UNIVERSAL SPORTS TO BROADCAST ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP OPENER FROM AUSTRIA

Lindsey Vonn looks for first GS podium, Ted Ligety hopes to repeat past success in discipline

Women’s World Cup Starts This Saturday; Men’s Alpine Ski World Cup Coverage Starts This Sunday from Soelden, Austria

LOS ANGELES – October 22, 2009 – The 2008 and 2009 World Cup Champion Lindsey Vonn and the 2009 World Cup Bronze Medalist Ted Ligety headline the U.S. Ski Team as Universal Sports presents exclusive broadcast and webcast coverage of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup opener, starting this Saturday at 10 a.m. ET from Soelden, Austria. 

Former U.S. Ski Team members Steve Porino and Christin Cooper will call the action for Universal Sports. 

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS:  Universal Sports presents a premiere broadcast of the women’s giant slalom race at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday. The men’s giant slalom race begins at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, with re-airs both days at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET.

COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM:  Universal Sports will offer free, on-demand video of the Soelden giant slalom races on UniversalSports.com. A detailed schedule of times, as well as highlights, full-length videos, athlete features, photos, breaking news and more is available at Universal Sports’ skiing channel at UniversalSports.com/skiing.

FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP SEASON: Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com is home to the entire FIS Alpine World Cup season, including live and on-demand video and broadcasts throughout the season, leading into the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. 

ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on television and online. Universal Sports, available in 56 million homes, is in nine of the top 10 DMAs including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Houston, Seattle and Denver. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, as well as interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.tv.

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Media Contacts:

Universal Sports

Melisa Mowry

(240) 396-1906

mmowry@universalsports.com

Amy Sorrells

(404) 550-4885

amyssorrells@comcast.net  

Greg Hughes

(404) 394-3700

ghughes5425@gmail.com