CBC Sports broadcaster Scott Russell to retire from hosting duties after Paris Paralympics

Award-winning sports broadcaster Scott Russell will unite television audiences across Canada during the Paris Olympics next month before signing off for the final time as a host at the end of the summer "with a lifetime of memories" after nearly 40 years with the CBC.

Russell will step down following the Paralympics, which run Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, also in France.

"CBC Sports has been my home for my entire career in broadcasting," he stated in a news release. "The places I've been, the friendships I've made, and the sport I've witnessed, leave me with a lifetime of memories.

"On top of that, I've been fortunate to work with the best people in the business."

It's time, Russell noted, for his next chapter and is excited about the future, including his role as chancellor, or ceremonial head at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont.

Since breaking into the business in 1985 as a reporter with CBC Charlottetown, Russell has covered 16 Olympics, including six as host, and led the network's coverage of six Pan Am Games, six Commonwealth Games, two FIFA World Cups and a pair of Women's World Cups.

A longtime host of the weekly CBC Sports Presents, Russell was also a rinkside reporter for CBC's Hockey Night in Canada for 14 years.

After one year in Charlottetown, he turned to sports and quickly established himself as a talent.

For four years starting in 1988, he was a sports reporter and anchor in Montreal until moving to Toronto as a network sports commentator.

"Scott's genuine passion for sports and his vast knowledge of athletes, past and present, has helped to inspire and ignite the country around global sporting competitions for close to four decades," CBC executive vice-president Barbara Williams said in a statement.

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