NBC Sports Group Announces Talent Roster for London Olympics

Bob Costas leads a record 115 NBC Olympic commentators as NBCUniversal will present an unprecedented 5,535 hours of London Olympic Games coverage across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours.

The lineup returns many of the network's signature Olympic hosts, play-by-play commentators and analysts.

NBCUniversal Olympic commentator notes:

· Roster includes 28 Olympians who won a combined total of 45 Olympic Medals (25 Gold, 8 Silver and 12 Bronze). "Team NBC" would have finished sixth at the Beijing Olympics with 43 medals behind Australia with 46 and ahead of Germany who won 41.

· Group ranges from Al Michaels and Dan Patrick - who are hosting NBC's Olympic Daytime show - to Olympic gold medal speed skating legend Apolo Ohno, who is making is Olympic broadcasting debut as a reporter, to NBA head coaches Doc Rivers and Doug Collins.

· John McEnroe and Ryan Seacrest make their Olympic debuts as primetime contributors.

· Mary Carillo again pulls double duty as NBC's late night host and Olympic correspondent, her 11th Olympic Games and eighth with NBC.

Here is a rundown of NBC's Olympic roster:

NBC HOSTS:

· The 2012 London Games will be Bob Costas' 10th for NBC and his ninth as primetime host. After serving as late night host in 1988 from Seoul, South Korea, Costas earned acclaim for his work as primetime host from Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, Beijing and Vancouver. Costas, who has the longest tenure of the network's sports commentators, joined NBC in 1980.

· Al Michaels, one of the most renowned commentators of all-time and whose legendary "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" call at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games 32 years ago stands as one of the most famous calls in sports history, will work his second straight Olympics for NBC, serving as host of NBC's live weekend and weekday daytime coverage from London. Michaels was the daytime host at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010, his first Olympic broadcast assignment in 22 years, when he covered hockey and hosted the Closing Ceremony at the 1988 CalGary Winter Olympics for ABC.

· Dan Patrick will make his Olympic hosting debut, joining Michaels as host of NBC's live weekday and weekend daytime coverage from London. Patrick, host of Football Night in America and the Dan Patrick Show, served as an Olympic correspondent for NBC in Vancouver.

· Mary Carillo will host NBC's late-night coverage for the third time, reprising her role from Beijing and Vancouver. Carillo will also serve as an Olympic correspondent and provide a look into life in the United Kingdom through a collection of features done in her own inimitable style, similar to her acclaimed work during the Beijing and Vancouver Games. London is Carillo's 11th Olympic Games and eighth for NBC.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

· Michelle Beadle makes her Olympic debut as a host on NBC Sports Network's coverage from London. She will also serve as a correspondent for Access Hollywood during the Games. Beadle joined NBCUniversal in May of this year.

· Liam McHugh, one of the emerging voices in sports television today, continues to add to his rapidly growing workload as he hosts NBC Sports Network's coverage from London. McHugh recently hosted NBC and NBC Sports Network's studio coverage of the Stanley Cup Final.

· Willie Geist, host of MSNBC's Up Way Too Early and co-host of Morning Joe, makes his Olympic debut as a host of NBC Sports Network's coverage from London.

MSNBC

· Kelly Tilghman, a member of Golf Channel's original cast and one of the network's most versatile anchors, makes her Olympic debut as host of MSNBC's coverage from 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

· Rob Simmelkjaer will make his Olympic debut as host of MSNBC's coverage from 30 Rock. Simmelkjaer, who also serves as Senior Vice President of NBC Sports Ventures, is a host on the NBC Sports' Update Desk and NBC SportsTalk on the NBC Sports Network.

CNBC

· Fred Roggin, the sports director at KNBC-TV, NBC's owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles, will host CNBC's Boxing coverage from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, his seventh Olympics assignment for NBC. Roggin's previous Olympic assignments have included hosting curling coverage from the 2010 Vancouver Games and the 2006 Torino Games; CNBC's coverage from the Athens Games; serving on the "Special Features Unit" at the Salt Lake Games in 2002; and working as the boxing reporter at the 2000 Sydney Games. Joining Roggin in the studio will be Laila Ali, a former professional boxer and daughter of legend Muhammad Ali, making her Olympic broadcasting debut.

