DAN HICKS

When Mikaela Shiffrin careened off the course, another expected gold medal slipping away before she hardly got started, the announcers from NBC let her have it. “One of the bigger shockers in Olympic alpine skiing history,” play-by-play man Dan Hicks bellowed. The cameras honed in on Shiffrin, who clicked out of her skies and plopped down on the artificial snow — head bowed, arms resting on bent knees — as she tried to process another unimaginable outcome in the first run of the slalom.

With China's strict policy about those who test positive for COVID-19, Hicks and most of NBC's announcers for the Beijing Games are stationed stateside. Hicks was in Tokyo to call swimming for last year's Summer Games, when NBC had its announcers on site for the marquee sports. No doubt about it but I know this was the right call by our NBC folks,” Hicks said. NBC said it would determine over Super Bowl weekend where Tirico would be based for the final week of the Games. NBC had some basketball and hockey games as well as some other sports done from either New York or Stamford in the past.

Most of NBC’s announcers for the Winter Olympics in Beijing are going to be stationed stateside.

Spaceport Whistleblower Lawsuit FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2011, file photo, guests stand outside the new Spaceport America hangar in Upham, N.M. The former chief financial officer for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority has filed a whistleblower lawsuit, alleging that he was forced to resign after raising concerns about financial malfeasance. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keyes, officials with the New Mexico Finance Authority and members of the Spaceport Authority board. DeGregorio accused state officials of using the Spaceport Authority to refinance the gross receipts tax bonds with the New Mexico Finance Authority under false pretenses. DeGregorio alleges that Keyes was attempting to perform a sole source refinance directly with the New Mexico Finance Authority rather than putting the refinancing out to bid.

The former chief financial officer for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority has filed a whistleblower lawsuit.

Sergio Garcia is still the youngest Ryder Cup player in history.

German officials announced they have reached an agreement with Nigeria to return artifacts looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin and now housed in German museums; other nations also hold bronzes.

Virgin Galactic's Gateway to Space terminal for space tourists flights at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. A report by New Mexico state officials found that the former executive director of Virgin Galactic 's commercial launch site Spaceport America repeatedly broke state laws while working at the facility, according to a report from SpaceNews . Dan Hicks served as executive director of the civilian spaceport (which is overseen by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority) for almost four years, additionally acting as operations base for the spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. Later that month, DeGregorio resigned, and on Oct. 16 the New Mexico Spaceport Authority fired Hicks, SpaceNews reports. The spaceport has an interim executive director, Scott McLaughlin, who is the director of business development at the facility, but the board has not revealed a plan to choose an executive director to replace Hicks, SpaceNews reports.

NBC commentator, Dan Hicks, is now in hot water for the comments he made about this female Olympian, moments after she won gold in Rio.