The Winter Olympic Virus: Day The Last

• Yes, somehow, we've survived another one -- and each one more shocking we survived it than the last.
• At least two American Olympians are coming home to a lawsuit!  Heavy Young Heathens have sued everybody for Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier using the song "House of the Rising Sun" for their short program.  And when I say everybody, about the only three relevant entities not sued are the IOC, the Beijing venue, and the audience!  US Figure Skating, NBC, the pair, and the USOPC have been sued for copyright infringement.
• And the CAS has (correctly) said no to any team figure-skating ceremony in Beijing.
• IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese President Xi Jinping met multiple times during the Games.  Not sure why this is a story, even with Xi being a tyrant and all...  
• Two athletes will be COVID-isolated past the end of the Games.
• Another political row:  Chinese Taipei wants sanctions against one of it's speedskaters for apparently wearing a mainland China suit in practice.

Story popped up a couple days ago about US pairs figure skater Timothy LeDuc.  

• They became the first-ever non-binary Winter Games athlete when they took the ice with their partner Ashley Cain-Gribble.
• The pair finished eighth in the pairs competition.  The other United States pair was the pair representing the team in the team competition.
• Outsports has reported 36 LGBTQ+ athletes at these Games.
• Seven members of the gold-medal Canadian women's hockey team are on the list.
• A member of the American silver-medal women's hockey team is also on the list.
• Brittany Bowe, the 500m women's Olympic champion, is also out.
• Olympic women's 1500m champion Ireen Wust is also on the list.
• As is Bruce Mouat of the silver-medal winning Great Britain curling team.
• There may be more, and apologies for missing any others.

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And with the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" in the National Stadium, the Games of the XXIVth Winter Olympiad have closed with the end of the Closing Ceremony.

The youth of the winter world have been called to Cortina and Milan, Italy in four years time -- four years I fear will change the world forever -- for the XXVth Winter Olympiad.

I would be remiss if I did not thank the gentlemen from the Inside the Games website once again for their tireless work, tireless work which has come at a cost this time, with the entire Valieva situation almost crashing down upon them.

I don't know and do not believe I will be around for Paris 2024.  If I am, I'll be here, hopefully, to chronicle that farce as well.