Here's why a top leader of Utah's 2034 Winter Games is in Greece this week

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A look at the seven candidates in the International Olympic Committee presidential election

A look at the seven candidates in the International Olympic Committee presidential election

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 19 - 10:30 a.m.  |  Save Story

A look at the seven candidates in the International Olympic Committee presidential election on Thursday. One of Sebastian Coe, Kirsty Coventry, Johan Eliasch, Prince Feisal al Hussein, David Lappartient, Juan Antonio Samaranch or Morinari Watanabe will win an eight-year mandate in an election near the site of Ancient Olympics in Greece. The challenges they will face include navigating a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, finding a host for the 2036 Summer Games and protecting fairness in women's sports.
On eve of Olympic election, IOC presidential candidate Samaranch plays down emerging favorite status

On eve of Olympic election, IOC presidential candidate Samaranch plays down emerging favorite status

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 19 - 8:56 a.m.  |  Save Story

IOC presidential candidate Juan Antonio Samaranch has played down his possible status as favorite on the eve of voting Thursday. Samaranch says "I really don't know" if he's going to win the seven-candidate contest. There's widespread agreement it's most open presidential contest in modern International Olympic Committee history. It's now widely seen as narrowing to three of the seven candidates: IOC vice president Samaranch and a pair of two-time Olympic gold medalists, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry. Coventry is sports minister of Zimbabwe and would be the first woman and first African to lead the IOC in its 131 years.
A 15-year-old New Zealander becomes the youngest athlete to run a sub 4-minute mile

A 15-year-old New Zealander becomes the youngest athlete to run a sub 4-minute mile

The Associated Press  |  Updated March 19 - 2:53 a.m.  |  Save Story

New Zealander Sam Ruthe has become the youngest athlete to run a sub-four minute mile when he broke the barrier 24 days short of his 16th birthday. Ruthe ran 3 minutes, 58.35 seconds in a paced mile at the Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland on Wednesday night. New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner and Ben Wall, who were his pacemakers, also went under four minutes. Ruthe is the first 15-year-old to go under the 4-minute mark for the mile. Norway's two-time Olympic champion Jackob Ingebrigtsen ran 3:58.07 in 2017 when he 16 years, 250 days old to set the previous mark.
Olympic Committee will elect a new president this week. Is Trump affecting the race?

Olympic Committee will elect a new president this week. Is Trump affecting the race?

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted March 18 - 1:33 p.m.  |  Save Story

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is departing the office, leaving policies that could affect the Salt Lake City 2034 Games in the hands of a leader yet to be chosen.
Cortina's controversial Olympic sliding track slated for test runs by 60 athletes next week

Cortina's controversial Olympic sliding track slated for test runs by 60 athletes next week

Andrew Dampf, Associated Press  |  Posted March 18 - 12:16 p.m.  |  Save Story

The track's essential structure is done. The ice is being prepared. And next week 60 athletes will come to test the controversial sliding center for next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics. Government commissioner Fabio Saldini says "the track's structure is done." He adds that "we had it in our calendars to finish by March 16 and that's when it was finished." Twenty workers preparing ice on the track day and night are slated to finish by Sunday. Then starting on Monday, athletes from 30 different countries will perform bobsled, luge and skeleton test runs in order to secure preliminary certification.
Ancient Olympia hosts IOC candidates and voters two days ahead of presidential contest

Ancient Olympia hosts IOC candidates and voters two days ahead of presidential contest

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 18 - 10:53 a.m.  |  Save Story

Seven candidates in the IOC presidential election came to the most sacred Olympic site two days before the contest Thursday to elect a new leader. Rain at Ancient Olympia meant the ceremonial opening of the four-day meeting could not take place at the Temple of Hera where the flame is lit before each Olympic Games edition. The candidates were joined under a nearby tented cover with all their colleagues in the 109-strong International Olympic Committee membership including outgoing president Thomas Bach. They vote Thursday in perhaps the most discreet and opaquely campaigned of sports elections.
'Chariots of Fire' runner connects with IOC candidate Coe through England's Olympic history

'Chariots of Fire' runner connects with IOC candidate Coe through England's Olympic history

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 18 - 2:09 a.m.  |  Save Story

Only one Englishman who had a great Olympic career ever stood for the IOC presidency before Sebastian Coe. Coe will try to win that job Thursday. The previous candidate was David Burghley who lost his election in 1952. Yet his Olympic achievements spanned the 1920s to the 1980s. Burghley ran at the 1924 Paris Olympics and was portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire. In 1968 he presented medals to Tommie Smith and John Carlos before their iconic raised-fist salutes in Mexico City. Like Coe, Burghley was an Olympic champion, world record holder, British lawmaker and led track and field's governing body.
Olympic contest to pick IOC president is quirky and controlled by tight campaign and voting rules

