UK alum reflects on Olympic media career, from Beijing press officer to Milano Cortina announcer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2026) — Price Atkinson, a 1997 journalism alumnus from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, is reflecting on how his time at UK helped launch a global career in sports communication that has taken him to multiple Winter Olympic Games.

Atkinson, who worked as a press officer during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and later as an English-speaking PA announcer for curling at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, said both experiences offered unique challenges and rewards at the highest level of international sport.

“While every day kind of felt like Groundhog Day, they were mainly spent commuting from my hotel to the Olympic Village where I would take a bus to the ‘Icecube’ — the nickname for Beijing’s National Aquatics Center,” Atkinson said. “I would be there before, during and after our Team USA games. They were very, very long days but incredibly rewarding working with USA Curling’s athletes, coaches and staff.”

Working in a global, high-pressure environment required constant adaptability, especially when navigating language barriers.

“Communicating in Mandarin wasn’t something I had at my disposal, but luckily, most of the credentialed media spoke at least a little bit of English,” Atkinson said. “Thank goodness for Google Translate, which I used more than once daily.”

In his role, he balanced speed, accuracy and storytelling while helping shape narratives around Team USA.

“Spearheading each of the specific team’s social media accounts, I could sort of help shape the narrative from a storytelling perspective,” Atkinson said.

His Olympic journey continued when he transitioned into a public-facing role as a PA announcer in Italy.

“I had no idea that the opportunity would truly happen, but how can you not want to work an Olympic Games?” Atkinson said. “Plus, this was a chance for me to truly enjoy the experience after working the 2022 Beijing Games during COVID when fans weren’t allowed.”

Although the announcing role differed from his press officer duties, his background in the sport proved invaluable.

“Having a deep working knowledge of the sport helped me teach my colleagues a lot about curling since most were pretty new to the sport,” Atkinson said.

One standout moment came during the medal ceremony.

“My most memorable moment was my crew getting the mixed doubles gold medal game with my two friends and Team USA’s Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin playing for gold,” Atkinson said. “It was so special getting to call them out and introduce them on the podium as Olympic silver medalists.”

Although those international experiences shaped his career, Atkinson said his foundation was built at UK.

“The most important part was the hands-on experience I got writing for the Kentucky Kernel,” Atkinson said. “Being part of a college daily newspaper gave me real-life, hands-on experience with deadlines, reporting and interviewing, and so much more.”

He said those opportunities at UK directly prepared him for the demands of Olympic media work.

“You can learn a lot in the classroom, but you just cannot substitute the type of real-world experience I got writing for the Kernel,” Atkinson said.

For current UK students hoping to follow a similar path, Atkinson emphasized the importance of involvement and connections.

“The biggest thing is exposing yourself to the many different avenues of what journalism and sports media have become now,” Atkinson said. “The second thing is to find ways to get involved with real-life, hands-on experience.”