“The Highway to LA 28: The African Olympians,” a docu-reality sequence spotlighting Africa’s Olympic aspirations, was formally introduced final week on the Worldwide Salon for Audiovisual Content material (SICA) in Ivory Coast. 

The venture will comply with athletes from seven African nations as they put together to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Video games in Los Angeles. Although nonetheless in early growth, the sequence is ready for twelve 24-minute episodes. Emmy-winning South African producer Dan Jawitz and former head of South African sports activities broadcaster SuperSport, Gary Rathbone, who’re on the helm of the formidable venture, are searching for further broadcast and institutional companions to help the multi-year manufacturing.

The sequence will chart the emotional and bodily journeys of Olympic medalists and rising hopefuls throughout a various vary of sports activities — from Africa’s well-established Olympic disciplines like long-distance working, boxing, swimming and soccer, to rising ones together with taekwondo, desk tennis, volleyball, and rugby. 

Extra two one-hour specials are deliberate for launch after the 2028 Video games to seize the athletes’ Olympic experiences and their return dwelling.

For now, the sequence will function athletes from Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, however Jawitz says that just a few extra could make the rostrum. 

“We selected SICA in Abidjan to launch the present as a result of Ivory Coast has a fantastic sporting custom and has already confirmed themselves as Olympic medal winners, and can thus be an integral a part of the story we inform,” mentioned Rathbone. 

Karl Boluwa, networking supervisor at SICA, welcomed the venture’s announcement, saying, “We’re very honored that the producers have chosen SICA to launch the sequence, and to make use of our platform to succeed in broadcasters and different organizations.

Due to productive conferences at SICA, the group is now in discussions with a number of key broadcasters, together with Canal+ Worldwide, SABC, RTI (Côte d’Ivoire), RTS (Senegal), KBC (Kenya), ZBC (Zimbabwe), and Max TV (Ghana). They’re additionally in talks with the African Union of Broadcasting to distribute the sequence throughout its community of greater than 40 member international locations.