Olympic contest to pick IOC president is quirky and controlled by tight campaign and voting rules

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Updated March 17 - 1:41 p.m.  |  Save Story

The IOC is the undisputed champion of running the most tightly managed sports election. It's been compared by veteran Olympic watchers to a conclave to pick a pope. Some of the seven presidential candidates in the contest on Thursday in Greece have aired frustrations with getting limited access to their fellow International Olympic Committee members during a five-month campaign. The voters themselves will get minimal updates between rounds of casting secret ballots on election day. The IOC has published restrictive rules for campaigning and voting. One leading contender Sebastian Coe has said "It has been difficult to engage."
IOC board puts boxing back on the Olympic program for LA in 2028

IOC board puts boxing back on the Olympic program for LA in 2028

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Updated March 17 - 8:04 a.m.  |  Save Story

Boxing is set to be on the program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after years of disputes over how the sport is run. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says the IOC's executive board has approved including boxing on the 2028 program. It still needs a full IOC session to sign off on the decision later this week but that's usually a formality. Bach says approval would mean "all the boxers of the world then have certainty that they can participate" in Los Angeles in 2028.
World champ Meillard wins World Cup slalom to close in on discipline leader Kristoffersen

World champ Meillard wins World Cup slalom to close in on discipline leader Kristoffersen

The Associated Press  |  Updated March 16 - 7:59 a.m.  |  Save Story

World champion Loic Meillard won the season's penultimate men's World Cup slalom as the Swiss skier boosted his chances of taking the discipline title. Meillard held on to his first-leg lead as he beat Atle Lie McGrath of Norway by 0.21 seconds. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was 0.47 back in third. Henrik Kristoffersen placed fifth and the Norwegian saw his lead over Meillard in the slalom standings reduced to 47 points with only the season-ending race remaining at the World Cup finals. The only other racer left with a chance to win the season title is Olympic champion Clement Noel.
What outgoing IOC president says about Utah's Games — and transgender athletes at Olympics

What outgoing IOC president says about Utah's Games — and transgender athletes at Olympics

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted March 15 - 7:16 a.m.  |  Save Story

Utah's successful bid to host the 2034 Winter Games "had it all," International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach declared to a global group of reporters Wednesday as he wraps up his 12-year tenure.
Olympic candidate Coe backs athletes calling for climate issues to be a priority in global sports

Olympic candidate Coe backs athletes calling for climate issues to be a priority in global sports

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 14 - 9:53 a.m.  |  Save Story

IOC presidential candidate Sebastian Coe says the impact of climate change on the global sports calendar will be a priority issue if he wins the election next week. Coe says if he's successful "that is very high in my in-tray." He's one of seven International Olympic Committee members standing in the election next Thursday in Greece. The two-time Olympic gold medalist runner says he stands "full square" with the 400 Olympic athletes who on Friday urged the candidates to treat climate change as a priority. There's a broad consensus among IOC candidates to be flexible scheduling future Summer Games.
IOC candidate Samaranch sees diplomacy with Trump as key priority ahead of 2028 LA Olympics

IOC candidate Samaranch sees diplomacy with Trump as key priority ahead of 2028 LA Olympics

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 14 - 5:42 a.m.  |  Save Story

One of the strong candidates to win the IOC's presidential election next week says meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump should be high on the winner's agenda. Juan Antonio Samaranch tells The Associated Press: "It has to be a priority. The United States is today one of the most, if not the most, important partner." The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be one of the defining events for whoever wins the eight-year IOC leadership term on Thursday. Seven candidates are competing for votes from about 100 other IOC members at a meeting near Ancient Olympia in Greece.
NBC signs $3B Olympic media rights deal through 2036, including Salt Lake City Winter Games

NBC signs $3B Olympic media rights deal through 2036, including Salt Lake City Winter Games

Associated Press  |  Updated March 13 - 12:01 p.m.  |  Save Story

The IOC has signed a $3 billion deal with its long-time United States broadcast partner NBC for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games.
NBC and IOC sign $3B Olympic media rights deal through 2036 including Salt Lake City Winter Games

NBC and IOC sign $3B Olympic media rights deal through 2036 including Salt Lake City Winter Games

