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[VIDEOS] The Winter Olympics and Paralympics: Beijing 2022

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60199574

<b>The 2022 Winter Olympics are about to get under way in Beijing.</b>

Almost 3,000 athletes from 91 nations will compete to get their hands on one of 109 gold medals on offer across seven sports.

Although live sport started on Wednesday with mixed doubles curling, the opening ceremony takes place on Friday, marking the official start of the 24th Winter Games.

"The world is turning its eyes to China and China is ready. We will do our best to deliver to the world a streamlined, safe and splendid Games," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

But these are already controversial Olympics, with protests and diplomatic boycotts over alleged human rights abuses, while the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have an impact with strict control measures in place.

Beijing is the first city to host both the summer and winter Games, 14 years after it hosted the 2008 summer Olympics.

The event takes place across three clusters. Beijing itself will host the indoor events - curling, speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey - as well as the big air and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Yanqing, located 75km (47 miles) out of Beijing, is the home of the sliding sports - bobsleigh, skeleton and luge - and alpine skiing, while the mountains of Zhangjiakou, 180km (111 miles) away from the Chinese capital, host the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events, ski jumping, biathlon and cross-country.

Many of the venues in Beijing from the 2008 Games have been repurposed, including swimming's Water Cube, which has been renovated to become the home of curling, and the Bird's Nest stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies.

UK Sport believes Team GB can win between three and seven medals in Beijing, with five the team's previous best in both 2014 and 2018.

The United States have sent a 224-strong team to Beijing, making them the biggest squad at the Games, while 17 nations have sent just one athlete, including India and Ecuador.

Norway, who topped the medal table four years ago in Pyeongchang, are again expected to dominate the cross-country skiing events and will also hope for alpine skiing success.

China will be aiming for a good showing at their home Games, with freestyle skier Eileen Gu leading their hopes in three events for a country whose best winter Olympics showing is 11 medals at Vancouver 2010.

Two countries are making their Winter Olympics debuts - Haiti and Saudi Arabia - both in alpine skiing.

Beijing 2022 is the second Olympics to take place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and just like in Tokyo last summer, there will be no paying spectators, friends or family present in the stands.

All Games participants, from athletes to volunteers to the media, undergo daily PCR tests and are enclosed in a strict closed-loop system in which movement is limited for the entirety of the Olympics.

Face masks are mandatory at all times, except for during competition and training, and when eating and drinking, or alone in rooms.
 
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https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/s...er-set-make-history-beijing-games-2022-02-02/

<b>Alpine skiing-Saudi skier set to make history at Beijing Games</b>

Alpine skier Fayik Abdi said he is hoping to spread awareness of winter sports in Saudi Arabia as he aims to become the first athlete to represent the country at the Winter Olympics in Beijing this month.

Abdi will compete in the giant slalom, which has attracted competitors from countries not usually associated with the sport, such as violinist Vanessa Mae who competed for Thailand at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

"The first time I skied was when I was four years old in Lebanon, my mom taught me how to ski and ever since then I've been trying to pursue the sport," Abdi told Reuters on Wednesday.

"Obviously we don't get enough snowfall in the mountains here to ski, so I had to do most of my skiing in the United States and in Europe," Abdi said.

Two Saudi skiers had qualified to the Games, Abdi and Salman Al-Howaish, but as the rules allowed only one to participate, the former got the nod.

Abdi's coach Daniel Sanz commended the skier for booking his spot at the Beijing Games, despite having only seven months to secure qualification.

"We did it because... the guys showed a really good attitude and commitment to this project and that passion brought them (him) to this event," Sanz told Reuters.

The Beijing Games run from Feb. 4-20.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60256132

<b>Winter Olympics: GB mixed doubles curlers defeat Australia after extra end</b>

Great Britain's mixed doubles curlers Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat survived an inspired Australia fightback to maintain their semi-final hopes at the Winter Olympics.

Leading 6-1 and then 8-6, the British pair were pegged back in the last end to force a decider.

After Mouat's take-out in the extra end, Australia's Tahli Gill missed her draw to give Britain a nervy 9-8 win.

They now have a record of three wins and one defeat in Beijing.

Only the top four sides at the end of the group phase will get the chance to play for a medal, with Britain sharing second place.

Mouat and Dodds play twice more on Saturday against the Czech Republic (06:05 GMT) and leaders Italy (12:05), with the first round scheduled to finish on Monday, the same day as the semi-finals begin.
 
The opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday night, the culmination of preparations beset by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Held on the first day of Spring by the Chinese calendar, it began with a performance by dancers waving glowing green stalks to convey the vitality of the season, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word "Spring".

Prime Minister Imran Khan during his four-day official visit to China attended the ceremony along with his delegation on the invitation from the Chinese leadership.

On a three-dimensional cube resembling a block of ice, lasers carved imagery from each of the previous 23 Winter Games. The block was then "broken" by ice hockey players, enabling the Olympic rings to emerge, all in white.

That was followed by the traditional "parade of nations", with each of the 91 delegations preceded by the women carrying a placard in the shape of a snowflake resembling a Chinese knot.

In keeping with Olympic tradition, the parade was led into the stadium by Greece with the rest ordered by stroke number in the first character of their Chinese name, which meant Turkey was second, followed by Malta, with host China set to go last.

The entrances for "Hong Kong, China", as well as for Russia, generated applause in the partially filled stadium.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, the highest profile foreign leader present for the Games, could be seen in the stadium without a mask. However, the athletes from his country were unable to carry its flag due to doping violations, marching instead under the standard of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Return to bird’s nest

Friday's ceremony began shortly after President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach entered the iconic Bird's Nest stadium.

Soon after the start, the Chinese flag was passed among 56 people representing China's different ethnic groups before it was raised and the national anthem performed.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, reprising his role from Beijing's 2008 Summer Games triumph, the event was to feature 3,000 performers on a stage comprised of 11,600 square metres of high-definition LED screen resembling an ice surface.

All of the performers are ordinary people from Beijing and nearby Hebei province, with "the Story of a Snowflake" its central thread.

With temperatures of about -4C (25F) at the start, the show was set to be about half as long as the four-hour marathon that opened the 2008 Games, also at the Bird's Nest.

The crowd itself was pared down, with organisers deciding last month not to sell tickets to Olympic events to curtail the spread of Covid-19. A "closed loop" separates competitors and other personnel from the Chinese public throughout the Olympics.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2341968/watch-pm-imran-attends-opening-ceremony-of-beijing-olympics
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamPakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamPakistan</a> &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816;&#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816;&#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/APPNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#APPNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeijingWinterOlympics2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BeijingWinterOlympics2022</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beijing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Beijing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMIKinChina?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMIKinChina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpeningCeremony?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OpeningCeremony</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterOlympics2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinterOlympics2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/rJJjut40o8">pic.twitter.com/rJJjut40o8</a></p>— APP &#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; (@appcsocialmedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/appcsocialmedia/status/1489591579279085571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The Pakistani team participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics received round of applause from spectators as it entered the stadium where Prime Minister Imran Khan among other world leaders were also in attendance.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed in a tweet on Friday that dozens of teams entered the Beijing’s National Stadium but only Pakistani and Chinese teams received applause.

“Chinese people love Pakistan and the applause is an expression of the same spirit,” he added.

On the arrival of the Pakistani team, PM Imran also stood up from his seat and cheered for the team.

A five-member Pakistani squad arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to participate in the Winter Olympic Games.

“Pakistani contingent comprises one athlete and four officials,” Agha Hunain Abbas Khan, Olympic Attach, Embassy of Pakistan Beijing told APP.

Muhammad Karim, Alpine Skiing Athlete hailing from Naltar, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) will compete in the Slalom event on February 16 at the China National Alpine Skiing Centre, Yanging District, Beijing.

“I’m very excited and fully prepared to participate in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. I heard that they used the very latest technologies on ski slopes and the world’s best sports facilities there. I can’t wait to see all these things,” he told media before his departure to China.

Muhammad Karim said that participating in the Winter Olympics is a great chance to put Pakistan on the map of international sports.

“I am confident to give my best performance in Beijing and win the hearts of the Pakistani people,” he added.

Muhammad Karim, 26, is the only Pakistani skier to have participated in two Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The top Pakistani skier is excited and looking forward to this year Olympics Games which will put Pakistan on the international sports map.

“I have been preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics for three years and my biggest dream is to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics and achieve my best records by performing well,” he added

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234197...receives-round-of-applause-at-beijing-stadium
 
Dutch reporter 'dragged away' during live broadcast in Beijing

BEIJING:
An incident involving a Dutch reporter in the middle of a live broadcast who was dragged away by Chinese security officials was an isolated event and will not affect foreign media's reporting at the Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Saturday.

The journalist, Sjoerd den Daas, was delivering his live report to public broadcaster NOS on Friday evening during the Games opening ceremony in the Chinese capital when security officials surrounded him and one forcefully dragged him away.

Another security officer attempted to hold his hand in front of the camera as the reporter tried to continue speaking to it.

The broadcaster had to interrupt the link with the reporter, leaving the studio anchor back in the Netherlands confused.

"Obviously, we have been in touch with the NOS, the state broadcaster, and it was an unfortunate circumstance," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said.

"I think someone was being overzealous. He (the reporter) was able to, very quickly afterwards with the help of officials there, do his piece to camera."

Games participants, including media, are restricted to a "closed loop" during the Games, which includes the venues, the media centre and the accommodation.

All participants must remain in that loop for the entire duration of the Games as part of China's health measures to minimise the risk of coronavirus spread during the Feb. 4-20 Games.

NOS said there had been no contact with the IOC.

"Neither NOS management, nor the chief editors of News and Sport, our Olympic team leadership in Beijing, or our correspondent himself has spoken to anyone from the IOC about yesterday’s incident," an NOS spokesperson said.

