By Emily Goddard

adam hall_18-10-11October 18 - Sky Sport New Zealand has been named as the winner of the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) 2011 Paralympic Media Award in the broadcast category for its dynamic coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.


The television channel was said to have captured the true spirit of the Paralympic Games, broadcasting it live across New Zealand, particularly with its coverage of the country's alpine skier Adam Hall (pictured), whose gold medal race gripped the nation.

Hall's fall in the race and ability to get back up and finish to claim gold showcased so much strength, emotion and passion that he returned to New Zealand a celebrity.

Sky Sport New Zealand also produced live coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, post-race interviews, medal presentations and a daily primetime 55-minute highlights programme that was shown across three sport channels, which excited viewers and led to people asking for further coverage of Paralympic sport in the country.

Other finalists for the award, which is open to both all rights and non-rights holding broadcasters, and documentary filmmakers, included Germany's Bertelsmann, Sweden's SVT Sport, China's CCTV, Australia's ABC TV, Germany's ZDF, and Canada's CTV.

Sky Sport New Zealand will officially be presented their award at the gala dinner during the IPC General Assembly in Beijing, China, on December 10 this year.

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