Sports

Hockey fans cheer for Russia during the men's game against Slovenia on Thursday.

In Front Of A Home Crowd, Russia Has Hockey History On Its Mind

3:07pm February 13, 2014

by Robert Smith

Team Russia — led by Alexander Ovechkin — and its fans talk constantly of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" and the team's loss four years ago in Vancouver. On Saturday, they'll meet a young and "hungry" Team USA.

Queue Listen Now

Snowborder Shaun White Will Leave Sochi Without A Medal

7:57am February 12, 2014

by Robert Smith

American snowboarder Shaun White had hoped to win his third consecutive gold in these games. Instead, he's going home empty-handed. Not a single member of team USA was on the podium for the snowboard halfpipe event.

Queue Listen Now

Devin Logan practices during a ski slopestyle training session in Sochi on Friday. She says she doesn't stress about competing, even on a course that some have called dangerous. "What we do is scary in general," she says. "But we know how to do it."

Slopestyle Skier Devin Logan Keeps It Cool, But She's 'All In'

7:01pm February 11, 2014

by Sam Sanders

Much of the attention on the Olympic slopestyle events has focused on snowboarders, but the downhill event is also done on skis. Devin Logan enters Tuesday's competition as the world's top-ranked female freestyle skier. And at 20, she'll compete before she can legally celebrate with a beer.

Queue Listen Now

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway practices in Sochi on Monday.

The Norwegian Athlete Who's One Medal Away From History

3:55pm February 11, 2014

by Robert Smith

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is a biathlete competing for a record 13th medal — which would make him the most decorated athlete ever at the Winter Games. No one has ever been so good for so long in his sport. "He's 40 years old, and he's motivated like an 18-year-old," says one expert.

Queue Listen Now

Have A Lot Of Free Time? Watch All Of NBC's Olympic Coverage

1:28pm February 11, 2014

by Eric Deggans

NBC says its coverage of the Winter Olympics has drawn more than 100 million viewers over its first weekend. That indicates lots of interest in the games, which will fill 1,539 hours of coverage across NBC's broadcast network, cable channels and online. We have some suggestions for watching the Sochi Olympics — from the regular network broadcast to cable to the Internet.

Queue Listen Now

Sports
Arts

People, Language And Controversy In The Headlines

6:34pm February 08, 2014

Writer and comedian Hari Kondabolu speaks with NPR's Arun Rath about India being excluded from the Olympics, a controversial Coke commercial, and comments from Sen. Pat Roberts from Kansas during the confirmation hearings for surgeon general nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

Forego The Faux Snow: The Games Could Use A Permanent Home

2:43pm February 08, 2014

by Scott Simon

Will Sochi be a city of super-sized, expensive venues that sit mostly empty in the future? Maybe having different cities host the Olympics doesn't make much sense.

Queue Listen Now

Wacky Moments In Winter Olympic History

12:05pm February 08, 2014

The problems with decrepit hotel rooms and stray dogs in Sochi, Russia, are stealing the headlines, but they are hardly the first Olympics to stumble. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Esquire Magazine's AJ Jacobs about some of the more inglorious moments in Winter Olympics history.

Queue Listen Now

Sochi An Olympic Spectacle Even Without The Games

12:05pm February 08, 2014

What a week in Sochi, Russia! NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Olympics correspondent Tamara Keith about the ill-fated opening ceremony, stray dogs and bad hotel rooms, as well as who won the first gold medal.

Queue Listen Now

Olympic volunteers pet a stray dog in downtown Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday. The city's long-standing contract with a pest control company has animal right groups concerned about the fate of the many strays roaming the area.

Sochi's Stray Dogs Melt Hearts, And Put Officials On Defensive

8:28pm February 06, 2014

by Tamara Keith

The stray dogs roaming Russia's Olympics venues have already become the unofficial mascots of the Winter Games. Olympics officials say no healthy dogs will be destroyed, but animal rights groups worried about the fate of the dogs are taking in as many as they can.

Queue Listen Now