Den Daas, the broadcaster's China correspondent, said it was not the first time this had happened to him.

"In recent weeks, we, like several foreign colleagues, have been hindered or stopped several times by the police while reporting on subjects related to the Games," he said on Twitter.

There have been concerns over whether visiting media will be allowed to do their jobs freely in China during the Games.

But the IOC has repeatedly assured them that the contract signed with the Chinese hosts would allow every participant, including athletes and media, to speak freely within the loop.

"These things do happen and I think it's a one-off. I hope it's a one-off and we will assure you that within the closed loop you will be able to carry on your work," Adams said.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/234212...dragged-away-during-live-broadcast-in-beijing
 
Lol they dragged him out 🤣 I can’t recall how 2008 was done.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60270835

<b>Winter Olympics: China win short track gold for their first medal of Beijing Games / Day 1 summary</b>

China won their first gold medal of their home Winter Olympics with victory in the short track mixed team relay.

The quartet of Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin, Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei won the thrilling event which was making its Games debut at Beijing 2022.

They clocked two minutes 37.348 seconds over 2,000m, with Italy taking silver and Hungary bronze.

Earlier, Norway's Therese Johaug dominated the women's 15km skiathlon to win the first gold of the Games.

But it was the hosts' gold that will really capture the imagination of a public whose Games are being held against a backdrop of controversy and coronavirus restrictions.

Favourites China's pursuit of the relay gold had been helped when world record holders South Korea were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

But there had been a danger that they themselves would be eliminated in the semis, having finished third. But the race went under review for infringements and the Russian Olympic Committee were disqualified for obstruction and the United States for blocking.

In the final they were almost pipped on the line by Italy but after another review the victory stood to the delight of the few hundred fans in the arena.

Short track is China's most successful Winter Olympic sport, now accounting for 11 of the 14 gold medals they have won.

China's best showing at a Winter Olympics is 11 medals, including five golds, from Vancouver in 2010.

Meanwhile, in helping Italy to silver, Arianna Fontana became the only short track speed skater to win nine Olympic medals, having previously been tied on eight with American Apolo Ohno and Russian Viktor Ahn.

Earlier in the day, 33-year-old Johaug powered away to finish 30 seconds clear of the pack in the skiathlon.

The Norwegian has won 14 world titles but had never won an individual Olympic gold.

Johaug missed the 2018 Pyeongchang Games while serving a doping ban.

Natalia Nepryaeva, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, was second, and edged Austria's Teresa Stadlober into bronze by less than half a second.

Stadlober looked overjoyed at her bronze, which arrived four years after she took a wrong turn when well placed for a medal in the 30km race at the Pyeongchang Games.

But Norway's dominance of this event never looked like being stopped and the country has now won every skiathlon gold medal at the Winter Games or World Championships since 2013.

"It's a dream come true," said the victorious Johaug. "I've been training a lot for this for many, many years. I've trained thousands of hours for this and been away from home a lot over the years. So it's beautiful to reach this goal.

"It means a lot. I've never had an [individual] Olympic gold medal, it's my first one. I'm so happy."

Johaug, the reigning world champion, led after the opening 7.5km of cross-country skiing. Over the closing 7.5km of freestyle, she increased her lead to the point where she entered the final kilometre 54 seconds in front.

She eased down to celebrate as the finish line neared, her time of 44 minutes 13 seconds comfortably enough to add individual 15km gold to a relay gold she won at the 2010 Vancouver Games, a 30km silver at Sochi 2014 and a bronze in the 10km classical at the same Games.

Johaug tested positive for the steroid clostebol in 2016 and blamed the result on a lip cream she had used.

Norway's team doctor resigned over the issues, stating he had made a "personal mistake as a doctor".

After Johaug was handed an initial 13-month ban, which would have allowed her to compete in Pyeongchang, an appeal by the International Ski Federation resulted in her punishment being extended to 18 months, ruling her out of the 2018 Games.

Johaug's medal was the first of six to be contested on day one of the Beijing Games.

Irene Schouten set a new Olympic record time of three minutes 56.93 seconds to take women's speed skating 3,000m gold. Her success meant the Netherlands became the first nation to win three Olympic gold medals in a row in the event.

Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida - 14th four years ago - took silver while Isabelle Weidemann of Canada claimed bronze.

"There was a lot of pressure for myself and for the Netherlands and I'm so happy I made it," said Schouten, 29.

"Four years ago I did not qualify, so I wanted this one. When I was young I had a big dream to win Olympic gold and now I have it."

Norway won gold the biathlon mixed relay, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

The Norwegians finished in one hour six minutes 45.6 seconds to edge out 2018 champions France by just under a second, with the Russian Olympic Committee taking the bronze.

There was a gold medal for Sweden's Walter Wallberg in the men's moguls on the ski slope.

The 21-year-old, who tore his cruciate ligament in 2020 and, after recovering, tore his meniscus, scored 83.23 with the final run of the day.

His effort knocked Canada's 2018 Olympic champion Mikael Kingsbury into second.

"Wallberg, with the pressure on, put down the best run of the day and props on him," said Kingsbury.

Ursa Bogataj became the second Slovenian to win a Winter Olympics gold with success in the women's normal hill individual ski jump.

The 26-year-old scored a total of 239 for her two runs, enough to hold off Germany's Katharina Althaus, who went for gold on the last run of the day but reached only 236.8.

"I didn't handle the pressure at the first Olympic Games," said Bogataj, who placed 30th in 2018. "I don't know how I handled it today. I can't believe what happened."
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60279993

<b>Winter Olympics: GB's Makayla Gerken Schofield eighth as Jakara Anthony takes gold</b>

Makayla Gerken Schofield became the first Briton to reach the moguls finals at a Winter Olympics as Australia's Jakara Anthony won the gold medal.

American Jaelin Kauf took silver and Russian Anastasiia Smirnova bronze.

Gerken Schofield, 22, finished eighth after reaching the penultimate round of the women's final.

Older sister Leonie, 23, failed to advance beyond the second qualification round earlier on Sunday.

Anthony's victory represents Australia's first Winter Olympics gold since 2010.

"I am struggling to believe it," Gerken Schofield told BBC Sport. "I had so much fun out there. Eighth place is absolutely incredible.

"It has been a while since I enjoyed skiing but tonight felt incredible. Skiing those bumps, just the feeling - I have no words. I don't know how we (the family) are going to celebrate. It all still feels so surreal.

"My brother (Tom, who missed out on qualifying for Beijing in the men's event) is probably jumping around in the living room with my parents because I have so many messages. I will probably call them and there might be a few tears."

France's defending champion Perrine Laffont finished fourth and Canada's 2014 champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe was visibly upset after a late fall ended her hopes of a medal.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60276565

<b>Winter Olympics: Team GB mixed doubles curlers edge through</b>

Great Britain curling mixed doubles pair are through to the semi-finals at the Winter Olympics despite a 6-2 defeat by Norway.

Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat missed the chance to seal their own place, but defeats for Sweden and Canada put them through to the next stage anyway.

They qualified because of their head-to-head record against other nations.

It means their final group match against the USA on Monday will only determine their final placing.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60289740

<b>Winter Olympics: Team GB curlers to play for bronze after semi-final loss to Norway</b>

Great Britain's mixed doubles curling pair missed the chance to guarantee at least a silver medal as they lost 6-5 to Norway in a tense semi-final at the Winter Olympics.

Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat will instead meet Sweden in the bronze-medal match on Tuesday (06:05 GMT), after being edged out in the final end.

Great Britain will start as favourites having already convincingly beaten Sweden in the round robin stage.

Norway will face an unbeaten Italy side for gold later on the same day.
 
Team GB's Kirsty Muir will compete for gold after finishing seventh and qualifying for the women's big air final of the Winter Olympics, as Canadian Megan Oldham finishes first.
 
So many controversies my goodness lol probably getting awesome viewership I suppose lol.
 
Great Britain's wait for their first medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics goes on after curling mixed doubles pair Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat lost their bronze-medal match 9-3 to Sweden.

The Swedes surged into a 7-1 lead after just three ends and never let up.

Scots Dodds and Mouat - the world champions - were one of the key hopes for Team GB, who have targeted between three and seven medals in Beijing.

They will get another chance when the team events begin on Wednesday.

"It got off to a bad start and that punished us the most and we had to fight back from there," Mouat told BBC Sport.

"We're going to have to console ourselves because we're got a big week with both of our teams. We're both ready for that but it's a quick turnaround."

Italy took gold, completing a flawless 11-match campaign with victory over Norway.

Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner beat Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten 8-5.

Team GB's next big medal chance looks to be on Wednesday, when world champion Charlotte Bankes competes in the women's snowboard cross.

BBC
 
when is the event of our pakistani competitor.
 
Athletes have been hitting out at Olympic organisers, with complaints about freezing conditions and quarantine rules pouring in.

Beijing kicked off the Winter Games four days ago, promising it would be "streamlined, safe and splendid".

Some have lauded China's efforts to ensure a relatively virus-free Games.

But some participants say they are living and training in dismal conditions, prompting them to lobby organisers for improvements.

The Swedish delegation called for cross-country skiing events to be held earlier in the day to protect athletes from freezing temperatures - after Swedish athlete Frida Karlsson was seen shaking and close to collapse at the end of her women's 7.5km+7.5km skiathlon on Saturday.

Under the International Ski Federation rules, competitions are not allowed to take place when temperatures dive below -20C (-4F).

Temperatures measured -13C when Karlsson competed on Saturday, but Swedish team boss Anders Bystroem told reporters that temperatures were closer to -31C with wind chill taken into consideration.

