55th Anniversary
This day 55 years ago, the seventh Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo kicked off.
A total of 32 countries took part, including the Soviet Union, which made its Winter Olympic debut at the Games. They went on to top the medal tally for the Games.
There were 821 Olympians, a record at that time, competing in 27 events.
One of the historic aspects of the Games is that it was the last time all skating events were held outdoors.
For the first time, the Olympic Oath was sworn by a female athlete, Italian skier Giuliana Chenal Minuzzo, bronze medallist in the downhill at the 1952 Oslo Games.
Jan. 25 is an even bigger day in Winter Olympic history.
The inaugural Winter Olympics kicked off in Chamonix on Jan. 25, 1924.
Sochi Builds Online Home for Soon-to-Be Mascots
Sochi mascots will take on lives of their own in the buildup to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The organizing committee announced Wednesday a web portalthat will feature back stories, personality previews and lifestyle updates from the soon-to-be symbols of the Games.
The site now focuses on the nearly 25,000 designs submitted to Sochi as part of a months-long mascot search but will be fleshed out once the characters are chosen next month.
Among the candidates are a polar bear, snow leopard and Father Frost.
The 10-strong shortlist will be presented to the public on Russian national TV on Feb. 7, the three-year-to-go mark for the Games.
Viewers will then vote for their favorites, with a winner to be announced later in February.
In the meantime, fans can visit the website to learn more about the potential future mascots as well as those of the past.
Singapore 2010 Captured In Photoscape
Singapore is already immortalizing the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.
A new art installation was unveiled Wednesday at Youth Olympic Park.
The aptly titled "Photoscape" is a collection of more than 3,000 photos celebrating the 14- to 18-year-olds who took part in the Aug. 14-26 event.
The permanent exhibition was planned even before the competition commenced. The 20,000-strong army of Games volunteers included 130 photographers to capture the highs and lows of the IOC’s first-ever foray into Youth Olympic action.
Doping "Impossible", Says Spanish Steeplechaser
Marta Dominguez says any involvement on her part in a Spanish doping ring would be "impossible".
The world steeplechase champion, three-time Olympian and vice president of the Spanish athletics federation (RFEA) was suspended by the federationn last month for suspicion of trafficking performance enhancing drugs.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the Spanish Civil Guard confiscated a briefcase and laptop from her home as part of Operation Galgo, Dominguez said Tuesday during an interview with Veo7 TV that cheating was "impossible" because of the World Anti Doping Agnecy’s strict whereabouts rule.
"They haven't accused me of doping because they haven't found any proof," she told the Spanish broadcaster.
European 1,500m champion Nuria Fernandez and her coach Manuel Pascua are also among the 14 athletes implicated in the Civil Guard’s ongoing doping sting and now testifying before a Madrid judge.
Briefs...
... Ganga Bahadur Thapa, one of Nepal’s first Olympians, died Tuesday aged 80. He was a martathoner in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He did not complete the race. Nepal became a recognized Olympic Committee in 1963. Five other Nepalis were on the team. Reports say he died of a brain hemmorage. He is survived by his wife, three sons and four daughters. Thapa was born in Setidevi, Pharping in 1930.
... The International Association of Athletics Federations announced Wednesday that France Televisions will broadcast elite athletics through the 2013 world championships in Moscow. The deal also includes the 2011-2013 IAAF World Athletics Series as well as this year’s championships in Daegu, South Korea.
Media Watch
With the one-year anniversary to the 2010 Olympics looming, writers for The Vancouver Sun share their favorite Olympic memories. Here is Jeff Lee's.
The Olympic Newsdesk is Proudly Sponsored
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Written by Matthew Grayson and Ed Hula III.
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