Bob Costas’s eye infection has sidelined him from primetime Olympics coverage for the past four nights, but NBC says it hopes the veteran sportscaster will return soon.
“We expect him to return in the coming days,” a senior NBC Sports spokesman in Sochi told TheWrap, stressing that the decision of whether Costas will return to primetime is a day-to-day call.
Also read: Meredith Vieira Replacing Bob Costas During NBC Olympic Coverage
The spokesman also said that the cause of Costas’s pinkeye is a viral infection that needs to run its course.
As to what may have caused the infection, the spokesperson dismisses the idea that supposedly wretched conditions in Sochi that have turned into an internet meme were to blame.
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“The conditions here in Sochi are outstanding for the most part,” he writes. “Much of what has been written at home is greatly exaggerated, and most people are having a great experience here.”
“Today” host Matt Lauer filled in for Costas in primetime the past three nights, and NBC’s Meredith Vieria will make history Friday night as the first woman to anchor primetime Olympic coverage for the network.