Jan 20, 2022 - Sports

NBC won't send most announcers to Beijing Olympics due to COVID

Kendall Baker

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Most of NBC's event announcers for the Beijing Olympics, which open in 15 days, will make their calls from NBC Sports HQ in Stamford, Conn., rather than traveling to Beijing, because of China's strict COVID rules.

The big picture: "NBC's broadcasting teams for figure skating, Alpine skiing and snowboarding had been expected to be in Beijing, but those plans have been canceled," USA Today's Christine Brennan reports.

NBC took a similar approach in Tokyo, but had on-site broadcasters for the most popular sports, including swimming and gymnastics.

Looking ahead: NBC has designated Feb. 13 as "Super Gold Sunday," as it will broadcast the Olympics and Super Bowl on the same day.

Prime-time host Mike Tirico will anchor from Beijing from Feb. 3-10, then fly to L.A. to host the next three days and the Super Bowl.
With Beijing 13 hours ahead of Connecticut, snowboarding analyst Todd Richards told USA Today he'll be on a "vampire schedule."

Go deeper: NBC readies "once in a lifetime" sports double header

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NBC won't send most announcers to Beijing Olympics due to COVID

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