcasters, to bring events to even more viewers through additional distribution.
Image result for Special Olympics
What they’re saying:
- Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN and co-Chair, Disney Media Networks: “The relationship between ESPN and Special Olympics spans nearly three and a half decades and has been built on a bedrock of shared belief in the power of sports to positively impact lives and make lasting change in the world. In many ways, Special Olympics represents all that is great about sports.”
- Mary Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics: “The longstanding partnership between Special Olympics and ESPN goes beyond just broadcasting. This relationship is a catalyst for inclusion. ESPN is telling the stories of Special Olympics athletes at World Games, USA Games, and at some of the over 100,000 Special Olympics events happening around the world every year. In the past year alone, ESPN presented 40 short films showcasing our athletes, coaches, parents, and other game changers. Through its storytelling, media platforms and grant-making, ESPN is building positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities and showing the world that the revolution is inclusion.”
- Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and General Manager, ESPN+: “Together, along with the support of The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Special Olympics have made real progress in spotlighting these incredible athletes and their achievements, bringing inspiring stories to millions of fans and driving meaningful growth in support of the Special Olympics Movement.”
Did you know?:
- ESPN’s support of Special Olympics began over 30 years ago, and groundbreaking multimedia coverage of Special Olympics events began in 2015.
- Since then, ESPN has added year-round news and feature coverage of Special Olympics, its athletes, community, and culture.
- Following ESPN’s unprecedented coverage of Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015, ESPN signed on as the movement’s Global Broadcast Partner. Since then, ESPN and Special Olympics have continued to raise the bar for coverage signature events at Special Olympics World Winter Games Austria 2017, 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, and Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019.
Image result for ESPN Special Olympics
#InclusionRevolution through the power of sports:
- In addition to its programming agreement, ESPN will continue to be the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports, extending a role it has held since 2013.
- Dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition, Special Olympics Unified Sports brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together to play, train and compete.
- The initiative was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding and is an example of the power of inclusion.
- Under the new extension of its Global Presenting Sponsorship, ESPN and Special Olympics will:
- Continue to build Unified Sports capacity through grants in the U.S. and multiple countries around the world, as well as support for conducting inclusive Unified Sports within refugee camps;
- Focus on improving the quality and raising awareness of Unified Sports initiatives
- Recruit and train Unified Sports leaders at all levels of the movement, providing them with tools and training to develop and sustain Unified Sports in their communities
- Work together to engage sports leagues and organizations to support the expansion of Unified Sports
- Support global marketing campaign plans and activations
- Increase Disney & ESPN employee engagement with local Special Olympics programs in key markets.
2022 Special Olympics USA Games at Walt Disney World Resort:
- Walt Disney World Resort will host the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, offering its 220-acre ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as the premier venue for the USA Games.
- The use of the sports complex is part of Disney’s multi-faceted support of the Special Olympics movement, which also includes additional sponsorship and in-kind support for the USA Games, Presenting Partner for the Volunteer Program and ESPN’s role as the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports.
- Taking place June 5 – 11, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games will feature more than 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers, 1,500 coaches and 125,000 fans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, all of whom will unite in the Orlando area and participate in one of the country’s most cherished sporting events.