"We have the cold limits, but I do not know if they also measure the wind effect," Mr Bystroem told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

BBC
 
Winter Olympics: 'No panic' over lack of Great Britain medals, says Dame Katherine Grainger

UK Sport chair Dame Katherine Grainger says she is "not panicking yet" as Team GB remain without a medal after five days of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Britain suffered more disappointment on day five as world champion Charlotte Bankes went out of the women's snowboard cross in the quarter-finals.

That came after Great Britain's curling mixed doubles pair Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat missed out on a medal on Tuesday.

"I think we'll still see Team GB deliver," said Grainger.

"We still have high hopes for the men's and women's curling teams, we've got the skeleton still to come, plenty more on the snow.

"We're only day five. I was out in Pyeongchang [in 2018] and it was day seven before we saw a medal, so we're not panicking yet."

Speed skater Farrell Treacy made it through to the men's 1500m final on Wednesday where he finished ninth.

Funding for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic cycle was cut by £8m, with UK Sport investing £24m - down from £32m for 2014-2018.

UK Sport set a target of between three and seven medals for Beijing before the Games.

"Olympic sport is unpredictable and comes down to these incredibly tight moments that will decide your medal position or otherwise," said Grainger.

Analysis
Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis, Nielsen Gracenote

Great Britain's best medal performance since the Winter Olympics began in 1924 was the five medals achieved at each of the past two Winter Games, in 2014 and 2018. On each occasion, the first medal arrived in the first seven days.

The best chance of Great Britain winning a medal between now and the end of day seven of Beijing 2022 looked like being the men's skeleton which finishes on Friday. However, neither Matt Weston nor Marcus Wyatt have been within 0.9 seconds of the winner in any of the six training runs.

Great Britain have failed to win a medal at a Winter Olympics on seven occasions, in 1932, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1988 and 1992. Great Britain has won at least one medal at each of the past seven Winter Games, easily the best ever streak for Team GB.

Prior to this year's Winter Games, we forecast three medals for Great Britain in Beijing. The two remaining curling competitions and the two men's bobsleigh events appear to offer the best remaining opportunities of achieving that goal."

First GB medal at Winter Olympics
1994 - Day 9: Torvill and Dean, figure skating bronze (Total GB medals at Games: 2)

1998 - Day 14: Four-man bobsleigh bronze (Total medals: 1)

2002 - Day 12: Alex Coomber, skeleton bronze (Total medals: 2)

2006 - Day 6: Shelley Rudman, skeleton silver (Total medals: 1)

2010 - Day 7: Amy Williams, skeleton gold (Total medals: 1)

2014 - Day 2: Jenny Jones, snowboarding bronze (Total medals: 5)

2018 - Day 7: Dominic Parsons, skeleton bronze (Total medals: 5)

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60320953
 
Winter Olympics: Legal issue delays team figure skating medal ceremony

The medals won at the team figure skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics have yet to be handed out because of a legal issue, the IOC said.

The Russian Olympic Committee claimed the win on Monday, ahead of the United States and Japan.

They had a mini ceremony at the venue, in which they were handed Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen teddy bears.

However the official medal ceremony at a plaza in Beijing should have taken place on Tuesday evening.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams would not expand on what the issue was.

"The situation arose and came at short notice," he said. "It's an emerging issue so I can't add very much at the moment.

"You can bet your bottom dollar that we are doing absolutely everything we can for this to be resolved as soon as possible.

"I can't give you any more details because we don't actually have it."

An International Testing Agency spokesperson said: "The ITA is aware of the various reports circulating regarding the postponed medal ceremony for the figure skating team event.

"Any announcement connected to these events would always be publicly issued on the ITA's website and not commented on otherwise. No such announcement has been published to date."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60298489
 
Russian superstar figure skater Kamila Valieva has turned up for training as usual at the Beijing Olympics - amid reports the 15-year-old has tested positive for a banned substance.

A medal ceremony for Russia's recent team figure skating gold win - where Valieva hit two quad jumps - has subsequently been suspended.
 
More Russian doping?

Even when it’s the “ROC” and not the official Russian team nowadays apparently.
 
First doping case (not Russia) formally confirmed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60328544

<b>Winter Olympics: Iranian first to test positive for doping in Beijing</b>

Iran's Saveh Shemshaki has become the first athlete to return a positive doping test at the Winter Olympics.

The 36-year-old has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for an anabolic steroid in Beijing on Monday.

He returned an "adverse analytical finding" in an out-of-competition test.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) said Shemshaki, who was due to compete at his third Games, could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and to "request the analysis of the B-sample".

An ITA statement read: "The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

"This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."

Shemshaki raced in slalom and giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and four years later at Sochi, where he was Iran's flag bearer.

He, along with female skier Atefeh Ahmadi, was one of two athletes set to represent Iran in these Games.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60328474

<b>Winter Olympics: Great Britain's women hammer Sweden as men defeat Italy</b>

Great Britain's women's curlers recovered from an opening loss to beat defending Olympic champions Sweden emphatically 8-2, as the men's side started with a win against Italy.

The men - Bruce Mouat, Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie - finished strongly to triumph 7-5.

Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, and Hailey Duff got by the Swedes with ease after taking an early lead.

It followed a tense extra-end defeat by Switzerland earlier on Thursday.

They return to the ice at 06:05 GMT on Friday to play Korea, while the men face the USA (01:05) and Norway (12:00) as they aim to build on a good start.

In both events, the 10 competing teams play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals.

Back-to-back losses - albeit against the current world champions Switzerland and Olympic champions Sweden - would have left Muirhead's rink with little margin for error in their quest to reach the play-offs.

But rather than be adversely affected by the 6-5 extra-end loss to the Swiss - during which Muirhead missed a draw to win with the last stone - they rallied.

A well-constructed fourth end got them a brilliant four for a 5-1 lead against the out-of-sorts Swedes, and they increased their advantage to 8-2 in the seventh to draw the early concession from Anna Hasselborg's rink.

"It felt really good to get that first win and it was a step up from this morning, which is what we wanted," Duff said.

"We put the pressure on and it felt really natural out there."

After a steady start, Britain's men - ranked first in the world - found their groove in the fourth end against Italy, with Mouat playing two clever shots for a score of two, to level the game at 3-3.

They added another two in the seventh, then stole one in the eighth for a 6-4 advantage and, after Italy skip Joel Retornaz cut the deficit to one, Britain held their nerve to take one in the last and clinch the match.

"We're really happy to get that first win because they are really good opposition," Mouat said.

"We really stuck together and played a lot of good shots to get back in the game and find the lead in the last half."
 
Russian superstar figure skater Kamila Valieva failed a test for a banned substance and her future at the Beijing Olympics will be decided before her next event on Tuesday, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has said.

The 15-year-old failed the test collected at the Russian Figure Skating Championships on Christmas Day and the sample returned positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication, on 8 February.

It prompted the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to impose an automatic provisional ban, but Valieva successfully appealed the suspension and she was allowed to continue to compete at the Beijing Games.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60343106

<b>Winter Olympics: Great Britain have mixed fortunes in curling</b>

Great Britain's men's curlers recovered from a loss to the United States to beat Norway, while the women suffered a tough 9-7 defeat by South Korea.

Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan were dominant in a 8-3 win over Norway.

They had earlier been beaten 9-7 by the American defending champions.

In the women's event, Eve Muirhead, Jen Dodds, Vicky Wright and Hailey Duff lost after conceding four in the penultimate end when leading by one.

In both events, the 10 competing teams play each other once in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semi-finals.

Muirhead's side - who don't play their next match against the United States until 12:05 on Saturday -have now lost two of their three matches and face an uphill task, while Mouat's rink have two wins and one loss.

Leading 6-5 in the ninth end, Muirhead was left a tough shot to prevent a big score, and when her stone caught a guard, it set up South Korean skip Kim Eun-jung to knock it out of the house - the circle within which stones can score - for four.

It was a sensational turnaround from the 2018 silver medallists, who gifted Britain a steal of two in the previous end after failing to release a stone before the hog line and incurring a foul.

They held on in the last to ensure a first victory.

Muirhead admitted frustration at how the ninth end went, especially as Great Britain had the hammer - the final stone - in the closing end, potentially giving them a greater chance of scoring what they needed to turn the game around.

"I would say we had control after the eighth end - and if my last in the ninth had curled another centimetre we were going to give up [only] two, max, and we had the hammer in the last," Muirhead told BBC Sport.

"It's frustrating and its annoying but that's curling isn't it? You win by inches and you lose by inches."

Great Britain's men returned to the Ice Cube with purpose in Friday's evening match against Norway, determined to get back to winning ways after their morning's loss to the USA.

They gained the upper hand with a steal for two in the fourth end - when Norway had looked set to score instead - and then forced a one in the fifth to stay in control.

When Mouat's men got three in the sixth, there was no way back for Norway, who eventually shook hands at the end of the seventh end with Great Britain leading 8-3.

Mouat told BBC Sport: "That's what we wanted to do, we wanted to have a nice bounce-back, a really clinical performance."

That clinical victory followed a close contest against the USA, whose men's gold medal in Pyeonchang four years ago was such a shock that they have not been widely tipped to defend their title.

But skip John Shuster is a wily competitor, and his 100% accuracy in the first five ends put Britain under pressure as they stormed into a 5-2 lead.

Britain rallied to score two in the fifth end and steal another two in the next to lead 6-5, and appeared to have a grip of the match.

But the USA took it to 7-7 and, in the penultimate end, they crafted a chance for four with Shuster's last stone and though they only took two, they went into the last with a two-shot lead.

They clung on for a hard-fought victory after a rare Mouat error in the last.

"The start we had wasn't the best, we gave them a quick lead and you don't want to see that against a team like that," the British skip said.

"We also didn't finish the game very well. I was struggling to make those key draws that would have forced them into tough ones."
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60349720

<b>Winter Olympics: Questions need to be raised over Britain's skeleton performance</b>

British skeleton racer Matt Weston has acknowledged that "questions need to be raised" over the team's failure to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

Weston was 15th and Marcus Wyatt 16th in the men's event, while Laura Deas and Brogan Crowley are out of medal contention in the women's competition.

