Interview with Vick Hope ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Channel 4

27 August 2024

We sat down with Vick Hope ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Channel 4

Are you excited to be returning to Paralympics hosting duties on Channel 4 for another year? 
I am so excited to be returning to Paralympics hosting duties! It’s my favourite job I have ever done. The Tokyo Paralympics 2020 in 2021 was so special, so emotional and so uplifting. I was very honoured to be a small part of some really important broadcasting of athletics, and also to give a platform to some really sensitive stories.
I was inspired constantly and to be able to be inspired again, this time in Paris, is such a dream come true.   

What is it about the Paralympic Games that is so special to you?
On a very personal level, I think the thing that is most special about the Paralympics is that everyone is there for very different reasons. I remember broadcasting from the velodrome in Tokyo, I heard so many stories from athletes - whether they were competing because they have a degenerative illness, or because they were born a certain way or had been fighting in a war zone.
I love stories and I love people so much and it's just the most magical storytelling arena.  

Tell us what you’ll be getting up to this year.  
This year, I'm going to be joining Billy Monger and we’ll be hosting the Breakfast show every morning on Channel 4. We’re going to be waking you up every single morning. It’s going to be an overview of every sport, whereas in Tokyo I was only in the velodrome so this will be a smorgasbord of activity.  

Are you excited to be working with Billy? 
Yes, I love him so much. I’ve been in awe of him for many years. I’ve followed his career as a driver but also as a broadcaster. I think he’s incredibly talented. He’s really lovely and I'm so excited to work with him.    

What are you most looking forward to about Paris 2024? 
Paris 2024! I’d say seeing the progression from Tokyo.
I think the thing with the Paralympics is that each time it comes around, we see amazing advancements across the board. Personally, I’m half Nigerian and I know that disability isn’t something that has necessarily been well funded in my mother’s country. Seeing African athletes and progression there means a lot. I feel very excited to see how things have moved forward since 2021. Also, this time we get to broadcast in a very similar time zone so, this time around, all the big sporting events will be in our time zone as when I was in Tokyo, a lot of people were in bed during those big moments. So this is great! We can get behind Great Britain all as one – I feel really pumped for this.  

Do you have a favourite Paralympic event?  
Well I'm biased, but my favourite is the cycling. Look at how we medalled in Tokyo. Something that will be different this time is that we were still in a pandemic in Tokyo, so there were no crowds or fans in the stadium. We were in a velodrome which was at the foot of Mount Fuji. It was in this amphitheatre that was rising from this beautiful misty landscape, it looked like an oil painting. These cyclists were like gladiators, they were generating this electricity even though there was no-one there to cheer them on. I got very close to them because I felt like I had to be their cheerleader, as well as covering their stories. It’s a sport that is very close to my heart because of that.  

We can’t forget you’re going to be in Paris! Have you been before? What’s your favourite thing to do?  
We’re going to Paris! My favourite thing – the food!
I actually studied French at uni. I used to spend so much time there. I was fluent at one point, but now my French has got a bit rusty, so it’ll be quite nice to practice again.  

In your downtime from hosting duties, what do you hope you’ll be able to get up to? Anything to tick off the bucket list? 
Much to the annoyance of all my loved ones and anyone who has been on holiday with me, I can walk for miles. I love taking in all the sights, the sounds, the architecture and the monuments. I love city breaks.
I don't even notice my step count going up. It’s quite good getting to go somewhere for work, because I don’t have to worry about anyone else getting tired whilst I pound the streets.

Stream and watch live on Channel 4 all day, every day from Wednesday 28th August to Sunday 8th September