The 4th of August is a date that has seen legends born, captured the imagination of fans across the world and shaped the Olympic movement as we know it.

August 4th – An Olympic Odyssey, a 60-minute documentary produced by the in-house team at Warner Bros. Discovery, premieres on Wednesday 3 July at 19:30 CEST (check local listings) on Max, discovery+* and Eurosport, utilising an extensive archive to highlight a day that holds huge importance and significance.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Stuart Owen Rankin (grandson of Jesse Owens); Sky Brown (Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist); Marie-José Pérec (French triple Olympic gold medallist) and former athlete and sports administrator Lord Sebastian Coe, August 4th – An Olympic Odyssey delves into the stories behind the stories.

From when Jesse Owens humiliated Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1936 to Fanny Blankers-Koen demolishing prejudices about gender, age and motherhood; from Carl Lewis winning the 100m in Los Angeles to a glorious Super Saturday at London 2012; from the first televised Paralympics in Toronto to Sky Brown becoming Team GB’s youngest-ever winner of a medal in Tokyo at the tender age of 13 – the 4th of August is synonymous with greatness.

With the men’s 100m final scheduled for 4th August at Paris 2024, new legends are set to be emerge.

Scott Young, Group SVP Content, Production and Business Operations at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Our ‘Road to’ programming began nearly a year ago when we launched Paris, La Vie Sportive and our commitment to telling some of the most compelling stories that the Olympic movement offers remains undimmed. Whether it be through short-form or long-form, we aim to give an insight into the sacrifices made by athletes – past and present - in order to compete in an Olympic Games.

“August 4th – An Olympic Odyssey is an extraordinary documentary that explains some of the key stories that make this date what it is, told through many lenses that perfectly captures the essence of the Games and what it stands for.”

Julia Kellner-Long (l) and Stuart Owen Rankin (r) discuss one of the most culturally-important moments in history at the Berlin 1938 Olympic Games (Image: Supplied)

August 4th – An Olympic Odyssey highlights Warner Bros. Discovery’s mission to unlock the power of sport, complementing a library of Olympic-themed programming available to watch via Max and discovery+* that includes weekly magazine show the Power of the Olympics as well as documentaries including The Olympians and Paris, La Vie Sportive.

Warner Bros. Discovery is the Home of the Olympics in Europe and its streaming platforms – Max and discovery+* - will be the only place to watch every moment of the Olympics – all 3,800 hours of live action - this summer. In addition, Eurosport’s channels will provide wall-to-wall live coverage for sports fans across the 19 days of competition.

Full list of interviewees for August 4th – An Olympic Odyssey
Stuart Owen Rankin, Grandson Of Jesse Owens
Julia Kellner-Long, Grand-daughter of Luz Long
Sky Brown, Tokyo 2020 medallist
Ellen Van Langen, Director, Fanny Blankers-Koen Games
Chris Stoddart, Wheelchair Racer, 1976 Paralympics
Lord Sebastien Coe, Athlete and Administrator
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Gold medallist
Marie-José Pérec, Triple Olympic medallist

Credits
SVP Content and Production: Scott Young
Commissioning Editor: Marc Eychenne
Producer and Director: Tom Boswell
Production Manager: Ralph Saunders
Producers: Ian Brackley, Maxime Auburtin, Steffi Thomas
Editor: Jake Lofdahl

*Max is available across the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe – and will be the only place to watch Paris 2024 in the markets where Max is available. discovery+ is the streaming platform for Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.