The Associated Press  |  Posted March 13 - 11:42 a.m.  |  Save Story

The IOC has signed a $3 billion deal with its long-time United States broadcast partner NBC for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee says in a statement the agreement elevates Comcast NBC Universal to being a strategic partner instead of just a media rights holder. NBC signed its most recent Olympic rights deal in 2014 covering each Summer Games and Winter Games through 2032. That was valued at $7.75 billion.
Three more Norwegian ski jumpers suspended in cheating scandal

Three more Norwegian ski jumpers suspended in cheating scandal

James Robson, Associated Press  |  Updated March 13 - 9:33 a.m.  |  Save Story

Three more ski jumpers have been suspended in a cheating scandal. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation says Robin Pederson, Kristoffer Sundal and Robert Johansson have been provisionally suspended due to suspicion of manipulation of equipment. They follow the suspensions on Wednesday of Olympic gold medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang. FIS says it has been asked to seize all jump suits used by Norway at the world championships in Trondheim last week and found no irregularities in those used by women's or combined men's and women's teams. But it says findings "raised additional suspicions of manipulation" and led to the suspensions of Pederson, Sundal and Johansson. They are suspended from all events organized by FIS or national ski associations.
World Boxing adds China's powerful federation, 5 more to its growing membership

World Boxing adds China's powerful federation, 5 more to its growing membership

Greg Beacham, Associated Press  |  Posted March 12 - 10:39 a.m.  |  Save Story

World Boxing has added China to its growing list of members. That means the breakaway body has reached another major goal in its quest to keep boxing in the Olympics. The governing body also announced the additions of the national federations of Turkey, Sudan, Greece, Slovakia and Montenegro. World Boxing now has 84 national federations among its membership. The Chinese Boxing Federation's decision to join is yet another positive sign for World Boxing, which received provisional recognition from the IOC last month as the new governing body for the sport ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Cheating scandal shocks ski jumping, topples Olympic champions and shakes Norway's lofty reputation

Cheating scandal shocks ski jumping, topples Olympic champions and shakes Norway's lofty reputation

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Updated March 12 - 10:37 a.m.  |  Save Story

Two Norwegian ski jumpers are now suspended and under formal suspicion in an unfolding cheating scandal. Olympic gold medalists, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang, had denied involvement since the allegations emerged at the weekend of the use illegally altered ski suits. The pair were suspended Wednesday and put under formal suspicion in an investigation overseen by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. They now cannot compete in a World Cup event in Oslo that starts Thursday. Three Norwegian team officials are also suspended.
Olympic snowboarder on FBI's most-wanted list

Olympic snowboarder on FBI's most-wanted list

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted March 10 - 8:34 p.m.  |  Save Story

At Utah's last Olympics in 2002, Ryan Wedding competed for his native Canada as a snowboarder. Now he's on the FBI's most wanted list.
Utah's new Olympic CEO details his 2034 Winter Games role

Utah's new Olympic CEO details his 2034 Winter Games role

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted March 9 - 9:20 a.m.  |  Save Story

The CEO of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee sat down for an interview with the Deseret News.
Ayumu Hirano, the Olympic champion snowboarder, has a new, more important title: dad

Ayumu Hirano, the Olympic champion snowboarder, has a new, more important title: dad

Eddie Pells, Associated Press  |  Updated March 8 - 3:06 p.m.  |  Save Story

The biggest life-changer in snowboard champion Ayumu Hirano's life since he won an Olympic gold medal is that he became a father. That, as much as triple corks or big airs, has been his focus over the last few months, and it doesn't figure to change much, even as he ramps up for the Olympics next year. Hirano is competing this week at the debut of The Snow League, a new pro snowboarder circuit being fronted by Shaun White. The Japanese star says his main goal before the Olympics is to perfect his entire trip down the halfpipe so that his biggest tricks will stand out even more.
Boxing rising star Lauren Price dreams of 'selling out stadiums' like Katie Taylor

Boxing rising star Lauren Price dreams of 'selling out stadiums' like Katie Taylor

The Associated Press  |  Posted March 8 - 5:37 a.m.  |  Save Story

Lauren Price is following the Katie Taylor blueprint to boxing success. The Welsh welterweight outclassed Natasha Jonas on Friday night at Royal Albert Hall to retain her WBA title and pick up the WBC and IBF belts. Price says "You've seen it with Katie Taylor, she's got a nation behind her in Ireland. I've got Wales. She's an Olympic champion. I'm an Olympic champion. I really honestly feel like I could be going and selling out stadiums." Price needs the WBO belt to become the undisputed champion. It is held by Mikaela Mayer who faces English fighter Sandy Ryan on March 29 in Las Vegas.
Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands wins women's skeleton world championship at Lake Placid

