Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Shelley Rudman Focusing to Win Gold After Luge Death

Shelley Rudman will go ahead with her Winter Olympic bid for skeleton bobsleigh gold in spite of the death of a luge competitor.

The Pewsey-born athlete who went to New College, came home from the 2006 competition with a silver medal.

But she had put her decision about whether to take part on hold pending a track walk and team meeting.

The move followed the tragic accident last Friday in which Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was thrown from the track and fatally injured when he struck a metal pillar.

Shelley, who has a two-year-old daughter, Ella, with fiance and fellow skeleton competitor Kristian Bromley, had said she would compete only if she thought the track was safe.

The track, at the Whistler Sliding Centre in British Columbia, Canada, is widely said to be the world’s fastest.

After the inspection and team meeting, the British Olympic Association’s director of sport liaison, Adam Parsons, said simply: “Shelley will be competing as planned.”

The two-day skeleton competition begins on Thursday.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo Wins China's First Ever Olympic Figure Skating Title

VANCOUVER — Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo gave China their first ever Olympic figure skating title when they won gold in the pairs event in Vancouver while ending Russia's 50-year domination of the event.

The husband-and-wife team led a Chinese 1-2 ahead of teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian with Germany's reigning two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy taking bronze after the free skating final on Monday.

It was the first time since 1960 that a pair from Russia or the former Soviet Union have not taken the gold.

Shen, 31, and Zhao, 36, had returned after retiring for two years in their bid to claim gold after winning bronze at the past two Olympics.

And although they had a less than perfect programme to Adagio in G Minor by Tomaso Albinoni it was enough to seal victory by a 3.26 margin on Pang and Tong.

"We've had this dream for many, many years," said three-time world champion Zhao. "We've won other titles and every time we heard the national anthem and the raising of the flag we wished it was the Olympic Games."

Concerning the end of Russia's domination, he added: "Records are there to be broken at some point."

Shen and Zhao faced a tense wait to see if they had secured the title following a stunning free skate by Pang and Tong which gave them a new world record mark of 141.81 in the free skate.

Tong, 30, kissed the ice after earning a standing ovation for a routine to the music Impossible Dream by Joe Hisaishi which saw the 2006 world champions surge from fourth. The scored 213.31 overall.

"I don't know what got into me when I kissed the ice," said Tong.

"All the spectators gave us the power and courage to put out a complete and perfect programme."

Shen and Zhao took to the ice next and could only applaud the performance.

"We saw them finish their programme and it was excellent," said Shen.

"I just thought 'now it's my turn to finish in the best way I can'. I knew I had to remain focused and execute every element in the finest way possible."

They placed second in the free skate after a shaky Axel lasso lift but it was enough for the veteran pair to secure victory with 139.91 which gave them a new world record overall mark of 216.57.

As for their future plans, Shen quipped: "It's hard to continue skating, maybe it's time to have a baby."

The Germans dropped to third after Szolkowy fell on a double axel, giving them 134.64 for the programme and 210.60 overall.

"I think it was the pressure that built up that was on my mind," said Szolkowy. "Our performance was not the one we wanted to show."

Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, third after the short programme, dropped to fourth after Kavaguti fell.

A fall also pushed Olympic silver medallists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China into fifth.

Vancouver Olympics Winter 2010 - - Hot Babes of the Event: Don't Forget to Vote for The Hottest One

Watch, enjoy and vote on the hottest Olympic Babes of Vancouver 2010. let us know your vote at http://poll.wannahaves.com/... !!

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Day 2 Results and Medal Position

The 2010 Winter Olympics or Vancouver Olympics 2010 day 2 made many records. On day 2 Switzerland's Ski jumper 28-year-old Simon Ammann won the first gold medal whereas Poland's Adam Malysz won silver and Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer won bronze in the Ski Jumping event at 2010 Winter Olympics games. In another events of 2010 Winter Olympics on day 2 on Saturday, America's Hannah Kearney won the women's moguls freestyle skiing gold beating Canada's Jennifer Heil. Heather McPhie of United States won bronze medal in this event. Hannah Kearney brought first gold medal for her Country in Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010.

In Men's 5000 m Speed Skating event which was held at Richmond Olympic Oval, Netherland's Kramer Sven won gold while Lee Seung of Korea and Skobrev Ivan of Russian Federation won respectively silver and bronze. In women's 7.5 km biathlon sprint, Slovakia's Anastasiya Kuzmina won gold medal, Germany's Magdalena Neuner won silver and Marie Dorin of France claimed bronze on Saturday in 2010 Winter Olympics day 2.

