Olympics

A woman takes pictures of the Olympic rings at Madureira Park, the third largest park in Rio de Janeiro.

A Team Of Refugees Will Compete At The Olympic Games In Rio

4:50pm March 03, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Previously, athletes who didn't represent a country weren't allowed to compete. The IOC says the all-refugee team will compete under the Olympic flag and be treated like all other teams.

This is a partial view of the tennis center at Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro. The International Olympic Committee is sending an advisory to participants in the 2016 Summer Games on how to deal with the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Zika Virus Spurs Concerns Over Summer Olympic Games In Rio

4:18pm January 29, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The International Olympic Committee is sending an advisory to participants on how to deal with the mosquito-borne virus. The games in Rio de Janeiro begin in 189 days.

Sports

Monument Underway For Slain 1972 Israeli Olympians

2:21pm December 09, 2015

by Frank Deford

Frank Deford wonders why it took so long to build a monument commemorating the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by terrorists at the Munich Summer Olympics 43 years ago.

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Doping Scandal Jeopardizes Olympic Dreams Of Russian Athletes

1:04pm November 28, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

Russia is the world's leader in doping violations, but the country's sports minister says it shouldn't be singled out for "an evil that all countries are struggling with."

If humans went up against the rest of the animal kingdom in most physical challenges, they wouldn't do that well.

Here's How You Can Outrun A Horse

12:01pm October 20, 2015

by Adam Cole

Humans are pathetic at athletic feats compared to animals. We get outrun by ostriches and outswum by penguins. But human physiology makes us aces at one sport: endurance running. Sorry, horse.

Baseball, surfing and skateboarding could be in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, under a proposal announced by Organizing Comittee President Yoshiko Mori on Monday.

Baseball May Return To 2020 Olympics; Tokyo Organizers Also Want Surfing

5:40pm September 28, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers would like to see baseball, skateboarding and surfing — but not bowling — when they host the Summer Games.

The documentary Back On Board follows the career of four-time Olympic champion Greg Louganis.

Sports
Arts

'Who Am I Without My Sport?' Greg Louganis On Life After Olympics

7:03pm August 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

The documentary Back On Board traces the highs and lows of the star diver's career, the turmoil he faced as a gay, HIV-positive athlete — and the identity crisis that he experienced after retirement.

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Boston Mayor Martin Walsh speaks at a news conference last month. He and the USOC announced Monday that his city is no longer in the running to host the 2024 Olympics.

Boston's 2024 Olympic Bid Is Over

8:19am July 28, 2015

by Sam Sanders

The U.S. Olympic Committee had backed Boston over bids from San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. But the mayor now says Bostonians were "rightly hesitant" to commit to the potential cost.

The Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba (shown here in June 2014) cost $215 million to build. It has been in the news recently, thanks to the homeless people who've made it their home.

Brazil's World Cup Legacy Includes $550M Stadium-Turned-Parking Lot

10:20am May 12, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Another lavish $215 million arena built for last year's event is now a homeless shelter. Touted as one of the best World Cups in history on the pitch, it's left a hangover of waste and mismanagement.

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Sports

Bruce Jenner's Long History Of Clearing Hurdles

9:03am April 22, 2015

by Frank Deford

As Jenner prepares for an interview in which he's expected to talk about his gender identity, commentator Frank Deford looks back at the reality TV star's days as an Olympic athlete adjusting to fame.

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