Kimberley Bos of the Netherlands wins women's skeleton world championship at Lake Placid

Tim Reynolds, Associated Press  |  Updated March 7 - 5:44 p.m.  |  Save Story

the fifth different woman to win the season's biggest skeleton race in the last five years.
Lauren Price overwhelms Natasha Jonas to become unified welterweight world champion

Lauren Price overwhelms Natasha Jonas to become unified welterweight world champion

The Associated Press  |  Posted March 7 - 4:27 p.m.  |  Save Story

Unbeaten Lauren Price has been too fast for the veteran Natasha Jonas as she won their unification world welterweight title fight comfortably in London. Price, of Wales, was the paper-thin favorite but impressively overwhelmed Jonas and won by unanimous decision on Friday. Price relieved the Englishwoman of her WBC and IBF belts to add to her IBO belt. The 2021 Olympic champion improved her record to 9-0. Jonas' seven-win streak since a 2021 loss to Katie Taylor ended without dispute in a matchup of southpaws. Jonas, 10 years older than Price at 40, struggled to hit Price and lost for the third time in 20 fights.
Lake Placid awaits word on whether it'll be picked as the Olympic sliding site for 2026 Games

Lake Placid awaits word on whether it'll be picked as the Olympic sliding site for 2026 Games

Tim Reynolds, Associated Press  |  Updated March 7 - 2:28 p.m.  |  Save Story

Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique details inside Lake Placid's plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked to be the site of the sliding events for next winter's Milan-Cortina Games.
Shaun White kicks off new league with visions of snowboarding riches on the halfpipe

Shaun White kicks off new league with visions of snowboarding riches on the halfpipe

Eddie Pells, Associated Press  |  Posted March 7 - 2:24 p.m.  |  Save Story

This week in Aspen marks the debut of Shaun White's Snow League. It's a four-contest circuit that the retired three-time Olympic gold medalist hopes can alter the trajectory of halfpipe snowboarding. White's league promises $1.6 million in prize money, and $50,000 first prizes for men and women. It also offers Olympic qualifying points with the Milan-Cortina Games less than a year away. Top names competing this week include defending Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano on the men's side and Maddie Mastro for the women. White says he sees the league as a long-needed way to bring the best riders together more than every four years for the Olympics.
Britain's Matt Weston finishes a dominant run to the men's skeleton world title in Lake Placid

Britain's Matt Weston finishes a dominant run to the men's skeleton world title in Lake Placid

Tim Reynolds, Associated Press  |  Updated March 7 - 1:09 p.m.  |  Save Story

in 3 minutes, 35.48 seconds. Weston's winning margin of 1.90 seconds was the second-largest in a men's world championships since skeleton was restored to the Olympic program about a quarter-century ago.
IOC's Bach sees 'new world order' ahead of LA Olympics and says Trump will 'fully support' games

IOC's Bach sees 'new world order' ahead of LA Olympics and says Trump will 'fully support' games

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Posted March 7 - 10:04 a.m.  |  Save Story

could yet challenge Bach's faith in the Olympics' power to unite the world in peaceful competition and mutual acceptance. Bach says "We have a new world order in the making."
For some athletes, Olympic sliding in Lake Placid or Italy would both have comforts of home

For some athletes, Olympic sliding in Lake Placid or Italy would both have comforts of home

Tim Reynolds, Associated Press  |  Posted March 7 - 9:38 a.m.  |  Save Story

are waiting to have answered: Cortina or Lake Placid?
Two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones launches boxing career

Two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones launches boxing career

The Associated Press  |  Posted March 7 - 3:10 a.m.  |  Save Story

Jade Jones, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo, is switching to boxing. Jones took gold for Britain in 2012 and 2016 and competed in four Games most recently in Paris last year. But at the age of 31 she has announced her move to boxing. She tells the BBC "The dream is to be a world champion. To be a world champion in two sports would be pretty cool." She will be trained by former British and Commonwealth featherweight champion Stephen Smith.
Olympic refugee boxer Ngamba 'disappointed' to not make pro debut as promoter cites medical issue

Olympic refugee boxer Ngamba 'disappointed' to not make pro debut as promoter cites medical issue

The Associated Press  |  Updated March 6 - 2:55 p.m.  |  Save Story

Olympic boxing bronze medalist Cindy Ngamba says she is "very disappointed" that she won't make her professional debut Friday after her promoter announced her withdrawal because of a medical issue. The celebrated refugee Olympian was set to face Kirstie Bavington in a super welterweight bout as part of an all-female card headlined by the Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price welterweight world title unification fight at Royal Albert Hall. The promotion company Boxxer says Ngamba was pulled "after a pre-fight medical examination revealed an issue requiring further investigation."
Paralympics president is 'excited' by support for the Games with a year to go

