CBC Sports launches Road to the Olympic Games

CBC Sports on Thursday launched a new vision for its department that focuses closely on Canada's high-performance athletes.

The changes include a new logo, a redesigned website and revamped mobile app, as well as a new show, Road to the Olympic Games, debuting this weekend on CBC-TV.

"This re-brand represents a positive shift in direction for CBC Sports that we're confident will resonate well with Canadians," said CBC Sports Executive Director Greg Stremlaw. "By focusing on and elevating coverage of national and international high-performance competitions, CBC Sports can act as a connector between our audience, the athletes, and the national sporting organizations.

"Through our coverage and storytelling model we strive to reach new heights, and by doing so will help to elevate the profile of Canadian sport while uniting our audience through the pride we all share in our remarkable athletes."

Hosted by veteran broadcasters Scott Russell and Andi Petrillo, Road to the Olympic Games (formerly known as CBC Sports Weekend) will chronicle athletes' journeys on and off the field of play.

Russell and Petrillo will be joined weekly by a stable of expert commentators and analysts — including Kurt Browning, Catriona Le May Doan and Craig McMorris — to cover national and international competitions in winter and summer sports including figure skating, curling, alpine skiing and gymnastics.

The Road to the Olympic Games microsite and the CBC Sports app will provide an extension of the TV program with news, real-time results and statistics from the competitions featured each weekend, as well as web-specific features.

One such feature is Player's Own Voice, or POV, a series of long-form articles written from the athlete's perspective. These articles provide an avenue for athletes to connect with Canadians through first-person accounts of anything from competitions, challenges and triumphs, to off-season activities, community life and their relationships with coaches and family.

The season premier of Road to the Olympic Games will air on Sat., Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. ET and will feature coverage of Skate America, the debut event in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating season.