Hello from Beijing
Today is Day 10 of the Beijing Olympics. Here are AP’s coverage plans. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Amanda Barrett at abarrett@ap.org. Find the latest Olympics coverage plans on Coverage Plan. For expanded content, visit AP’s Olympics hub on AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477. For questions about the digital news experience or medals tables, please email Barry Bedlan at bbedlan@ap.org.
HAPPENING IN BEIJING
Love was in the air for Valentine's Day. American ice dancers Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue bent down and kissed the the ice where the Olympic rings were painted after skating to a bronze medal in their final Games. and Eileen Gu shared thoughts on what she most loves.
___
TRENDING NEWS
OLY-SBD-BIG AIR-TIGER COSTUME — French snowboarder Lucile Lefevre helped Beijing ring in the Year of the Tiger by putting on an orange-and-black big-cat costume during qualifying Monday in women’s big air and miming a pair of claws while some 20 feet off the ground. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 485 words, photos.
OLY-AROUND THE VENUES-THINGS GU LOVES — It seemed like the appropriate thing to ask on Valentine’s Day: What does ski superstar Eileen Gu love the most? In a short interview after her halfpipe practice Monday, the Stanford-bound 18-year-old, who is competing for her mom’s home country of China, thought about the question and came up with this list. By AP National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 142 words, photos.
OLY—SUPER BOWL AT OLYMPICS — For the first time, the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl took place at the same time. That created a big day for NBC, which televised both. It also sent athletes in China scrambling to find ways to watch. By Noah Trister. UPCOMING: 609 words by 7 a.m., photos.
___
TOP STORIES
OLY-FIG-RUSSIAN DOPING-HEARING RULING — Teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a pre-Games drug test. The Court of Arbitration for Sport released its ruling less than 12 hours after a hastily arranged hearing that lasted into early Monday morning that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the women’s individual gold, does not need to be provisionally suspended ahead of a full investigation. By James Ellingworth and Graham Dunbar. SENT: 765 words, photos. WITH: OLY-FIG-VALIEVA-CLEARED-QUOTE BOX — Reaction from the Olympics and social media after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was cleared to compete in Beijing despite failing a drug test in December. SENT: 481 words, photos.
OLY--FIG-RUSSIAN DOPING-US LAW — After Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s fate is determined at the Olympics, legal trouble for her coach and others in her orbit could emerge in the United States. By National Writer Eddie Pells. UPCOMING: 700 words by 5 p.m., photos.
OLY-FIG-PAUL NEWBERRY-RUSSIAN DOPING — The decision came down in the midst of a brisk, sunny day in Beijing, after a late-night hearing that stretched into morning. There was never much doubt about the outcome. This is the way it goes for the Russians. They dope. They’re caught. They slink away to the next competition with no ramifications. Why would they change their chemically enhanced ways? By Sports Columnist Paul Newberry. SENT: 1,038 words, photos.
OLY-CHINA'S BUBBLE WORKFORCE — So athletes from countries where COVID-19 has raged can compete, China’s Winter Games workforce is making a giant sacrifice. Tens of thousands of Chinese workers have been hermetically sealed inside the ring-fence of virus prevention measures that China has erected around the games, locked in with the athletes and Olympic visitors. But while Olympians jet in for just weeks, Chinese workers who cook, clean, transport, care for them and otherwise make the games tick are spending several months sequestered inside the sanitary bubble. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,054 words, photos, video.
OLY-CHINA-ICE HOCKEY — They made their Olympic debut as expected — with three straight losses. They are outmatched and consist mostly of foreign players. And now comes the obvious question: Can China’s men’s ice hockey team kindle a passion for the sport in a country unfamiliar with it? By Candice Choi. SENT: 873 words, photos.
OLY—ON THE EDGE — Skiers skidding into safety nets. Snowboarders eating it on the halfpipe. Speedskaters crashing into the barriers — and each other. When Winter Olympians talk about losing their edge, they often mean the literal edge of a skate, a ski or a snowboard that can be the difference between a spot on the podium, or one in the hospital. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 800 words by 6 a.m., photos.
OLY--PAINTING WITH LIGHT — Sometimes, when photographing winter sports, three critical elements combine -- an athlete’s performance, a photographer’s eye and the all-important light -- and a photo takes a journey down the road toward becoming a painting. UPCOMING: 400 words by 7 p.m., photos.
____
EXPLAINER
COMPETING FOR ANOTHER COUNTRY-EXPLAINER: How does it work? What are the restrictions? Who has done it? By Mallika Sen. UPCOMING: 900 words by 6 a.m., photos.
____
THE ATHLETES
OLY-SKI-SHIFFRIN PREPARES — Mikaela Shiffrin says she is ready to race the downhill at the Beijing Games -- her fourth event of these Games -- after taking a second training run Monday. By Howard Fendrich. SENT: 487 words, photos.
