Tar Heels are taking over the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Seventeen former Tar Heels are competing in various sports in the Olympic Games in the next two weeks.
Additionally, more than two dozen UNC students and recent graduates are currently in Rio professionally covering the games.
Brendan Marks, a rising senior at UNC who is a broadcast and political science double major, says that seeing the games come together is an incredible experience.
“What we’re doing is we’re flash quote reporters. So as soon as the athletes finish competing we go on the floor and we talk to them”, Marks says.
Listen to WCHL’s conversation with Marks from Rio:
https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/August/4/UNC%20in%20Rio%20for%20Wed.mp3
The media that the students gather will be available to all media outlets to use and will cover more than 11,000 athletes competing.
Sydney Holman, a rising senior who is a broadcast student at UNC and part of the Carolina women’s lacrosse team that won a national championship this season, says sharing this experience with fellow Tar Heels all the way in Brazil is comforting and very special.
“I get to cover field hockey, which five Carolina Tar Heels are on the USA women’s team, said Holman. “I actually know three of the girls on the team, so to be able to experience that, you know, we’ll be Tar Heels for life.”
Listen to WCHL’s conversation with Holman from Rio:
https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/August/4/UNC%20in%20Rio%20for%20Fri.mp3
The students have spent the past few days in Rio training and say they feel prepared to take on the 2016 Olympic Games.
The Olympic opening ceremony kicks off Friday night and the games will run until August 21.
Listen to WCHL’s conversation with recent UNC graduate Haley Rhyne from Rio:
https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/August/4/UNC%20in%20Rio%20for%20Thurs.mp3 Related Stories
‹
UNC Journalism School Acknowledges Diversity Shortcomings Amid Review The UNC Hussman School of Journalism acknowledged it “has not met its own ideals for creating an environment of diversity and inclusion” on Tuesday, in an email statement from interim dean Heidi Hennink-Kaminski. The statement is a response to the school being downgraded to provisional accreditation status by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism […]
$21 Million Gift Supporting New UNC Media School A $21 million gift from the Curtis Foundation to UNC includes the largest ever contribution to the university’s School of Media and Journalism. From the gift, $8 million will go to the construction of the Curtis Media Center, a “flexible,” learning space that emphasizes collaboration between students and staff while making available the latest technology, […]
Former Dean Jean Folkerts Wins Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism History UNC School of Media and Journalism dean emeritus Jean Folkerts has won the 2016 Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History. Folkerts served as dean of the UNC MJ-school from 2005-11 and is currently a visiting professor and scholar at the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University. […]
7 Tar Heels Represent US Women's Soccer in Rio Seven former Tar Heels will be making their way to Rio as part of the United States women’s soccer team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 18-payer roster was announced on Tuesday with five players who played their college soccer at UNC included. Two former Tar Heels were named as alternates for the team. Defenders […]
The Morning News: New CHCCS Board Member, Newmark on UNC Football Probe In today's news: the CHCCS board appoints a new member, and UNC athletic director Steve Newmark addresses the recent football investigation.
Enrollment Growth, Legislative Relationships and The Alumni Center: Highlights of the UNC Board of Trustees Meetings (September 2026) The UNC Board of Trustees held its first set of meetings this week since classes resumed in Chapel Hill, bringing the governing body of the university together to the Rizzo Conference Center complex. The group’s agenda ranged from new and advancing development projects, external affairs updates and critiques, data on UNC’s enrollment growth amid a […]
UNC Athletic Director, Chancellor Say 'Corrective Action Plan' Being Developed After Football Investigation One week after UNC closed its internal investigation into the Tar Heel football program for potential conduct and policy violations, the university's leaders shed more light on the decision and their next steps.
The Morning News: Chatham vs. Data Centers, CHCCS Board Vacancy, UNC Player Eligibility In today's news: the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board will appoint a new member, and four UNC athletes have their eligibility restored.
'Baseball is a Booming Sport': Checking in With the Diamond Heels' Scott Forbes As his team began its fall practices and scrimmages earlier this month, Scott Forbes sat down and discussed the state of the Diamond Heels.
100 Years of Kenan Stadium: 'My Most Memorable Day' To commemorate Kenan Stadium’s centennial season, 97.9 The Hill is inviting community members to share their favorite Kenan memories from the past 100 years. This twice-weekly series will showcase stories from players and fans throughout the fall. Spring commencement is always one of the busiest days of the year at Kenan Stadium. It’s an emotional […]
›
