Channel 4 received widespread acclaim for its coverage of the London Paralympics which resulted in two BAFTA awards for Best Sport and Live Event and Digital Creativity, and reached almost 40 million people.

Last year the broadcaster secured exclusive UK rights to broadcast the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games which includes multi-platform broadcast rights.

Next month, Channel 4 and sister station More4 will broadcast 50 hours of live coverage over the 10 days of competition in Sochi, starting with the Opening Ceremony on March 7 through to the last day of competition on March 16.

Daily coverage will begin from either 6.00am, 7.00am, 8.00am or 11.30am (UK time) depending on the programme of events and will include live coverage from all five of the winter sports - Alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, biathlon and cross-country skiing.

More than 100 hours of additional coverage will be broadcast on two high-definition Paralympic Extra streams, available as video on demand on computer, smartphone and tablet.

There will also be daily reports on Channel 4 News, as well as special Sochi 2014 editions of the entertainment show The Last Leg, which will take a light-hearted look at the highlights and stories from Sochi 2014 with presenters Adam Hills, Adam Brooker and comedian Josh Widdicombe.

Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards will lead Channel 4's coverage of the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics ©Getty Images



"Channel 4's coverage of London 2012 brought Paralympic sport to the fore to an extent that had never before happened in the UK and helped changed perceptions of disabled sport," said Channel 4's commissioning editor for sport Jamie Aitchison.

"I'm delighted that, with over 150 hours of coverage across television and online, we have the opportunity to build on that with by far the biggest ever commitment to covering the Paralympic Winter Games."

For London 2012, Clare Balding anchored Channel 4's coverage, but this time round coverage will be led by Kelly Cates and Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, who will be joined by Athens 2004 Paralympic bronze medallist Ade Adepitan, Arthur Williams, Rachel Latham and Daraine Mulvihill, all of whom worked on the channel's London 2012 coverage.

Williams and Cates will present the Paralympic breakfast coverage before handing over to Adepitan and Edwards who will anchor coverage of events in the mid-morning.

Veteran broadcaster Jon Snow will once again be involved as he will host live coverage of the Opening Ceremony with commentary provided by fellow Channel 4 News presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, while sports correspondent, Keme Nzerem will report from Sochi across the Paralympics with reports in each evening's news programmes.

Atlanta 1996 4x400 metres relay silver medallist Iwan Thomas will join Latham and Mulvihill on the ground in Sochi.

Paralympic wheelchair basketball bronze medal winner Ade Adepitan will once again front Channel 4's coverage of a Paralympic Games ©Getty Images



"Our London coverage won universal praise for its portrayal of the athletes and Paralympic sport," said Channel 4's disability executive Alison Walsh.

"It's particularly exciting to have a number of the fantastic new presenters who made their debut with us, and who worked so hard with our teams to get the tone on disability right in London, returning to host our coverage in Sochi after developing their careers both with Channel 4 and elsewhere since the Games in 2012."

Channel 4's coverage will be produced by Sunset+Vine, which co-produced its coverage from London 2012 while Deltatre also returns to produce the digital output.

Boom Pictures has also been commissioned to produce six short films profiling a number of Sochi athletes and sports, which will be broadcast in the week leading up to the Games.

Channel 4's in-house creative team, 4Creative will be in charge of a television marketing campaign while Twofour has been commissioned to produce a series of short form films for Channel4.com giving an insight into the profile and training of five athletes competing in Sochi.

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