Hello from Beijing!
Today is Day 13 of the Beijing Olympics. Here are AP’s coverage plans. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Fisnik Abrashi at fabrashi@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
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will try to finish off a golden Olympics when she competes in women’s free skate with a shadow of controversy hanging over here. Mikaela Shiffrin failed to finish and will leave the 2022 Games without an individual medal. While Eileen Gu will be gunning for her third medal when she competes Friday.
___
TRENDING NEWS
OLY--SKI-WOMEN’S COMBINED-- Mikaela Shiffrin has skied out in the Alpine combined and once again was unable to finish a race at the Beijing Olympics. She will leave the 2022 Games without an individual medal after participating in all five women’s events. The 26-year-old American did not even manage to complete three of her five races. Shiffrin was fifth-fastest in the downhill portion of the two-run combined on Thursday morning but was down on the snow and out of the running without making it to the bottom in the slalom leg in the afternoon. By AP National Writer Howard French. SENT: 500 words, photos.
OLY-HAZMAT-HOTEL -- The Chinese people working in hazmat suits inside the Beijing Olympics’ closed-loop “bubble” don’t hesitate to be photographed. In fact, they seem to welcome it, showing pride in carrying out a national mission of controlling COVID-19. Associated Press photographer Jae C. Hong has spent time around Beijing’s Shangri-La Hotel, one of the city’s top destinations for out-of-town guests. It’s also a hotel inside the Olympic bubble, accessible to Olympic officials and reporters. The industrial-like focus on safety and sanitation contrasts markedly with the opulence of the hotel with its massive chandeliers and displays of Chinese art. By AP Sports Writer Stephen Wade. SENT: 300 words, photos.
OLY--HKW-GOLD MEDAL-US-CANADA— Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice and Canada reclaimed its place atop the women’s hockey world with a 3-2 win over the defending champion United States at the Beijing Olympics. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. SENT: 780 words, photos.
OLY-BOB—ICE QUALITY — Olympic bobsled champion Francesco Friedrich may skip Friday’s final day of training for this weekend’s four-man event, for two reasons. One, he may need a break. Two, he thinks the ice needs a break as well. By AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 670 words, photos.
___
TOP STORIES
OLY--FIG-WOMEN’S FREE SKATE -- Kamila Valieva aims for the top step of a podium she may never see when the Russian figure skating star at the center of a doping scandal competes in the women’s free skate at the Beijing Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has said there will be no flower ceremony if Valieva places among the top three finishers. There also will be no medal ceremony for the skaters because the IOC fears that Valieva could someday be stripped of hers. The 15-year-old’s positive result for a banned heart medication came from a test taken last December, but the result was not announced until last week. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled she could compete in the individual event but declined to address any other aspect of the doping case. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 850 words, photos. Competition starts 5 a.m. EST. WITH OLY--FIG-VALIEVA-OTHER DRUGS -- Valieva listed 2 legal oxygen boosters on Olympic forms. (sent); OLY-FIG-DOPING-BACH-MEETING — OC president Thomas Bach has offered U.S. figure skaters Olympic torches as holdover gifts while they await a resolution of the Russian doping case preventing them from receiving their silver medals. (sent)
OLY-CHINA-GLOVES-OFF -- For two weeks and more at daily news briefings, China’s stance on questions about its politics and policies has been straightforward: It’s the Olympics, and we’re not talking about these things. That changed at the Beijing organizing committee’s last regularly scheduled daily news conference just three days before the end of the Games. The persistent and polite refusal to answer questions gave way to the usual state of affairs at news conferences with Chinese officials. The calibrated answers about the country’s most sensitive situations took center stage with topics that include the Uyghur population of the Xinjiang region, or Taiwan. By AP Sports Writers Stephen Wade and Graham Dunbar. SENT: 550 words, photos.
