SYDNEY (AP) Australia will send 44 athletes to the Winter Olympics beginning Feb. 4 in Beijing 23 women and 21 men in 10 disciplines. The Australian Olympic Committee said Monday that snowboarder Scotty James and mogul skier Britt Cox will compete at their fourth Olympics, joining just six other Australians to compete at four or more Winter Games.
Shaun White finished third at the Laax Open in Switzerland, marking his first podium finish since he won his third Olympic gold medal in 2018 and all but cementing his spot at next month's games in Beijing.
The nicknames are retired. The mop of red hair that once served as Shaun White's signature look more than a decade ago is long gone. The torch the now 35-year-old snowboarding icon carried so capably for so long since his first gold-medal-winning run down the halfpipe in Torino 16 years ago has been picked up by a series of newcomers who grew up watching him.
The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors, who are trying to remain quiet about China's human rights record while protecting at least $1 billion they've collectively paid to the IOC.
GENEVA (AP) Diplomatic boycotts of the Olympics aim to snub host nations while keeping athletes free to compete. A small cascade of government boycotts hit China on Wednesday, less than two months before the Beijing Olympics open.