NBC tabs Golf Channel executive to run 2020 Olympic coverage

NBC will borrow the head of its Golf Channel to oversee coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer.

Molly Solomon fills a void left by the departure of veteran executive Jim Bell from the network earlier this month.

Solomon, who previously worked on a string of Olympic broadcasts for NBC, returns to the Games after making history at the Golf Channel as the first woman to run a national sports network.

“I’ve had a great sports life,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “I can’t wait to dig in and work more broadly on the Tokyo Olympics, which will be the biggest media event in the world.”

Bell served as executive producer for NBC’s Olympics coverage for six years and, most recently, for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He also ran the “Today” show during the tenure of co-anchor Matt Lauer, who faces continuing allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace.

Solomon’s 30-year career has included 11 Emmy Awards. She has served in a variety of roles in the coverage of 10 past Olympics, producing the opening ceremony and the network’s prime-time show.

NBC Sports Group President Pete Bevacqua said he was “especially proud to see a longtime and well-liked member of our NBC team return to her roots.”