12/22/2008
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Joe Manchin and Charleston Mayor Danny Jones today announced the worldwide television airing dates for the 2008 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competition held in Charleston in September.
During a news conference this morning, the governor also unveiled a brief highlight video of the broadcast, which is set to air on ESPN networks starting this week.
"This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase our state, our people and our capital city to the world,” Manchin said. “I know the crowd really enjoyed watching these contests, and the television exposure the host city receives is enormous.”
The first broadcast of the event will occur on ESPN2 on Christmas Day from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The shows will debut on ESPN from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28. Each broadcast will include 10 half-hour segments, featuring events from the qualifying and final rounds, plus a one-hour conclusion showcasing the final day of competition that determined the champion.
“During the course of the next year, the World’s Strongest Man competition – and the city of Charleston – will be featured hundreds of times on ESPN networks,” Jones said. “Many people worked very hard to bring about this event, and this broadcast promises to be a great Christmas present for our community and all the people who made it possible.”
The World’s Strongest Man event was hosted by the City of Charleston and the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. CVB President Patty Pitrolo thanked other presenting sponsors that supported the effort locally, including the Governor’s Office, West Virginia Coal Association through its “Friends of Coal” initiative, Chesapeake Energy and West Virginia Division of Tourism.
The supporting sponsorship level included: BrickStreet Insurance, West Virginia Lottery and Pepsi. Local companies providing in-kind support included: Airgas, Kanawha Regional Transit Authority, Charleston Area Medical Center, Sun Belt, Kanawha County Parks and Recreation, University of Charleston, West Virginia Air National Guard, West Virginia Power, Yeager Airport and Executive Air.
The “World’s Strongest Man,” the long-running strength athletics competition series, is produced by IMG Sports Media for ESPN in the United States, Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and other broadcasters around the world.
Created in 1977, the World’s Strongest Man has become the premier event in strength athletics. For more than 30 years, the strongest men on the planet have come together in a series of unique and amazing tests of strength to determine the World’s Strongest Man. The competition has traveled to stunning and varied locations, including Zambia, Iceland, Mauritius, Malaysia, Morocco and China.
Legendary figures in the sport have cemented their legacies at the World’s Strongest Man. In 2007, Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski joined Icelandic legends, Jon Paul Sigmarsson and Magnus Ver Magnusson, as the only four-time champions in history.
More information on MET-Rx World’s Strongest Man is available at www.theworldsstrongestman.com.
Contact Information
Jama Jarrett or Melvin Smith
304-558-2000