Ex-IOC chief Jacques Rogge receives honorary knighthood - ESPN

LONDON -- Former Olympics chief Jacques Rogge of Belgium received an honorary knighthood from Britain on Tuesday. Princess Anne, Britain's member of the International Olympic Committee, presented the award to Rogge at Buckingham Palace. Rogge, the IOC president from 2001 to 2013, was honored for his service to the Olympics.

Closing ceremony: as it happened The ruling paves the way for Campbell-Brown to make her international return for Jamaica in the 60 metres, where she will have to the chance to take her third successive world title after victories in Doha in 2010 and Istanbul in 2012. In a statement released by her management company, the sprinter said: "The final court available to us as athletes have spoken and humbly I say they have confirmed my innocence."

Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown cleared to return to track - ESPN

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Decorated Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown says she has been cleared to return to the track by the world sports court some 10 months after returning a positive test at an island meet. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has "confirmed my innocence" and she intends to focus on advancing her career, including regaining her world 200-meter title next year, Campbell-Brown said in a Monday statement. The three-time Olympic gold medalist said the last several months have brought much "pain and suffering," including "insensitive and ill-informed media remarks," but her religious faith, family, friends and fans helped her cope.

These were the Games for the athletes. The clean athletes. Thanks to the most stringent anti-doping programme in Olympic Winter Games history, never has it been so difficult for cheats to prosper. In total, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) oversaw 2,667 tests during the course of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, surpassing the previous record set at Vancouver 2010 by 518 tests. Of the 2,667 tests, 477 were blood tests and 2,190 were urine tests. 

SBJ Podcast:From Sochi: Olympics writer Tripp Mickle has a fun, irreverent and insightful conversation about the Sochi Games with Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog

Friday, Feb. 14 2014, 8:53 PM EST Last updated Follow The Globe's SOCHI LIVE for the latest from the Winter Olympics

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — The fourth anniversary of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death was remembered Wednesday with a moment of silence from luge's top officials, along with a pledge to build "a lasting memorial" in his native Georgia. Kumaritashvili died Feb. 12, 2010, in Whistler, British Columbia, in a horrifying training crash just hours before the start of the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Games. Sliding sports have placed a larger premium on safety ever since, and so far at the Sochi Olympics no major crashes have occurred on the Sanki Sliding Center track. "I think the athletes, from what I can gather, are pretty happy with the courses," International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said. "They have all talked pretty positively about the courses. It is always an issue. It always will be in winter sports."

USA fans cheers during the 2014 Winter Olympics women's ice hockey game between Canada and the United States at Shayba Arena, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) USA head coach Katey Stone talks to the team during a break in the action at the 2014 Winter Olympics women's ice hockey game between Canada and the United States at Shayba Arena, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) SOCHI, Russia (AP) — U.S. Olympic leaders are sounding out international officials in Sochi about a potential American bid for the games — and the feedback is positive.

A spectator waves a RUssian flag during the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) SOCHI, Russia (AP) — An activist who shed light on the environmental impact of Olympic construction in Sochi was ordered Wednesday to serve three years in prison for spray-painting a fence. A court in the regional capital of Krasnodar converted the suspended sentence given to Yevgeny Vitishko in 2012 into a prison term, according to his lawyer, Alexander Popkov.

Under orange lighting, gold medallist Sven Kramer of the Netherlands walks through a crowd of cheering fans after winning the gold in the men's 5,000-meter speedskating race at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. Kramer set a new Olympic record in the race. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) The orange-lit Holland House is reflected in a pond following the appearance of gold medallist Sven Kramer of the Netherlands on stage in front of fans after he set a new Olympic record to win the 5000 meters speedskating race at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Dutch speedskating fans watch a band perform as they wait for gold medallist Sven Kramer of the Netherlands to appear on stage at the Holland House after Kramer set a new Olympic record to win the 5000 meters speedskating race at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

