PyeongChang 2018: Samsung Paralympic Bloggers awards announced

Brazilian Nordic skier Aline Rocha, Canadian alpine skier Kurt Oatway and US physician Dr. Danielle Saenz have received recognition for their video blogs at the ´Best Blogger Award´ ceremony held in PyeongChang, South Korea, during the Winter Paralympics as part of the Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project.

The judging panel consisted of International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons, PyeongChang 2018 Executive Vice President of Planning and Communications Kim Jooho, and Director at Samsung Electronics Mobile Marketing Hayle Chun.

Rocha received the Most Creative award for her video titled ‘Culture in South Korea.’ “It was an immense honour first for being selected for this project and be able to show my everyday life during the Games outside the competition,” she said.

“It was incredible to show everyone how it is to live a Games from the inside. I want to thank the IPC and Samsung. This was a great idea. I watched the other videos and included many great things which enriched me. I really enjoyed being part of this.”

The Do What You Can’t award was given to Oatway, who created a video named ‘Defeat to Victory.’ “This project is amazing. It gives us the chance to showcase what we do and raise awareness of people with disabilities. The only barriers you have are the ones you put in yourself,” he said.

“Winning the award is great. Samsung are great at making new products and developing new technologies. It is very rewarding to know that there are companies this big that recognise the value of Para sports and want to support it.”

Saenz won in the Most Views category for her video ‘Sit ski crash after crash.’ “I feel incredibly lucky and honoured for being part of this wonderful worldwide event that the Winter Paralympics are. And to be able to show the world what the athletes do and why it is meaningful, it has phenomenal for me. It has been awesome,” she said.

The PyeongChang 2018 Samsung Paralympic Bloggers, who published 100 blogs that were viewed more than 1.2 million times, was an extension of a project which began at London 2012 and continued through Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.

All content was uploaded to the IPC’s YouTube Channel, the IPC website and the respective bloggers’ social media accounts.

Nineteen Paralympians, including two-time Paralympic champions Markus Salcher and Josh Pauls, three team officials and three super-fans from Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain, South Korea and USA used Samsung Galaxy Note8 to capture and share unique content and their own #DoWhatYouCant stories with fans around the world.

This is the first time non-athletes participated as Samsung Paralympic Bloggers, giving viewers a unique insight into the lives of Paralympians, team officials and super-fans at the Paralympic Winter Games

The project is part of Samsung’s ongoing support of the Paralympic Movement, and a display of its commitment to those who strive to #DoWhatYouCant.

The Samsung Bloggers homepage can be found here.

Every competition as well as the Closing Ceremony can be watched live right here on the International Paralympic Committee’s website. Highlights of each day’s action are also available.