Paralympics president is 'excited' by support for the Games with a year to go

James Ellingworth, Associated Press  |  Posted March 6 - 11:21 a.m.  |  Save Story

The president of the International Paralympic Committee says he's encouraged by the level of support for the Paralympics with a year to go until the Winter Games in Italy. IPC President Andrew Parsons is hopeful of building on a trend of increased support for the Winter Paralympics over recent editions. After a transport strike last month disrupted plans to invite local schoolchildren to an Olympic test event in Milan concerns have been raised over the potential impact on the Games themselves. Parsons says he's confident that strikes won't affect the Paralympics.
A record $100 million donation will give next gen of US Olympians $100K to spend after they retire

A record $100 million donation will give next gen of US Olympians $100K to spend after they retire

Eddie Pells, Associated Press  |  Posted March 5 - 6:00 a.m.  |  Save Story

to fund $100,000 payments and matching life insurance benefits for anyone who earns a spot on Team USA beginning next year. The donation to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation is from Ross Stevens, the founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Holdings Group. Olympians can access the money in four payments starting 20 years after they qualify. They can also designate a beneficiary to receive $100,000 when they die. Stevens' contribution is part of the foundation's goal to raise $500,000 million before the LA Olympics in 2028.
High-altitude Kenyan town Iten adapts as Olympic champions and amateurs flock to rarefied air

High-altitude Kenyan town Iten adapts as Olympic champions and amateurs flock to rarefied air

Moses Ndungu And Mutwiri Mutuota, Associated Press  |  Updated March 3 - 6:50 p.m.  |  Save Story

The sleepy Kenyan town of Iten attracts a wide array of long-distance runners from Olympic champions to amateurs. All are here because Iten lies at about 8,000 feet above sea level and has produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world. To cater to the ever-growing interest from both professional and amateur athletes, hotels, lodges and short-stay rental apartments continue to spring up around the town. Iten was declared a World Athletics Heritage Landmark in 2019 and proudly calls itself the "Home of Champions."
Norwegian skier Henrik Kristoffersen wins World Cup slalom for 2nd victory in 2 days

Norwegian skier Henrik Kristoffersen wins World Cup slalom for 2nd victory in 2 days

The Associated Press  |  Updated March 2 - 5:58 a.m.  |  Save Story

Henrik Kristoffersen came from behind to win a men's World Cup slalom for his second victory in two days. The 2023 world champion from Norway stood sixth with 0.62 seconds to make up after the opening run. But his ninth-fastest time in the final run on a weakening course in the afternoon sunshine was enough for the victory. Kristoffersen also won Saturday's giant slalom. He led Timon Haugan by 0.17 for a Norwegian 1-2 finish. Manuel Feller of Austria finished 0.23 behind in third. World champion Loic Meillard posted the fastest opening-run time but dropped to fourth.
Duplantis raises his pole vault world record to 6.27m

Duplantis raises his pole vault world record to 6.27m

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 28 - 4:24 p.m.  |  Save Story

Mondo Duplantis has lifted his pole vault world record to 6.27 meters in a World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in France. The Olympic and world champion added a centimeter on Friday to his world record he last improved in August in Poland. It was the 11th world pole vault record for Duplantis. He did it on his first attempt. Emmanouil Karalis was second to the Swede with a Greek record clearance of 6.02. Six men cleared 5.91 or higher for the first time in a single competition.
Who is on the new steering committee for Utah's 2034 Winter Games?

Who is on the new steering committee for Utah's 2034 Winter Games?

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted Feb. 27 - 8:20 a.m.  |  Save Story

Another key piece of Utah's 2034 Winter Games organization is now in place, a steering committee that includes athletes as well as community, sport and business leaders and several elected officials.
Boxing nears its spot on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program as IOC recognizes new body

Boxing nears its spot on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program as IOC recognizes new body

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 26 - 8:55 a.m.  |  Save Story

The International Olympic Committee has taken a key step toward retaining boxing on the program for the Los Angeles Games in 2028 as it recognized a new governing body for the sport. The IOC board granted provisional recognition Wednesday to World Boxing, a group which was founded in 2023 as a breakaway from the long-established but troubled International Boxing Association. It has since picked up many former IBA members. The IOC said that World Boxing showed that 62% of boxers from last year's Paris Olympics were affiliated with its members.
Brondello extends Australian Opals coaching contract to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Brondello extends Australian Opals coaching contract to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

The Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 24 - 6:59 p.m.  |  Save Story

Sandy Brondello is set to coach Australia's Opals to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, extending her involvement with the national women's basketball team to a seventh Olympics. Brondello guided the Opals to an Olympic bronze medal in Paris last year and helped the New York Liberty win the WNBA title in October. She played for the Opals in the 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and was appointed coach in 2017, guiding the team at the Tokyo Games and in Paris. Brondello says "Having represented at six Olympics as a player and now coach, the Opals is such a big part of my life and one that I am most proud of."
'You kind of sprint up a mountain': A look at ski mountaineering ahead of its Olympic debut

'You kind of sprint up a mountain': A look at ski mountaineering ahead of its Olympic debut

Daniella Matar, Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 24 - 11:12 a.m.  |  Save Story

Emily Harrop of France and Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll won World Cup ski mountaineering races that served as a test event for next year's Olympics. Skimo will be making its Olympic debut at the Milan-Cortina Games, at least the shortened version of the sport. Men's and women's sprint races and mixed relays will take place in Bormio, but the much longer formats of skimo will not be featured at the Games. The course setup at the foot of the iconic Stelvio slope proved a hit with athletes. It is even more special for Nicolò Ernesto Canclini  as the Italian skimo star lives 300 meters from the slope.
Nordic combined, the only Winter Games sport without gender equity, faces shaky future at Olympics

Nordic combined, the only Winter Games sport without gender equity, faces shaky future at Olympics

Larry Lage, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 24 - 3:04 a.m.  |  Save Story

Nordic combined has a rich history in the Olympics and potentially, a bleak future. Since the first Winter Games in 1924, the unique sport has tested the bravery and endurance of athletes in ski jumping and cross-country skiing. A year from now, it might be a former Olympic sport. Four-time Olympic champion Joergen Graabak of Norway tells The Associated Press that it's a big concern. Nordic combined is scheduled to wrap up competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 19, 2026, and that may be its finale on the world stage. The International Olympic Committee will make the call in June.
Langenhan and Wendl-Arlt win World Cup luge titles. USA Luge finishes the season with a relay bronze

Langenhan and Wendl-Arlt win World Cup luge titles. USA Luge finishes the season with a relay bronze

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 23 - 7:46 a.m.  |  Save Story

Max Langenhan of Germany won the luge World Cup men's singles overall championship on Sunday for the third consecutive year, while the veteran German men's doubles pairing of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt clinched the season-long crown for the sixth time. Both finished off those titles with victories on the final day of the schedule. USA Luge ended its season by winning a bronze medal in the team relay, giving it 10 medals from this World Cup year.
Taubitz wins women's World Cup luge overall title, the 27th consecutive German to claim that crown

Taubitz wins women's World Cup luge overall title, the 27th consecutive German to claim that crown

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 22 - 10:41 a.m.  |  Save Story

Julia Taubitz clinched the women's World Cup luge singles overall championship on Saturday, marking the 27th consecutive year that a German slider has captured the title. And the streak lived on this year by less than one second. Taubitz won the season-ending women's race, her third victory of the nine-race season. And that, combined with Madeleine Egle of Austria finishing ninth, was good enough to vault Taubitz atop the final standings for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Swiss ski racer Niels Hintermann says he is now free of lymph node cancer

Swiss ski racer Niels Hintermann says he is now free of lymph node cancer

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 22 - 6:08 a.m.  |  Save Story

Swiss downhill racer Niels Hintermann says he has won his battle with lymph node cancer. The 29-year-old Hintermann posted on his Instagram account that he has been declared free of the cancer. He announced the diagnosis in October that would cause him to miss the entire ski season during treatment. Hintermann says "The days weren't always easy, but naturally I'm overjoyed that this time is now over." He's a three-time winner of World Cup races and competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
IOC finds Olympic sponsor in China through 2032 to replace Panasonic of Japan

IOC finds Olympic sponsor in China through 2032 to replace Panasonic of Japan

The Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 20 - 4:34 a.m.  |  Save Story

The International Olympic Committee has found a sponsor in China to replace long-term commercial partner Panasonic from Japan. The IOC says it signed TCL to an eight-year, four-Olympics deal through 2032. That's in the sponsor category of home audiovisual equipment and appliances. The value in cash and operational services was not detailed on Thursday. Panasonic's four-decade partnership ended after the Paris Summer Games last year. It had been a founding member of the global Olympic partner program, known as TOP, in 1985. The 15 TOP sponsors paid more than $2 billion in cash and services in the last four-year Olympic cycle.
Meet Utah's 2034 Winter Games organizing committee

