Katie Couric Is Coming Back To NBC To Cohost Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

Katie Couric is returning to NBC to cohost the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea on Feb. 9, the network announced on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Jim Bell, President of NBC Olympics Production and Programming, confirmed Couric's return to the network in a press release. Mike Tirico will join her in the booth at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. This will be Tirico's first time hosting the Opening Ceremony. He hosted the Closing Ceremony in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"It's beyond exciting to welcome Katie back to our Olympic booth. Katie has extensive Olympic experience, having anchored the Today show at six previous Games, and hosted the Opening Ceremony in Sydney, Salt Lake City, and Athens. We have been eagerly awaiting Mike's first prime time Olympic hosting duties, and now, with Mike and Katie, viewers will have two pros, and two terrific storytellers leading the way," Bell said.

Joining Couric and Tirico for the Opening Ceremony is Joshua Cooper Ramo, Co-CEO of Kissinger Associates. He talked about culture and geopolitical issues for NBC in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the same press release, Bell said that he is looking forward to seeing Couric and Tirico work alongside Ramo in the Opening Ceremony coverage of the Winter Olympics. He is certain that the trio will "capture both the significance and glory of the ceremony's moments."

Couric expressed her excitement to cohost the Winter Olympics with Tirico on a recent Instagram post. She is looking forward to working with the Rio daytime host who she says "brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to everything he does."

The CBS Evening News anchor is a veteran in hosting the Olympics. She hosted the Opening Ceremonies during the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, in Sydney, Australia, and in Athens, Greece. In a statement, Couric said that she has always loved covering the Olympics since she gets to highlight the dedication, perseverance, and hard work of the athletes. She added that the Winter Olympics would give South Korea a great opportunity to share its customs and culture with the international community.

The Winter Olympics would undoubtedly be an emotional moment for the athletes, for the crowd and for those watching at home. It is a memorable moment for North and South Korea since they will march as a unified Olympic team in the torch-lighting and parade of nations ceremony.

NBC will air the Opening Ceremony coverage at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The live stream will begin at 6 a.m. EST.