UW-Whitewater: Former wheelchair athlete stars in video for Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid

Contact: Melissa DiMotto

(262) 472-1195

dimottom@uww.edu

WHITEWATER ­ A video to help Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics features former Warhawk wheelchair basketball standout Matt Scott.

Scott stars in the short film with Chicago Bull Luol Deng. The video can be seen at http://www.chicago2016.org/chicago-2016-videos.aspx.

“Making the video was an amazingly positive experience,” Scott said. ” I was pumped for the opportunity. I believe the video was successful in showing that not much separates Olympians and paralympians.”

The film is one of several promotional videos made for Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. More videos, including one where President Obama speaks on behalf of Chicago’s bid, can be seen at http://www.chicago2016.org.

On Friday, Oct. 2, the host city will be selected for the 2016 summer Olympics and Paralympic games. Supporters of Chicago’s bid are anxiously awaiting the news in hopes that Chicago is picked. Among those crossing their fingers is Scott, “Chicago is a fantastic city with a lot of diversity,” he said. “I believe they would do an amazing job hosting and being a good representative not only of the Olympic spirit, but of the American spirit as well.”

Scott is currently playing professional wheelchair basketball with the U.S. Paralympic team in Istanbul, Turkey. “What a life experience this has been,” Scott said. “Living my dream of being a professional athlete and travelling the world experiencing new things.”