On the Short Track Speed Skating, Korea's Lee won 1,500m short-track gold in Vancouver Olympics 2010. American Apolo Anton Ohno finished second while another American J.R. Celski completed third. In women's Ice hockey league match defending champion Canada thrashed Slovakia by a margin of 18-0 in their opening game of 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games on Saturday. Host Canada bettered their previous world record, the biggest win, a 16-0 over host Italy at the Torino 2006 Olympic Games.

Latest Medal Tally in 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics games day 2:

USA: 1 Gold 1 Silver 1 Bronze

Korea: 1 Gold 1 Silver

Netherlands, Slovakia & Switzerland 1 Gold each.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - First Gold Medal For United States Claimed By Hannah Kearney

U.S. Skier Hannah Kearney claimed the first gold medal for the United States in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, winning the women’s moguls in competition on Cypress Mountain Saturday evening.

The last skier down the course, Kearney posted the top scores in all three categories (14.2 in turns, 5.40 in air and 7.03 for time) for a final total of 26.63, nearly a full point ahead of silver medalist Jenn Heil of Canada, who had a 25.69.

The event also gave the United States its second multiple-medal performance of the evening as the bronze medal was won by Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, Calif.), who had a score of 25.43. Bahrke was the silver medalist in the event in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games.

The other two American entrants fell during their final runs, knocking them out of medal contention. Michelle Roark (Denver, Colo.) was 17th with a score of 15.90, while Heather McPhie (Park City, Utah) was 18th with a 14.52.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - First Gold for Swiss Ski Jumper Simon Ammann in The Event (Must Watch Video)

WHISTLER — Simon Ammann had Georgia on his mind before Saturday’s gold-medal-winning ski jump at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

While poised to make what proved to be the longest jump of the day at Whistler Olympic Park, Ammann reflected on the devastating events of Friday, when 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run.

“I was up on the hill at the starting gate and I was the last jumper to be there,’’ Ammann, from Switzerland, said via an interpreter Saturday after capturing the individual normal hill title. “This is why I had to concentrate. I knew that I had to jump far.

“With the events from yesterday, the tragedy from yesterday, this gave me some other sort of idea of contemplating life. Oftentimes, it turns out to be different from what you had hoped for. This is why I want to cherish the moment. I have had a lot of luck in my career, and also today, and this is why I am so happy.’’

Ammann became the first gold medallist of this year’s Games on the strength of a 108-metre jump that elicited a roar from the crowd of 6,284 — which had earlier included United States vice-president Joe Biden, who watched the first of Saturday’s two rounds.

The final jump earned 141 points for Ammann once the judges factored style points into the equation. That jump, combined with a first-round score of 135.5, gave Ammann a final tally of 276.5 points — seven more than silver medallist Adam Malysz of Poland. Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria was third at 268.0.

The 28-year-old Ammann returned to the podium after an eight-year absence. He won both individual events at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, capturing the normal and large hill championships. Shortly thereafter, he was a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Prior to Salt Lake, Ammann had never won a World Cup event, and his best-ever result on the normal hill was 26th.

“Eight years ago, when I won my first Olympic medal, I was a newcomer,’’ he recalled. “I was fresh and I had no memories of previous events. Today, I have all the memories of my long career. It’s now a different situation for me. I started this season very well, with very good results. I just reiterate that it’s great to be here and to be successful again.’’

Ammann’s previous Olympics were a disappointment. He was seventh on the large hill and tied for 38th on the normal hill four years ago in Turin, Italy. The 2006 season was also a struggle on the World Cup circuit, as he placed 17th.

Ammann leads this year’s World Cup standings with 1,249 points, 57 ahead of the second-ranked Schlierenzauer. Last year, Schlierenzauer and Ammann were first and second, respectively, in the World Cup standings.

Schlierenzauer, 20, was well below his usual standards Saturday by posting a first jump of 101.5m, but rebounded with a distance of 106.5m to vault into the medals. However, he did not capture the gold medal that was projected by Sports Illustrated.

“What happened? Nothing happened,’’ Schlierenzauer said. “I’m not a machine. I am also a human and I am very proud that I won the bronze medal. It’s a very good feeling to be at my first Olympic Games and I won a medal.’’

