NBC Universo & Telemundo Announce Olympic Coverage

Telemundo and NBC UNIVERSO, the home of the Olympics in Spanish in the United States, presented their broadcast plans for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with more than 200 hours of coverage on Telemundo and NBC UNIVERSO, the most extensive Olympic coverage in the history of US Spanish-language television. The networks announced their plans in New York 100 days before the Opening Ceremony for the Games of the xxI Olympiad, in conjunction with activities organized by the United States Olympic Committee.

"TELEMUNDO is going to redefine Spanish-language Olympic event coverage in the United States with our Río presentation," commented Eli Velázquez, Executive Vice President for Sports at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. "Not only will we see more competitions than ever before, but we'll also experience the moving stories of the Hispanic athletes on their quest for Olympic glory."

The network's unprecedented coverage from Rio de Janeiro will begin with women's soccer on Wednesday, August 3, two days before the Opening Ceremony, and run through August 21.

The Telemundo Olympic coverage team includes more than 20 presenters, led by the legendary sportscaster Andrés Cantor and including Jessica Carrillo and Miguel Gurwitz who will be hosting the Games from Rio. Joining them will be prominent sportscasters, including Emmy Award Nominee Sammy Sadovnik, Copán Álvarez, René Giraldo, Edgar López, Ana Jurka and Karim Mendiburu; as well as former Mexican soccer stars Carlos Hermosillo and Manuel Sol; who will team up with experienced journalists Francisco Cuevas, Leti Coo, Kaziro Aoyama, Omar Amador, Paula Bukowinski and Carolina Florez.

Telemundo AND NBC UNIVERSO will also have the collaboration of former Chilean pro tennis playerNicolás Massú, who won two medals at the Athens 2004 Olympics; Georgina Bardach, a former Olympic swimmer who won a bronze medal for Argentina in Athens 2004; Jefferson Pérez, a race walker from Ecuador who was the youngest athlete ever to win a gold medal in the 20-kilometer event, an honor he earned in Atlanta in 1996; ex NBA star Ramón Rivas of Puerto Rico, who played for his country at the Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics; and Mexican boxer Abner Mares, who fought in the bantamweight category at the Athens 2004 Games.

To complement this extensive coverage and in line with their characteristic storytelling tradition and style, both networks will present stories and reports focusing on Olympic athletes from Latin America and the United States, following them as they compete in their respective events. The athletes profiled will include:

• Paola Espinosa, a Mexican diver who is eager to bring home her first gold medal after winning silver in the London 2012 Games and bronze in Beijing 2008.
• Taekwondo practitioner María del Rosario Espinoza, also from Mexico, who won bronze in London 2012 but hopes for another gold to match the one she won in Beijing 2008.
• Guatemalan race walker Erick Barrondo, who won silver in London 2012 and has a good shot at the gold in Rio 2016
• Colombian cyclists Mariana Pajón, who won a gold medal in 2012 in BMX racing, and Nairo Quintana, a star of the international racing circuit who aspires to win his first Olympic medal.
• Danell Leyva of the United States, a Cuban American gymnast hoping to improve on his bronze-winning performance in London.
• Sprinter Nery Brenes, who has won numerous medals in international TRACK AND FIELD competitions and at the Pan American Games and is one of Costa Rica's best hopes for a medal in Rio.

One of the main highlight of Telemundo AND NBC UNIVERSO's coverage will be the performance of the Mexican men's soccer team, which will be defending the historic gold medal it won four years ago in London.

From table tennis to race walking, archery to beach volleyball, and taekwondo to weight lifting, the coverage will follow outstanding Latin American athletes, with an emphasis on the sports that are proven favorites among Hispanic audiences and in which Latin American teams are strong contenders: soccer, boxing, swimming, diving, TRACK AND FIELD and basketball. Telemundo will broadcast Team USA's participation in its entirety, including one of the most eagerly awaited events of Río 2016: legendary swimmer Michael Phelps's attempts to add to the record-breaking 18 gold medals he has won in the course of three Olympic Games.

The TELEMUNDO, NBC UNIVERSO's digital experience on NBC Deportes digital properties, social media and NBC Olympics digital platforms will feature simultaneous live broadcasts of every top Olympic event and allow viewers to use their mobile devices to follow their favorite sport or national team in Spanish. Through NBCOlympics.com, Telemundo and NBC UNIVERSO will offer repeat footage of event highlights, awards ceremonies, medal rankings and an extensive coverage on the ground from the venues. NBC Deportes digital platforms will feature live stats, exclusive videos, reports and interviews, underscoring the strength of TELEMUNDO's presence on digital and social. Viewers can stay up to date with every minute of the action during these Olympic Games with the hashtag #TelemundoEnRio.

Following drawings in a number of disciplines, these are the some of the key dates so far:

• August 4. Men's soccer, Honduras vs. Argelia, Portugal vs. Argentina and Mexico vs. Germany.
• August 5. Opening Ceremony for the xxI Olympic Games (Live on NBC).
• August 6. Women's soccer, US vs. France. Boxing and tennis events begin.
• August 7. Men's soccer, Brazil vs. Iraq, Fiji vs. Mexico. Swimming, first medal competitions.
• August 9. Women's soccer, Colombia vs. US.
• August 10. Men's soccer, Argentina vs. Honduras, Korea vs. Mexico, Denmark vs. Brazil. Diving, first medal competitions.
• August 12. TRACK AND FIELD events begin.
• August 14. Tennis finals..
• August 15. Tennis finals.
• August 18. Women's soccer final.
• August 19. Men's soccer final.
• August 21. Closing ceremony.

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