NBC sports commentator Mike Tirico announced on Tuesday night, March 12, that he would be joined by NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson as presenters of the network's broadcast coverage of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony on July 26.
Trico, Manning, and Clarkson made the announcement as Jimmy Fallon's guests on "The Tonight Show."
If all goes well, Paris would be Tirico's fourth consecutive hosting of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, while Manning and Clarkson would make their Olympic broadcast debuts.
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In an interview on Tuesday, Manning told the Associated Press that he and Clarkson were "both fans of the athletes and the opening ceremony of years past."
"I think there'll be a lot of emotions for these athletes," he added. "I look forward to finding out those stories between now and July and maybe sharing that with the audience."
Tiroco also stressed that NBC's goal was for Manning and Clarkson to "be who they are."
"So many people have come to know, love, and trust these two," he said of his two co-presenters. "Having them there as part of this really speaks to what this event is. It's under the umbrella of sports. The gathering is because of sports. But it's really a cultural celebration."
This year's opening ceremony would be the first of its kind in Olympic history as it would be held outside of a stadium, with the Parade of Nations done in a nearly four-mile (six-kilometer) stretch along the Seine River in the heart of Paris, climaxing with the Eiffel Tower.
It is expected that a few hundred thousand spectators would be scattered along the route, which could prove to be a security nightmare in light of recent police union protests regarding better pay during the games.