OLY-BIA-BIATHLETE-COLLAPSES — A Norwegian biathlete who collapsed after crossing the finish line in the women’s 10-kilometer pursuit race will be heading home instead of competing again at the Beijing Olympics. By Martha Bellisle. SENT: 326 words, photos.
___
THE GAMES WE PLAY
OLY-HKW-SEMIFINALS — The defending Olympic women’s hockey champion United States plays Finland in the semifinals on Monday in setting up what could very well be another American-Canadian gold-medal rematch. Canada advanced to its seventh tournament final with a 10-3 win over Switzerland earlier in the day. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. SENT: 644 words, photos. UPCOMING: 800 Words, photos. U.S.-Finland game begins Monday at 8:10 a.m.
OLY--JUM-SKI JUMPING-TEAM — Ski jumping’s team event is expected to be a wide-open competition after Norway, Germany and Austria won the last three Olympic gold medals. By Larry Lage. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Competition starts 7 a.m.
OLY--FRE-SLOPESTYLE QUALIFYING — Eileen Gu has made it through to the slopestyle finals in freestyle skiing at the Olympics. She overcame a number of bobbles in her first qualifying run to nail down a solid second trip down the mountain and secure her spot in the top 12. By AP National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 712 words, photos.
OLY-FIG-FREE DANCE — Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France broke their own ice dance world record to win the Olympic gold medal. Papadakis and Cizeron scored 136.15 points for their performance to “Elegie” by the early 20th century French composer Gabriel Faure. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 803 words, photos.
OLY--FIG-ICE DANCE-US — American ice dancers Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue bent down and kissed the the ice where the Olympic rings were painted after skating to a bronze medal at the Beijing Games. The longtime American standard-bearers in ice dancing embraced after their free dance to Anne Sila’s “Drowning” to wrap up their competition. It marked their last Olympic skate and the sweetest end to a decade-long career together. By Sally Ho. SENT: 489 words, photos.
OLY--SKI-COURSE REPORTS —Mikaela Shiffrin and other ski racers at the Winter Olympics get a little bit of help before they throw their bodies down the slick slopes -- a mix of information and motivation from teammates or coaches, who offer what are called course reports via two-way radios. They might offer insight into how certain turns or jumps are happening that day or what the snow underfoot is like. Or they might just yell, “Fight!” By Howard Fendrich and Andrew Dampf. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 a.m., photos.
OLY--HKO-STANDOUT STARS — The best player so far in the men’s hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics is also the youngest. Seventeen-year-old Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky is tied with Sweden winger Lucas Wallmark for the tournament lead with four goals in four games. By Stephen Whyno. SENT: 634 words, photos.
OLY--BOB-WOMEN'S MONOBOB — Kaillie Humphries has captured a third Olympic gold medal in bobsledding and her first for the United States. The former Canadian bobsledder was an easy winner of the inaugural women’s monobob event. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 998 words, photos.
OLY-SBD-BIG AIR — Olympic champion Jamie Anderson wiped out on her first two jumps in qualifying for women’s snowboard big air and failed to crack the finals field, while American teammate Julia Marino dropped out of the contest after a distressing fall during practice over the weekend. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 599 words, photos.
____
UP TO THE MINUTE
— OLYMPICS ROUNDUP — Highlights of the day from the 2022 Winter Games.
— BEIJING OLYMPICS-THE LATEST — Real-time updates and photos from every venue around the Winter Games.
— BEIJING OLYMPICS-WHAT TO WATCH — A guide to key storylines each day. Moves after 1 a.m.
— MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day’s gold medals.
____
FEATURED IMAGES
OLYKS228 — Kazakhstan’s Akmarzhan Kalmurzayeva falls as she competes during the women’s aerials qualification.
OLYAG350 — Nicolas Huber of Switzerland competes during the men’s snowboard big air qualifications.
OLYDA176 — Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen, of Canada, perform their routine in the ice dance competition.
OLYTH107 — A view from the summit, near the start of the downhill course at the alpine ski venue.
OLYAG214 — Lucile Lefevre of France competes during the women’s snowboard big air qualifications.
OLYGH118 — Han Mei of China skates during a speedskating practice session.
____
GRAPHICS
Beijing Winter Olympics Medal Tracker
AP will be offering a daily medal roundup for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, showcasing the top 10 medal winners by country.
Beijing Winter Games Top 10 Medal Tracker 1C — A 1-column wide list of the most medals won, sorted by country, at the Beijing Olympic Games; ETA updated 10:30 a.m. Eastern time daily throughout the Olympics
Beijing Winter Games Top 10 Medal Tracker 2C — A 2-column wide list of the most medals won, sorted by country, at the Beijing Olympic Games; ETA updated 10:30 a.m. Eastern time daily throughout the Olympics
