Bernard Ross has been handed the role of Eurosport’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of their Olympic Games coverage ©Discovery

Discovery Communications has appointed Bernard Ross to the newly created position of Eurosport’s chief operating officer and general manager of their Olympic Games coverage.

Ross, who has extensive experience in live sports and broadcast is due to begin the new role in January, based in Paris.

Charged with the successful delivery of the Olympic Games across Europe, Ross will handle all production, logistics and organisational aspects of the planning for the Games.

Discovery Communications signed a contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June, which will see Pan-European television sports network Eurosport become the continent's Olympic broadcaster.

Ross joins from UEFA, where he delivered UEFA Euro 2016 as head of production, having managed the live host broadcast of the competition since 2008.

During his tenure, he was also responsible for the delivery of several broadcast and digital innovations, across all UEFA competitions from the UEFA Champions League to the newly centralised European qualifiers.

Bernard Ross is in charge of Olympic Games coverage across Europe after Discovery signed a broadcasting deal with the IOC in June 2015 ©Getty Images
Bernard Ross is in charge of Olympic Games coverage across Europe after Discovery signed a broadcasting deal with the IOC in June 2015 ©Getty Images

JB Perrette, President and chief executive of Discovery Networks International, highlighted the appointment as a significant step towards delivering on their goal to deliver the Olympic Games in a new way to more viewers across more screens than ever before.

"On day one, Bernie will take our team to a new level of excellence," said Perrette.

"His world-class experience in sports production and relentless pursuit of innovation will help us deliver the ultimate Olympic Games experience."

Before working at UEFA, Ross was a senior producer and live director at IMG Media where he spent 12 years working across their sports programmes and projects.

"Following a successful 11 years at UEFA, I am delighted to take this opportunity to ensure that the Olympic Games captivates as wide an audience as possible across Europe, bringing a differentiated approach and to delivering engaging coverage across all screens," said Ross.

"With Discovery’s commitment in the Olympic Games, along with other premium sports rights, this is clearly a transformative period for the business, thrilling fans across Europe and bringing the ultimate sporting spectacle to life through a redefined viewer experience."