Longtime combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani ready for Olympic role with CBC

When longtime combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani first heard from the CBC to see if he'd be interested in an Olympic work assignment, he thought it was a prank.

The email happened to arrive shortly after he had a couple of preliminary meetings with NBC, which holds the American rights to the Games.

"All of a sudden, my home country's broadcaster reaches out," Helwani recalled. "I'm like, 'What universe is this?"'

The 43-year-old Montreal native jumped at the opportunity. He removed himself from consideration for any potential NBC work and made his CBC debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Helwani has returned to the corporation for his first Winter Olympics experience as a special contributor at the Milano-Cortina Games.

"It was really exciting to show people that I could be put in any situation, cover any type of story, subject or sport," he said. "[Paris] went really well. And then they asked me if I wanted to come back for 2026, and it was a no-brainer to do it all over again."

Figure skater Elladj Baldé, hurdler/bobsledder Phylicia George and sportscasters Cabral (Cabbie) Richards and Donnovan Bennett are also on board as CBC special contributors across all platforms.

Helwani's feature interviews with athletes like NHL star Sidney Crosby, snowboarder Cam Spalding and freestyle skier Maia Schwinghammer started rolling out weeks ago.

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He'll be based in Livigno, Italy, during the Games, where he'll dive into more Olympic stories and host a nightly digital show.

"He was such a revelation in Paris," said CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson. "I mean, I was there with him a lot and watching him interact with the athletes. He's