Meet Utah's 2034 Winter Games organizing committee

Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News  |  Posted Feb. 19 - 4:01 p.m.  |  Save Story

It's official: The leadership of the 2034 Winter Games is in place.
USA Swimming turns to Delaware AD Chrissi Rawak as new CEO

USA Swimming turns to Delaware AD Chrissi Rawak as new CEO

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 19 - 1:23 p.m.  |  Save Story

USA Swimming's new CEO and president is University of Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak. Rawak fills a role previously held by Tim Hinchey, who left the governing body of one of the biggest Olympic sports shortly after last year's Paris Games. Rawak was named Athletic Director of the Year in 2024 by a national group of ADs. She spearheaded a $38 million fundraising campaign for the construction of a new athletic department facility. Before Delaware, Rawak was an executive in the Michigan athletic department. She also was on the Michigan swimming and diving team and served as an assistant coach for the program from 1992-97.
US GM Bill Guerin says he would welcome Trump when Americans play Canada for 4 Nations title

US GM Bill Guerin says he would welcome Trump when Americans play Canada for 4 Nations title

The Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 18 - 8:03 p.m.  |  Save Story

The general manager of the U.S. team in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament said he would welcome a visit from President Donald Trump to the championship game between the United States and Canada on Thursday night. NHL veteran Bill Guerin said on Fox News that Trump's presence would give a boost to the rivalry between the North American hockey powers. He said the political tension between Canada and the U.S., which caused fans in Montreal to boo "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to two games last week, ratcheted up the intensity in their fight-filled matchup in the preliminary round.
Olympic organizing team unveiled for 2030 Winter Games in French Alps

Olympic organizing team unveiled for 2030 Winter Games in French Alps

Graham Dunbar, Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 18 - 12:14 p.m.  |  Save Story

French organizers of the 2030 Winter Games were united Tuesday to unveil the team given the tightest schedule of any modern Olympics. It's just five years before the opening ceremony on Feb. 1, 2030. The French Alps Olympics must tie together snow and sliding venues in the mountains with skating and curling arenas on the Riviera coastal city Nice. Organizing committee president Edgar Grospiron was hired in the past week. At a launch event with national and regional politicians Tuesday in Lyon Grospiron says "What's important now is that from now we organize it, we deliver it."
Transport strike affecting Olympic test event underscores risks facing Milan-Cortina Games

Transport strike affecting Olympic test event underscores risks facing Milan-Cortina Games

Andrew Dampf, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 18 - 7:40 a.m.  |  Save Story

A transport strike during an official test event for the Milan-Cortina Olympics highlighted why organizers are negotiating with trade unions to avoid a similar scenario during next year's Winter Games. The strike left organizers of a short-track speedskating event having to call in emergency buses to transport schoolchildren to the arena on Milan's outskirts. Milan-Cortina CEO Andrea Varnier says "it was interesting to have a test like that and have to come up with an emergency plan." He adds that "we're hoping that there's good will between everyone involved during the games so that there are no strikes."
French lawmakers mull banning headscarves in sport. Amnesty International says it's discriminatory

French lawmakers mull banning headscarves in sport. Amnesty International says it's discriminatory

Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 18 - 6:43 a.m.  |  Save Story

still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and state that established it as a principle of the French Republic. Until now, sporting federations have been free to decide whether or not to allow them, with two of the country's most powerful sports, soccer and rugby, opting to ban them.
Geraint Thomas, the Olympic star and Tour de France champion, will retire at the end of season

Geraint Thomas, the Olympic star and Tour de France champion, will retire at the end of season

Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 17 - 3:13 a.m.  |  Save Story

Geraint Thomas, the British former Tour de France champion who also won gold medals in track cycling at the Olympic Games in 2008 and '12, announced Monday that this will be his final year as a professional. Thomas, a loyal teammate who transformed into a leader in his own right over his almost two-decade career, said he will focus on the Tour de France this summer with Ineos Grenadiers. Aged 38, Thomas told the BBC that he will ride in support of the team's ambitions and "maybe try to win a stage but just enjoy the race" that he won in 2018.
It's not just Shiffrin and Vonn. The US Ski Team has multiple medal contenders for the Olympics

It's not just Shiffrin and Vonn. The US Ski Team has multiple medal contenders for the Olympics

Andrew Dampf, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 16 - 10:35 a.m.  |  Save Story