So did Malysz, who emulated Ammann by returning to the podium after an eight-year absence. Like Ammann, Malysz won two medals in Salt Lake City — silver on the large hill and bronze on the small hill — before being blanked in 2004.

“I am very satisfied,’’ said Malysz, 32, a four-time gold medallist at the world championships. “Today was a very strong competition for me. My jumps today were very, very good and my feeling was also very good.’’

But nobody was feeling quite like Ammann, who became only the third ski jumper to win three Olympic gold medals. Matti Nykanen of Finland won a record four golds. Ammann and Germany’s Jens Weissflog are next on the list with three.

Ammann can equal Nykanen by winning the large hill event on Feb. 20. The team event is slated for Feb. 22.

In the meantime, Ammann is savouring Saturday’s accomplishment.

“Now I’m back on top of the world,’’ he said with a smile, moments before triumphantly concluding the media conference by raising his arms in the air.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Gold For Dutch Speed Skater Sven Kramer; 12th International Title in a Row

Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer took the gold medal in the Winter Olympics 5,000m event, his 12th international title in a row.

Kramer, who was one of the favourites for the distance, completed the course in 6.14,60, a new Olympic record.

The silver medal went to Korea's Seung-Hoon Lee (6.16,95), while bronze was won by the Russian Ivan Skobrev (6.18,05).

As soon as it became clear Kramer had won, he climbed over the tribune to his parents and hugged them both. Next he embraced girlfriend Naomi van As, who plays hockey for the Netherlands and is part of the team which holds the world and Olympic title.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Shani Davis of the United States Finished 12th in the 5000M at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond

The U.S. press corps milled around the interview area in the bowels of the Richmond Olympic Oval on Saturday afternoon awaiting the emergence of speedskater Shani Davis, who had a reputation of trusting the media about as much as Howard Hughes.

Davis had just finished 12th in the 5,000-meter race, 13.84 seconds behind winner Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, who set an Olympic record in 6 minutes 14.60 seconds.

Davis' finish wasn't a surprise, as he specializes in the 1,000 meters and the 1,500 meters. The bigger shock is that Davis not only stopped to talk to the media, but also he did it with an easy smile, was warm and candid, and said that, yes, things are ``a lot more positive than before, and changing for the better.''

Davis won a gold medal and a silver medal four years ago. But despite having an inspiring story -- he grew up on Chicago's South Side and is the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics -- he did not endear himself to the media because he and his fiercely devoted mother, Cherie, came off as aloof and suspicious.

At the time, Davis was engaged in a bitter public feud with U.S. teammate Chad Hedrick, a triple-medal winner, over Davis' decision not to compete in the team pursuit. Hedrick criticized Davis, suggesting he was unpatriotic and selfish, and Davis grumbled under his breath about Hedrick at their postrace news conference, one of the frostiest Olympic medalists' conferences in recent memory.

The spat overshadowed their accomplishments.

It didn't help that Davis has a chilly relationship with the U.S. Speedskating Federation because of perceived slights. He refuses to train with the team, accept its funding, or appear in its media guide. He trains on his own, and is funded by private sponsors, many of them from the Netherlands, where Davis is a hero.

But all that negative energy seems to be melting this week. Perhaps the unseasonably warm weather has defrosted Davis, or maybe he got some public relations advice. Whatever the case, he has been downright charming.

He also proved to be a team player, giving up his spot in the 10,000 so that U.S. teammate Jonathan Kuck could compete in his first Olympics. Davis would have been the first U.S. speedskater since Eric Heiden in 1980 to skate all five events.

``I just feel that I'm telling myself to keep on enjoying, enjoying, enjoy the Olympics,'' Davis said. ``I had two Olympics beforehand, and they weren't quite good for me. But this time, it's a whole other story. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm enjoying myself. I'm happy for my competitors. I greeted everyone out there that made the podium and the people who had personal bests. I'm just really excited to go out there and showcase what I can do. I'm just itching.''

Hedrick, the reigning 5,000-meter champion, also has done quite a bit of growing up in the past four years. He got married, had a baby girl with wife, Lynsey, and three weeks ago the couple suffered a miscarriage. Hedrick finished 11th on Saturday, and like Davis, is putting 2006 behind him.

``I have a different outlook now,'' said Hedrick, who also is concentrating on the 1,000 and the 1,500. ``All that happened last time is old news, and not worth talking about. I've seen Shani in the locker room, and it's low key. We're going to drive each other to gold medals.''

