MADRID – Some of the most unaccomplished youth sports teams receive a helping hand from a game-changing coach and Olympic legend for whom losing is not an option in the inspirational docu-reality series, The Z Team. The all-new season of the Olympic Channel original series features Olympic legends from around the world who have just one week to turn around a struggling youth team.
The second season of The Z Team premieres worldwide on Today on olympicchannel.com, where Men's Eagles Sevens Head Coach Mike Friday helps India Rugby's struggling U17 team in their quest to qualify for the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
“The work effort will beat talent, and it certainly will carry you a long way,” said Friday, who is responsible for transforming the USA Eagles into the world’s top-ranked sevens team. “Being the underdog fuels me. I love that challenge. Making people better, making teams better, and allowing them to fulfil their potential.”
Watch Head Coach Mike Friday in "The Z Team'
In addition to Friday, Olympic “super coaches” featured in the new season include Duke University basketball legend and former NBA star Christian Laettner who coaches the Garinger High School boys’ varsity basketball team in North Carolina; as well as Cameroon Olympic gold medallist and former Arsenal defender Lauren [Etamé-Meyer] who spent a week coaching Haquenye FC, an amateur league team in East London, U.K. hoping to avoid relegation.
Friday, Laettner and Etamé-Meyer are joined by Brazilian Olympic gold medallist in beach volleyball Jackie Silva, Dutch hockey star and three-time Olympic medallist Ellen Hoog, Finnish ice hockey legend and Olympic silver medallist Rexi Ruotsalainen, Russian rhythmic gymnast and Rio 2016 champion Margarita Mamun and French handball legend and two-time Olympic gold medallist Jerome Fernandez.
The second season of The Z Team was produced exclusively for the Olympic Channel by IMG, a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion.
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About the Olympic Channel
The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform global media destination where fans can discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round. Offering original programming, news, live sports events and highlights, the Olympic Channel provides additional exposure for sports and athletes 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in 11 languages. The Olympic Channel was launched in August 2016 in support of the IOC’s goal, set out in Olympic Agenda 2020, of providing a new way to engage younger generations, fans and new audiences with the Olympic Movement. Founding Partners supporting the Olympic Channel are Worldwide TOP Partners Bridgestone, Toyota and Alibaba. The Olympic Channel is available worldwide at olympicchannel.com mobile apps and on select connected TV devices.
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Editor’s Note
Subtitles are available in one of 11 languages by selecting the “CC” button found on the lower right of the episode videos. Subtitles are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
