At first, it seemed the Azeris would win the Olympic Pants War handily, but then Norway, with its argyle advantage (in crazy and crazier varieties), seemed to have taken the lead. Now, US snowboard cross racer Nate Holland (competing, of course, in this wonderful outfit) is stepping in to set the pants rules for his own sport. But in the end, no matter what country they're competing for, it's the figure skaters who have won. As history has shown us, they always have the best pants of them all.
posted by ocherdraco on Feb 19, 2010 - 73 comments

Hot nude bronze gay hockey action. Do you associate the Winter Olympics with middle-aged curlers in warm-up jackets, Lycra-clad former linebackers sardined into a bobsled, and sparkly figure skaters’ outfits (and whatever the girls are wearing)? Oh, you’re so last century! For Vancouver 2010, the Olympics’ first-ever Pride House for gay athletes will feature a bronze sculpture (by Edmund Haakonson) of a hockey player. It’s a dude, and he’s naked save for skates, helmet, and gloves. Of course he’s carrying a big stick.
posted by joeclark on Jan 6, 2010 - 44 comments

You’d have to be blind to drive a bobsleigh. At least if you want to finish first, second, or third nine times in seven years. Since 2001, U.S. bobsleigh pilot Steven Holcomb has dealt with a degenerative eye condition that left him with 20/500 vision. He drove a sled hurtling down an ice track anyway, often winning. Now that his vision has been restored via an experimental operation, he fuzzes over his helmet visor so it’s just like the olden days. Bobsleigh, it seems, is all about feel. [more inside]
posted by joeclark on Nov 15, 2009 - 3 comments

Hoth is making a bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Featuring sports like the two-man snowspeeder race, the creator of the effort claims to be protesting the lack of American interest in the Winter Games. Need more Star Wars meets sports info? (And yes, you do.) Howabout a quiz on the sports of Star Wars, or various Star Wars characters hosting SportsCenter. [Note that the main link sometimes loads slowly. Some sites feature the Star Wars theme.]
posted by blahblahblah on Mar 9, 2006 - 8 comments

Ski Jumping - the only Olympic discipline to ban women. [thanks occhiblu]
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome on Feb 11, 2006 - 35 comments

Will this spoil the party in Canada ? (NYT reg req) Great victories by the men and the women. Sure. But then one is reminded again in the NYT today about last week's controversy - "The judge, Marie Reine Le Gougne, said the pressure she felt was unlike any in her 14 years of judging, that it intensified as the Olympics drew near and that it came from one country, Canada" You cant help but wonder.
posted by Voyageman on Feb 24, 2002 - 26 comments

Russians Challenging Hughes Skating Gold Russian Olympic officials lodged an official protest, demanding that Olympic Silver Medalist Irina Slutskaya be awarded a gold medal, accusing the ladies figure skating judges of being biased against the russian skater. This is the biggest batch of sour grapes I have ever seen in sports.
posted by Lanternjmk on Feb 22, 2002 - 45 comments

What if they threw a Winter Olympics and nobody came? ... because they felt it was too cold? The Dutch Olympic team had a hard time finding someone to carry their flag, the winter "athletes" complained it was too cold to bother with.
posted by tsarfan on Feb 10, 2002 - 30 comments