PARIS (KXAN) — With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, TODAY show hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie spoke with KXAN reporter Jala Washington on how the 2024 Olympic Games has felt different from previous coverage and talked about what’s ahead for the show in the coming days.
The TODAY show covers the Olympic Games each time it happens. This is the first normal games since the COVID-19 pandemic, and brought in tens of thousands of fans.
“I think so many people were waiting for this moment — this venue rooting for Team USA, being on the same team, having this beautiful backdrop, fans in the stands. The Olympics are back that huge way,” Guthrie said.
When they are not outside on the plaza talking with fans, Kotb and Guthrie are in-studio for their live broadcasts talking all things Olympics and Paris.
“A lot of these athletes. Their moment came the minute they landed in Paris. They did it, they’re Olympians. You’ll never take that away,” Kotb said.
Guthrie said the TODAY show is athletes’ first stop when they win a medal.
“It’s so fun, because we get to wrap our arms around them and tell them on behalf of everyone your country is so proud of you,” she said.