Hoda, Savannah, Al and Craig explain why this year's Olympics will be unlike any other in history (2024)

Laughter and confetti fill the air.

There are gold medals and baguettes, shimmering pompoms and a replica of the Eiffel Tower. But this is not the Olympics.

Not yet, anyway. Instead, it’s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin gathered in the legendary “Saturday Night Live” studio, which has undergone an Olympic makeover — rings and all — for a photo shoot in honor of the upcoming Games.

Decked out in Team USA attire, as soon as the co-hosts arrive on set, they are poking good-natured fun at one another. As Kool and the Gang spills out from a nearby speaker and the anchors croon “Celebrate good times, come on!” the set of their first-ever TODAY cover shoot feels like a family holiday.

It’s the right song at exactly the right moment, because — just days before all four of the TODAY anchors head to the 2024 Summer Olympics — the moment is a celebration, and the excited energy is palpable.

“It’s really the first time the world is getting together without any restrictions. This is a true, post-pandemic Olympics. It’s behind us, and it’s so thrilling,” Savannah tells TODAY.com before adding, “And it doesn’t hurt that it’s in Paris. Everybody is so excited to be there.”

That includes Hoda, who says, “I think it’s a dose of something we all need, want and are ready for, and it’s going to be amazing. I can already imagine it. I can already see it. And I think it’s going to infuse us with what we need right now.”

After a pause, she adds,“This is the Olympics we’ve been waiting for.”

On set, a producer hands the co-hosts pompoms, prompting them to immediately chant in unison: “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” The photo shoot has quickly turned into a pep rally, one the whole world will soon join in on as more than 10,500 athletes from over 200 national Olympic committees will assemble in Paris with a single dream: to bring home the gold.

Along with the athletes, at least 2 million spectators are expected to descend on the City of Light to view the Games, and billions more will be watching at home as NBC and Peaco*ck air the 329 events of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A veteran of 13 Olympics (and counting), Al believes this year’s Games will be one for the history books.

“It’s kind of the same feeling when we did the Olympics in Athens. To be at the Olympics in Athens, literally the home of the Olympics, was something very special,” he tells TODAY.com. “I think it’s going to be like that in Paris.”

In part, that’s because 2024 marks 100 years since Paris last hosted the Summer Olympics. It’s also because in the years since the 2016 Rio Olympics — the last Summer Games before COVID — the world has become a different place, one affected by political divides and the lingering effects of a global pandemic.

What hasn’t changed, however, is the indomitable Olympic spirit.

From the lighting of the Olympic flame on July 26 to the last flag lowered at the closing ceremony on Aug. 11, the Games will unite cities and nations as they cheer on the world’s best athletes — something Craig says he celebrates not only as a journalist, but also as an American.

“It gives us an opportunity, for about two weeks, to cover something every day, in-depth, that unites us. Something we can all celebrate,” Craig tells TODAY.com.

“We all root for Team USA. There’s no bias to check, because all of our biases are the same. And, so, it’s a fact that this is one of the few things left that truly unites all Americans.”

But at the heart of the Olympics are the athletes and the journeys that have led them to the Games. And all of them have a story to tell about the wins, losses and heartbreak that got them there.

“The Olympics, they’re not sports stories. These aren’t stories about athletes. These are life stories,” says Craig.

As the world awaits the start of the Paris Games, TODAY.com sat down to talk with co-anchors Savannah, Hoda, Al and Craig, who will be on hand to report all the showstopping moments live from the banks of the Seine, the base of the Eiffel Tower and the rest of the city’s iconic landmarks.

We asked each of TODAY’s veteran Olympic correspondents what they’re most excited for, what it’s like to witness history in the making ... and, yes, what they’re packing for Paris.

From the stories that bring them to tears to the athletes they’ll be cheering on this year, here’s what they had to say.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Savannah Guthrie: The super fan

Savannah’s enthusiasm for the 2024 Olympics is infectious. “We’re finally through the pandemic, and fans can be there and families of the Olympians can be there to give a hug. It just adds this extra excitement,” she says.

