IPC and Samsung to launch Sochi 2014 Samsung Paralympic Bloggers

Thirty of the world’s top athletes will record exclusive video blogs at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. 25 Feb 2014

Nils-Erik Ulset is a three-time Paralympic and world champion.

ⒸGetty Images

By IPC

“The Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project will take fans into the lives of athletes to see what the Paralympic Winter Games are like off the field of play. "

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is partnering with its Worldwide Paralympic Partner Samsung to provide 30 leading athletes the chance to record exclusive behind-the-scenes video blogs during the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games from 7-16 March.

The project is part of Samsung’s Sochi 2014 Paralympic campaign: “Sport Doesn’t Care,” which highlights that everyone has problems in their lives to overcome, and that sport can help them do so.

The motto of the campaign is “Sport doesn’t care what our problem is. Sport just cares that we do what we can to achieve our goal.”

The athletes involved in the Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project will be able to share their challenges and victories with the world using a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of what viewers do not see on their television screens at home.

All of the athlete-generated content will be uploaded to the IPC's YouTube Channel, and the athletes’ social media accounts at just the touch of a button.

Craig Spence, IPC Director of Communications and Media, said: “The Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project will take fans into the lives of athletes to see what the Paralympic Winter Games are like off the field of play. The world will have the chance to hear from the athletes first-hand on their Sochi 2014 experiences.”

This initiative is an extension of the project from the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where 50 athletes recorded nearly 700 video blogs using Samsung Galaxy devices, and the content was uploaded to the IPC’s YouTube Channel and shared on IPC, London 2012 and Samsung’s online outlets.

It was the first time that athletes created video blogs from a major sporting event.

Those Paralympians who took part in London were also successful off camera, picking up 39 gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze medals at the Games.

The IPC and Samsung will challenge the world to focus on an athletes’ ability and engage with their personal stories, allowing fans to get closer to the lives of Paralympians than ever before.

“We are honored to cooperate with the IPC once again for the Samsung Paralympic Blogger program at Sochi 2014. Samsung, as a committed partner of the Paralympic Games, aims to use our smart technology to encourage participation and to share the inspiration of the Paralympic Games with people around the world. ”said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics.

Samsung recently released its manifesto video to accompany the campaign.

The video has been developed to celebrate the dedication and achievements of the Paralympians and to support their tireless pursuit of their dreams.

The list of athletes taking part in the Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project includes:

Alpine skiing

Marie Bochet, France – Six-time world champion

Melania Corradini, Italy – 2010 Paralympic silver medallist

Anna-Lena Forster, Germany – 2012-13 World Championship silver medallist

Jessica Gallagher, Australia – 2010 Paralympic bronze medallist

Vincent Gauthier-Manuel, France – Three-time Paralympic medallist

Kimberly Joines, Canada – Two-time world champion

Claudia Loesch, Austria – Two-time Paralympic champion

Andrea Rothfuss, Germany – Five-time Paralympic medallist