Al Michaels will host the weekend and weekday daytime coverage of NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver.
Mr. Michaels, who moved to NBC in 2006 as one of the announcers for “Sunday Night Football,” has not worked an Olympics in 22 years. He worked his first Olympics in 1972 for NBC, but is best known for his “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” call when the United States upset the U.S.S.R. in hockey during ABC’s coverage of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
NBC Universal Sports and Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol said he’s been talking to Mr. Michaels about doing events other than football, and that following this year’s Pro Bowl football broadcast, Mr. Michaels said he would love to host an Olympics.
“I’ve been an Olympics freak my whole life,” Mr. Michaels said.
He said that his contract at ABC during the 1990s called for him to host future Olympics, but Mr. Ebersol and NBC began stealing the Games away from ABC.
“I figured I’d better come over and make this thing happen,” Mr. Michaels said.
Most of the 50 hours of events Mr. Michaels will be hosting in 2010 will be carried live, NBC said.
Mr. Ebersol said he expects Jim Lampley, who has hosted a record 14 Olympics, to have a role in the 2010 Games.
NBC also has the rights to the 2012 Olympics in London, and Mr. Ebersol said he expects Mr. Michaels to have a role there.
(Editor: Baumann)