By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
The new action-sports league being launched by Shaun White will air on NBC beginning next year.
White announced earlier this year that he was putting together The Snow League, a four-stop circuit that will feature halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing. On Tuesday, the league and NBC revealed that the first event is set for March 7-8 in Aspen, with the rest of the schedule still to be announced.
White plans on getting 20 men and 16 women in each contest for a prize pool of more than $1.5 million over the first season. A list of athletes who have committed to the league is expected later this year.
The debut in Aspen will come 11 months before the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy, also set to be carried by NBC.
White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist who retired after the 2022 Games in Beijing, said a key reason for starting the league was to bring together the world’s top action-sports stars, who often divide time between a number of circuits, including the Dew Tour and stops on the Grand Prix and X Games tours.
“In the end, we really want to be that premier thing, where it’s amazing to go to the Olympics and win a medal, but this is like winning Wimbledon or the NBA finals. It’s almost more prestigious,” White said in an interview earlier this year.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympicsAP