YouTube to Live Stream IPC Swimming European Championships

YouTube, the world’s leading online platform for watching and sharing videos, is to host live coverage from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming European Championships which start this weekend in Berlin, Germany.

It will be the first time Paralympic Sport has been live streamed on YouTube and follows the success of the IPC’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv which has seen 5.6 million video views since its launch in 2008 to coincide with the Beijing Paralympic Games.

The live stream coverage will take place from 0900 to 1300 and 1600 to 2030 (Central European Time) every day from 3-9 July 2011 at www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv covering both morning and evening sessions.

In addition, videos of each race will be available on demand as well as exclusive behind the scenes interviews with top athletes.

Craig Spence, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager: “We are delighted that through this partnership billions of people around the world will be able to watch this prestigious event in the Paralympic sporting calendar.

“Not only will it enable Paralympic Sport fans around the world to tune in, but it will also help promote sport for people with an impairment to a whole new audience.

“With London 2012 just over one year away, this is great news and a real boost for our athletes, sponsors, partners and the Paralympic Movement as a whole.”

Jeff Nathenson, Head of Sport, YouTube EMEA, said “YouTube is a fantastic platform to watch sports from around the world. We're thrilled to be partnering with the IPC to bring the Paralympic European swimming championships to viewers across the globe."

In addition to the YouTube broadcast there will be another live and on demand coverage of the IPC Swimming European Championships catering particularly for the German audience. spobox.tv, a German Web TV platform, will be streaming the Paralympic Event from 3-9 July 2011 on a daily basis with German commentary. All competitions will be broadcasted live from 0900 to 1300 and 1600 to 2030 (Central European Time) and later be available on demand on www.spobox.tv.

The IPC Swimming European Championships Opening Ceremony takes place this Saturday (2 July) in the German capital Berlin with races starting the following day.

Around 440 swimmers from 36 countries are set to compete in what will be one of the last major gatherings of international swimmers before the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Amongst the big names set to compete in Berlin are Great Britain’s two-time Paralympic champion Eleanor Simmonds, Ukraine’s Maksim Veraksa, the fastest Para-swimmer in the world and France’s two-time Paralympic champion David Smetanine.