Kate Abdo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kate Giles 8 September 1981 Manchester, England |
| Education | University of Salford (BA) |
| Occupation | Sports broadcaster |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Employer | CBS Sports |
| Spouse |
Ramtin Abdo (m. 2010) |
Kate Abdo (née Giles; born 8 September 1981) is an English sports broadcaster who currently hosts UEFA Champions League coverage for CBS Sports.[1] Throughout her career she has worked internationally in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany and the United States.
Career
Abdo's broadcasting career started at the German international news network Deutsche Welle in 2005, in which she completed an internship in the foreign language department. In 2006–07, she worked as a production assistant for Goal! The Bundesliga Magazine, and at the same time was sports news presenter at Deutsche Welle until 2009, where she hosted sports coverage for their English and German-language services.
From there she moved to CNN, where she anchored the "World Sports" programme daily. She also hosted a feature show at CNN. Abdo left CNN to join Sky Sport News HD in Germany, where she was head anchor and the face of the network. Abdo joined to be a public face for the launch of the network and was also heavily involved in the development of the network's coverage, formats and programming.
From Germany, Abdo moved to the UK to join Sky Sports, where she hosted the Pay Per View Boxing events, European Football, Transfer Deadline day and Sky Sports News. Sky Sports loaned Abdo to Fox Sports to host their coverage of the Women's World Cup in 2015, and Abdo later took up a permanent offer from the network to relocate to the US and host their Champions League, Europa League, World Cup, FA Cup, and Bundesliga coverage. On three occasions (2010, 2011 and 2013), she acted as presenter for the UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Monaco.
Since being at Fox, she has also now taken on the role of hosting Fox's Premier Boxing Champions, including a regular studio show "Inside PBC Boxing" and fight night coverage. After Fox lost the rights to Champions League to Turner, Abdo also signed a deal to host Champions League coverage on TNT from Turner's Atlanta studios.[2]
Abdo is also well known for her role hosting the FIFA Ballon d'Or and Laureus World Sports Awards, both of which she hosted on numerous occasions. At the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony she spoke with contestants and guests in four languages.[3] She was also a host for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or.
After losing major football rights and the cancellation of ‘’Inside PBC’’, Abdo left Fox Sports. However, she has returned to Fox to host their nightly FIFA World Cup show in Qatar.[4]
In 2020, Abdo returned to the UK to work for CBS Sports as the host of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. She now works exclusively for CBS.
Abdo still works in the US for DAZN's boxing coverage.
Personal life
Born in Manchester, she studied at Christ the King School, Manchester, and Withington Girls' School. She moved to Spain at the age of 17, learned Spanish, and took her high school diploma. A year later, she began a degree at the University of Málaga in 2003 where she studied "Translation and Interpreting". Abdo also took time out of her studies to live in France and Germany. She also graduated from the University of Salford with a first-class B.A. (Hons) in European Languages. Having lived in Spain, France and Germany, Abdo is fluent in all three languages.
Her father, Tom Giles, is an avid Manchester United fan, and was a special guest when he was interviewed by Peter Schmeichel live at Etihad Stadium in 2023.[5]
She is of Guyanese descent through her maternal grandmother.[6] She is a Manchester United fan.[7]
References
- ↑ Herrera, Sandra. "CBS Sports unveils studio and match coverage for UEFA Champions League and Europa League". CBS Sports.
- ↑ Chiari, Mike. "Kate Abdo Announced as Studio Host for Turner's UEFA Champions League Coverage". Bleacher Report.
- ↑ "Who is Kate Abdo? All you need to know about the Ballon d'Or hostess". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ↑ "FOX Sports Unveils FIFA World Cup Tonight Broadcast Team Featuring Kate Abdo, Maurice Edu and Chad Johnson". FOX Sports.
- ↑ Mystery Guest Surprises Kate Abdo on Live TV || See Her Reaction, retrieved 6 October 2023
- ↑ "Caribbean News – This Fox Soccer Anchor Lets It Slip That Her Roots Extend To Guyana". 21 June 2019.
- ↑ Banks, Paul (18 January 2017). "Manchester United fan Kate Abdo Leaves Sky Sports, Joins FOX". newsamericas. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
External links