A year before the Winter Olympics the U.S. Ski Team just had a performance to remember. The women's squad won medals in four out of five events at the world championships in Austria and also had two fourth places. The Americans finished fourth in the mixed team parallel and the men just missed the podium with a fourth in the new team combined race. The only event the women did not win a medal in was the slalom when Mikaela Shiffrin placed fifth just behind teammate Paula Moltzan in fourth. With Lindsey Vonn expecting to be more competitive come the Milan-Cortina Olympics the U.S. women have multiple medal contenders in every event. And Ryan Cochran-Siegle likes the course in Bormio.
Meillard wins slalom gold to cap 'crazy week' for the Swiss ski team at world championships

Meillard wins slalom gold to cap 'crazy week' for the Swiss ski team at world championships

The Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 16 - 9:01 a.m.  |  Save Story

Loic Meillard has won gold in the men's slalom at the Alpine skiing world championships. The Swiss skier beat silver medalist Atle Lie McGrath of Norway by 0.26 seconds. Linus Strasser of Germany was 0.52 behind in third and took the bronze. Olympic champion Clement Noel led after the first run but straddled a gate near the end of his second run and did not finish. The race was the 11th and final event of the worlds. Meillard earned his third medal after winning the team combined with Franjo von Allmen and placing third in the giant slalom. It was the eighth medal for the Swiss men's team. Meillard said "It's been a crazy week."
Salt Lake City names leaders for 2034 Olympic organizing committee

Salt Lake City names leaders for 2034 Olympic organizing committee

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 14 - 5:07 p.m.  |  Save Story

Former Utah House speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Brad Wilson is the new CEO of the Utah Olympic organizing committee. The group, which is hosting the Winter Games in 2034, announced its leadership team Friday. Fraser Bullock will serve as executive chair and president. Bullock was chief operating officer for the 2002 Olympics in Utah. Lindsey Vonn is part of the six-person executive committee, along with Bullock and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic leaders Sarah Hirshland and Gene Sykes.
Sweden and Finland renew their long-running, tense hockey rivalry at the 4 Nations Face-Off

Sweden and Finland renew their long-running, tense hockey rivalry at the 4 Nations Face-Off

Stephen Whyno, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 14 - 3:08 p.m.  |  Save Story

The United States and Canada will renew their rivalry with each country's best players on the ice for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off. But that has nothing on the European neighbor matchup between Sweden and Finland. That is like one brother against another, two nations sharing a border and separated by one sea and a rivalry passed down by generations at the Olympics and beyond. There is a mutual respect between Swedes and Finns in hockey off the ice that is entirely different when the puck is dropped.
American short track skater Kristen Santos-Griswold looking for Olympic redemption

American short track skater Kristen Santos-Griswold looking for Olympic redemption

Daniella Matar, Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 14 - 9:57 a.m.  |  Save Story

American speed skater Kristen Santos-Griswold has unfinished business with the Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old from Fairfield, Connecticut is targeting next year's Milan Cortina Games as redemption after enduring heartbreak in the short track at Beijing and almost quitting the sport entirely. Santos-Griswold was favorite going into the women's 1000 meters final at the 2022 Olympics and led heading into the last lap before short track superstar Arianna Fontana tried to cut up the inside and the pair collided, with both crashing out. Having taken three Olympic trials to book her ticket to the Games, Santos-Griswold admits she felt the pressure in 2022. She feels there will be even more pressure next time around but she believes she is learning the lessons from Beijing.
Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson out 6 weeks with hamstring tear

Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson out 6 weeks with hamstring tear

The Associated Press  |  Posted Feb. 14 - 7:31 a.m.  |  Save Story

Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson will be sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring tear that has sunk her hopes of breaking the women's indoor 800 meter world record at an event Saturday. The 22-year-old British runner revealed the extent of the injury Friday, telling Sky Sports that she has a "Grade C" tear. She says "It's going to be the outdoor season now, probably, until I do race again, which is a bit of a shame." Hodgkinson sustained the injury this week in a training session for Saturday's "Keely Klassic," an event she helped create and where she hoped to break Jolanda Ceplak's 800 meter indoor world record of 1 minute, 55.82 seconds.
Philippines wins its first Asian Winter Games medal, a curling gold

Philippines wins its first Asian Winter Games medal, a curling gold

The Associated Press  |  Updated Feb. 14 - 12:25 a.m.  |  Save Story

The Philippines curling team has been rocking it in China, claiming the tropical country's first Asian Winter Games medal with a victory in the men's final against South Korea. The team of Marc Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister and alternate Benjo Delarmente took gold with a 5-3 win on Friday at Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena. The Philippines Olympic Committee was quick to celebrate with a post on Instagram to mark the historic gold, saying it is "the first-ever medal for the Philippines at the Asian Winter Games, and the highest achievement for a Southeast Asian athlete in the Games' history!"