Connecticut's Olympic Connections Gaining Notice

Thus far, 252 athletes have qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, which is expected to include more than 500 athletes in total when the July 23 Opening Ceremony takes place in Tokyo, Japan.  Between now and then, and during the Olympic Games, Connecticut will first get a glimpse of what’s to come, and then help much of the nation see the action.

East Hartford’s Rentschler Field will host the U.S. women’s national soccer team in two friendly matches against Mexico on July 1 and July 5.  The matches, dubbed the WNT Send-Off Series,  will be final tune-ups before the Tokyo Olympics.  The final 18-player roster for the Olympics will be announced later this month. 

“These are games to work on the final details, to once again give our players a chance to play with their position groups and areas on the field and to make sure our fitness is in the right place heading into our pre-Olympic training camp,” said U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “Mexico is a team that has larger ambitions as it prepares for the run-up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup so we know they will give us two tough tests, which is what we need to continue to sharpen our team before we leave for Japan.”

Also in July, Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford will host Team Israel for two exhibition games.  Team Israel qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by winning the 2019 European Baseball Championship, and is one of six national teams that will compete in the Olympic tournament. They will play on Wednesday, July 14th and Thursday, July 15th at 10:30 AM at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, facing the Bristol Blues and Ocean State Waves of the NECL (New England Collegiate Baseball League) as part of its Northeast United States tour.

Team Israel is managed by former Major Leaguer Ian Kinsler, and their roster includes former Major League players such as catcher Ryan Lavarnway (Red Sox, Orioles, Braves, Athletics, Pirates, Reds, Marlins), pitcher and Connecticut native Josh Zeid (Astros), infielder Danny Valencia (Twins & Orioles), Ty Kelly (Mets & Phillies), pitcher Jeremy Bleich (Athletics), pitcher Jon Moscot (Reds), pitcherZack Weiss (Reds), and former Yard Goats infielder Scott Burcham, now in Triple-A. Zeid, a native of New Haven, pitched parts of two seasons for the Houston Astros in 2013 and 2014.

"We are thrilled that our fans will get the opportunity to come see a team competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics," Yard Goats team owner Josh Solomon said. "Team Israel had an incredible run in the most recent World Baseball Classic, and we are honored to host them at Dunkin' Donuts Park."

The Olympic Games will be broadcast for NBC Sports, July 23 – Aug. 8, through facilities in Stamford, CT, the network’s domestic hub.  The opening ceremony will broadcast live on the NBC network across all time zones, marking the first time that NBC Sports’ NBC Olympics division has broadcast an opening ceremony live in the morning. It is scheduled to begin at 6:55 a.m, with coverage to continue throughout the day and into the prime time hours. 

NBC is planning more than 7,000 hours of coverage planned for the Tokyo Olympiad. A division of NBC Sports Group, Stamford-based NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. 

“Following the unprecedented challenges presented by the global pandemic, the world will come together in Tokyo for what could be the most meaningful and anticipated Opening Ceremony ever,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group.  “Given the magnitude of this event, we want to provide viewers with as many ways to connect to it as possible, live or in primetime.”

In addition to having people Tokyo and Stamford, NBC will produce the Olympics out of Sky Sports in London, Telemundo in Miami, and CNBC in New Jersey. Coverage of men’s and women’s soccer are among the broadcasts emanating from NBC’s studios in Stamford, with announcers calling the matches from studios here., using the world video feed provided by the Olympics.

In Stamford since 2012, the 300,000 square-foot broadcast center sits on 32 acres and from day one has featured six on-air studios, six control rooms, more than 50 editing rooms, 50 graphics suites, among other features.

Among those with a Connecticut connection set to compete at the USA Gymnastics Olympic trials in St. Louis later this month is Riley McCusker, who finished second in the uneven bars at the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Texas earlier this month.  Riley McCusker, who turns 20 in July, is a five-time member of the United States women’s national gymnastics team. She is the 2019 Pan American Games and 2017 United States national uneven bars champion.

McCusker, who was born in Danbury and spent much of her youth in New Milford, is committed to the University of Florida, but she deferred until the fall of 2021after the Olympics were pushed forward from 2020 due to COVID.  She trains in Arizona, and not too long ago (in 2016) the then-15-year-old had a sizable and enthusiastic cheering section of friends and neighbors at the XL Center in Hartford as she earned a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team. 

We’ll know more about her summer plans for 2021 two weeks from now.