SOCHI, Russia -- Julia Lipnitskaia found the perfect way to cap what her singles performance meant Sunday. She put on the Russia baseball hat someone had thrown onto the ice after she finished. It was not apparel figure skaters are accustomed to wearing. It was a fitting way to symbolize the idea of team at the first team competition in the sport’s Olympic history.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre back, poses for a photograph with the Russian team after they placed first in the team figure skating competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip ) The Russian team jump onto the podium during the flower ceremony after placing first in the team figure skating competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, embraces Elena Ilinykh of Russia after Russia placed first in the team figure skating competition at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia -- At 9:07 Sunday morning, Bode Miller arrived at the bottom of the Olympic downhill course, having completed his pre-race course inspection in just under seven minutes, which is exceptionally fast, even for the mercurial Miller. (By comparison, two-time World Cup overall champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway took nearly 40 minutes to study the track). Miller stopped just beyond the finish line, bent 45 degrees at the waist and froze in that position for nearly two minutes. There was nobody within 50 yards of him for most of that time, no spectators in the stands, no music playing over the P.A. system. Just a man and his…. well, a man and his something. Two and a half hours later, Miller came down the course again, much faster on this trip (2 minutes, 6.75 seconds) but not nearly fast enough. This time he stopped further beyond the line and bowed his head for several seconds in what would customarily be construed as a pose reflecting disappointment because he had landed in only sixth place (and would eventually fall to eighth place in the final standings). Or maybe not.

Britain's Jenny Jones celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Britain's Jenny Jones jumps during the women's snowboard slopestyle semifinal at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Britain's Jenny Jones takes a jump during the women's snowboard slopestyle semifinal at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

There were a lot of sweaty palms, prayers and gasps along the way, as Germany led 1-0 for nearly 49 minutes. But general manager Alexei Yashin’s squad ultimately got the job done."It's the first time I've played in a venue like this or in front of a crowd like this," said Sosina. "When we play abroad nobody goes to see Russia playing women's hockey. The crowd inspired us."Russia outshot Germany 37-15, but struggled to figure out goalie Viona Harrer, a veteran of six IIHF World Women’s Championships. Backup netminder Yulia Leskina was Russia’s surprise starter.Iya Gavrilova and Yekaterina Smolentseva also scored for Russia. Franziska Busch had the lone goal for Germany."I think we played very well in the first and second period, but the problem was that we had many odd-man rushes in the second and didn't get good shots on goal," said German captain Susann Gotz. "We needed another goal."The hosts are eager to follow up on last year’s World Women’s Championship bronze medal with an even more important medal here in Sochi.Under head coach Peter Kathan, Germany came fifth at last year’s Worlds, matching its 2005 peak. Its Olympic best was also fifth place in Turin in 2006. Its only two wins over Russia all-time came in those ‘05 and ‘06 tournaments. Germany got to Sochi by surpassing China, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan in an Olympic qualification tournament.Buoyed by the boisterous, flag-waving crowd of 5,048, the game got off to a high-tempo start at Shayba Arena.During Russia’s first power play, Yekaterina Smolina came close to finishing off a nice line rush but put it off Harrer’s right post at point-blank range. The German netminder also stoned Alexandra Vafina on the doorstep.The Germans opened the scoring at 6:48 of the second period when Busch entered the zone on the right side, took a drop pass from Manuela Anwander after a defensive blunder by Russian assistant captain Alexandra Kapustina, and unleashed a high, fluttering shot that beat Leskina. The Russian goalie struggled with her glove hand on several occasions.As the game wore on, Russian head coach Mikhail Chekhanov began juggling his lines in a bid to generate some offense. Finally, it came.At 5:04 of the third, Gavrilova gave the Russian fans what they wanted, attempting a wraparound and jamming it past Harrer’s left skate to tie the score."When the Russians tied the score, the crowd was overwhelming and we never really recovered," said Gotz. "We weren't prepared to handle the situation."Just before the nine-minute mark, with Germany’s Tanja Eisenschmid in the box for tripping, Harrer blocked a shot that deflected to Sosina in the left faceoff circle, and her drive bounced in off German defenceman Andrea Lanzl. The Russians had their long-awaited lead.It was 3-1 just 38 seconds later. Russia got a 2-on-1 rush and Smolentseva made no mistake, holding the puck and sliding it between Harrer’s pads. Now the arena was in party mode.With 7:45 left, Sosina shoveled a rebound through Harrer’s pads to make it 4-1."Of course we are disappointed," said Harrer. "We had a 1-0 lead and it would have been sensational if we could have won. All the girls believed going into the third period, but after we gave up a couple of goals, that was it. We can't complain. It wasn't an undeserved victory for Russia."The last time Russia faced Germany was in their tournament opener at the 2013 IIHF World Women’s Championship, where Russia prevailed 4-0.At age 16, Anna Shokhina became the youngest player ever to represent a Russian senior national hockey team. She broke Alexander Ovechkin’s record, as he was 17 when he played at the Ceska Pojistovna tournament in September 2003.The Tornado Moscow Region forward got shaken up in the corner with under three minutes left in the opening stanza, falling awkwardly into the boards after bumping skates with German defenceman Suzanne Fellner. Still, Shokina stayed in the game.At the other end of the spectrum, Yekaterina Pashkevich became the oldest woman ever to suit up in Olympic hockey at age 41 years and 51 days. She beat out Finland’s Riikka Valila, the IIHF Hall of Famer who held the record for just one day.Pashkevich raved about the atmosphere: "It was unbelievable. We haven't played in Russia for a long time, and especially not in front of a crowd like that. The girls had their parents and their friends up there in the stands. Some of them have never experienced that, and for someone like me it's not been since 1996."  

