Lifelong Olympics fan Charley Cullen Walters has built an incredible career for himself that has taken him to every Olympics since the Summer Games in Beijing in 2008.
His Olympics blog, Olympics or Bust, was a big success, and he has turned that into opportunities to cover the Olympics for E! in Sochi (where he got Hollywood celebrities to send shoutouts to Olympians), as well as interviewing LGBTQ Olympians in Rio.
In the last few years Walters and entertainment writer Scott Orlin have created a wonderful annual event, Gold Meets Golden, that brings together Olympians with people across entertainment. The event benefits Angel City Sports, which empowers people with disabilities to engage in sports.
Walters talks with Cyd Zeigler about some of the incredible Gold Meets Golden guests this year, including:
- Jennifer Lopez
- Nicole Kidman
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Matt Bomer
- Alex Rodriguez
- Sylvester Stallone
- Gus Kenworthy
- Kristi Yamaguchi
- Monica Seles
- Carl Lewis
One special guest will be Ian Thorpe, the gay Australian swimmer whose participation was, according to Walters, a specific request of Kidman, who is also Australian and a huge Olympics fan.
Gold Meets Golden 2020 takes place in Los Angeles on Jan. 4. Be sure to check social media for all the behind-the-scenes coverage.
You can hear Walters talk about his incredible event and his lifelong obsession with the Olympics on the latest episode of Five Rings To Rule Them All:
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