The longtime anchor and NBC News’ chief legal correspondent has covered numerous Olympic Games over her career, including London 2012, Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, which were held in 2021.

“We love everywhere we go for the Olympics, we really do, because it’s such a beautiful opportunity to see a part of the world you may never have seen,” Savannah says.

Having grown up watching the Olympics, Savannah says as a child she was allowed to stay up a bit later to watch the Games. It’s likely her two children — Vale, who turns 10 in August, and Charley, 7 —will be doing the same with dad Michael Feldman, as they cheer Savannah and Team USA on from home.

How she’s preparing for the Olympics: “I have to learn everything about swimming events; there’s the freestyle and the medley and the 200. But there’s things you do end up learning every four years about particular events. You become an expert on curling or archery. And we learn about the athletes and who to watch. But mostly, it’s just sheer fun and sheer joy.”

What she’s packing for Paris: “Definitely a flat iron or curling iron, because it can get really humid. You know, weather-sensitive hair, it’s Paris, we have to be fashionable and keep the frizz to a minimum.”

What she loves most about covering the Games: “It’s so fun to root for your country. And I just love being on the ground floor of people who’ve spent their whole lives working for something. And then we get to be there at the minute their dream comes true.”

The one thing she thinks Taylor Swift and the Olympians have in common: “I always think about how many times they fell before they stuck the landing, how many bruises they had, how many hours they practiced by themselves. And that’s why the Olympics mean so much to me. I always tell my kids about working hard. It’s like, if you love Taylor Swift, think how many hours she spent alone playing her guitar or singing her songs or writing. I feel that way about Olympians.”

The sport she’d compete in if she did have athletic ability: “I have no athletic ability whatsoever. I really do not. I was always chosen last for the team. (But if I could), I think I would be a figure skater. I would love to glide on the ice and do those jumps and turns. That just seems magical to me.”

A favorite childhood Olympic memory: “I think I was about 10 years old, I went to the Supercuts and asked for the Dorothy Hamill haircut ... with mixed results. Since my hair is curly, I really couldn’t pull that off. And no, there are no pictures. Don’t ask.”

Her Paris bucket list: “I’d love to just be a Parisian for the day and sit at the cafe and drink a rosé or eat a croissant in the morning. I hear the shopping is good, I’d like to check that out. And I’ve never walked through the Tuileries, the gardens, they’re supposed to be beautiful.”

Hoda Kotb:The cheerleader

For Hoda, the headline of the Paris Games is unity.

“I’m just excited to have a place where everybody is there cheering and rooting on Team USA, and I feel likethe best of our country is what we see there,” she tells TODAY.com.

“It’s like you’re watching lives change right before your very eyes.”

A veteran broadcaster at the Olympic Games, Hoda began her career at NBC in 1998 working as a correspondent for “Dateline NBC.” Now, she co-anchors TODAY along with hosting the fourth hour with Jenna Bush Hager.

Mom to two daughters, Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 5, Hoda says she’ll be including something from each of her kids in her Paris suitcase. “I want to bring whatever they kind of tuck into my bag,” she says.

Though she’s not concerned about what she’s going to wear, read on to find out the other item Hoda says she’d be “crazy” to leave home without.

What she’s most excited for at this year’s Games: “I’m looking forward to the feeling of just elation, unity, inspiration ... all the things that the Olympics brings.”

On why the Olympics are humbling: “The Olympics always reminds me of how small the world is, and I think it’s such a good thing to remember. You look around, you realize, ‘Wow, here we all are in one tiny spot on this globe. People from all over the globe are right here together competing, whether win, lose or draw — whatever it is, you are doing it as a team.’”