Italy's Christof Innerhofer celebrates after finishing the men's downhill of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. Innerhofer won the silver medal. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer) Italy's Christof Innerhofer celebrates during the flower ceremony after finishing the mens's downhill event at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. Innerhofer finished second in the event. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Italy's Christof Innerhofer celebrates his solver medal in the men's downhill during a flower ceremony at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

In this first in a sequence of four images, Russian President Vladimir Putin waits in the presidential lounge to be introduced at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Behind him, a TV screen shows four of the Olympic rings opening at the start of the ceremony, while the fifth ring remains closed. (AP Photo/David Goldman, Pool) In this second in a sequence of four images, one second after the previous one, Russian President Vladimir Putin waits in the presidential lounge to be introduced at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Behind him, a TV screen shows four of the Olympic rings almost fully open at the start of the ceremony, while the fifth ring remains closed. (AP Photo/David Goldman, Pool) In this third in a sequence of four images, two seconds after the previous one, Russian President Vladimir Putin turns toward a TV screen in the presidential lounge while waiting to be introduced at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Early in the ceremony, the image on the TV cut to performers after one of the five Olympic rings failed to open. (AP Photo/David Goldman, Pool)

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — The Russian cross-country skiing team lodged an unsuccessful protest against the results of the men’s 30-kilometer skiathlon Sunday at the Olympics, saying Maxim Vylegzhanin was impeded in the sprint for the bronze medal. Vylegzhanin lost a tight race against Martin Johnsrud Sundby for bronze, with the Norwegian finishing 0.1 seconds in front. However, Sundby cut into the Russian’s lane shortly before the finish line, and the Russian team claimed it had given him an unfair advantage. The International Ski Federation upheld the results after a brief jury deliberation, but gave Sundby a written reprimand over the maneuver. However, the jury ruled it didn’t affect the results as Sundy was already in front of Vylegzhanin and would have won the sprint anyway, FIS spokesman Michal Lamplot said.

Successfully snagging hosting duties for the Olympic Games is one of the toughest things a city can do. Chicago spent nearly $50 million on a bid for the 2016 Summer Games, and even that eight-figure budget couldn't grab the rings. Of course, that $50 million pales in comparison to the cost of actually hosting the Games, which run into the billions for construction and operating expenses. Still, even though the Olympics are expensive and have a debatable long-term effect on a city's economy, many places are dying to get them. After all, what could be cooler than spending two weeks as the center of the world's attention? But if you lived in Denver in the 1970s, your answer would have been "all kinds of things." In May 1970 the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics to Denver, which edged out Sion, Switzerland, Tampere, Finland, and Vancouver. Denver's politicians and media rejoiced; getting the Games was a major coup for them. Colorado had been trying to nab the Winter Olympics for nearly 20 years.

