NBC promoting Weir, Lipinski to top skating team

NEW YORK (AP) -- Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, after attracting attention for their rapport and fashion sense in an understudy role at the Sochi Olympics, were promoted by NBC on Wednesday to its top figure skating broadcast team.

With figure skating the marquee sport during the Winter Games, the promotion will make the former Olympians two of TV's most visible personalities in 2018 in South Korea. They'll team with play-by-play announcer Terry Gannon, starting their new role Sunday during NBC's telecast of the Skate America competition.

They replace Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Tom Hammond, who were NBC's lead figure skating announcers at four Olympics starting in 2002. Hamilton, a 1984 gold medalist who called three other Winter Olympics for CBS, will remain as a special contributor to NBC at big figure skating events, including in South Korea. Hammond will work as a track and field announcer at next summer's Rio Games.

Weir and Lipinski became an instant sensation in Sochi last winter, when they called live daytime broadcasts with Gannon on NBC Sports' cable network. Many viewers tuned in particularly to see what outrageous outfit Weir would be wearing. Hamilton, Bezic and Hammond handled the tape-delayed prime-time telecast on NBC.

After the Olympics, Weir and Lipinski contributed to fashion coverage at the Academy Awards and Kentucky Derby.

"We know a little bit about skating, too," Lipinski said on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday.

She won the 1998 Olympic gold medal at age 15. Weir is a three-time U.S. figure skating champion.

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