From WGBH press release. Pictured is Paralymic archer Russell Wolfe, who has a blog on the site.
WGBH Boston launched MEDAL QUEST: American Athletes and the Paralympic Games (pbs.org/medalquest),
an original, multi-platform digital project that will offer an
unprecedented look into these high-stakes Games. Produced by WGBH Boston
and presented under agreement with the United States Olympic Committee
and the International Paralympics Committee, MEDAL QUEST showcases
these remarkable competitions at the highest level, while following
America’s elite athletes as they train for and compete in the London
2012 Paralympic Games.
“These competitors battle for the same gold, silver, and bronze medals
as Olympic athletes, in the same stadiums, in the presence of the same
flaming torch,” says WGBH Executive Producer Judith Vecchione. “Some of
these athletes race or play tennis and basketball in wheelchairs.
Others play goalball, a kind of dodgeball for the blind, or they swim
with missing limbs or neurological impairments. They are powerful,
highly trained, proud to represent their countries…and they are
physically disabled.”
Through a comprehensive website, and a combined presence via multiple
social media platforms including Facebook Twitter, PBS’s video player,
and blog coverage, MEDAL QUEST will ask its audiences a key question:
“What makes a champion?” Is it skill, training, technology? Is it
support from family and friends? Or is it something more?
The MEDAL QUEST project will allow audiences to find their own answers
as they engage directly with America’s Paralympic athletes, witnessing
firsthand the talent, emotions, and drive behind their battles and
triumphs, wins and heartbreaks.
Launched March 7 and continuing with new videos through October, this
multi-tiered Web series will look at Paralympic history and profile the
next generation of champions. It also will present the newest group to
join the Paralympic movement: wounded “warrior athletes” from the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars. Each month, MEDAL QUEST will spotlight four
athletes, featuring bios, photography, and blog entries written by the
athletes themselves. Additionally, the project offers videos that
will introduce rival competitors, tools of the trade, and great athletes
and moments from past competitions.
While the Games are a highly anticipated and widely followed event in
countries abroad, MEDAL QUEST offers American audiences their first
in-depth look at the Games. Fans will learn about the rules and best
players in the 19 summer Paralympic sports, including track and field,
equestrian, judo, goalball, and much more. Additionally, features such
as “Ask the Athlete,” and “Hometown Heroes” will allow users to interact
directly with athletes as they train and compete in the 2012 games,
kicking off in London on August 29, 2012.
For opportunities to follow and connect with some of the world’s most
elite athletes, and for an up-close, in-depth look at the Paralympic
Games, visit MEDAL QUEST at pbs.org/medalquest.
