Going four gold: UNC Hussman’s fourth Olympics experience

April 17, 2024

By Erin Wadsworth '22

Twenty-five UNC Hussman students and recent graduates are covering the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, marking the fourth Olympic reporting partnership in school history.

Charlie Tuggle, UNC Hussman’s Stembler Distinguished Professor, has built a strong relationship between the school and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2007 when the Beijing Organizing Committee approached Tuggle’s former UNC Hussman colleague, international scholar Professor Emeritus Xinshu Zhao.

The committee needed English-speaking reporters to cover the Games. They turned to 10 journalism programs across the globe for help.

“They want us to be one,” Zhao informed Tuggle.

Tuggle then organized a group of 31 Tar Heels, including Gregg Found ’08, to serve as reporters for the Olympic News Service (ONS) for the 2008 Games.

“Our job was as flash quote reporters to interview athletes after games and provide those quotes to the ONS where reporters could view and use them. On the ground, it meant trying to ask thoughtful questions to high-profile global athletes like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant just a few minutes after their game ended,” Found said.

The Beijing group, courtesy of Gregg Found.

In addition to this extraordinary opportunity for students, this marked the first time that reporters from outside the host country worked with the ONS.

“We worked next to professional journalists from around the world, so it was great training in working on a deadline,” Found said. "The work experience that came from this trip was something unique and compelling when it came to applying for jobs after graduation. In almost any job interview I had, they'd ask me for more details about working at the Beijing Olympics.”

Following graduation, Found worked at ESPN in production research and programming strategy for 10 years, eventually earning the title of director of strategic alignment at the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

The Beijing group, courtesty of Gregg Found.

The next Olympic Games were held in London, England, so there was no demand for additional English-speaking reporters in 2012. Tuggle and his students returned to cover the Games in Rio in 2016. UNC was one of two universities in the world to work with the ONS at the Rio Olympics. Of the 29 UNC Hussman students, 25 served as flash quote reporters for the ONS and four reported back home to North Carolina news outlets, including North Carolina News Network, The Herald-Sun, The News & Observer, the Greensboro News & Record and WRAL.

The Rio group, courtesty of Rocio Sevilla Dieguez.

Jenny Chiu ’17, a former UNC women’s soccer player, jumpstarted her career as a reporter at CBS Sports with this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“The Olympics was my first experience interviewing world-class athletes at the highest level. The experience prepared me for everything I do now,” Chiu said. “I interview athletes pre- and post-game now, and that was what we did during the Brazil trip. I take everything I learned from that to understand the professionalism and rhythm of what it takes to do this job.”

Rocio Sevilla Dieguez ’15 also had the opportunity to report at the Rio Olympics. Since graduation, she has worked in various roles in the industry, from TV producer at Paramount+ and NBCUniversal to customer success manager at Bowstring Studios.

“Going to Rio was a deep dive into the world of a journalist and as real-life of an experience as it gets. When working as a journalist for a news outlet, you are responsible for finding the stories, pitching them to your team, finding your talent/witnesses/related parties and sourcing the supporting material, just like in Rio.”

Despite COVID-19, there was no question as to if UNC Hussman students would be covering the 2020 Games – it was how. Public health precautions resulted in limited access for all spectators, including media personnel. Six students rose to the challenge of participating in the Tokyo Olympics experience that was rescheduled to summer 2021 – and reported from Chapel Hill.

Julia Roth ’23, a student in the Tokyo cohort, earned Zoom interviews with athletes such as Claire Curzan and Lucas Kozeniesky after direct messaging these Olympians over Instagram. Roth, now a production assistant with NBC Sports’ Live Olympic Production team, will be returning to the Olympics this year in her full-time role.

"The intimate conversations I was able to have with these athletes will forever serve as a core for how I view each future Olympics and Olympian I’m lucky enough to help cover at NBC,” Roth said. “This UNC Hussman venture not only led to my first published work, but also opened the door to my future in the Olympics world.”

Claire Curzan and Julia Roth interview over Zoom.

This year, UNC is the sole university to send junior reporters hired by the ONS to cover the Paris Games. Tuggle has continued to stay in touch with the IOC, but he said he can’t take the credit for the direct invite to the 2024 Olympics. The IOC was consistently impressed with the high-quality work that UNC Hussman students produced throughout the 2008, 2016 and 2020/2021 Olympics.

“They contacted us directly to say, ‘We want to hire some junior reporters,’” Tuggle said. “In 2008, there were 10 universities. In 2016, there were two... And now there’s one. One university that’s working directly with the IOC Olympic News Service.”

Five students experienced in sports journalism will serve as junior reporters with the ONS, while 20 additional students will continue the tradition of reporting back to North Carolina news outlets and covering athletes with ties to the state.

Olivia Mundorf ’23, a UNC Hussman graduate and current master’s student in UNC’s sport administration program, is combining her passion for athletics and storytelling as one of the five junior reporters for the ONS.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I am looking forward to helping out wherever I am needed and hopefully building upon the broadcast journalism skills I learned during my time at UNC Hussman,” Mundorf said. “To be able to play a small part in an event like the Olympics is going to be an unforgettable experience.”

Tuggle hosted a webinar with the 2024 cohort of students on March 5. UNC Hussman alumni, Draggan Mihailovich ’83 and S.L. Price ’83, joined the webinar to share their wisdom and experiences. Mihailovich, an 11-time Emmy Award-winning 60 Minutes producer, started his network career by covering the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. He has since covered and produced features for numerous Olympic Games. Price was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated from 1994-2019 and has covered 10 Olympic Games.

The students sought advice from these Olympic reporting veterans, including how to navigate language barriers and interview tips. Price emphasized that it will be an overwhelming assignment, but it’s worth it.

“You will leave there – if you’re smart, if you run and gun, if you keep your eyes open and are aggressive – with great samples of work,” Price said.

Although the students won’t arrive in Paris until July 26, they are already laying the groundwork. Mihailovich reiterated that knowing the athletes and their sports is the most important thing these junior reporters can do to prepare.

“Start your homework yesterday. Every one of you should be on the Olympics website, every single day. You cannot BS your way through the Olympics,” Mihailovich said.

The UNC group will be at the Olympics from July 26 until August 10.

Students:

Jasmine Baker

Kerrington Bostick

Joshua Dolgoff (ONS junior reporter)

Spencer Haskell