Mike Tirico Feared China Would Plant A Positive COVID Test After His Mentioning Of Human Rights Abuses During Olympic Broadcast

Mike Tirico opened NBC's 2022 Winter Olympic coverage in Beijing, China by addressing the host country's alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. He also acknowledged that China is "the nation where COVID began."

Tirico's opening comments were not only accurate but admirable, although he recently admitted that he had a very real fear during his remaining time in the country following his opening remarks.

"There were things that had to be said when we were in China, and we said them, right out of the gate," Tirico explained during an interview on 'The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast.'

"In being honest, I have to say, I was concerned about if my COVID test was going to come back surprisingly positive all of a sudden after our first night in China, and we made our comments about the treatment of the Uyghurs over there," he added.

Mike Tirico was worried China could plant a positive COVID test on him after his opening remarks at the 2022 Olympic Games. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tirico never failed a COVID test during his time in China, but he did leave the country earlier than reportedly planned. The longtime broadcaster had originally planned to cover the Games right until the Thursday before the Super Bowl, but elected to bolt after Monday's coverage six days before the big game. NBC cited a coordination issue when explaining why he left earlier than planned.

The United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and later India were among the countries that launched a diplomatic boycott against China.

Many countries and governments, including the U.S., have accused China of putting a million or more Uyghurs and other Muslims into detention camps. Many who have been detained have explained that they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their religion and language.