Welcome to the Olympic Edition of the Sports Report, a daily newsletter from the L.A. Times delivered each morning throughout the Winter Olympics. To receive this complimentary email, please visit here and select the Sports Report. Subscribers already receiving the Sports Report will automatically get this special Olympics edition.
Your daily overview and anticipation of this year's Milan-Cortina Olympics is guided by John Cherwa, your dedicated tour director for the Games. The United States faced a challenging start, registering a significant goose egg in the medal count on Sunday. Meanwhile, nations to our north are grappling with accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct.
The U.S. performance has fallen short in several key Olympic disciplines. Despite high expectations, figure skater Ilia Malinin and snowboarder Chloe Kim failed to secure gold medals. While Kim earned a silver, Malinin finished eighth in an event he was widely predicted to dominate. This culminated in an unprecedented Sunday where the U.S. did not claim a single medal of any color.
Medal Race Dynamics and Betting Odds
Catching Norway in the gold medal standings appears to be an insurmountable task for the U.S. The last time the United States led the overall gold medal count was in 1932, its sole victory in that category. On Saturday, FanDuel reflected this disparity, listing Norway at -1500 to win the most golds, while the U.S. stood at +270.
These odds mean a wager of $1,500 would be required to win $100 on Norway. Conversely, a $100 bet on the U.S. could yield a $270 profit. By Sunday afternoon, this specific betting option was no longer available online, possibly due to the overwhelming imbalance in favor of Norway.
U.S. Setbacks and Curling Controversies
Beyond the U.S. medal drought, a different kind of drama unfolded with allegations of cheating directed at Canada. The accusations center on their curling teams, both men's and women's, for allegedly "double touching" the stone during its initial release—a clear violation of the sport's rules. Curling regulations permit touching the stone's handle until it crosses the "hog-line" or release line, but contact with any other part of the stone is prohibited during a shot.
The controversy began on Friday when a camera positioned at the line appeared to show Canadian curler Marc Kennedy double touching the stone, which would have resulted in its removal from play. This incident escalated into an expletive-filled shouting match between Kennedy and Oskar Eriksson of Sweden. The following night, