NBC Olympics Begins Unprecedented Coverage of 2018 Paralympic Games

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NBC Olympics will offer comprehensive and unprecedented coverage of the 2018 Paralympic Games from PyeongChang, South Korea (presented by Toyota No. 34), beginning Friday, March 9, with the Opening Ceremony at 6 a.m. ET on NBCSN, as part of more than 250 hours of coverage across NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.

NBC Olympics’record-setting coverage of the Paralympic Gamesjumpstarts Friday on NBCSN, asAndrea Joyce, a veteran of 14 Olympic Games, andChris Waddell, a 12-time Paralympic medalist and Paralympic Hall of Fame member, will host the Opening Ceremony. Coverage continues into the day with live alpine skiing coverage of the men’s and women’s downhill events beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, followed by biathlon and alpine skiing coverage at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The 2018 Paralympic Games will take place March 9-18, 2018, with nearly 700 of the world’s finest Paralympic winter athletes competing for glory in 80 events across six different sports on snow and ice. Team USA will compete in each of the sports contested in PyeongChang with an estimated team of 70+ athletes.

This weekend’s Paralympic coverage also includes live snowboarding, sled hockey, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling and biathlon.

SLED HOCKEY

The U.S. sled hockey team enters the 2018 Paralympic Games having won consecutive gold medals. The unit is led byDeclan Farmer, a 20-year-old Princeton student who has set records for the most goals (12) and most points (18) in a single American world championship tournament. U.S. goalieSteve Cashwill make his fourth Paralympic appearance.

PARA ALPINE SKIING

Three-time Paralympic medalistDanelle Umsteadand two-time Paralympic medalistStephanie Jallenare expected to lead the U.S. women’s contingent.Andrew Kurka, who led the U.S. to three medals at the 2017 World Championships, is also expected to contend for multiple medals in PyeongChang.

PARA SNOWBOARDING

The U.S. features one of the deepest rosters at the 2018 Paralympic Games, headlined by Sochi bronze medalistAmy Purdy, who is expected to be a top contender in women’s snowboard cross, and three U.S. men Evan Strong,Mike SheaandKeith Gabel who swept the snowboard cross podium in Sochi. First-time ParalympianBrenna Huckaby, who won gold in snowboard cross and banked slalom at the 2017 World Championships, is also expected to contend for medals. This marks the second time that snowboarding will be included in the Paralympic Games, and the first time that the banked slalom event will be held.

PARA CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AND BIATHLON

Oksana Masters, who won two cross-country medals in Sochi and is also a 2012 Paralympic medalist in rowing, and three-time Paralympian and U.S. teammateAaron Pike, are expected to contend for medals in both cross-country and biathlon.

WHEELCHAIR CURLING

The Canadians, skipped byMark Ideson, are in search of their fourth consecutive Paralympic gold. Canada returns as the gold medal favorite led by three members from its gold-medal team in Sochi, including vice-skipIna ForrestandDennis Thiessen. Norway, who defeated Russia in the 2017 World Championships, is also expected to contend for a medal.

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NBC Olympics named Toyota the presenting sponsor of its 2018 Paralympic Games coverage in January. This marks the first time NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Paralympics will have a presenting sponsor. Toyota will also be the exclusive auto advertiser of NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Paralympic Games across the linear and digital networks of NBCUniversal. In addition, Toyota branding will be included within NBC Olympics’ extensive linear, digital and social media promotional campaigns.

The sponsorship coincides with the recent rollout of “Start Your Impossible” Toyota’s first-ever global campaign, which highlights real-lifemobilitystories of Olympic, and Paralympic athletes as well as people who demonstrate the value of humility, hard work and never giving up. See their stories of determination to challenge any impossiblehere.

Team Toyota is sponsoring six U.S. athletes at the Paralympic Games:Stephanie JallenandDanelle Umsteadof U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing;Oksana Mastersof U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing & Biathlon;Amy PurdyandEvan Strongof U.S. Paralympic Snowboarding; andRico Romanof U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey.

NBC Olympics will also work with Descriptive Video Works to provide video description services (VDS) for viewers with visual disabilities watching coverage of the 2018 Paralympic Games on NBC and NBCSN.

Video description is the use of short verbal descriptions of action or key video scenes to add context to programing for individuals with a visual disability. Descriptive Video Works’ specialists, with years of sportscaster experience, will precisely and vividly describe key elements of NBC’s coverage of the Games and sports as they unfold. This narration provides a description of key visuals like actions, facial expressions, clothing, event locations and on-screen graphics. Toyota is the exclusive sponsor of Closed Captioning and Video Description for NBC Olympics’ presentation of the 2018 Paralympic Games.

The following is a full schedule of the 2018 Paralympic Games:

*All dates and times subject to change

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