The time has come for Bob Costas to pass the torch to Mike Tirico and a new generation of Olympic hosts.
Costas announced Thursday on “The TODAY Show” he’s stepping down from his role as host of NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympic Games. Tirico will take over the position Costas held for over a quarter-century.
“I am going to be like the rest of the country, watching Mike Tirico, who will be an able successor in Korea for the Winter Olympics a year from now,” Costas said, per USA TODAY’s Erik Brady.
After serving as late-night host in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Costas has fronted NBC’s prime-time coverage since the 1992 Barcelona Games. He covered 11 Winter and Summer Olympics in totals, and his 27 Emmy Awards are the most in sports broadcasting history.
“Bob has long been the gold-standard of Olympic hosts,” NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell said in a statement, per TODAY’s Scott Stump. “We thank him for his unmatched work on the signature event in sports television, and we’re thrilled to have Mike, with decades of big-event experience, on our team and excited to step in.”
Costas, 65, will remain with NBC Sports in another capacity.
Tirico was the daytime host for NBC’s coverage of the 2014 Rio Olympics. The 50-year-old is well prepared to assume the position of someone he “grew up idolizing,” starting with the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
