Samsung's "What's your problem? Sport Doesn't Care" Campaign Encourages People to View Paralympic Games Athletes Simply as Athletes

Samsung launches campaign to celebrate athletes competing in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games

Seoul, Korea – February 27, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category, today unveiled a compelling video campaign called “What’s Your Problem? Sport Doesn’t Care.” to honor the commitment and achievements of athletes competing in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Samsung’s Paralympic Games platform, “Sport Doesn’t Care”—which encourages people to view Paralympic Games athletes simply as athletes, and supports their tireless pursuit of dreams—debuted at the London 2012 Olympic Games and reached nearly 5 million people in its first two weeks online.

This new, gritty campaign, created by 72andSunny Amsterdam, calls attention to the fact that we all have problems, but sport makes no distinctions. In the eyes of sport there is no ability or disability, all that matters is the energy and determination of athletes and that they give all to achieve their goals.

“Conversations around the Paralympic Games tend to focus on disability over athleticism,” explains Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “As a brand with a passion for sport, Samsung aims to make the dialogue more empowering, focusing on the courage and performance of athletes and encouraging participation. We believe this campaign will inspire more people to become engaged and involved in the Paralympic Games.”

Following a kick-off Manifesto film posted on February 20, today’s 90-second “What’s your problem? Sport Doesn’t Care” film captures intimate moments in the lives of five Samsung Galaxy Team Paralympic Games athletes along with an appearance by U.S. Paralympian Evan Strong. Documenting everything from the 5am wakeup calls and grueling workouts, to harsh weather and fear of failure, the piece depicts the myriad of trials faced by any top athlete.

Athletes featured in the films include:
- Jessica Gallagher – alpine skiing – Australia
- Seung-Hwan Jung – ice sledge hockey – Korea
- Katarzyna Rogowiec – cross-country skiing and biathlon – Poland
- Anna Schaffelhuber – alpine skiing – Germany
- Evan Strong – Snowboard Cross – United States
- Greg Westlake – ice sledge hockey – Canada

"I'm so excited to be involved with 'Sport Doesn't Care’, and I think that Samsung's commitment to the Paralympic movement is incredibly important. It calls much-needed attention to the fact that we as Paralympians are really not different from our Olympic Games counterparts

we work just as hard and want to win just as much,” said Gallagher, a Paralympic Games alpine skier from Australia, and the country’s first woman to win a medal at the Paralympic Games. “I ski the same as any Olympian, I just use adaptive equipment to help negate my vision loss. Whether you're a top athlete or a young child just starting out, sport doesn't discriminate," she added.

A third film set for release on March 7 explores the message from the perspective of Keira, a young athlete, aiming to inspire people of any age and ability to get involved with sport.

Samsung is sharing all three of the films worldwide through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, utilizing the #sportdoesntcare hashtag.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Paralympic Games
Samsung is a Worldwide Partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in the Wireless Communications Equipment category. Starting with the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, Samsung has supported the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the London 2012 Paralympic Games and is proud to be an official partner of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. Samsung aims to make the Paralympic Games an event that reaches a wider audience around the world and to spread the excitement and inspiration of the Games through its wireless communication technologies.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.