Trailblazers: Eurosport celebrates sport’s greatest pioneers with 10-part series
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Updated 02/03/2021 at 15:02 GMT
They are the human beings that helped shape the world we live in today, the athletes that have single-handedly created some of the most defining moments in recent history. Trailblazers, a Eurosport original short film series, shines a light on the world’s greatest sporting icons who did more than just win but also pioneered change in society.
Trailblazers: Eurosport celebrates sport’s greatest pioneers
Image credit: Eurosport
Eurosport are releasing a 10-part series showcasing sport’s greatest stories and heroes who inspired meaningful change. The series, produced in collaboration with Refresh who leveraged their network of talent to authentically convey real life stories, will feature innovative animation, design and narration to unlock the power of sport.
The series will premiere on February 5 and each of the 10 episodes will harness Eurosport’s rich archive of world-class sports content and photography, allied with contemporary interviews, fresh insights and engaging animations to tell the stories of sport that matter to fans everywhere.
The inspiring actions of sporting heroes will be told like never before with biweekly episodes documenting world-changing moments including Jesse Owens’ Olympic triumphs in Nazi Germany, Arthur Ashe’s battles on and off the court and Colin Kaepernick’s courageous stance against racial inequality and police brutality. Tennis icon Serena Williams will headline the series premiere to coincide with the start of the Australian Open.
Accomplished filmmaker and broadcaster Leon Mann, known for critically acclaimed sport documentaries including Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Who Has Ever Lived, brings his experience collaborating with the biggest names and networks in sport to the project as executive producer. Mann also founded Refresh Sports, a Black-owned production company which collaborated on the Trailblazers series, and the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), which works to raise awareness of greater diversity in the media industry. The series is also produced, written and directed exclusively for Discovery’s platforms by Drew Christie, whose work includes producing and directing the world’s greatest sporting events including the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Eurosport, part of Discovery, Inc., will employ a digital-first approach to ensure fans everywhere can watch whenever they choose. Each six-minute film will be available on-demand with English, French, German, Spanish and Italian subtitles via the Eurosport App, YouTube and Facebook and selected clips also offered via Twitter and Instagram. Launching in more than 25 markets in 2021, Discovery’s global streaming product discovery+ will also house episodes as part of the integration of Eurosport’s world-class channels and content in selected markets.
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Trailblazers: Eurosport celebrates sport’s greatest pioneers with 10-part series
The full schedule of episodes and athletes featured:
- 5 February – Serena Williams: Still leading, still campaigning, looking to add to a record seven Australian Opens this month
- 22 February – Greg Louganis: Few athletes in the history of the Olympic Games bounced back from such a troubled childhood to reach the heights of athletic achievement quite like the American diver.
- 8 March – Cathy Freeman: The Australian sprinter who excelled in the 400m dash and who in 2000 became the first Aboriginal Australian person to win an individual Olympic gold medal.
- 22 March – Jesse Owens: The American track and field athlete became a sporting legend for his achievements at the 1936 Berlin Games.
- 5 April – Arthur Ashe: Ashe was the first black player selected for the US Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.
- 19 April – Nawal El Moutawakel: The Moroccan hurdler made history in 1984 as the first female, African and Muslim Olympic medallist.
- 3 May – Gino Bartali: The Italian cycling legend won the Tour de France twice either side of World War Two and used his sporting fame to help save the lives of many Jewish people.
- 17 May – Althea Gibson: Gibson became the first great African American player in women’s tennis, winning five Grand Slam singles titles in her career.
- 31 May – Billie-Jean King: ‘Battle of the sexes’ equality and justice pioneer, King also achieved four women’s singles titles at the US Open.
- 14 June – Colin Kaepernick: The American Football quarterback is an American civil rights activist. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and gained recognition for kneeling during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the USA.
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