BBC commentator John Jackson, who won bobsleigh bronze in 2014, criticised the sleds used by the British team.

"Something's not right," Weston told BBC Sport.

"I think there are quite a few questions that need to be raised but equipment is definitely going to be one of them.

"We'll review everything from start to finish, how it went, the processes we went through to try to get here, but equipment is definitely going to be on the list of the stuff we review."

The results mean that Great Britain's proud record of winning a medal at every Winter Olympics to feature skeleton events has ended with disappointment in Beijing.

Britain had won gold at the past three Winter Olympics and made the podium at five consecutive Games from the sport's reintroduction at the Games in 2002.

But Weston and Wyatt could not continue that run, while 2018 bronze medallist Deas lies in 21st position after her first two runs and Crowley is 22nd - both out of the running when the women's medals are decided on Saturday.

Germany, who had never won a men's Olympic skeleton medal before, claimed gold and silver courtesy of Christopher Grotheer and Axel Jungk, with China's Yan Wengang taking bronze.

Jackson, commentating for the BBC, said: "We need to talk about the British equipment here. Yes, Marcus and Matt have been doing a great job here, they've been sliding well. Same with the women, with Laura and Brogan.

"They've been sliding beyond their resource. Their equipment is not allowing them to produce speed down the track."

But Jackson added: "It's the whole package, the runners, the sled.

"Whatever is happening with the equipment, when you look at Matt Weston's slide, you can compare it to the best sliders, but there's just no speed in this equipment.

"Whoever has made these decisions on the technical development side, they've gone the wrong way."

Lizzy Yarnold, the first Britain to win back-to-back gold medals when she triumphed in 2014 and 2018, said the British programme will be asking questions about the performance.

But she told BBC Sport: "Results and success isn't just about medals and sometimes we have to take stock and try again next time."

Although Britain does not have any skeleton tracks, it does pride itself on sport science and technical innovation and the marginal gains that can produce.

Yarnold added: "It's not just about the technology. I think it's very easy to go to that question. It's also about learning the track, the fact that athletes are still making some small mistakes on the track. There are lots of other technical things that are going on as well as the equipment."

Skeleton is one of the most well-funded winter sports, receiving £6,425,000 of UK Sport money for the four-year cycle leading up to Beijing.

But World Cup results since the retirement of Yarnold and Dom Parsons, who claimed bronze four years ago, have been mixed.

Wyatt did win a silver medal at the test event at the Yanqing National Slider Centre in October, while in November, Weston became the first British man to win a World Cup race for 14 years in a three-way tie in Igls, Austria.

Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis at Nielsen Gracenote, said the pre-Games virtual medal table had forecast no medals for British competitors, with Weston coming in as the highest ranked Briton in eighth place.

He added: "No British woman had been on the podium of a major skeleton race since Laura Deas finished third in Calgary in 2019. There had been no British medals at the last three World Championships in the sport."

This marks a stark contrast to a successful period in the sport, when Yarnold and Shelley Rudman won a host of medals.

Rudman, a 2006 Winter Olympic silver medallist, was European champion in 2009 and 2011, won the 2011-12 World Cup and was the 2013 world champion.

Yarnold, the 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion, was the 2013-14 World Cup winner, and the 2015 world and European champion.

Deas has not been in the sport's top 10 for two years but was at a loss to explain her performance in China.

"I put together two good runs that I think I can be proud of. I can't tell you now why the speed wasn't there," she said.
 
<b>Winter Olympics: Great Britain's women curlers earn vital win over USA</b>

Great Britain's women won an important curling match against the United States 10-5 to keep their Winter Olympics play-off hopes on track.

Having lost two of their three matches so far, Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff could ill afford another defeat.

The Scottish quartet held off an American fightback to move up to fifth in the standings.

They return to the ice on Sunday at 06:05 GMT to face Denmark.

Before that, the men's team skipped by Bruce Mouat play China at 01:05 in the first of their two matches, finishing the day by facing Denmark (12:05) as they look to improve their record of two wins and one loss.

Both teams need a top-four finish to reach the semi-finals.

After Friday's tough loss to South Korea, Muirhead's rink had more than 24 hours off and started quickly as they immediately took two with the hammer in the first end, before stealing another two in the second.

But the USA fought back in the fourth when Muirhead's final stone came up an inch short and American skip Tabitha Peterson drew in to make it 4-2.

The USA took another two on their next end with the hammer having limited Britain to one and, at 5-4 heading into the seventh, the game was in the balance.

In the next end, Muirhead just missed a chance for three, but settled for two and a three-score lead - and they secured the decisive blow in the ninth when Peterson missed the house.

That left Muirhead a simple draw for three to secure victory with an end to spare.

"After last night's loss we knew it was a very important game," the British skip told BBC Sport.

"We had a bit of time off so I think we definitely made the most of that. We regrouped, managed to switch off a bit and we came out firing.

"I'm absolutely delighted, as a team we played great, very proud of the girls and how they performed out there."


BBC
 
Scrutiny of those around Kamila Valieva has increased with the International Olympic Committee formally asking the World Anti-Doping Agency to investigate the adults working with the teenager.

The 15-year-old Russian's failed drugs test has cast a dark cloud over the Beijing Winter Olympics, with her age prompting questions over how a child became embroiled in a doping scandal.

The IOC had said on Saturday it would welcome an investigation into her entourage but has now gone further and formally called for one.

"This is a constantly moving target, and we are continuing to work on this," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference .

"We have an entourage commission... we want Wada to investigate the entourage in this case. A whole range of things have been done. Our response continues to improve and address entourage issues."

Valieva, meanwhile, was training in Beijing on Sunday, hours before a hearing that will determine her Olympic fate.

The Russian, who failed a drugs test in December, will hear on Monday if she can compete in the individual women's event in Beijing on Tuesday and if she is being stripped of team gold.

A hearing is set for Sunday at 12:30 GMT and a Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) panel will then decide whether to suspend her.

BBC
 
<b>Winter Olympics: GB curlers boost semi-final hopes</b>

<I><b>Both of Great Britain's curling teams boosted their semi-final hopes at the Winter Olympics with wins over Denmark and China.</b></I>

Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan saw off China 7-6 and the Danes 8-2.

They sit second in the standings after five games.

Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff beat Denmark 7-2 to move joint third in the women's section.

The teams each play nine matches in the round-robin stage, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.

Mouat's rink return to the ice first on Monday to face fellow contenders Switzerland at 06:05 GMT, while Muirhead's side have the chance to effectively eliminate medal hopefuls Canada (12:05).

Sitting on two wins and one loss after Saturday's games, the men's team had the chance to build some momentum against the perceived weaker sides, but were still put to the test.

They managed to score in just two ends against the Chinese, but a four in the second and a three in the eighth was enough for victory.

Denmark were winless from their previous four matches and Mouat's rink - world silver medallists and European champions - were ruthless in punishing early mistakes for a 4-1 lead at the halfway point.

Mikkel Krause's rink stayed within three scores until the eighth end, but conceded after losing three.

The British side now have four wins and one defeat from five games.

After losing two of their first three matches, Muirhead's side were under pressure - and backed up their 10-5 win against the United States.

They immediately hit the front by taking two in the first end with the hammer, but Denmark kept pace all the way to the ninth end in a cagey encounter.

After Britain emerged from a closely fought eighth end with one and a 4-2 lead, Denmark skip Madeleine Dupont was left with a difficult draw to stop Muirhead's side scoring three, but her attempt was heavy.

They now have a record of three wins and two defeats.

"We had a really strong start out there, we were going well going a couple up early on but we always felt in control," said third Vicky Wright.

"It was good to get two wins back-to-back but tomorrow is another day and we start fresh again."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60364701
 
Muhammad Karim is all set to bag the first medal for himself and the country in the Winter Olympics as he braces to take to slopes at China National Alpine Skiing Center, Beijing on Wednesday.

Pakistan's top alpine skier is very excited and fully prepared to participate in the Slalom event and confident to win the first medal for the country in the Winter Olympics.

"I have been conducting strenuous training since I arrived here. I am confident to give my best performance and hope to win the hearts of the Pakistani people," he told APP.

Muhammad Karim, 26, along with the Pakistani contingent arrived in the Chinese capital on February 2 and participated in the colourful opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic on the evening of February 4.

The Pakistani contingent was accorded a very warm welcome and applause by thousands of Chinese spectators the moment it entered the arena waving the national flag during the athlete parade.

"The warm welcome shows regard and affection of the Chinese people for their Pakistani brethren," he said.

The top ski player from Naltar, a village in Gilgit-Baltistan considered participating in the Winter Olympics a great chance to put Pakistan on the map of international sports.

"I have witnessed the latest technologies on ski slopes and the world's best sports facilities. I can't wait to participate in the competition," he added.

The Pakistani giant slalom skier appreciated the Chinese management for providing excellent food and accommodation. 'The training slopes are also very close to the accommodation."

"I have competed in two Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and Pyeongchang, South Korea but facilities in Beijing are much better and world-class," he said.

Muhammad Karim has been preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics for three years and his biggest dream is to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics and achieve his best records by performing well.

He congratulated China on holding Winter Olympics despite the difficult situation of Covid-19, adding, "The Chinese authorities have taken comprehensive measures to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19. I wish a great success of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics," he remarked.

He hoped that in the future the two countries could cooperate in the development of winter sports and China could help Pakistan in training more talents of winter games.

Muhammad Karim started skiing at the age of four under the guidance of his father and elder brother. He is determined to further improve his skiing skills at the Beijing Winter Olympics and at the same time encourage Pakistani children to take up the sport.