Hedrick said he, too, is making it a point to enjoy the Olympic experience. ``This is an awesome Olympic city, I'm living in a waterfront condo for three weeks, doing what I love; it doesn't get much better than that.''

Both U.S. skaters lauded Kramer, who holds world records in the 5,000 and 10,000, and whose Olympic record Saturday was particularly remarkable because the rink is at sea level, near water, and considered to have slow ice. Lee Seung-Hoon of South Korea won silver and Ivan Skobrev of Russia took bronze.

``It just goes to show that Sven has a heart of a champion,'' said Davis, who was paired with the Dutch master. ``He had to go out first. He had a whole bunch of sharpshooters behind him, and he went out and did this thing. He didn't leave anything to question about who is better than him. He put all his cards on the table and his hand won.''

Davis said keeping up with Kramer for four or five laps will help him in the shorter distances.

``It made me reach really deep into myself, and that broke the ice for the races to come,'' he said.

No matter what happens, Davis is smiling for a change.

``The attitudes with a lot of things have changed, not only with me, but just how people interact and deal with me and what people are putting out in media and stuff,'' he said. ``It's a lot more positive than it was before. I feel like things are changing for the better, and I'm just really excited and happy to be in the position I am now.''

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Training Resumes at Luge Track After The Sad Accident of Nodar Kumaritashvili

Luge training resumed at the Whistler Sliding Centre track Saturday, one day after a Georgian slider died during a training run.

The sixth men's training session was supposed to resume at 8 a.m. PT after being cancelled Friday, but was pushed back until 9:02 a.m. so course officials could finish grooming the course. Each athlete will take two more training runs.

Competition begins at 5 p.m. with the first two runs. The remaining two runs take place Sunday.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old slider from Borjomi, Georgia, died Friday after he crashed in the final curve. He was travelling at nearly 140 km/h when he slammed into an unpadded steel support pole.

Course workers modified the last turn where Kumaritashvili crashed, erected a two-metre-high wooden wall to cover the exposed steel beams on the turn and scraped and shaped ice from the edges in the final turn.

Luge officials also announced that the men would start their runs from the women's start gate, which is further down the track. By adjusting the start, the men will not be able to reach their top speeds, which have topped 150 km/h this week, and the vertical drop won't be as severe.

Concerns about the lightning-fast course had been raised for months. The $105-million sliding centre, on the southeast face of Blackcomb Mountain, has been billed as a technically difficult wild ride. Kumaritashvili's crash happened at the track's fastest point.

The 1,450-metre course has 16 turns and drops steeply for 152 metres, the longest drop of any track in the world. The average grade is about 11 per cent, including two stomach-inverting drops of 20 per cent.

The International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympic officials said Friday night their investigation showed that the crash was the result of human error and there was "no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track."

In a joint statement, they said Kumaritashvili was late coming out of the next-to-last turn and failed to compensate.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Video of The Tragic Death of Nodar Kumaritashvili: Too Fast Track Made This Incident Happen

The Vancouver Winter Olympics were plunged into darkness last night following the death of a Georgian luge competitor only hours before the opening ceremony.

Olympic officials worked frantically to save the life of 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, who crashed at more than 145km/h.

IOC president Jacques Rogge, wearing a black tie, wiped away tears when he haltingly announced the death of the luge racer, who crashed on one of the most dangerous sections of a run previously criticized for its extreme design.

"I am sorry, it is difficult to remain composed, it is a very sad day, the Olympics is in mourning for a young athlete who has lost his life pursuing his passion, I have no words to say what we feel," Rogge said. "Our first thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the athlete."

The Georgian delegation decided to remain in Vancouver and dedicate their Games to their colleague.

''Our sportsmen and athletes decided to be loyal to the spirit of the Olympic Games and dedicate their performances to their fallen comrade,'' said Nikoloz Rurua, Georgia's minister of culture and sport.

Members of the Georgian team wore black armbands as they marched in the opening ceremony.

The World Luge Federation was conducting an immediate investigation centring on the safety of the course, and Canadian authorities were also expected to step in with their own inquiry.

Countries have previously complained about the lack of training on the course as Canada limited access to it so that their competitors would have a home-town advantage.

Vancouver organising committee chief executive John Furlong was also emotional as he explained how he was heartbroken: "Nodar Kumaritashvili came to Canada with the hopes and dreams that this would be a magnificent occasion in his life. I have been told he was an incredibly spirited young person and he came here to feel what it was like to call himself an Olympian."

