Merdieth Vieira to Return to NBC's TODAY for Summer Olympics Coverage

Meredith Vieira made a surprise return to TODAY this morning to make a special announcement, after a tease in which viewers saw only her face in shadow. "You look better in silhouette," joked Today show anchor Matt Lauer.

Vieira came back to announce she was joining TODAY in London for the Summer Olympics coverage. "Of all the things that I did when I was on the TODAY show for five years, I think the Olympics was my very favorite experience," she said, adding she'll report on Britain's "flair and the flavor" and host the opening ceremony with Lauer and Bob Costas.

The city of London will host the Games of the xx Olympiad from July 27 - August 12, 2012. It will become the first city to stage the Olympics three times (Athens and Paris have hosted the Summer Games twice, and Lake Placid and St. Moritz have held the Olympic Winter Games twice.)

London also hosted the Games in 1908 and 1948, and both times played a vital role in the development of the modern Olympic movement. London's first go-round, held just 12 years after the first modern Olympics, set a new standard for host cities, particularly with respect to organization. In 1948, London was the site of the Olympics' revival after a 12-year absence because of World War II. Those Games, held in spite of the ruins of the war, were subdued in tone but not in meaning, as the Olympics have been held every four years since.

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