The 24th Olympics Games also known as Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are being hosted by the Chinese capital. After the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Winter Olympics has been organised in the same city, making Beijing the first dual Olympic city in history.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343377/pakistani-skier-confident-of-medal-success-at-winter-olympics
 
Little Norway tops the list of most Gold medals so far; 9 Gold medals :)
 
Kamila Valieva will continue to compete at the Winter Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided no provisional suspension should be imposed on the 15-year-old for a failed drugs test.
 
<b>Winter Olympics: Great Britain's men's curlers close to last four; women's hopes dented</b>

<I><b>Great Britain's men's curlers remain on track for the semi-finals of the Winter Olympics after edging past Switzerland, but the women's team's play-off hopes were dented by a 7-3 loss to Canada.</b></I>

Eve Muirhead, Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, and Hailey Duff lost their third match of six and may have to win all three of their remaining games to qualify.

Earlier, Bruce Mouat's rink beat the Swiss 6-5 with the game's final stone.

They sit second in the standings with five wins and just one defeat.

Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie, and Hammy McMillan face unbeaten world champions Sweden at 12:05 GMT on Tuesday, where they will have the chance to go top of the table and effectively qualify for the knockout rounds with two games to spare.

Before that, Muirhead's women's team face a must-win match against Japan (06:05) in pursuit of the six victories that would likely secure a last-four spot.

The match against Jennifer Jones' Canada - who started out as one of the medal favourites but won just two of their opening five games - was pivotal, given both sides' small margin for error.

And Jones, gold medallist in Sochi in 2014 and now 47, used all of her experience to land two double takeouts - each time taking two British stones out of the scoring circle - in the fifth end for a 4-1 lead at the halfway mark.

It was a blow Britain failed to recover from, with Jones able to thwart Muirhead's attempts to take more than one score from an end consistently.

Canada's score of one in the ninth gave them a decisive three-point lead, and they added another in the last to draw level with Britain on three victories, but above them in the standings on head-to-head record.

Meanwhile, with Sweden and third-place Canada still to play, the men's match against Switzerland - who had won three and lost two of their games - also took on vital importance in the play-off race.

Mouat's rink were in control at 5-3 heading into the ninth end, but twice missed chances to take out a Swiss stone, which allowed Benoit Schwarz to take two with his last and level the match at 5-5.

But the Scottish quartet - world silver medallists and European champions - proved their mettle under pressure in the last end.

With the benefit of the hammer, Mouat was able to take out Schwarz's final draw to score the one they needed to clinch a fourth straight win.

"I made a silly mistake at nine and Benoit [Schwarz] made such a good one at 10, so it gives you nerves," Mouat told BBC Sport. "But I'm glad that when I'm feeling the nerves I can make the shots."

"We would have to win out to get top of the board," the GB skip said of Tuesday's meeting with Sweden. "We've played Sweden hundreds of times but feel were playing well enough to win."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60372704
 
IAJ said:
Little Norway tops the list of most Gold medals so far; 9 Gold medals :)
Click to expand...

Norway always won plenty of medals. You have the weather for this lol.

GB have won 0 medals so far. Very poor.

Pakistan may win a medal in skiing.

Im looking forward to the Jamaican bobsleigh team this weekend :)
 
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has argued her positive drugs test was due to contamination with her grandad's medicine, an Olympic official says.

The 15-year-old failed a test but is being allowed to compete at Beijing 2022 after a court ruled on Monday ruled that a provisional suspension should not be re-imposed.

"Her argument was this contamination happened with a product her grandfather was taking," the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Denis Oswald told reporters.

Valieva discovered a week ago that she had failed a drugs test but then successfully appealed against a Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision to impose a provisional suspension.

That decision was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday after appeals by the IOC and others.

It cleared the way for Valieva to continue participating at the Games and she will launch her bid for gold in the women's figure skating competition on Tuesday.

She says she is "happy" but "emotionally tired" after the past week.

The pre-Games favourite, who had already wowed judges to help the Russian Olympic Committee to victory in the team event, continued training - in front of the cameras - amid uncertainty over whether she would be able to carry on competing.

"These [past] days have been very difficult for me," Valieva, who sometimes looked tearful at the training rink, told Russia's Channel One television.

"It's as if I don't have any emotions left. I am happy but at the same time I am emotionally tired."

Russia, which is banned from competing at the Games under its own flag because of its doping history, has come under the spotlight once again because of this case.

But Oswald, who chaired the IOC commission that looked into doping violations by Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Games, said that at this stage it looked like there was "no connection with the institutionalised doping we had in Sochi" but that it was difficult to have an opinion yet without all the details.

Valieva already knows that if she were to win a medal in the women's event, which starts on Tuesday with the short programme and concludes on Thursday with the free skate, the IOC has decided there will be no medal ceremony.

"We want to allocate the medal to the right person," Oswald, the permanent chair of the IOC's disciplinary commission, said.

"As long as the decision regarding the doping case of this athlete has not been clarified - she has delivered a positive sample - until we have a clear situation then we will not allocate the medals."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is investigating Valieva's entourage, including coaches, doctors and other adults surrounding her, with Oswald adding that a "15-year-old would not do something wrong alone".

Meanwhile, she is still the subject of an anti-doping investigation for the failed test. Oswald said she had not yet requested the testing of her B sample, which forms part of that process.

Under Wada rules athletes whose A sample tests positive are entitled to ask for their B sample to be tested.

The case still has a long way to run and there are many questions to answer, but we will get one answer later on Tuesday to the question over how this will have all affected Valieva's performances on the ice.

The Russian says she has been supported by messages on social media, adding: "When I open Instagram, I can see so many good wishes and so much belief. I've seen that in Moscow there are even billboards which say 'Kamila, we're with you'. It is very nice.

"And in these difficult moments this support is very important for me."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60384450
 
KingKhanWC said:
Norway always won plenty of medals. You have the weather for this lol.

GB have won 0 medals so far. Very poor.

Pakistan may win a medal in skiing.

Im looking forward to the Jamaican bobsleigh team this weekend :)
Click to expand...

11 gold medals bro. We are a country of 5,4 millions only, way less then London.

Yes, we have the weather and facilities, but many other counties do have the weather and facilities as well. We need to appreciate the immense talent this country possesses.
 
China's Su Yiming claimed a second snowboard medal at the Winter Olympics as the teenager won a stunning gold in the men's big air event in Beijing.

Slopestyle silver medallist Su, 17, scored 182.50 to beat Norway's Mons Roisland and Canada's Max Parrot.

Parrot beat Su to slopestyle gold last week but there was controversy over the judging of one of the Canadian's runs.

China also won silver in the women's freestyle skiing slopestyle, as Eileen Gu added her second medal of the Games.

The 18-year-old, known as the host nation's 'Snow Princess', followed up her big air triumph as she finished behind Switzerland's 2018 silver medallist Mathilde Gremaud.

Big air bronze medallist Gremaud was the 12th and final qualifier but clinched the title by 0.33 points from Gu, with Estonia's Kelly Sildaru taking the bronze.

Great Britain's Kirsty Muir and Katie Summerhayes placed eighth and ninth respectively.

"I go into every contest aiming to win but never expecting to, so every time I compete, I'm here to win and I'm here to do my best. But more than anything I'm here to have fun," said Gu, who will also contest the halfpipe from Thursday.

She added: "I feel like this experience has made me love skiing even more and for that I'm so, so grateful. I literally just found a passion and made it my job. How many people get to say that?"

Gremaud's success was the first of two golds for Switzerland on day 11 in Beijing, as alpine skier Corinne Suter produced a blistering run to win the women's downhill.

World downhill champion Suter denied Italy a one-two on the final podium as she completed the course in one minute 31.87 seconds - 16 seconds faster than defending Olympic champion Sofia Goggia.

It was a remarkable achievement for Goggia given she suffered a serious knee injury in a crash at a World Cup race on 23 January, which left her with a partial cruciate ligament injury and a small fracture of the fibula.

"I worked on my fear and I just wanted to be here at the Olympic Games," said Goggia.

"I had to pick myself back up in one way or another and I put all the effort that I could into this, she added. "The reason why I have so much effort is because I wanted an outcome like this one today."

At one point Italy were on for a clean sweep of the medals, but Nadia Delgado finished with the bronze and compatriot Elena Curtoni was pushed down to fifth by Germany's Kira Weidle.

Elsewhere, Austria snowboarder Anna Gasser successfully defended her big air title in the women's event.

The 30-year-old trailed New Zealand's slopestyle champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott by 0.25 going into the third and final run.

However, competing at her third Games, Gasser delivered a stunning final jump to score 95.50 and take her combined total to 185.50 at Shougang Park.

Sadowski-Synnott, 20, could not respond with her final attempt and had to settle for the silver - 8.5 points behind - with Japan's 17-year-old Kokomo Murase in bronze.

"It is going to take a while to sink in, especially as I didn't expect it at all today," said Gasser, who would not rule out going for a third successive title in 2026.

"I told myself if I can show my best snow riding I'll be happy, whether it's a medal or not," she added. "The gold medal is just the cherry on top of the cake."

Three golds - but one huge 'calamity' for team Norway
Norway are flying high at the top of the medal table in Beijing, but it was a day of mixed fortunes for their athletes on Tuesday.

In a chaotic finale to the men's large hill Nordic combined, Norwegians Joergen Graabak and Jens Luraas Oftebro secured a brilliant one-two - but only after disaster struck team-mate Jarl Magnus Riiber.

Riiber, 24, went the wrong way when in gold-medal position and was soon caught by the chasing pack after turning around and correcting his remarkable mistake early in the 10km race.

The normal hill world champion had missed the Olympic event after testing positive for coronavirus, but he began the cross country with a commanding 44-second advantage after his ski jumping points total was converted into a time handicap.