BRAVO

· Pat O'Brien, a veteran of five Olympic Games as a commentator, will serve as host of tennis coverage on Bravo. The London Games will be O'Brien's fourth Olympics for NBC and sixth overall. He last worked for NBCUniversal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

OLYMPIC CORRESPONDENTS:

· Top TV broadcaster Ryan Seacrest will make his Olympic broadcasting debut, serving as a contributor for NBC's primetime coverage from London.

· Legendary tennis star and broadcaster John McEnroe will make his Olympic broadcasting debut in London. McEnroe, who has served as a tennis analyst for NBC since 1992, and dominated the tennis world in the 1980's, winning three Wimbledon and four U.S. Open titles, will serve as an Olympic correspondent on NBC's primetime coverage.

· Bela Karolyi, arguably the most successful coach in gymnastics history, is one of his sports' most-recognized personalities. He has coached and trained world-renowned gymnasts for the Olympic Games from 1976-2004, and returns to NBC as an Olympic correspondent, the same roll he filled during the Beijing Olympics.

· Jimmy Roberts, a 13-time Emmy Award winner, will contribute feature stories and essays and serve as an Olympic correspondent during NBC's daytime coverage.

GUEST COMMENTATORS:

· Shaun White, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, will serve as guest commentators during portions the London Games.

SPORT BY SPORT:

NBC's signature announce teams return in gymnastics, swimming, track and field and diving. Following is a partial rundown, sport-by-sport. A complete roster is attached.

GYMNASTICS: Play-by-play commentator Al Trautwig is once again joined by Olympic gold medalist Tim Daggett and Elfi Schlegel, who have provided analysis on NBC's Olympic gymnastics coverage since the 1992 Barcelona Games, and veteran Olympic reporter Andrea Joyce. Bela Karolyi, arguably the most successful coach in the history of his sport and one of its most recognized personalities, who has coached and trained world-renowned gymnasts for the past eight Olympics, will serve as a gymnastics studio analyst, reprising his role from Beijing.

SWIMMING: Dan Hicks has the call alongside analyst Rowdy Gaines - working their fifth Olympics together - with Andrea Kremer reporting in her second Olympics. Gaines, who won three gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, is working his sixth Olympics for NBC.

TRACK & FIELD: Tom Hammond, who has won acclaim for his memorable calls at the last five Summer Olympics, will once again call track & field. Ato Boldon (second Olympic Games) and Dwight Stones (11th Olympic Games), return as analysts, with Lewis Johnson (fifth Olympic Games) serving as a reporter. Craig Masback, who worked as a track & field commentator for NBC in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Beijing in 2008, returns to provide analysis on the men's marathon and distance races. Tim Hutchings, a former middle-distance runner who represented Great Britain at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, will provide analysis on the marathons.

DIVING: Ted Robinson, working his fifth Olympics, debuted as the diving play-by-play commentator for the 2004 Athens Games. Cynthia Potter, who made three Olympic teams and won bronze in 1976, returns as analyst, a role she's handled for NBC since the 1992 Games. Alex Flanagan will report from the diving venue. London is her second Olympic assignment, having served as a sports desk reporter in Vancouver and as host of CNBC and USA Network's coverage during Beijing.

BASKETBALL: Bob Fitzgerald, the voice of the Golden State Warriors for CSN Bay Area, will handle the play-by-play of the men's and women's competitions, his second Olympic broadcast assignment. He called the water polo competition in Beijing. He is joined by two respected analysts: Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Doug Collins (men's), and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Ann Meyers (women's). Collins, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team, takes on his third Olympic broadcasting assignment. Meyers, who won silver as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1976, is working her fourth Olympics as a broadcaster. Craig Sager returns as reporter for both men's and women's hoops, a role he's held since the 2000 Sydney Games. Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers will make his Olympic broadcasting debut as a studio analyst in London.

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