The 22nd Winter Olympics get underway in the Russian town of Sochi. Britain are targeting a record medal haul and have genuine contenders for gold, such as Shelly Rudman and Lizzy Yarnold. Here is your guide to the Games and how you can watch the action:

ROSA KHUTOR, Russia — I stumbled upon another medal ceremony rehearsal Sunday. This one was at the base of the three Olympic Alpine ski courses. A young woman taking part in the rehearsal saw the U.S. affiliation on a colleague's credential and asked, in a plaintive tone, “Can you tell me where Shaun White is living ... for my sister?” It was the only snow job needed on a sparkling afternoon at the Rosa Khutor Alpine center in the Caucasus Mountains, where the weather gods clearly are loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the mid-19th century, a Frenchman described the reconstruction of St. Petersburg's monumental Winter Palace after a fire. To meet the czar's deadline during a bitterly cold winter, the "unprecedented efforts" included heating the structure's interior to almost 90 degrees. Of the thousands of laborers who braved the extremes of temperature, "a considerable number died each day," wrote the Marquis de Custine, "but, as the victims were replaced by other champions who filled their places, to perish in their turn in this inglorious gap, the losses were not apparent." Moderation has never been Russia's strong suit — not in the creation of its imperial capital centuries ago and not today, as it unveils the Winter Olympic Games at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Winning the right to host the event "wasn't just a recognition of Russia's sporting achievements," President Vladimir Putin pronounced when the decision was made in 2007, "but a judgment of our country."

With the leopard selected as one of the mascots of the upcoming Sochi Olympics, a program to restore the big cats’ population has been launched in the Caucasus mountains. Zoologists already have some successes to boast about. The Persian leopards, who once stalked the Caucasus, are now among the world’s endangered species. But the solitary, elusive and skillful predators are currently being reintroduced to their natural habitat by the Caucasus Nature Reserve Leopard Center at the Sochi National Park, after they became extinct in the wild 50 years ago. Persian leopards are endangered, with around 1,000 of them left worldwide, due to poaching and a loss of habitat. The largest size of Persian leopard were given another chance in the Caucasus as part of a program, linked to the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, which aims to preserve and improve the region’s wildlife and environment. “Though the animal has been spotted in the Russian Caucasus a few times, there’s no viable leopard population there,� Umar Semenov, head of the Persian Leopard Breeding Center, told RT. “So, our program is designed to start a new population of the Persian leopard in the Caucasus mountains and to restore the species in its natural habitat.� Two new cubs born at the Sochi National Park this July were the first-ever to be brought up in captivity. Their parents had been brought in from Lisbon Zoo in Portugal. And it took two years for them to get used to their new home, and each other. The health of the leopard family will be monitored using GPS chips for the next 20 years. All in all, the center now has 10 big cats, including 4 cubs, with the group expected to lead to resurgence for the species. The leopard’s food is wild boars, which are being released into the cages in order to sharpen up their hunting skills. The animals live in temporary open-air cages in the reserve, which are equipped with cameras. They’re observed closely while they adapt, before being released into the wild.

The Sochi Winter Olympics are on track to being the most expensive games in Olympic history. A $265 million ski jump, 42,000 hotel rooms and a $51 billion budget. It's been called a financial fiasco, as Josh Yaffa of Bloomberg Businessweek tells NPR's Arun Rath. ARUN RATH, HOST: It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR West. I'm Arun Rath.

Sochi Winter Olympics: Team GB will have special security against terrorism (Mail Online)

Britain's Winter Olympians in Sochi will be accompanied by an extra security detail. Special forces close protection officers may be used as the threat of terrorism continues to overshadow the run-up to the Games in Russia. Two bomb blasts in Volgograd, 400 miles from Sochi, claimed 34 lives. It is believed the attacks are being inspired by insurgents from the Caucasus and the authorities are wary of further strikes.

Controversy continued to rage in Los Angeles yesterday over the finishing kick of Zola Budd – the one that sent the American favourite, Mary Decker, crashing out of the Olympic Games. It was the most astonishing incident yet in Zola's brief but incident-packed sporting life, which in the space of a few months has transformed her from a South African outcast into an Olympic track star. Instead of departing with a medal round her neck, however, Zola, still only 18, left the Coliseum in seventh place with only the boos of the American crowd ringing in her ears. Britain's Wendy Sly took the silver.