He eventually finished eighth, as compatriot Graabak produced a superb ski to triumph from 12th place, beginning over two minutes behind Riiber.

The 2014 champion finished four seconds ahead of Oftebro, who started in 10th, and Japan's Akito Watabe hung on for bronze two seconds further back in a frantic finish.

"That is one of the great Olympic calamities!" said BBC Sport commentator Ollie Williams. "You can imagine what must be going on in Riiber's mind right now because it is one of the great disasters of the Olympics!"

In the men's biathlon 4x7.5km relay, Johannes Thingnes Boe won his third gold - and fourth medal - of the 2022 Games as reigning world champions Norway rallied from sixth position after two legs to improve on their 2018 silver.

Boe, who has also won gold in the mixed relay and sprint in Beijing, came in third on the penultimate leg before Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen capitalised on a disastrous final leg for leaders the Russian Olympic Committee.

The ROC ended up in bronze position, as France finished second, 27.4 seconds behind Norway's winning time of one hour 19 minutes 50.2 seconds.

That silver for France saw Quentin Fillon Maillet win his fifth medal in Beijing - becoming the first biathlete to win five medals in a single Games and the first male winter athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics for 42 years.

There was another gold for Norway in speed skating's men's team pursuit - with Canada winning the women's competition.

Hallgeir Engebraaten, Peder Kongshaug and Sverre Lunde Pedersen retained Norway's title, beating Olympic record holders ROC by 2.38 seconds in the A final, while the United States took bronze against the Netherlands.

Canada's women's team of Ivanie Blondin, Valerie Maltais, and Isabelle Weidemann posted a new Olympic record time to win in two minutes 53.44 seconds.

Opposition Japan - the world and Olympic record holders - suffered a fall when leading in the closing stages. The Netherlands completed the podium.
 
An emotional Kamila Valieva launched her bid for Olympic figure skating gold after a court cleared her to compete despite a positive drugs test.

All eyes were on the Russian 15-year-old as she stepped on to the ice for a two-minute 40-second routine where the focus was briefly on her skating and not the doping scandal around her.

She stumbled on a jump, had tears at the end but went top with 82.16.

She then left the ice to face the inevitable cameras and questions.

However, she walked past reporters, shaking her head and saying "thank you" in Russian and then later did not attend a news conference for the three highest-placed skaters of the day.

Valieva, whose continued presence at the Games was proving divisive among her fellow competitors and beyond on Tuesday, will return on Thursday for the free skate that will decide the medals.

Not that there will be any medals or a medal ceremony that day if she finishes in the top three, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having decided it wants to wait until the outcome of an anti-doping investigation into Valieva's positive test for trimetazidine, which is used in angina treatment.

IOC official Denis Oswald said earlier in the day that the Russian had argued her positive drugs test was because of contamination with her grandad's medicine.

Valieva is being allowed to compete at Beijing 2022 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled on Monday that a provisional suspension should not be re-imposed.

She discovered a week ago that she had failed a drugs test but then successfully appealed against a Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision to impose a provisional suspension.

That decision was upheld by Cas after appeals by the IOC and others.

Follow live coverage from day 11 from Beijing 2022
Emotions come to surface after turbulent week
Valieva took to the ice to a mixture of cheers, camera shutters on overdrive and some stony faces as she prepared to perform her short programme.

The first time we saw this routine at these Games was just over a week ago - we oohed and ahhed over a flawless performance that fell just shy of her own world record score.

Her music of choice, In Memoriam by Kirill Richter, is in memory of her grandma who died in 2019. Now it felt like it could also be in memory of a happier time before an apparent mix-up with her grandad's heart medication.

And it was far from the perfect display we had seen as the Russian made a mistake on her opening triple axel. That said, she also boasted some of the same sublime spins and step sequences that had made her the pre-Games gold-medal favourite.

But it was at the end of the routine that the strain of the past week was visible, with Valieva hunching over and fighting back tears before leaving to wait for her score in the aptly named 'kiss and cry' area.

Seeing a child cry in front of a huge global audience is heart-breaking.

So is knowing they have failed a drugs test.

Wada is investigating Valieva's entourage, including coaches, doctors and other adults around her.

No other topic of conversation
It was inevitable for the other competitors that the day was never going to be about their Olympic debuts, their season's bests or even their mistakes.

Their moment on the big stage became all about what they thought about the fact they were knowingly competing against someone who had failed a drugs test when they and their coaches walked past the waiting reporters.

Adam Rippon, coach of US figure skater Mariah Bell, said it was "shocking" and "disappointing" that Valieva was being allowed to compete.

"I don't think, in the history of the Olympics, somebody with a positive test has been allowed to compete," he told BBC Sport.

"I think it ruins the integrity of the Olympics. I think a lot of people at home are left scratching their heads, knowing that there's someone with a positive test out there.

"I think, on top of it, it's so layered because I think all of our hearts are breaking that this is a 15-year-old girl. It's a really sad situation for her and it's a sad situation for all of the competitors here in this event."

British skater Natasha McKay, who finished 28th and does not qualify for the free skate, said it was "not a level playing field".

"In figure skating, and every sport, it should be a level playing field. We don't get the opportunity here, but that's the decision they've made and we have to stick with that," McKay said.

"I feel sorry for anyone who gets on the podium here. They won't be able to get that experience of being on the podium."

But Valieva also had her supporters, with Ukrainian Anastasiia Shabotova saying: "They are just talented and work hard. No-one should have an issue about that.

"I hope that she wins, finishes in the top three. Even if no-one receives a medal, everyone will still know who has won."

Valieva stands one skate from gold - but may never get medal
Despite the less-than-perfect display, Valieva still goes into Thursday's free skate poised for victory.

Her score put her ahead of compatriot Anna Shcherbakova, the world champion (80.20), and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto (79.84).

The third Russian, Alexandra Trusova, is fourth (74.60), which means the Russian Olympic Committee could well claim a 1-2-3 as they did at the European Championships in January.

The IOC's decision that there would be no medal ceremony if Valieva finishes in the top three was taken so that it can "allocate the medal to the right person".

It wants the full anti-doping process to be complete rather than awarding a medal and then potentially having to strip it away and reallocate others if Valieva is found guilty and banned.

So that means Valieva will skate for gold on Thursday but may never see the medal.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60386181
 
IAJ said:
11 gold medals bro. We are a country of 5,4 millions only, way less then London.

Yes, we have the weather and facilities, but many other counties do have the weather and facilities as well. We need to appreciate the immense talent this country possesses.
Click to expand...

Sure no doubt but winter weather sports simply cant take place in many places on Earth. Arent the Swiss the best though?

Ive been to the Alps ski resorts which were incredible. Where in Norway would you recommend for skiing?
 
Pakistan at Winter Olympics: Karim requests prayers before event

“I just want to request for the prayers for me. I have seen the world and I feel in my country we need to value the talent, be fair and boost the deserving talent in every field. I’m not just talking about skiing, I’m talking about every possible field. This is something that we miss in our nation, we need to cheer up the deserving talent,” Muhammad Karim exclaims from Beijing as he prepares for his third appearance in the Winter Olympics.

At just 26, the Naltar-based athlete has made Pakistan proud to become only the second skier competing in the Winter Olympics.

Karim is the Pakistan Air Force Skiing School alumni, which is also known as Shah Khan School, and he has been gunning to be make Pakistan proud internationally.

He represented Pakistan in 2014 for the first time at the Winter Olympics and made his way to the 2018 Olympics as well. Now, he feels that the third time is about bettering the performance.

Karim’s event will be slalom this time at the Ice River slope that has the vertical drop of 424m (1,391 ft) in Yanqing District, a speeding event that is about technique and posture, but the youngster feels he has gained the confidence through time.

“I am confident. I’d want to finish the event well,” Karim told The Express Tribune. “It is tough and a technical challenge because as we saw in the giant slalom event too, more than half of the athletes couldn’t finish the race. We do have a target in mind before going into the competition but it depends on the moment and the conditions.”

Karim competed in the giant Slalom event on his debut in 2014 Sochi where his result was 3:27.410, but then went on to compete in giant slalom and slalom in 2018 Pyeongchang. He finished giant slalom in 2:54.040 but did not finish in the slalom event.

Karim had also represented Pakistan in 2017 Asian Winter Games along with World Military Games and he feels that the growth is coming race after race.

“Skiing is a marathon”

For Karim being in the skiing world for the most part of his life, growing up in the community and village that is rich in talent, his older brother being a skier as well, and a family that values sports, he feels that no athlete can be judged off of their one or two years of performance.

“Skiing is a marathon. Building a career takes time since skiing is a seasonal sport too. Then there is the technical aspect of the sport, along with it being expensive as well. So there is availability of infrastructure, the expenses and then we need to compete continuously in 70 to 40 races or even 80 races per year.

“I trained in Europe this time before coming to China and the training has been good,” assured Karim.

He trained in Italy for 45 days and also competed there, along with races in Lebanon and Turkey throughout the time that the International Ski Federation (FIS) had allotted for the skiers to collect points.

“During the training through the last few months it has been back-to-back races with a gap of two days and that had been the key. Other than that I trained hard physically to make sure I’m in my best form,” said Karim as he thanked the PPAKF and the Pakistan Winter Sports Federation (WSF) that assured competitions for Karim.

He said that his favourite race throughout this time was in Malam Jabba where he won the giant slalom event FIS race in 2020.

Covid-19 challenges

Karim said that although he was not as badly affected by Covid-19 as his village in Naltar is a far-flung area with very small population, the major barriers came in the form of missing international races and opportunities.

“I had good training and physical exercise at home, but I did miss an opportunity to go to Italy where around 40-60 skiers were training and competing, but other than that I feel I did everything right,” said Karim.

Meanwhile Karim is impressed with the Olympics and he feels that China has done a good job when it comes to organising it in the middle of a global pandemic.

