He has won four Olympic gold medals, graced the cover of Time magazine and been honored as Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Yet if you say the name Johann Olav Koss in this country, you’ll usually be met with a casual shrug. “Oh yeah, speed skater . . . Norwegian . . . what’s he doing now?” Instead of cashing in on his Olympic haul, Koss embarked on a remarkable journey that has established him as one of the world’s greatest ambassadors of sports. As the founder, President and CEO of Right To Play, Koss and his army of volunteers, teachers, coaches and diplomats have used the power of athletics to elevate the lives of the world’s neediest children. As it turns out, Frank Marshall, one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed producers and a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, witnessed Koss’s triumphs on the ice in the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games. Now Marshall will reveal the epiphany that led Koss to start Right To Play, and attempt to uncover the motivation that drives him to crisscross the globe, establishing new programs and literally saving lives in the process. Some day, Johann may win a Nobel Peace Prize. But for now, this film will serve as an introduction to an uncommon and selfless man who embodies the power and glory of sport.

Personal Statement

As a member of the United States Olympic Committee, I was lucky enough to attend the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer. While most people remember those games for the controversy surrounding Tonya Harding, what I remember most is the host country’s astounding achievement of winning the most medals, 26 in total, including 10 gold. Three of those 10 were won in speedskating, all by Johann Koss and all in world record time. It was an amazing performance to watch and he instantly became a local hero. However, even though he landed on the cover of Time magazine and was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, he remains one of the most accomplished and least known athletes of his generation.

And that’s where the story gets truly amazing. Instead of cashing in on his Olympic haul, Koss embarked on a remarkable journey that has established him as perhaps the world’s greatest ambassador of sports. As the Founder, President and CEO of Right To Play, Koss and his armies of volunteers, teachers, coaches and diplomats have used the power of sport to elevate the lives of the world’s neediest children—displaced, homeless, impoverished children, who’ve never experienced the joys of play.

I’m extremely excited, not only to revisit those thrilling days in Lillehammer, but to discover the epiphany that led Koss to start Right To Play and uncover the motivation and drive that have Koss crisscrossing the globe at breakneck speed, establishing dozens of new programs, motivating kids, and literally saving lives in the process.

Frank Marshall Bio

With more than 50 films to his credit as a visionary producer who has helped shape American film, Marshall is also an acclaimed director and active participant in public service and sports. Marshall’s credits as a producer include some of the most successful and enduring films of all time, including all four Indiana Jones films, “Poltergeist,” “Gremlins,” “The Goonies,” “The Color Purple,” “An American Tail,” “Empire of the Sun,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “The Land before Time,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “The Sixth Sense,” “Seabiscuit” and the “Bourne” trilogy.

His films have been nominated for a multitude of Academy Awards, including Best Picture nominees “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Color Purple,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Sea-biscuit” and most recently “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

As a director, Marshall helmed the critically acclaimed box-office smash “Eight Below,” as well as the thriller “Arachnophobia,” the compelling true-life drama “Alive,” the 1995 hit adventure “Congo” and an episode of the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon.”

His lengthy and fruitful collaboration with Steven Spielberg and Kennedy began in 1981 with “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Following the productions of “E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Poltergeist” in 1981, the trio formed industry powerhouse Amblin Entertainment. During his tenure at Amblin, Marshall produced such films as “Fandango,” “Young Sherlock Holmes,” “Gremlins,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “Always,” “Hook” and “Empire of the Sun,”.

Marshall left Amblin in the fall of 1991 to pursue his directing career, and formed The Kennedy/Marshall Company with Kathleen Kennedy. The company’s productions include such diverse films as “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs,” “Seabiscuit” and the three blockbuster films in the “Bourne” franchise.

A Los Angeles native and son of composer Jack Marshall, Marshall ran cross-country and track while a student at UCLA and was a three- year Varsity letterman in soccer. Combining his passion for music and sports, Marshall and America’s premiere miler Steve Scott founded the Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, which debuted in 1998 in San Diego as the largest first time marathon in history. For over a decade, Marshall was a member of the United States Olympic Committee. In 2005, he was awarded the Olympic Shield, and last summer Marshall was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Currently, he is on the board of Athletes for Hope, USA Gymnastics and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, as well as Co-Chairman of MLA Partner Schools and a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Governors. He is a recipient of the acclaimed American Academy of Achievement Award, the UCLA Alumni Professional Achievement Award and the California Mentor Initiative’s Leadership Award. He and Kennedy are the recipients of the 2008 Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Award for Career Achievement, as well as the 2009 Visual Effects Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The duo was also honored this year with the ICG Publicists Motion Picture Showmanship Award.