Channel 4 Reveals Paralympic Coverage Lineup
Channel 4 has unveiled its line-up of presenters and reporters – featuring sports broadcasters, former Paralympians and new talent – for its coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games in August.
It was also revealed that 50% of the presenters and reporters in the line-up will be disabled.
Channel 4 is committing to more than 150 hours of coverage, and will clear its schedules across the network for the eleven days of the Games.
It will be the biggest broadcasting event in Channel 4’s 30 year history and the most extensive UK coverage that has ever been dedicated to the Paralympic Games.
Peak time live coverage of the Games on Channel 4 will be fronted by sports broadcaster Clare Balding and TV presenter and former Paralympic wheelchair basketball medalist Ade Adepitan.
Disabled Australian comedian Adam Hills, who hosted ABC’s live coverage of the 2008 Paralympic Games Ceremonies in Beijing, will host the peak evening highlights show.
Channel 4, E4 and T4 presenter Rick Edwards will also take up a key role in the presenter line-up after fronting four series of ‘That Paralympic Show’ on Channel 4, while Sydney 2000 Olympic triple-jump champion Jonathan Edwards will bring his experience as a seasoned live multi-sports broadcaster.
Seven new faces in the line-up will come from Channel 4’s talent search for disabled talent in 2010 including Irish presenter Daráine Mulvihill and former Royal Marine Arthur Williams, who will each anchor in-studio.
They will be joined by new reporters on-location – former Paralympic swimmer Rachael Latham, sports reporter and wheelchair basketball player Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, former carpenter Martin Dougan, researcher Liam Holt and sports journalist Alex Brooker. All seven were chosen from hundreds of hopefuls in the talent search and put through rigorous training.
Long-standing Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow will anchor the channel’s coverage of the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Snow has been the face of Channel 4 News since 1989 and has reported on some of the world’s most historic events, including the release of Nelson Mandela and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Kelly Cates and Georgie Bingham also join as presenters, and additional on-location reporters include sports broadcaster Sonja McLaughlan, former Paralympic middle-distance runner Danny Crates, former Paralympic swimmer Giles Long and ex-Olympic 400m runner Iwan Thomas.
Details of the wider team, including commentators and pundits, will be released at a later date.