On his third attempt at the Olympics, however, Karim is going with more experience and he feels good about the conditions in Beijing.

“I can say that the Beijing Games are definitely my favourite so far. The slope is very good, everything is extremely well organised, the environment is very relaxed and friendly as I have my meals in the hall with other athletes,” said Karim.

Exemplary journey for all

Karim’s journey is an allegory for the growth of Pakistan winter sports as well.

He thanks PAF for the role it played and finally having a federation that can cater to not just alpine skiing, but expand to other disciplines as well including ice hockey, snow-boarding and cross-country skiing too.

“When I was younger there were 23-32 children in the Naltar ski school and then the number began to increase. The PAF have worked very diligently to develop the sport and now we have the Winter Sports Federation and winter sports is not just limited to Naltar. It is expanding to Gilgit Baltistan’s areas in Rattu, Malam Jabba, Kashmir. The talent is well distributed so this is a great sign. We have had a lot of improvement on our slopes in Pakistan. We now have snow-making machines too. Things are changing,” said Karim, who is hoping for the participation of Pakistanis to increase in winter sports and Olympics in the future.

“Of course we’ll see the increase in numbers. More talent is being groomed and coming forward from so many areas. We’ll see more Pakistani athletes at the Winter Olympics in the future,” said Karim, although he is now a sole athlete in Beijing as the female skier had to pull out of her event due to injury.

Karim’s brother Sher Afzal, 42, feels that Karim will make the country proud and back home everyone is cheering.

“I trained Karim for 70 to 80 per cent of the time, but he trained well in Italy. We can definitely beat India too, if Arif is in the competition for slalom. But we just need to focus, and so far Karim has worked hard for this,” said the national coach.

Karim has been the flag bearer at the opening ceremony as well for Pakistan, and now through his performance he is looking to make the difference.

Pakistan made debut at the Winter Olympics in 2010 with Muhammad Abbas being the first winter Olympian.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343633/pakistan-at-winter-olympics-karim-requests-prayers-before-event
 
KingKhanWC said:
Sure no doubt but winter weather sports simply cant take place in many places on Earth. Arent the Swiss the best though?

Ive been to the Alps ski resorts which were incredible. Where in Norway would you recommend for skiing?
Click to expand...

No, Swiss are far from the best. Norway is simply the best. The other top countries are USA, Germany, Russia, Canada and Austria. Swiss come mainly after this group.

There are many ski resorts here in Norway and the best thing is most of the famous ones are located in south of the country, a range between 150-250 KM from the capital Oslo. Please check out more about these complexes:

1)Trysil
2)Geilo
3)Hafjell
4)Hemsedal (called Scandinavia’s Alps)
5) Hovden
6) Nordfjell

There are many more of course. But these are some of the best for families.

Personally, allthough I have been living here for 35 years, I am not interested in winter activities at all. I do watch major Events on TV, have been doing that since early 1990s.
 
Pakistan's campaign at the Winter Olympics in Beijing came to end as lone athlete Muhammad Karim began his slalom event at the Ice River Course on Wednesday morning, but did not finish the race.

The total of 88 athletes started the event in the first run, while 34 did not finish the race, one got disqualified and another did not start at all.

The south Asian region was only represented through Karim from Pakistan and India's Arif Khan, who also did not cross the finish line.

This was Karim's third appearance at the Olympics, he made his debut in 2014, then went to 2018 Winter Games and now to China.
 
The Winter Olympics is facing renewed political controversy after a Games official dismissed human rights violations among the Uyghur Muslim population as "lies".

Beijing Games spokesperson Yan Jiarong also declared that Taiwan is part of China.

The International Olympic Committee has said repeatedly that the Games should be free from politics.

Yan made her comments at a daily media briefing on Thursday.

She spoke after IOC spokesman Mark Adams was asked at a news conference about Taiwan's presence at Sunday's closing ceremony on Sunday.

Following his comments, Yan said: "There is only one China."

Her statement reiterates China's stance towards democratically governed Taiwan, which it claims as its own "sacred" territory.

Later, she intervened when a reporter directed a question to the IOC about material from China's Xinjiang region being used in clothing.

"The so-called forced labour in Xinjiang is lies made up by deliberate groups," Yan said.

Human rights groups have accused some textile companies who source materials from Xinjiang of ignoring abuses of the Uyghur population in the region.

China denies all accusations of abuse and has repeatedly denied claims that it runs a network of forced labour camps in Xinjiang.

Amid a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics by the United States, Britain and other Western nations over China's human rights records, the IOC has tried to keep politics out of the Beijing Games.

Athletes have been told to stick to the IOC's Rule 50, which bans political statements on the medals podium and in competitions.

The rule, slightly revised ahead of last year's Tokyo Games to allow for some protests on the field of play if first cleared with the IOC, was thrust into the spotlight in the run-up to the Olympics.

"We are always against the idea of politicising the Games. The IOC has 206 members, including the Peoples' Republic of China and the National Olympic Committee of Chinese Taipei," Yan said.

Taiwan competes in most sporting events, including the Olympics, as "Chinese Taipei" at the insistence of Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of "one China".

Taiwan took part in the Games' opening ceremony after the team said it had received "several notices" by the IOC to attend both the opening and closing ceremonies.

In January, it had initially said it could not attend due to delayed flights and COVID-19 rules.
 
Kamila Valieva's controversial Winter Olympics ended in tears with a fourth-place finish in the women's event after the 15-year-old fell multiple times in the free skate.

Russian Olympic Committee's Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova claimed gold and silver with Japan's Kaori Sakamoto taking the bronze medal.

Valieva, in the spotlight after a court ruled she could compete in Beijing after a failed drugs test, sobbed while awaiting the score.

She had led going into the free skate.

Those who witnessed the events questioned the wisdom of allowing her to skate in the first place - the Court of Arbitration for Sport had said it would do "irreparable harm" to not allow it.

Many of those who witnessed it would say it may have done that by allowing it.

"I am slightly speechless for all the wrong reasons," said an emotional BBC commentator and 1980 gold medallist Robin Cousins.

"Someone thought having her do that was better than having her go home to her family and to wait and sort this out, knowing she could have two more Olympics ahead of her.

"To see the talent and the unquestionable quality of Valieva... To see it put into this arena in that way should never have happened."

From asterisks to agony
Valieva landed her opening quadruple jump but then faltered on the next triple, triggering a series of errors that had the crowd gasping in disbelief at what they were seeing.

As the mistakes mounted and the falls came, the crowd cheered her on and applauded the moves she did complete.

She threw her hands up at the end before leaving the ice in tears - for a second time this week, having also burst into tears after the short programme as the tension of recent days told.

As she left the ice Russian-flag waving supporters stood and chanted "well done" in Russian.

The Russian has set several world records since making her senior debut in October, including for a free skate score, but Thursday's free skate score of 141.93 fell well short and was only the fifth best of the day.

The medal-winning skaters will get their medals at an official ceremony, with the International Olympic Committee having previously said there would be no ceremony if Valieva came in the top three while the doping investigation was still ongoing.

The medals for the team event, where Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee to victory, will not be handed out until the case is concluded.

The talk before Thursday's skate was about the IOC's decision that there would be an asterisk against the women's result until the doping case was over, but thoughts of that quickly evaporated during a performance where the mistakes came with agonising frequency.

Valieva was allowed to compete in the women's event after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled against re-imposing a provisional suspension on her.

She discovered on 8 February that she had tested positive for angina drug trimetazidine but then successfully appealed against a Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision to impose a provisional suspension.

That decision was upheld by Cas after appeals by the IOC and others, with the court's ruling pointing to "exceptional circumstances" regarding her age and the timing of the test result, which came during the Games and nearly six weeks after the sample was taken.

There were mixed reactions from her fellow competitors, with some unhappy they were knowingly skating against someone who had failed a drugs test and others sorry that a child was caught up in a doping scandal.

A different Russian teen wins gold

The attention around the Valieva situation meant that most skaters had face questions about what they thought about her participation and potential for gold rather than their own performances.

Instead it was two other Russian teenagers in the top two spots on the podium.

Gold medallist Shcherbakova, who is also the world champion, said she "will not say anything about this situation" around Valieva.

Instead the 17-year-old was trying to able to enjoy own success, saying: "It's hard to say what I'm feeling right now. I still don't comprehend what has happened, I'm overwhelmed by happiness but I also feel an emptiness inside."

Silver medallist Trusova, meanwhile, was upset that her free skate, which earned the top score of the night and featured attempts at five quadruple jumps, had not won her the gold.

"Everyone has a gold medal, everyone, but not me," said the 17-year-old, who was in tears before the flower ceremony. "I hate skating. I hate it. I hate this sport. I will never skate again. Never."
 
It was "chilling" to see the "cold" way distraught Kamila Valieva was treated by her Russian coach after falls in her figure skating routine at Beijing 2022, says International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.

Valieva, weighed down by a doping scandal and questions over the wisdom of allowing her to compete, came fourth on Thursday after several mistakes.

There was no hug and no comfort for the 15-year-old from coach Eteri Tutberidze when she came off the ice, instead she was asked "why did you stop fighting?"

Valieva was favourite to win the women's event, having set several world records in the short time since she made her senior debut in October. She had led after Tuesday's short programme but the series of falls and messy landings on Thursday ruled her out of a podium finish.

"When I saw how she was received by her closest entourage with what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this, rather than giving her comfort, rather than to try to help her," said Bach.

Tutberidze, whose training methods were already under the spotlight, did put her arm around the young Russian while she waited for her score. But moments before that had demanded to know: "Why did you let it go? Explain it to me, why?"

Bach said he was "very, very disturbed" by what he had seen when watching the competition on television.

"All of this does not give me much confidence in this closest entourage of Kamila, neither with regard to what happened in the past, nor as far as it concerns the future," he added.

