Legendary cycling commentator Phil Liggett has announced that Paris 2024 will be his last Olympic Games in the commentary booth.
The 80-year-old made the revelation during an interview with Australian broadcaster Channel Nine Day 9 CoverageShortly after announcing the call for the women’s road race, she said she would be too old to comment on Los Angeles 2028.
A fixture in cycling for decades, Liggett has covered 50 Tours de France and witnessed the evolution of the sport through several eras, from Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault to today’s greatest Tour de France rider, Tadej Pogačar.
His career has spanned the entire modern history of cycling and He also worked as a journalist for Cycling magazine and the Daily Telegraph, was a qualified UCI commissioner and organised the Milk Race for 22 years.
Liggett will turn 81 on the day of the closing ceremony in Paris and in emotional scenes, he became emotional as he told presenter Eddie McGuire that the 2024 Games would be his last as a commentator.
“In four years I’ll be 85,” he said.
“And I think it’s too late to ruin the fun for the viewers now. But boy, will I miss him.”
Legendary cycling commentator Phil Liggett has announced that the Paris Olympics will be his last as the sport’s most well-known and respected voice.
The greatest commentator of all time has covered cycling at 17 Olympic Games, since 1980 in Moscow.
Before announcing the news, Liggett was visibly emotional and told Maguire: “Don’t make me cry now.”
He said it was the right time to end his Olympic career, which spans 17 Games.
“My email has been fantastic after the Tour de France. It’s been exceptional during this week of road events,” he said.
‘Everyone who writes to me from Australia tells me the same thing: don’t even think about retiring.
-But hey, I’m not invincible and I don’t want, as I say, to bore everyone.
“I will miss him very much.”
Liggett’s first Olympics in 1980 were in Moscow, where he noted that some unusual preparations had been made.
“Everyone was very happy to have finally broken through the Iron Curtain and gone to Moscow,” he said.
“But we were followed everywhere by plainclothes KGB policemen. And if you went off the main road to the left or right, they would chase you and say: ‘It’s not safe for you here, so go over there.'”
“You were diverted from the country, so you never saw Russia. It wasn’t a great memory, but it was a memory where I met a lot of people who took care of my career in the future.”
Mark Cavendish, from the UK and Team Dimension Data, is one of thousands of athletes Liggett has interviewed over the years (pictured together)
Liggett is pictured with Australian Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, one of a long list of great cyclists he has commented on.
And he revealed that he had become a mentor to some of Hollywood’s biggest names during his career, with movie stars seeking him out for advice and friendship.
‘For example, last week I spent a lot of time on the phone with Ben Stiller, who’s a great actor, Robin Williams was a great friend, the comedian,’ Liggett revealed.
“They all had one thing in common: the bike. They loved the bike.”
Liggett began his career as a professional cyclist and moved into journalism and commentary in the early 1970s.
He rose to prominence for his work on the Tour de France, becoming the “Voice of Cycling” with over four decades of coverage.
Liggett’s commentary style, marked by his deep knowledge and passionate presentation, has earned him a huge following among cycling fans.
In addition to cycling, he has covered a variety of sports including the Winter Olympics and triathlons.
Liggett has worked for major broadcasters such as ITV, NBC and SBS, contributing to cycling broadcasts around the world.
His partnership with commentator Paul Sherwen, which lasted until Sherwen’s death in 2018, became iconic in the cycling world.
Liggett has received numerous awards for his contributions to sports broadcasting, including an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2005.
He is also the author of several books on cycling, in which he shares his knowledge and decades of experience in the sport.
Beyond broadcasting, Liggett is involved in conservation efforts, particularly in South Africa.