Why she can’t actually watch gymnastics: “It’s my favorite sport, except for I can’t watch it because I’m like, ‘Oh, God, don’t look. Don’t. Tell me when it’s over! Tell me when it’s over! Did she stick it?’ Then everyone’s screaming. ‘She made it!’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I missed that moment because I couldn’t bear to watch it.’ But sometimes it’s too much to bear. You get all freaked out.”

The Olympic event she’d compete in if she could: “I think I would probably do something like one of the track events. There would be something really fun about the feeling of being in the starting blocks, being with all the fastest people in the world.”

On who she’ll be rooting for in Paris: “Truth be told, when I’m at the Olympics, I always seek out and look for who’s the oldest athlete and from what country and I want to see (how that person did) or … who’s the lone athlete from a country and let’s root for that person. Once you know the story, you really want to root for that person.”

On being a cheerleader for Team USA: “That’s my role in life. Not just at the Olympics. That is the role that I have always played and and have loved it ever since I was a kid. I love to cheer someone on, like, ‘You got this.’ I feel like I’ve always believed if you have somebody in your corner, you can make it. You don’t need everybody. You just need a couple. So, I want to be that ‘couple.’”

What she’s packing for Paris: “It will likely be something that my kids give me. It’ll be something of theirs. I don’t know what it’ll be, but I need to have something of theirs close, whatever it is. And ... hairspray — because let’s not be crazy.”

Al Roker: The historian

Al has been covering the Olympics for decades. Having been on site for some of the most memorable Olympic moments in history, he was there in Atlanta when Muhammad Ali lit the torch in 1996 and in Athens, where it all began, in 2004, among many other notable Games.

Joining TODAY in 1996, the weather and feature anchor brings a wealth of wisdom and experience to Paris, where he’ll be reporting on location. For Al, the city holds a special place in his heart, because Leila, 25, his daughter with news anchor and longtime wife Deborah Roberts, lives and works in France’s capital city.

“I love when I get there, I get to see Leila’s Paris as somebody who lives there and goes around and finds things.”

Along with Leila, TODAY’s co-anchor has two other children: Courtney, 37, and Nick, 22. His eldest recently gave birth to Sky Clara Laga, Al’s 1-year-old granddaughter, last year.

The one thing he won’t leave home without: “My journal. I’ve been journaling now for the last, probably, 10 years. It might be a paragraph, it might be two or three pages, but I like writing down what I experienced that day.”

On being in the stadium when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame in 1996: “It was just one of the most electrifying, dramatic, stunning moments you could possibly ever want to see. It was one of those, ‘I am so grateful that I’m here to see this.’ There have been, obviously, other really theatrical Olympic opening ceremonies, but for sheer human emotion and drama, there is nothing I think that will ever top that, at least not in my memory.”

Why he loves artistic swimming: “Sometimes people goof on it, but it is a lot harder than it looks. I don’t know how they do it, because you’re moving, you’ve got to be in sync in synchronized swimming, and it’s crazy. I am in awe of those folks.”

The relatively new Olympic sports he’ll be keeping tabs on: "I would love to personally watch surfing because it’s in Tahiti, but I don’t think that’s going to be happening. I think skateboarding is going to be like the Summer Olympics’ answer to snowboarding. The sheer athleticism of these young people doing this, I don’t even understand how they do it. They seem to defy gravity.”

The best part of the Olympics, in Al’s opinion: “There are all the names we know, the ones that we know are probably going to do well. But it’s the names that come out from nowhere that when maybe one of the names falters or can’t compete for some reason, and somebody steps up out of the shadows and it’s their moment and they meet the moment, and that’s when it’s electrifying and so unexpected. There are these stories that you are not expecting that come out of the blue and you go, ‘That’s the Olympic spirit.’”

The surprisingly old-school item he’ll pack in his suitcase: “I bring stationery with me and stamps because I like to send letters.”

Any other plans while he’s in Paris? “We can all do our outrageous French accents.”

Craig Melvin: The enthusiast

Paris marks Craig Melvin’s fifth trip to the Olympics, and the TODAY news anchor says he’s excited for the upcoming Games for a number of reasons. The biggest? He’s emotionally invested.