"How to deal, how to address, how to treat a minor athlete at the age of 15 under such an obvious mental stress."

Valieva is the subject of an anti-doping investigation after testing positive for angina drug trimetazidine. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has also said it will be investigating Valieva's entourage, including coaches, doctors and other adults surrounding her.

Before discovering she had failed a test, she had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event at Beijing 2022, but the medals for that will only be handed out once the doping case has concluded.

The Sports Desk podcast - can the Olympics recover from another doping scandal?
Spotlight on Tutberidze
Throughout the events of the past 11 days, Tutberidze has been present at the ice rink while Valieva continued training amid the uncertainty over whether she would be able to compete.

In the early days when news of the failed drugs test broke, Valieva was pictured hugging the coach during emotional practices and in her athlete biography on the Olympics information service, the youngster names Tutberidze as her "hero".

Tutberidze has overseen something of a production line in successful young Russian skaters in recent years at the Sambo-70 club in Moscow - including new Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova and silver medallist Alexandra Trusova, who are both 17.

Before them, there was 2018 champion Alina Zagitova, who was 15 when she won gold and 2018 silver medallist Evgenia Medvedeva, who was 18. Meanwhile, Yulia Lipnitskaya, was 15 when she won team gold at Sochi 2014.

They have either all retired while still teenagers or gone on a break from the sport with no return imminent.

And from the way Trusova was speaking on Thursday after her silver medal, she may soon be another name to add to the list of early retirements.

"I hate this sport, I hate this sport, I hate all of it. I won't go to the medal ceremony... I don't want to go," she was overheard saying angrily before later composing herself at a news conference and adding: "Of course these were only emotions and I'll think it over and later on I'll take a decision what I'm going to do in the future."

Valieva, Shcherbakova and Trusova are dubbed the 'quad squad' because they all perform quadruple jumps, which are rare in women's figure skating. Of the 25 athletes competing in the women's free skate on Thursday, only this trio attempted them.

There is no doubt that the coaching is producing high-scoring skaters, but there will surely now be many wondering at what cost given two left the ice in tears on Thursday.

Bach said the IOC could not do much to control an athlete's entourage.

"We see we have extremely limited means to address it," he said. "We are not the police, we cannot interrogate and have a formal prosecution procedure; and our sanctions are extremely limited.

"In the end, it's a question where we need the support of governments."

Russians are competing at these Games under the flag of the ROC as their country is banned from international sporting events under sanctions relating to its doping past.

Pressure on Valieva 'beyond my imagination' - Bach
Valieva's participation in the event had been controversial and had meant she had been under the media spotlight for 10 days in Beijing.

She was allowed to compete in the women's event after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled against re-imposing a provisional suspension on her.

She discovered on 8 February - the day after helping ROC win the team event - that she had tested positive for angina drug trimetazidine but then successfully appealed against a Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision to impose a provisional suspension.

That decision was upheld by Cas after appeals by the IOC, Wada and International Skating Union, with the court's ruling pointing to "exceptional circumstances" regarding her age and the timing of the test result, which came during the Games and nearly six weeks after the sample was taken.

The IOC did not hide its displeasure at the fact she was being allowed to compete, saying it would put an asterisk next to the results if she finished in the top three until her case was resolved.

Wada, meanwhile, says Cas ignored the "clear and unambiguous terms" of its code regarding the criteria for lifting a mandatory provisional suspension.

It said Cas had effectively "rewritten" the code to say a mandatory suspension was now optional in the case of 'protected persons'.

"[Such a move] risks undermining the integrity of sporting competition and the confidence of athletes that they are competing on a level playing field," the global anti-doping body said in a statement on Friday.

"It is surprising and of serious concern to Wada that a Cas panel would see fit to depart from the clear terms of the code."

The Cas ruling said it would do "irreparable harm" to not allow her to compete, but many were left questioning on Thursday whether it had in fact been worse to let her compete.

Bach, who won a fencing gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, said he could not even imagine the pressure she had been under.

"I know from my athlete time a little bit about pressure. But this pressure is beyond my imagination," he added.

"To see her there struggling on the ice, seeing how she tries to compose herself again, how then she tries to finish her programme, you could in every movement in the body language, you could feel that this is immense mental stress and maybe she would have preferred just to leave the ice and try to leave this story behind her."

But even now she will not be able to leave it behind as she still faces the doping investigation and is yet to request the testing of the B sample as is her right under Wada rules.

And who knows whether she will even make another Olympics given the track record of those who have come through the system before her.

"I can only wish for her that she has the support of her family, the support of her friends and the support of people who help her over this extremely difficult situation," Bach added.

"And we can then only hope for her to see that this is addressed in the right way and there is not a dramatic experience for such a young woman."
 
Winter Olympics: Men's curling team guarantee Great Britain silver medal

Great Britain have secured their first medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after the men's curling team defeated the United States 8-4 in a nail-biting semi-final to guarantee at least silver.

Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan stole one in the penultimate end and held out.

The Scottish quartet will play Sweden for gold at 06:05 GMT on Saturday.

Thirteen days in, it ends concerns the British team might finish without a medal for the first time since 1992.

Meanwhile, Eve Muirhead's women's side will have the chance to replicate the men's achievement for Team GB when they play Sweden at 12:05 on Friday.

"The last two weeks for myself has been a bit of a rollercoaster," Mouat told BBC Sport.

"I'm just so excited to share this with the guys and that celebration at the end was just pure elation - I don't think I can sum it up any other way."

Having flown through the round-robin section with eight wins and just one defeat, Great Britain were favourites to move through to the gold-medal game.

But they were up against the defending champions and skip John Shuster, who has a habit of performing on the big occasion, as he did four years ago when winning a shock gold.

That feat looked on again when the USA stole two in just the second end, but Britain immediately took three back to settle early nerves.

Another two followed in the fifth end for a 5-4 lead at the halfway point, and then it was all about Mouat and his team holding their nerve.

The next three ends were blank as the game became cagey, but crucially in the ninth end Mouat produced a terrific draw to steal one and increase the lead to two heading into the final end.

And in the last, Shuster could not produce the miracle shot for two that would have rescued his side.

Instead, the British side will at least emulate the achievement of Dave Murdoch's rink in 2014 by securing silver - and have the chance to upgrade to gold.

"I'm excited to play that game," Mouat added. "We've got a day off tomorrow but just looking forward to hopefully going for that gold. I'm shaking."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60413055
 
Women's curling: GBR stun reigning champions Sweden to reach gold-medal match.

A 12-11 win on sudden death in the extra end.

Two guaranteed medals now for Team GB.
 
<b>Great Britain's men's curlers had to settle for Olympic silver as Sweden triumphed 5-4 in a nerve-shredding final to claim gold.</b>

Bruce Mouat's team took a compelling match to an extra end, but Sweden were able to use their last-stone advantage to score one.

Mouat's final shot to try and force a steal did not come off and left Swedish skip Niklas Edin celebrating victory.

It means Britain's 98-year wait for a men's curling gold medal continues.
 
Last edited:
Team GB are in medal contention in the four-man bobsleigh after Brad Hall's sled was sixth after the opening two runs at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Hall, who crashed in the two-man event, is 0.69 seconds off the lead, but less than one-third of a second off bronze.

They have vowed to come out fighting on Sunday, the final day of competition at the Games.

"Sixth overnight is a drastic improvement on 2018, we're pretty happy," Greg Cackett told BBC Sport.

"But we're not stopping until the fourth heat ends so fingers crossed."
 
Great Britain's women's curlers will play for Olympic gold after edging past Sweden 12-11 in an extra end after a tense and compelling semi-final. Britain will face Japan in Sunday's final at 01:05 GMT.
 
Winter Olympics: Women's curling team claim gold medal for Great Britain

Great Britain had a golden finish to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with Eve Muirhead's women's curlers crushing Japan 10-3 in Sunday's final.

Muirhead brought watching British team-mates in the Ice Cube to their feet as she scored a superb four in the seventh end to effectively clinch the title.

It emulates the gold won by Rhona Howie's team at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Team GB end the Games with two medals after Bruce Mouat's men won curling silver on Saturday.

Skip Muirhead, who won bronze in 2014, finally has a gold medal at her fourth Olympics after returning from hip surgery, while Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds, and Hailey Duff are champions at their first attempt.

"It's a dream come true," Muirhead, who shed a tear or two on the medal podium, told BBC Sport. "That was my third semi-final, and the two I lost were hard but I bounced back and here we are. We are Olympic champions. It's such a special moment."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60450423
 
Winter Olympics: Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero fails doping test

Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero tested positive for a banned substance at the Winter Olympics, according to the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The ITA said a sample taken on 18 February contained a metabolite of clostebol, which is on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Barquero was tested during the pairs skating short programme in Beijing.

"The athlete has been informed. She has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample," said the ITA.

"The matter will thereafter be referred to the anti-doping division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport [Cas] for adjudication under the IOC [International Olympic Committee] anti-doping rules applicable to the Olympic Games Beijing 2022.

"Given that the case is under way, there will be no further comments during the ongoing proceeding."

The 20-year-old, alongside partner Maurizio Zandron, finished 11th in the pairs skating event at the Beijing Games.

It is the fourth positive test from the Games, which were dominated by the case of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva.

Russian Valieva was allowed to compete in Beijing despite testing positive for banned angina drug trimetazidine before the Winter Olympics.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/60480117
 
<b>Winter Paralympics: Millie Knight and Brett Wild win downhill bronze</b>

Skier Millie Knight defeated her demons as she won Great Britain's first medal of the Beijing Winter Paralympics.

The 23-year-old suffered a number of crashes and concussions which left her questioning her future in the sport.

But Knight and guide Brett Wild claimed bronze in the women's visually-impaired downhill.
 
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