OLY--BEIJING-INVISIBLE OLYMPICS --The Olympics are back in Beijing this year but the atmosphere is much more subdued. Only a select few can watch in person because of the pandemic. Technology has also changed the way people experience major sporting events in the 14 years since the 2008 Games Olympics — and helped those in the host city and globally engage in an Olympics they cannot attend. By AP Technology Writer Zen Soo. SENT: 880 words, photos.
OLY--SKI-ALPINE SKIING DIVERSITY -- There are a plethora of programs aimed at exposing Black and Hispanic children from urban communities to winter sports, such as Alpine skiing. But the skiing community’s efforts to diversify the sport aren’t fully reflected in the competition at the Beijing Winter Games. The issue is rooted in the sport’s reputation as white, European and elitist – a global community in which wealth and easy access to ski mountains make a significant difference in one’s ability to take Alpine skiing from recreational pastime to Olympic career. Advocates say significant investments are needed to see a diverse, new generation of ski athletes become reality. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
OLY-FREEZING-OUT-AFRICA -- African representation has shrivelled at the Winter Olympics. A record eight African nations, fielding twice as many athletes as at the current Games in Beijing, competed at the last Winter Olympics in 2018 . Eritrea, Ghana, Morocco, Madagascar and Nigeria are back this time, but Kenya, South Africa and Togo are not. Skiing, both cross-country and Alpine, was the only sport Africans qualified for. And there was just one African woman. At skating rinks, snow parks and the sliding track, there was no African representation, despite African sliders’ breakthroughs in 2018. African Olympians are demanding a response from the International Olympic Committee. But there’s no sign of IOC dismay about Africa’s backward step. By John Leicester. SENT: 980 words, photos.
____
EXPLAINERS
OLY-FIG-FIGURE-SKATING-JUMPS-EXPLAINER -- Russia’s “Quad Squad” of figure skaters is looking for an Olympics podium sweep by landing the thrilling quadruple jumps that remain rare in the women’s competition. But could skaters one day add a fifth rotation to jumps? Sports experts say it’s not clear how many rotations humans could possibly achieve. Speed, strength and body dimensions are factors that determine rotations. Exactly how skaters achieve quads can also vary. Former Olympian Polina Edmunds says it’s also become more common for skaters to start spinning before they launch off the ice. She says that “pre-rotation” is another reason why quads have become more common. By Candice Choi. SENT: 750 words, photos.
____
THE ATHLETES
OLY--FRE-EILEEN’S GOALS — Another Olympic gold medal is hers for the taking. Eileen Gu has bigger goals than that. The 18-year-old freeskiing star spelled it all out during a candid Q&A after she breezed through her qualifying round on the halfpipe. She’s in the final and will try to add to the gold and silver medals she has already won at the Beijing Games. Winning gold will make her the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics. But she says she’s aware it won’t silence the critics who wonder why an American-born kid would choose to compete for China. By AP Sports Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 990 words, photos.
OLY--BOB-US-PUSH ATHLETES-- For Kaysha Love and Sylvia Hoffman, the long wait is about to end. As the final weekend of the Beijing Games arrives, Love and Hoffman are about to make their Olympic debuts as push athletes for the U.S. in the women’s bobsled competition. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 750 words, photos.
OLY—SKI-GISIN'S GOLD — Defending champion Michelle Gisin won her second straight Olympic gold medal in the Alpine combined race. Mikaela Shiffrin skied out in the slalom leg of the two-run race. Gisin beat teammate Wendy Holdener by more than a second. Federica Brignone of Italy took bronze. Switzerland is the first country to win five gold medals in Alpine skiing at one Olympics. The 28-year-old Gisin also won a bronze in last week’s super-G. By AP Sports Writer Daniella Matar. SENT: 300 words, photos.
OLY--BOB-US-VALDER FAREWELL — Carlo Valdes is already set up for life after bobsled. He owns a financial planning practice, something he started a few months after the Pyeongchang Olympics. And he could be working with customers to help them with their futures full-time right now, if he was so inclined. Instead, he’s at one final Olympics. The reason: He had to make sure USA Bobsled had a plan for its future before he retired. By AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 600 words, photos.
