Olympic Digest

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OLY--OLYMPIC PALL

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The death of a luger who lost control of his sled and crashed casts an awful shadow of grief over what was already a troubled Olympics - with shock and mourning replacing exuberant anticipation before the cauldron could even be lit. By Erin McClam.

AP Photos.

- With:

- NEW YORK - OLY--TV Coverage. By David Bauder.

OLY--LUGER DIES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A men's luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia dies Friday after a crash during training on a track has raised safety concerns among competitors. The death casts a shocking pall over the Vancouver Olympics hours before the opening ceremony. By Stephen Wilson. MOVED.

AP Photos.

OLY--JIM LITKE-021210

VANCOUVER - Swifter, higher, stronger and now deadlier, too. This is where the Winter Olympics have been veering the last 25 years, adding sports where the thrill is surpassed only by the risk. On Friday, the death of a Georgian luger on a training run down a track that worried the sport's most experienced racers since the day it opened was a stark message that it's well past time to throttle back on speed. By Sports Columnist Jim Litke.

OLY--SKI-VONN

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Lindsey Vonn will get a chance to truly test her bruised shin in a women's Olympic downhill training run that was delayed to early afternoon because of overnight rain. The opening practice was called off Thursday because of fog and snow. By Howard Fendrich. Training scheduled to start at 1 p.m. PST.

AP Photos.

OLY--OPENING CEREMONY

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - With the grim backdrop of a luger's death, the Winter Olympics open in Canada for the first time since 1988. Expect a deafening stadium roar for the Canadians, whose not-so-impossible dream is to win the medals race. By National Writer David Crary. Ceremony starts 6 p.m. PST, ends about 8:25 p.m.

AP Photos. AP Video.

OLY--TORCH RELAY

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - About 150 protesters are stopped by mounted police, forcing the Olympic torch relay to change course as the flame enters a troubled Vancouver neighborhood. This is the 106th and last day of the relay. The Olympics begin with the lighting of the cauldron at Friday night's opening ceremony. By Jaime Aron.

AP Photos.

For Olympic premium customers:

NEWS

OLY--OPENING CEREMONIES-SKID ROW

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Within walking distance from B.C. Place Stadium, where the Vancouver Games' opening ceremony will be held, is one of the city - and nation's - poorest neighborhoods. The two, together, stand in stark contrast, the hoopla and the homeless, as Winter Olympics begin. By John Wawrow.

AP Photos.

OLY--BIDEN-US TEAM

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Vice President Joe Biden addresses the U.S. Olympic team. By Rachel Cohen. Availability 2:30 p.m.

COLUMNS/FIXTURES

OLY--JOHN LEICESTER-021310

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - No matter what the IOC says, it's just plain wrong that women are barred from ski jumping in Vancouver. Claiming that female jumpers aren't proficient enough for Olympic competition harkens to the Dark Ages when women were told they couldn't be pilots or astronauts. By Sports Columnist John Leicester.

AP Photos.

OLY--LOOKAHEAD

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It's now a question of when, not if, Canada will win its first gold medal of the Winter Olympics. If it's not Manuel Osborne-Paradis in the men's downhill Saturday, then maybe Jennifer Heil in women's moguls that night or Charles Hamelin in short-track speedskating. By Noah Trister.

AP Photos.

- OLY--Olympic Notebook. By Anne M. Peterson.

- OLY--Olympic Glance.

COMPETITION

OLY--SKI-DOWNHILL TRAINING

WHISTLER, British Columbia - The men's and women's downhill training runs are canceled because of overnight rain. The men's run was supposed to be skiers' final look at the course before Saturday's downhill. By Andrew Dampf.

AP Photos.

- With:

- OLY--SKI-Mens's Downhill Preview. By Andrew Dampf.

OLY--FRE-MOGULS

WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia - No pressure. When top-ranked freestyle skier Jenn Heil takes to the moguls Saturday, she has a very good chance to become the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal on home turf. By National Writer Eddie Pells.

AP Photos.

OLY--SPD-SPEEDSKATING PREVIEW

RICHMOND, British Columbia - Sven Kramer of the Netherlands is the overwhelming favorite to capture the first of three expected gold medals in the 5,000 meters, the opening speedskating event. Americans Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis hope to make it to the podium. By Raf Casert.

AP Photos.

OLY--BIA-WOMEN'S SPRINT PREVIEW

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Helena Jonsson's decision to pick up biathlon in her early teens was partly rooted in frustration: The Swede was tired of finishing last in cross-country skiing races. Now she enters her first Olympic race Saturday as the favorite in the 7.5-kilometer sprint. By Mattias Karen

AP Photos.

OLY--JUM-NORMAL HILL QUALIFICATION

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Ski jumpers vie for a spot in Saturday's Normal Hill competition, with the top 40 jumpers in the qualifying round advancing to the Vancouver Olympics' first medal event. The top 10 jumpers in the World Cup standings qualify automatically. By Mattias Karen.

AP Photos.

FEATURES

OLY--FIG-TANITH & JOHNNY?

VANCOUVER - Defending Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto have been stuck in blizzards, had flights canceled and spent quality time at the airport. At least when they finally arrived, Belbin could look forward to an "oasis of smell-goodness,'' courtesy of Johnny Weir, her Olympic village roommate. By Barry Wilner.

AP Photos.

OLY--SKI-OLD MEN WINTER

WHISTLER, British Columbia - This downhill course favors experience over raw talent. And no one has more experience than Switzerland's Didier Cuche, Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel and Patrik Jaerbyn of Sweden. They're the old men of these Winter Games, eyeing one last shot at Olympic glory. By Pat Graham.

AP Photos

OLY--HKW-CHASING NORTH AMERICA

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Kim Martin is certain North America's domination of women's hockey will end soon, even if it's not in Vancouver. From Sweden to China, there's an increase in funding, training and national interest in a sport perpetually owned by Canada and the United States. By Greg Beacham.

AP Photos.

OLY--NOR-CHAPPUIS-AMERICAN ROOTS

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Jason Lamy Chappuis, the World Cup points leader in Nordic combined, was born in Missoula, Mont., and moved to France when he was 5. He didn't jump on a ski hill in America until last week in Utah, an Olympic tuneup between France and the U.S. - two new powers to the sport. By Arnie Stapleton. MOVED.

AP Photos.

OLY--SKI-CANADA PROSPECTS

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Canada's Alpine team director believes his men downhill racers are ready to fulfill public expectations before Saturday's race - even though no Canadian man has ever won Olympic Alpine ski gold. By Graham Dunbar.

AP Photos.

- Also:

- OLY--SKI-Women's Super-Combined. MOVED.

- OLY--IOC Elections. MOVED.

- OLY--Outdoor Cauldron. MOVED.

- OLY--HKO-Forsberg-Arrives. MOVED.

- BUFFALO, N.Y. - OLY--HKO-Sabres-Olympians. MOVED.