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A familiar face will be leading NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics.
The passing of the mic was also a bit of a full-circle moment for Tirico who was the first student to receive the Bob Costas Scholarship at Syracuse University — Costas' alma mater — back in 1987 during Tirico’s junior year.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC Sports/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
And as Tirico notes, he has more than enough experience in front of the camera to be prepared for his new gig.
“Fortunately, I’ve hosted the World Cup in soccer twice and the European championships once. So those were global events that were a month in length, longer than the Olympics. I know how to do this at this point,” he says.
The Tokyo Olympics will surely be a completely new experience for Tirico, given Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency and protocols that have changed how the Olympics will be executed amid the approaching two years-long pandemic.
“I’ve never been prouder to be a part of sports than this year,” Tirico says. “I think that the last 15 months has been terrific for sports, not just in the space of the pandemic and providing entertainment and a slice of normalcy to America, but also with the athletes and social causes and other different adventures using their voice, being spokespersons for lots of the things in society that are out there.”
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As a sports fan, Tirico says he’s personally excited to watch the “exceptional stories” from some of the greatest female athletes on Team USA.
“I think as a country, we all enjoy watching swimming, gymnastics, track and field. For me, well, what I’m really interested in seeing are the team sports, especially on the women’s side: basketball, beach volleyball, water polo, soccer,” he shares. “They really represent the best set of women’s teams in the world. I’m really excited to watch.”
“I think it will be wonderful to see a celebration of sports at the Olympics. There will still be the issues that are around us, whether they’re social issues, social justice, you name it. Obviously, COVID is still going to be a story and a factor. But to be part of a celebration coming together, I think, will be really great for all of us all over the world, not just American sports fans,” he says.
“It seems like everyone’s more fractionalized than ever, but what a chance this would be to bring everybody together,” Tirico adds.
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23rd on NBC.
source: people.com
