STAMFORD, Conn. — Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova will work for NBC during its Winter Olympics coverage in her childhood home of Sochi.
The four-time Grand Slam champion lived in Sochi until she was 6 and still has family and friends in the area. She was Russia’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she won a silver medal.
NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell says that Sharapova “transcends sports as one of the world’s most recognizable stars.” He adds that “Maria will offer a unique and personal perspective on a place she knows so well.”
The opening ceremony in Sochi is Feb. 7.