A bit of bittersweet news for lovers of the Olympics: Bob Costas, who has hosted Olympics coverage on NBC since 1992, is stepping away from that role. Mike Tirico will take over for Costas for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Bob Costas has passed the Olympic Torch.@miketirico will take over Primetime hosting duties starting at the 2018 #WinterOlympics! pic.twitter.com/9Vb7xrmgWl

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) February 9, 2017

Bob Costas passes the torch to @miketirico at the @TODAYshow: https://t.co/jZ5J3YyFfd pic.twitter.com/4fVdzom448

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) February 9, 2017

The move comes less than a year after Tirico left ESPN to join NBC. In some ways, the successor to Costas is fitting: Tirico was the first student to receive the Bob Costas Scholarship at the University of Syracuse, according to sports media reporter John Ourand. 

Tirico was the first recipient of the Bob Costas Scholarship at Syracuse. Now he's replacing Costas on the Olympics. https://t.co/arke1C0xut

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) February 9, 2017

Ourand reports that Costas handing off Olympics hosting duties had been in the works since his last contract negotiations with NBC in 2012. 

Lazarus said Costas first brought up the idea of stepping down from the host role during his contract negotiations in '12. At that point, according to Lazarus, Costas said, "I’m good to go through Sochi and Rio and do everything that I’ve been doing. After Rio, let’s reassess." Fast forward to early in the fall before an "SNF" telecast this season, Costas told him that he decided to pass the torch. “I said, ‘Are you sure? Why don't you think about it a little bit,’” Lazarus said. “He thought about it for another couple of weeks. We sat down again, and he said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.’"

Costas, 64, will also step away from the hosting "Sunday Night Football" as part of a decision to focus solely on big events like the Super Bowl and Triple Crown. 

“He’ll have an on-going role around our big and iconic events,” NBC Broadcasting & Sports Chair Mark Lazarus said. “But in terms of day-to-day, he’s taking a step back as he heads towards slowing down his trajectory with us.” 

MORE OLYMPICS: NHLPA HEAD 'OPTIMISTIC' ABOUT IN SOUTH KOREA OLYMPICS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- City lawmakers in Washington have voted to legalize sports betting, making the nation's capital the first U.S. jurisdiction without casinos to authorize sports books.

The D.C. Council voted 11-2 on Tuesday to authorize betting on professional sports at the city's stadiums and arenas, private businesses like restaurants and liquor stores, and within the city limits on a mobile app.

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser supports the bill, which needs her signature to become law. It would also need to survive a review by Congress, but with Democrats taking over the House in January, the law from the Democratic-dominated city is almost certainly safe. Supporters hope bets could be taken in the city within months, although there is no firm timetable.

In May, the Supreme Court struck down a law that banned sports betting in most U.S. states. Since then, several states have authorized betting on sports. The closest place to Washington with legal sports betting is a casino in Charles Town, West Virginia. Sports gambling is also legal in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Because Washington lacks casinos, the D.C. Lottery would oversee sports betting, an arrangement that makes the nation's capital an outlier. Athens, Greece-based Intralot is the city's current lottery vendor. The lottery would sell licenses to sports books at arenas and stadiums for $250,000 over five years, and retailers would be able to purchase a two-year license for $5,000. There is no cap on the number of licenses.

Casino industry groups had a measured reaction to the bill's passage, saying that handing over control of sports gambling to the lottery could stifle competition.

"While the vote today is progress, we remain deeply concerned about giving the lottery a virtual monopoly in the mobile market," Sara Slane, a vice president at the American Gaming Association, said in a statement. "Predictably, this will result in less investment and innovation, to the detriment of consumers and the ability of a nascent legal marketplace to compete with the accessibility and convenience offered by many established illegal wagering operations."

Operators would be taxed at 10 percent of revenue, and city officials have estimated that legal sports gambling will bring in $92 million over four years. Critics said that figure was overly optimistic, particularly if neighboring Maryland, which has several casinos including the massive MGM National Harbor just over the city line, legalizes sports betting.

Washington's new esports team in the Overwatch League is out to bring justice to the District. The team announced its new name and logo, the Washington Justice, on Monday.

“Justice is a universal value and the perfect name for a franchise that we hope will inspire and united both our Washington area community and fans around the globe," said Mark Ein, the owner of the team, in a statement. "There is no region in the world that attracts more people to serve the cause of justice in our government, philanthropy, academia, military service and the private sector than Washington."

Courage, honor, loyalty, sacrifice. But most important is justice ⚖️

We're stoked to be a part of #OWL2019 and we can't wait to show you everything we've got! #JusticeIsServed pic.twitter.com/9I8OEo1xdd

— Washington Justice (@OverwatchDC) December 3, 2018

The team's logo is a shield with red and white stripes and a white star set on a blue background, which is meant as a nod to the American flag.

The Washington Justice will compete in the 2019 season of the league, which began as a 12-team league in 2018.

The team is one of eight additional teams competing in Overwatch next season. Competitors, according to the league's website, earn a minimum salary of $50,000 and are provided with housing, healthcare and retirement savings to allow them to compete in the first-person shooting game.