New Television Reality Show Competition for Elite International Athletes

Online, October 24, 2012 (Newswire.com) - More than one hundred high caliber athletes from 30 different nations have joined forces to create the first Reality Television Show competition exclusively for elite international athletes.

Led by Devon Harris, a three-time Jamaican bobsled Olympian whose exploits in the 1988 Calgary Games inspired the Disney Blockbuster Cool Runnings, the Show will feature sports-like "celebrity" competitions where players will be "voted off" or "saved" from elimination by each other and by fans.

The Show has the endorsement of Olympians, Paralympians and other elite athletes from diverse countries - Canada to Malaysia, India to France, Sweden to Argentina, and Latvia to Australia - and is co-owned by its Founding Athletes.

From his office in New York, Harris said "The Show will be called, the OChallenge. The "O" represents all the outstanding international athletes joining this project". "Our vision" continued Harris, "is to create the world largest annual entertainment event that mixes so many athletes from so many countries and so many different disciplines. It will be an outstanding opportunity for everyone- sponsors, players and fans."

"This is a project that includes everybody" said Annette Lynch, a professional beach volleyball player -the first Australian athlete to embrace the show. "I love the fact that as athletes we will not only be players in the challenge but also co-owners."

"I welcome this great opportunity because it will help current and former athletes to rekindle their competitive fire and be part of a global project" said Diane Dixon, a US double Olympic medalist who recently launched a campaign to advocate for job placement for former Olympic athletes.

At the heart of the Show will be a web application that fans will use to vote on key aspects of the Show and earn rewards for their active participation. Players in the competition will be selected by fans from all over the world.

To create a large base of fans even before the Show airs, the Founding Group of Athletes plan to launch a social media app at the end of the year, to request their fans' endorsement and invite them to play a sport trivia game.

Parathlete tennis player Carlos Valdivieso is excited about the project. "I am happy to be one of the co-founders of a competition reality show that will help us reconnect with our fans" said Valdivieso, from his home in Ecuador.

Many of the international Founding Athletes of the Show have won many international competitions, including Olympic and Paralympic medals, World Championships, Commonwealth and Pan American Games titles as well as professional league titles in their respective disciplines. They are all looking forward to contribute to the success of the Show both as co-owners and future players.