(Reuters) - Teenage Thai Ratchanok Intanon won her first badminton world championship title when she upset Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the women's singles on Sunday to end China's decade of domination in the event. In the men's singles, Lin Dan overcame a year off to retain his title with another closely fought battle with old adversary Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, who retired and was taken off court on a stretcher at match point down in the third set.

Coe: Magical Mo in line to cement greatness What followed was the familiar vision of a bloke carrying the championships on his back in the style of someone who has not just become the face of his sport but, particularly after this summer of doping calamities, almost its deliverer. Imagine how Jamaica, after a summer of shame during which six of its athletes have tested positive, must have been buoyed here. For the first time, a single country provided four finalists in the men’s 100m and they all finished in the first five, all breaking 10sec to boot.

Aleksandr Ivanov, barely out of his teens, won a totally unexpected gold medal in front of an enthusiastic local crowd in and around the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. He was unheralded even to the big crowd of Russian journalists who gathered in the mixed zone anxiously waiting to get the first quotes from their new race walking hero, the fourth Russian to win the event at the IAAF World Championships. Despite the growing collection of medals which includes the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships 10,000m Race Walk silver medal and the European under-23 20km silver last month, Ivanov was regarded just making up the numbers with Andrey Ruzavin considered by Russian pundits as the best hope for a medal on the eve of the championships.

In 2006, as London bathed in the afterglow of winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics, Sebastian Coe announced: "Legacy is probably nine-tenths of what this process is about – not just 16 days of sport." Presented as a benevolent behemoth of fast-track regeneration, the Games were supposed to leave behind a shiny new world of 12,000 homes and 10,000 jobs, set amid the rolling hills of the largest new park in Europe. It would be the miracle cure for the maligned East End, cleansing a swath of the Lower Lea valley – a site conveniently branded as a toxic dumping ground, at the nexus of London's poorest boroughs. On Friday, reports were published declaring the legacy to be a triumph for UK tourism, sports participation, volunteering and business. But what is the physical reality on the ground? One year on, and with £11bn of public money spent on the Olympics, the first part of the park will reopen this weekend. With national cynicism no longer suspended, now that the collective frisson of watching our Lycra-clad heroes has faded, how is the promised bounty shaping up?

Anniversary Games at Olympic Stadium Copper Box opens, becoming London's third-largest indoor event venue (6,000 seats, plus up to 1,500 added temporary seats) Northern parklands now open to public

The first female Saudi track Olympian finished her 800m in 2min 44.95sec – more than a half-minute behind the rest. But her status earned a standing ovation. "This is an honour, such an amazing experience, just to be representing women," she said. "I know that this can make a huge difference." What happened next: Attar, a student at Pepperdine University in California who continues to run competitively, told the Saudi Gazetteabout the impact her time in London had on the younger generation in Saudi. "One of my younger cousins had a class project on me. Their PE teacher had my photo up in the classroom, so they called me for interviews and it was great to talk to them. I mean, it is a big thing. I know the act itself does not change everything but you have to start somewhere. Everything begins with a step." Two events made Olympic crowds boo last summer: George Osborne turning up, and the badminton scandal. Eight Chinese, South Korean and Indonesian players were expelled for trying to lose, in an effort to manipulate the draw.

Cram was in Monaco’s Stade Louis II commentating for the BBC as Farah clocked a time of 3min 28.81sec that not only lowered Cram’s national mark of 3min 29.67sec but sliced 0.14sec off Fermín Cacho’s European record. It also elevated Farah to sixth on the all-time world 1500m list. Cram admitted he was shocked that a long-distance runner who only dabbled with the metric mile should have leapt above himself, Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett on the all-time UK list. “I’m just stunned,” Cram said. “You should never become too attached to records, whatever they are, but it’s been a long time now and I wasn’t expecting it to go in that fashion with a distance runner.

Sarah Morrison hears a sports foundation’s plans for an iconic Olympic venue as it reopens this week You're fired Uzma Yakoob! Farm shop shake up turns sour for The Apprentices 2013 To sports fans worldwide it became known as the “box that rocks” and quickly became one of the most visually arresting venues of the London Olympics. But after the games, the legacy of the Copper Box was uncertain. Private companies scrabbled to secure the contract to run the third-largest indoor venue in the capital, which had hosted handball, modern pentathlon fencing and the Paralympic goalball competition.