Sports

Lia Thomas, center, smiles on the podium after winning the 200-yard freestyle during the 2022 Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday.

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas had a record-breaking week at the Ivy League Championships

7:44pm February 19, 2022

by Michaela Winberg

Thomas, a 22-year-old trans woman, placed first in three freestyle events at this week's Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University. Next stop: NCAA championships.

Freida Yueh (right) says of the increasingly popular sport of pickleball: "It's addictive so we just started playing and now with our other friends and relatives—actually everybody we know now plays pickleball."

America's fastest-growing sport is a cross of tennis, pingpong and badminton

4:00pm February 19, 2022

by Shannon Mullen

With 4.8 million people now playing, pickleball is ready for the big time.

Team USA's silver medalists pose during the flower ceremony of the figure skating team event last week. They had asked to have the medal ceremony before they leave Beijing.

U.S. figure skaters won't get their team medals before the Winter Olympics end

12:00pm February 19, 2022

The American team had asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule they can receive their medals while they await the results of a wider investigation into the Kamila Valieva doping scandal.

Skier Eileen Gu of Team China has been a breakout star of the Beijing Winter Olympics. She won three medals — two gold and one silver — and has been a voice for women's equality at the Games.

Sports

Women are the stars (and the victims) of the Beijing Olympics

8:35am February 19, 2022

by Brian Mann

Women are approaching gender parity at the Winter Games. They've also dominated news coverage because of powerhouse stars like Eileen Gu and because of tragic cases like Kamila Valieva.

Sports

Saturday sports: Standouts and scandals at the Winter Olympics

8:11am February 19, 2022

by Tom Goldman

The Winter Olympics in Beijing are coming to a close with an ice skating scandal taking over the spotlight. Also, how China managed to make the games close to free of COVID-19.

Sports

Olympic figure skating faces a series of controversies. What is its future?

8:01am February 19, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon talks to former Olympics figure skater Polina Edmunds about the current controversies and the future of the sport.

A medical helper takes a photo of the Zhangjiakou National Ski Jumping Center during the Winter Olympics on Feb. 14.

Beijing Olympic organizers are touting a green Games. The reality is much different

7:00am February 19, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

Authorities in China said they planted nearly 200,000 acres of forest and green areas prior to the Winter Games. But they also transplanted nearly 20,000 trees, which could endanger animal habitats.

Sports

Why Asian Americans are well-represented in figure skating

5:58pm February 18, 2022

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Christina Chin, a sociologist of sports at California State University, Fullerton, about the recent success of Asian American figure skaters.

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Elana Meyers Taylor says it's "humbling" to carry the flag for Team USA, after not being able to be the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. She's seen here posing with her silver medal from the women's monobob competition. The Beijing Olympics' closing

Elana Meyers Taylor will finally get to carry the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony

5:15pm February 18, 2022

by Bill Chappell

For the first time since 1948, the same U.S. athlete is chosen as flag bearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.

Russia's Kamila Valieva leaves the ice after a disappointing performance in the women's figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Olympic Committee leader says he's 'disturbed' by coach's treatment of Kamila Valieva

12:37pm February 18, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach resisted implementing any immediate changes despite speaking of concerns for minor athletes like Valieva.