The crash happened on curve 16, known as Thunderbird, where sliders experience a G-force of 5½ - more than a formula one driver. Kumaritashvili came up too high, banged into the inside wall and was then flicked into a metal beam holding up the roof. He had also crashed in a similar spot during the first training run on Thursday, along with a handful of other athletes.

Josef Fendt, the president of the World Luge Federation, said: "The track is too fast. We had planned it to be a maximum of 137km/h but it is about 20km/h faster. We think this is a planning mistake."

Training was immediately cancelled and the opening luge event was in doubt.

Kumaritashvili's death came shortly after two-time Olympic gold medallist Armin Zoegeller, of Italy, crashed higher up on the course. He slid for 200 metres but was unhurt.

Australian women's luge competitor Hannah Campbell-Pegg said two days ago that the lugers were being treated as crash test dummies down a dangerous course. American slider Tony Benshoof said the physics of the curves meant there was virtually no margin for error.

"On the first run, I had some problems in the lower portion of the track,'' he said. ''Because of the physics of the curves, and going at 95 miles per hour [153km/h], there's a really small margin for error. You really need to get it right from curve nine to get as far as curve 13, because once you get to curve 11 and 12, you're going too fast to correct yourself."

The IOC moved quickly to remove footage of the training incident, preventing access to it on the official broadcast channel and YouTube.

The death is the fifth at a Winter Olympic Games - all of them taking place during training - and the first since 1992 in Albertville, France, when an athlete died during a demonstration sport of speed skiing.

Just watch the video after the jump; that shows how fast was the track ..... actually uncontrollable.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Winter Olympics 2014 Will be held at Sochi, Russia

Feb 13, 2010 - - The opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics, which attracted a large number of sports lovers last night will be followed by some thrilling sporting events in the coming days. While athletes are preparing themselves for the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver, the organizers have thrown some light on the Olympics Games that is scheduled to be held in 2014. As per the reports, Sochi in Russia has been selected as the venue for the Winter Olympics 2014. Winter Olympics is one of the most important sporting events of the world and the Russians must be happy, after Sochi has been selected as the venue of the Winter Olympics 2014.

As per the reports, the organizers of the Winter Olympics 2014 have not only declared the venue of the game but also declared the schedule of the game. It has been reported that the next Winter Olympics will start from February 7, 2014 and would present different types of games till February 23, 2014. Though the venue was elected earlier, it has once again come to the news as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth And Sports, Teo Ser Luck on Friday said that they are exploring the feasibility to send teams for participating in the Winter Olympics games of 2014.

According to the reports, this is for the first time that the Russian Federation has been selected to act as the host of the Winter Olympic games and so people are curious to know more information of the Winter Olympics 2010. It has been reported that the organizers have decided that Winter Olympics 2014 would be officially known as the XXII Olympics Winter Games.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Opening Ceremony Held With The Memories of Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili

A special-effects laden opening ceremony welcomed the world to the 2010 Winter Olympics. But amid the spectacle, a fallen athlete was never far from everyone's minds.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died early Friday during a practice run when he lost control of his sled and crashed over a safety railing into a steel beam. The remaining seven members of his team decided to carry on with the competition and were greeted with a standing ovation when they entered BC Place Stadium.

Moment of Silence

The audience of 50,000 held a moment of silence just before the Olympic flag was raised, and many of the nearly 2,600 competitors from 82 nations wore black arm bands in Kumaritashvili's memory.

"When these bad accidents do happen they catch you so off guard; never in a million years do you fathom something like that could happen," said U.S. ice dancer Tanith Belbin. "Hopefully we can come together and offer condolences and support to his team and family."

The opening ceremony was held inside the domed stadium because of rain. But that didn't dim its majesty. Throughout, the stadium floor seemed almost alive, transforming into blowing leaves, an ice rink, golden fields and an ocean with breaching killer whales.

The ceremony – far more scaled down than the one Beijing prodeced in 2008, but no less moving – paid tribute to the different geographic areas of Canada, from Quebec to the Western Rockies. Skiers and snowboarders performed airborne twists and spins, roller-bladers sped around the arena, and a giant, illuminated bear spirit floated in the air.

Canadian Stars

Canadians Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Sarah MacLachlan, k.d. lang and Joni Mitchell sang during the three-hour program. Donald Sutherland narrated the show before helping carry in the Olympic flag as part of a six-person troupe that included hockey's Bobby Orr and singer Anne Murray.

