TODAY will bid farewell to Studio 1A in New York, and once again bring the excitement of the Olympics to viewers at home. Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist and Jenna Bush Hager will travel to Sochi, Russia to host TODAY during the XXII Olympic Winter Games. The Sochi Winter Olympics marks the ninth Olympic Games the TODAY show has traveled to and covered. The Olympics start in primetime on NBC on Thursday, February 6.
Before the Olympics begin, TODAY will take viewers to the heart of the action. Beginning Monday, February 3, Matt Lauer will co-host split editions of TODAY live from Olympic Park and the mountain venues with several Olympians joining him in Sochi. Meredith Vieira and Willie Geist will also be reporting for TODAY during the week. They will look ahead to the start of the Games, introduce the athletes-to-watch, and take a look at the tremendous preparations underway. On Friday, February 7, Lauer will broadcast live from The Fisht Olympic Stadium to preview the Opening Ceremony, which he is co-hosting with Vieira.
On Monday, February 10, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Natalie Morales will join Matt Lauer and Willie Geist in Sochi, and the TODAY team will broadcast live from the exclusive set that they will call home for the duration of the Games. TODAY’s Sochi set, which is centrally located in Olympic Park, boasts outstanding views of The Olympic Stadium, The Iceberg Skating Palace, The Bolshoy Ice Dome, The Olympic Cauldron and Medals Plaza. TODAY’s Orange Room will also be relocating to Sochi as The Oранжевый Room with Jenna Bush Hager serving as host. Meredith Vieira will contribute frequently to TODAY in Sochi, and Lester Holt, Richard Engel, Kier Simmons, Ann Thompson and Kevin Tibbles will also be reporting for NBC News platforms.
A star-studded group of athletes will also join the TODAY show Olympic roster. As previously announced, Lindsey Vonn will serve as Olympic correspondent for TODAY and NBC Sports reporting from the U.S. Gold medal ice skaters Evan Lysacek and Kristi Yamaguchi will serve as special correspondents for TODAY in Sochi providing expert commentary and analysis of the Games.
While in Sochi, TODAY will broadcast in-depth news coverage of the Winter Olympics with the latest on the events, and previews of the upcoming action. Broadcasting daily at 4 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), the program will give viewers an all-access pass to everything Olympic, going behind-the-scenes and profiling the outstanding competitors that make up Team USA. Athlete interviews will include Shaun White, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, Mikaela Shiffrin, Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner, Polina Edmunds, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Lolo Jones and the women’s bobsled team, Sarah Hendrickson, Emily Cook, Shani Davis, and many others as they go for the gold. TODAY will also take a look at the competition the U.S. athletes will be facing including Spanish Skater Javier Fernandez.
In addition to covering the Games, TODAY will have a little Olympic fun in Sochi. The TODAY show anchor team will embrace the spirit of friendly competition and go head-to-head with the NBC Sports anchor team in an intramural Olympiad - it’s anyone’s game to win. Also - they’ve tried the luge and synchronized swimming, and once again, Matt Lauer and Al Roker will team up to attempt not one, but several surprise Olympic sports.
During the Olympics, TODAY will take a look at Sochi’s unique culture, society, cuisine, and of course, its Vodka. Each day, the show will introduce the Russian language to viewers with "Al’s Word of the Day." And, on Friday, February 14, Nashville recording duo and The Voice Season 4 finalists, The Swon Brothers will perform live concert from TODAY’s set in Olympic Park.
The weekend edition of TODAY will broadcast live from Olympic Park Saturday, February 15 and Sunday, February 16 with Lester Holt, Al Roker and Natalie Morales hosting.
At TODAY.com, viewers can get closer to the Games than ever before. Special series include Look Like an Olympian, where athletes share their fitness secrets, and Team Behind the Team, which highlights the personal stories about their journeys. Fans can connect via live chats and callouts on the hashtag #SochiTODAY on Facebook and Twitter. For TODAY's Olympics coverage visit TODAY.com/Sochi.
Don Nash is the executive producer of TODAY (Monday – Friday 7 a.m.). Mary Alice O’Rourke is the senior producer overseeing TODAY’s Olympic coverage.
For more information contact:Megan Kopf Stackhouse
NBC News
e: megan.kopf@nbcuni.com
p: 212-664-6205
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