Sarasota Bradenton to Receive Exposure on Universal Sports Network

SARASOTA, Fla. - Aug. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- The Sarasota Bradenton Modern Pentathlon Executive Chair, Katherine Harries is thrilled to announce the Sarasota Bradenton area will be front and center on the world stage on Friday August 15, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time when the Universal Sports Network will air the Modern Pentathlon 2014 World Cup Final. Viewers across the United States will be exposed to the unsurpassed beauty and culture of the Sarasota Bradenton community during the hour-long highlights show. “USA Modern Pentathlon (USAMP) is thrilled that Sarasota will receive this kind of exposure on national television,” states John Amabile, Communications Director of USA Modern Pentathlon. “USA Modern Pentathlon and the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) were absolutely blown-away by the success of the World Cup Final in Sarasota and we are very excited to come back.”

From February 18^th through the 24^th of 2015 Sarasota Bradenton will host the area’s second Modern Pentathlon event; the First World Cup for the Modern Pentathlon. This event is the largest of the World Cup events and is expected to draw more than 200 athletes from around the world and the attention that follows them. “Sport unites countries and can transcend any boundary,” says Harris, “we’re the ideal community and we’re honored to host the ideal Olympic sport. The First World Cup is said to be the most exciting of the events as it is the first in the Modern Pentathlon World Cup series.” The First World Cup draws the largest number of athletes; they are fresh and at their competition peak, determined to get the best start they can in the series. Following the 2015 First World Cup, Sarasota Bradenton will host the 2016 Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final and the 2016 U.S. Modern Pentathlon Olympic Team trials. Through the course of the competition series, the community will come to know these athletes as they make their trek on the “Road to Rio” for the opportunity to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final this past June was overwhelmingly celebrated by the community. The event held at the Sarasota Polo Club at Lakewood Ranch and the Selby Aquatic Center in Sarasota welcomed 72 Olympic hopefuls. The economic impact for the Sarasota Bradenton area was reported to be $1.9 million. These events offer a family-friendly, festive atmosphere where spectators witness the dedication and hard work of aspiring Olympians.

Universal Sports Network, the year-round home of Olympic, endurance and action sports programming, is available on Time Warner Cable, Cox, Verizon FiOS, satellite providers DIRECTV and DISH and numerous regional cable and IPTV operators in markets across the country. Fans with DIRECTV who do not normally receive Universal Sports as a part of their television package will be able to watch the Modern Pentathlon 2014 World Cup Final during a week-long free preview that runs through August 15. To find USN on your channel lineup, check local listings or visit universalsports.com (http://universalsports.com/tv-listings/channel-finder/).

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