United States sprinter Sha’carri Richardson had a sharp response to the decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to compete at the Beijing Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance, suggesting a racial double standard was at play. Richardson served a one-month suspension and was not allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics after…

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as political tensions involving the United States, dominated headlines as the opening ceremony kicked off the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. It’s an historic one, as it makes Beijing the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics. Beijing hosted the Summer Games in 2008. “China has…

Holding the Olympic torch is an honor for those who get the opportunity. But hosting the Olympics? The way host countries burn through money, it’s really become more of a financial burden. Take the Beijing Winter Olympics. China is officially reporting that it’ll cost $3.9 billion to host, which would be the cheapest Olympics in…

President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States was considering a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over China’s human rights abuses, a move that would keep American dignitaries, but not athletes, from the Games. Speaking to reporters as he hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office, Biden said…

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee announced new restrictions to control the COVID-19 pandemic at the next Winter Games in February. This includes a 21-day quarantine for non-fully vaccinated athletes, officials and workers at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, daily testing for vaccinated people, and no tickets sold to anyone living outside China as Olympic…

Here’s the latest COVID-19 news for Tuesday. Pfizer announced it had submitted research data to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use approval to vaccinate kids 5-11 years old. One the same day, Japan announced its State of Emergency would end this week. Pfizer reported the results of the new vaccine data last week.…

The North Korea state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Monday the country had successfully tested new long-range missiles over the weekend. The agency said the missiles can hit targets 930 miles away. This is the first known testing of nuclear missiles North Korea has conducted in months. The country ended a yearlong pause in ballistic…

Paralympic swimmer Abbas Karimi is the only Afghan at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games. But he is swimming for the refugee team, not Afghanistan. Karimi escaped Afghanistan as a refugee in 2016 and lived in camps in Turkey before coming to the United States. He was born without arms and was the first refugee to…

Gwen’s picks for Tuesday, August 24 include: CIA director meets with top Taliban official in Kabul.  U.S. House advances a $3.5 trillion dollar budget blueprint. Kathy Hochul is sworn in as New York’s new governor. Who is Hochul? View Jimmie’s story here.  Paralympic Games kick off in Tokyo. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at…

Gwen’s picks for Friday include: Team USA medal count and IOC remarks on the legacy of the Tokyo Olympics. Domestic airlines are struggling to meet the summer travel demand. Student loan repayment extended to January 31, 2022. Shedd Aquarium releases video of penguin chicks born during the pandemic.