NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Winter Olympic Opening ceremonies kick off Friday on WSMV4, and as the games begin, a local resident will be walking us through the sport of curling.
Nashville-based NBC Sports Play-by-Play Announcer Jim Kozimor will be walking fans through the sport of curling.
Our Marius Payton spoke with Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Kozimor ahead of the games. After winning an Emmy Award for his play-by-play work for Badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, he’s now taking his talents to the sport of curling.
“Oftentimes people think, ‘Well, if there’s a Winter Olympic sport I can play, it’s curling,’” he said. “There is a physicality to it. It’s not easy to get into the hack, push off, roll a stone 93 feet down to the opposite end of the ice to get to the button,” he said.
Kozimor was tapped to once again do one of the more obscure sports during the Winter Games. But he’s mastered the obscure, having won an Emmy for Badminton at the Paris Summer Olympic Games.
“The funny thing is, people don’t realize it, Marius, but badminton is the fastest sport on the planet. The shuttle moves faster than an IndyCar goes down the track, and nobody realizes how fast that game is,” Kozimor said.
Kozimor will be broadcasting from the NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. It’s a job that will require him to get up early for work.
“You and I will be getting up at about the same time and being on the air at about the same time,” he told Payton. “It’s about a six-hour time difference between here and Cortina, Italy.”
He has spent a lot of time learning about the teams and who has a shot at Gold. He also said a large part of the preparation was learning how to say the names of the athletes. He says they had to go through a two-hour pronunciation boot camp.
The curling events started prior to the Opening ceremonies, and he says the team to watch for will be wearing the Red, White and Blue.
“Watch for Team USA in all three disciplines, and you can see them well on NBC Sports,” he said.
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