The description teams of the NBC television network, the official broadcaster of the Olympic Games in the United States, will not go to Beijing. They will work remotely, from studios in Connecticut.
Posted at 8:31 p.m.
Updated at 8:37 p.m.
NBC confirmed the news to USA Today on Wednesday night. This decision is linked to concerns caused by COVID-19, when people who test positive are placed in isolation for days or even weeks.
“We will still have a significant presence on the ground in Beijing and our coverage of all sports will be top-notch as usual, but our plans are changing day by day, as is the case with most media companies covering the Olympics,” said senior vice president of communications Greg Hughes.
The events will therefore be described from NBC headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, despite the 1 p.m. time difference with China.
“We will have more staff there than in the host city,” said president and executive producer Molly Solomon.
“With changing COVID-related conditions and China’s zero-tolerance policy, this just adds a layer of complexity to it all,” she added. So we need to make sure that we can deliver the same quality experience to US viewers. This is why we will be split between the two cities. »
Snowboarding analyst Todd Richards said the network was “a bit concerned that if someone tests positive for COVID, the Chinese government will pick you up and lock you up. NBC wanted to have more control over the situation. »
A similar strategy was used last summer at the Tokyo Games. Some broadcast teams, however, had been on site for more popular sports, such as swimming and gymnastics.