Vice President Joseph Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, helped give a huge cheer for the 200-strong U.S. contingent, whose members wore Ralph Lauren-designed parkas and knit caps. Biden told NBC that he took his granddaughters to meet Shaun White and the other snowboarders.

"[The girls] loved it. It made me a hero. All that matters is what your granddaughters think," the vice president said.

Michaelle Jean, the governor general of Canada, declared the Games open. Afterward, four athletes entered to light the Olympic flame, bringing about the night's only snafu. One of the hydraulic arms didn't rise, so only three of the athletes participated: hockey great Wayne Gretzky, NBA star Steve Nash and skier Nancy Greene.

Moments later, Gretzky traveled by truck to a second, outdoor cauldron, and lit that one himself.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Svetlana Terenteva, Russian Ice Hockey Player, First Athlete to be Caught Using a Prohibited Substance

Russian ice hockey skater Svetlana Terenteva on Thursday became the first athlete to be caught using a prohibited substance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

But an International Olympic Committee discipline commission issued her a reprimand rather than throw her out of the Games because the drug she was caught with is not prohibited outside of competition periods.

Terenteva admitted that she took a sinus medication called Rhinofluimucil, which contains tuaminoheptane, because of a headache. The substance is banned from use in-competition but not out-of-competition.

She said she stopped taking the medication on Feb. 3 because she knew it was banned during the Games period starting the following day. Her doctor was aware that she was taking the medicine.

The commission noted that Terenteva cooperated with the IOC and that this was the first time she'd tested positive in a long career that included four world championships since 2001.

But the commission also noted that Terenteva failed to disclose she was taking Rhinofluimucil when she arrived in Vancouver and it found that regardless the explanation, she violated the World Anti-Doping Code by having the drug in her system. It said the drug would be long gone from her body by the time she begins competition on Feb. 14.

Terenteva's positive test comes as the World Anti-Doping Agency acknowledged that more than 30 athletes around the world tested positive for banned drugs and won't be at the Vancouver Games. It would not identify them or what country they represent. However, at least eight members of the Russian cross-country and biathlon teams have tested positive at recent competitions.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - Charles Hamelin: One of Three Canadians to Make History for Canada

Charles Hamelin is one of three Canadians with the chance to make history on Saturday.

The short-track speedskater hits the Pacific Coliseum oval in the 1,500-metre race, joining alpine skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis and mogul skier Jennifer Heil in their quest to win Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil.

"For sure, if it happens, it will be the greatest moment of my life and will be a great moment for Canada," Hamelin told reporters about the chance to make history.

Hamelin, 25, of Saint-Julie, Que., was so dominant in 2009 he earned his Olympic berth last March. He finished second at last year's world championships in the 1,500 metres and is considered a favourite to reach to the podium on Saturday.

It was a distinction he narrowly missed at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, where he finished fourth in the 1,500 metres. He was, however, a member of the silver medal-winning 5,000-metre relay team.

This time, three South Koreans and Apolo Ohno stand in Hamelin's way.

Ohno is looking to become the most decorated Olympic short-track skater in history. The 27-year-old, soul-patch-wearing superstar has two gold, one silver and two bronze medals on his Olympic resume.

He is tied with five other speedskaters for the most Olympic medals, but they are all retired.

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 - - The Opening Ceremony Was Dedicated to Nodar Kumaritashvili

Feb. 13 -- As competition at the Vancouver Winter Olympics begins today with athletes vying for medals in five events, organizers remain focused on a luger who never got the chance to compete in these Games.

The opening ceremony last night was dedicated to Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luger from the country of Georgia who died in a high-speed crash on a training run.

“With Nodar Kumaritashvili in our hearts, I commit that the men and women of Vancouver 2010 are ready to deliver the performance of a lifetime,” said John Furlong, the head of the Vancouver Olympics committee, in his speech to more than 60,000 people at B.C. Place stadium.

Kumaritashvili, 21, died in a crash yesterday during the final training run for the men’s singles event in Whistler, British Columbia. He was thrown off his sled and collided with an unpadded metal support pole outside the track.

Flags were lowered to half-staff around Vancouver in honor of Kumaritashvili, and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge paid tribute to the luger in his speech. The crowd at the opening ceremony gave members of the Georgian Olympic team a standing ovation when they entered the stadium wearing black armbands.

“I’m really upset,” said Michael Sagaysay, 17, a Vancouver high-school student. “I think all of Canada will be a little depressed.”