Olympics : NPR

Speedskaters Step Up Abuse Allegations Against Coach

September 19, 2012 • Short track coach Jae Su Chun says he's innocent. But 19 active and former short track skaters are on record with their accusations. Two of them went to police as well.

Short Track Speedskating Coach Put On Leave Amid Abuse Allegations

Short track speedskating coach Jae Su Chun was a guest at a State Dinner at the White House in May 2010. Alexis C. Glenn /UPI /Landov hide caption

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Alexis C. Glenn /UPI /Landov

Short Track Speedskating Coach Put On Leave Amid Abuse Allegations

September 17, 2012 • Jae Su Chun has been accused by 19 current or former athletes of physical, verbal and psychological abuse. He disputes the allegations.

In British Emergency Room, 'There's No Card To Show; There Are No Bills'

The Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games included a paean to the National Health Service, the U.K.'s socialized healthcare system. Gallo/Getty Images hide caption

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Gallo/Getty Images

In British Emergency Room, 'There's No Card To Show; There Are No Bills'

August 6, 2012 • If the London Olympics opening ceremony's tribute to the National Health Service is any indication, Brits are pleased with their health care system. But what would greet an American at a hospital in the U.K.?

Legalize It: An Argument For 'Doping' In Sports

August 6, 2012 • Commentator Alva Noë argues that there is no reason to ban performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Prohibition stems from a bizarre confusion about what sports are all about.

Olympic-Sized Appetites: The World Of Competitive Eating

Five-time reigning champion Joey Chestnut, second from left, competes in Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating World Championship on July 4 this year. John Minchillo/AP hide caption

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John Minchillo/AP

Olympic-Sized Appetites: The World Of Competitive Eating

Capital Public Radio

August 1, 2012 • Some argue competitive eating has all the markings of an Olympic sport — star players, corporate sponsorships, even ESPN coverage. But there have been no official bites yet.

Does The 'Blade Runner' Have An Advantage?

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa runs in the men's 200-meter event at the Paralympic World Cup in May. Some observers have suggested Pistorius receives an unfair advantage from his carbon-fiber "blade" legs. Michael Steele/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Steele/Getty Images

The Torch

Does The 'Blade Runner' Have An Advantage?

July 30, 2012 • South African Oscar Pistorius will run on artificial legs in the 400-meter Olympic sprint preliminaries in London Saturday. Pistorius is a double amputee who runs world-class times on his carbon-fiber limbs. Some question whether he has an unfair edge — so a lab studied his running motion.

Studying Oscar Pistorius: Does The 'Blade Runner' Have An Advantage? [Video]

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Athlete And The Gladiator

July 27, 2012 • Commentator Alva Noë argues that athletes probably don't think of doping as cheating, whatever they or anyone else says. They are just doing what it takes to win because there is nothing to be gained from losing.

The Olympic Flame as it passed through London on Thursday. Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

In London, The Games Are Afoot

July 27, 2012 • The opening ceremony, with — we hear — a song from Sir Paul McCartney, farm animals and "helmeted cyclists wearing giant silvery-blue flapping wings" — is to start around 3 p.m. ET. In the U.S., NBC will air a tape of the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET.

It's All Politics

Pro-Obama SuperPAC Takes Aim At Romney's 'Olympic Gold'

July 25, 2012 • Priorities USA, the superPAC backing President Obama's re-election, has unveiled a new ad — timed to coincide with the London Olympics — that pokes fun at Mitt Romney's overseas business ties.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London are expected to cost £9.3 billion ($14.5 billion). FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Planet Money

Olympic Economics, The Pre-Games Show

July 23, 2012 • The Olympics are a great spectacle. So is the sport of figuring out whether the event is a money-maker, a financial flop or something in between.

Between Touchdowns And Triple Jumps, Politicians Are Popping Up On Sports TV

Will these Green Bay fans be cheering as much as they did during the 2011 Super Bowl when their beloved Packer games are interrupted by local political ads this fall? Matt Ludtke/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Ludtke/Getty Images

It's All Politics

Between Touchdowns And Triple Jumps, Politicians Are Popping Up On Sports TV

July 12, 2012 • ESPN will sell ad time to candidates in local markets now instead of just nationally. And on NBC, the Olympics will be chock-full of political commercials.

Between Touchdowns And Triple Jumps, Politicians Are Popping Up On Sports TV

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Warning Against Eating Meat Has Chinese Olympians Off Their Game

Chinese volleyball player Yunwen Ma during a game between China and Germany, at the Montreux Volley Masters women tournament, in Montreux, Switzerland, in 2011. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/EPA /Landov hide caption

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JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/EPA /Landov

The Salt

Warning Against Eating Meat Has Chinese Olympians Off Their Game

July 5, 2012 • The Chinese women's Olympic volleyball coach blamed his team's recent losses on their lack of access to safe meat while on the road. A lot of meat that's served in China is tainted with a chemical that's also considered a performance-enhancing drug.

Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

IOC Takes Questionable Stand On Gender And Hormones At The Olympics

July 5, 2012 • What to do with women athletes who make the Olympics team but have high levels of circulating androgens? The International Olympics Committee issues a ruling that commentator Barbara J. King says is based on thinking that's outdated and harmful.

In this handout photo provided by the USATF, Jeneba Tarmoh (bottom, lane 1) and Allyson Felix cross the finish line at exactly the same time in the women's 100 meter dash final during Day Two of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 23 in Eugene, Ore. It's their torsos, not head, hands, feet or arms, that matter. USATF/Getty Images hide caption

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USATF/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Update: Sprinters' Runoff Is All Off

July 2, 2012 • Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh were scheduled to race later today. But NBC Sports and the AP say Tarmoh has declined.

How Do They Know Those Sprinters Finished In A Dead Heat?

In this handout photo provided by the USATF, Jeneba Tarmoh (bottom, lane 1) and Allyson Felix cross the finish line at exactly the same time in the women's 100 meter dash final during Day Two of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. It's their torsos, not head, hands, feet or arms, that matter. USATF/Getty Images hide caption

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USATF/Getty Images

The Two-Way

How Do They Know Those Sprinters Finished In A Dead Heat?

June 26, 2012 • A starting gun that triggers the timers. Cameras that can snap 5,000 frames a second. And officials still can't decide whether Allyson Felix or Jeneba Tarmoh qualified for the Olympics in the 100 meter sprint. Should they flip a coin or run again?