___
THE GAMES WE PLAY
OLY-FRE-HALFPIPE QUALIFYING — Eileen Gu recorded the top score not once but twice in a competitive women’s ski halfpipe qualifier as she chases her third medal at the Beijing Olympics. The standout American-born freestyle skier who represents China already has a gold from big air and a silver from slopestyle. She’s bidding to become the first action-sports athlete to capture three medals at the same Winter Games. Gu bettered her first-run score on her last run to finish with a 95.50. Rachael Karker of Canada was in second position and Kelly Sildaru of Estonia wound up third. Brita Sigourney led three Americans into the final. By AP Sports Writer Pat Graham. SENT: 665 words, photos.
OLY--CUR-MAKING THE PLAYOFFS — American skip John Shuster and the defending Olympic curling champions won a last-chance match to qualify for the playoffs. The Americans beat Denmark 7-5 to keep their hopes of a repeat gold medal alive. They will play Britain in the semifinals later Thursday night. Reigning silver medalist Sweden will meet Canada, which finished fourth in Pyeongchang. Four years after winning five straight elimination games to take gold, Shuster’s foursome was again in a desperate position. This time there was a twist, though. Even with a loss, they could have made the playoffs if Italy beat Norway. When Norway won, it was up to Shuster to deliver. And he did. By AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen. SENT: 600 words, photos.
OLY--HKO-NO NORTH AMERICA SEMIFINALS -- The semi-finals of the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics does not include the United States or Canada for the first time since 2006. It’s a massive disappointment for teams with gold medal expectations, even in the absence of NHL talent. Like 2006, Sweden, Finland and the Russians are left, along with newcomer Slovakia that will play for an Olympic hockey medal for the first time. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. UPCOMING: 600 words, file photos by 5 a.m. EST.
OLY--HKO-NHL IN 2026--If NHL players are taking part in the next Winter Olympics in 2026, international hockey officials want to know sooner rather than later. International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif said Thursday he is optimistic about reaching an agreement with the league, NHL Players’ Association and IOC but does not want to wait until the final year before the Games in Milan and Cortina to finalize it. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly does not believe it will be a problem. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. SENT: 400 words, file photo.
OLY--SPD-SPEEDSKATING-- American Brittany Bowe is among the medal contenders in women’s 1,000-meter speedskating at the Beijing Olympics. By National Writer Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Begins 3:30 a.m. EST.
OLY--NOR-NORDIC COMBINED-TEAM--Germany, the defending champion in the Nordic combined team event, will likely have to beat Norway and Austria to repeat in the competition that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing. By Larry Lage. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Competition starts 6 a.m. EST.
OLY--SPD-SHORT TRACK SPEEDSKATING-- Short track speedskating medals are awarded in the men’s 5,000-meter relay and women’s 1,500 meters at the Beijing Olympics. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Begins 7:45 a.m. EST.
___
GLIMPSES
OLY-GLIMPSES-OLYMPIC-FRIENDS – The Olympics are supposed to be a time for nations to cast aside politics and conflict. This year’s Beijing Games, against a backdrop of human rights concerns and the latest Russian doping scandal, have challenged those values. And yet there are occasional hints that the Olympic spirit lives on. Perhaps none of these has been more poignant than the embrace shared Wednesday night between Russian and Ukrainian athletes at the freestyle skiing mean’s aerial final. SENT.
____
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
OLYKS200 — Belarus’ Stanislau Hladchenka reacts during the men’s aerials finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics
OLYNP101 — Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, trains at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
OLYRM106 — Mikaela Shiffrin gestures after falling in the women’s combine slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
OLYMA128 — Mariama Jamanka of Germany starts a run during a 2-woman bobsled training.
OLYKS269 — Bronze medal winner Ilia Burov, of the Russian Olympic Committee, left, hugs silver medal winner Ukraine’s Oleksandr Abramenko as they celebrate after the men’s aerials finals.
____
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