“You’re pulling for people that you’ve interviewed dozens of times. You’ve seen them at the top, and then sometimes you’ve seen them fall and then watch them come back.”

The TODAY co-anchor and host joined NBC News in 2011 and will be bringing a giant dose of enthusiasm to Paris, along with his Olympic knowledge and sports expertise as he reports on location from the Games.

According to the 3rd hour anchor, there’s nothing that compares to covering the Olympics. “There are a lot of fantastic parts about this job. We got pretty sweet gigs. The Olympics? Top of the list. Hands down, of the assignments, it’s the most coveted,” he says.

There is one downside: He’ll be leaving wife Lindsay Czarniak and their two children, Delano, 10, and Sybil, 7, behind.But not to worry: To keep them close, there's one thing in particular the anchor will be packing in his suitcase.

On why the Olympics are personal to him: “I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with a lot of these athletes over the years, and so when you spend time with the athletes and you learn their backstories and you spend time with their families, you’re not just watching them compete. This is someone that you’ve kind of come to know.”

The element of the Olympics that brings him to tears: “I’m thinking about those moms and dads and all of those hours and days and years they’ve spent shuttling them to practice. Watching them win and watching them lose and knowing how much they have to sacrifice. So, when they fall short … let me tell you, there has not been an Olympic Games since I’ve covered them that I haven’t cried. Sometimes they’re tears of joy because you see them when they’re hugging their (athletes), they’ve sacrificed so much. So we become emotionally invested as journalists, but also as Americans in their journey.”

On his admiration for the basketball pros in the Olympics: “A lot of these guys, they’re going in the Hall of Fame, they have championship rings. They don’t need it. (But) they feel an obligation to a country that has given them so much, these fans who have given them so much. This is their way of saying thank you to America, thank you to the fans. There’s something really cool about that.”

On his Paris bucket list: “I usually leave it to (Al) Roker to find the best haunts. And finding some nice restaurants and speakeasies. I always enjoy that, places off the beaten path.”

The one sport he could possibly pull off at the Olympics: “Let me tell you what always looks like a lot of fun ... freaking table tennis! I have played a little pingpong at the house with the kids. I feel like if I could get a pretty good teacher and practice a lot, that I would maybe get good at it eventually.”

On the XL suitcase he’s bringing to Paris: “I take a portable speaker, because I start my day with music and meditation, and I use it at night as well. I’m actually buying a new speaker just for this trip. I typically overpack, because I like to dress based on mood. And so consequently I end up taking twice as many clothes and shoes as I’ll need. I’ll take a portable fan because I get really hot, and we’re going to be outside a lot and I don’t want to sweat my way through the Games.

“And I always take pictures of my family just to keep them, because I’m gone for two weeks and I don’t get to see them.”

Tune into the Paris Olympics on NBC and Peaco*ck.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

VISUALS:

Photographer:Elena Mudd / Photo Assistant:Taylor Schantz / Prop Stylist: Tim Ferro / Prop Assistants: Laura Hughs, Reece Koetter/ Wardrobe: Alexandra Rozansky, Lyle Jones

TODAY:

VP of Content: Ashley Codianni / Editorial Director:Arianna Davis / Art Director:Tyler Essary / Art Director:Jennifer Prandato / Talent Booker: Christina Manna / Production Manager: Brittany Howard / Video Producers:Tyre Nobles, Chloe Leung / Social:KC Cibran,Melissa Radzimski

STYLE CREDITS:

On Savannah: Ralph Lauren Polo dress; customized Ralph Lauren polo shirt

On Hoda: Ralph Lauren Polo Red zip top; customized Ralph Lauren polo shirt

On Al: Ralph Lauren Polo shirt; customized Ralph Lauren polo shirt

On Craig: Ralph Lauren Polo striped shirt; customized Ralph Lauren polo shirt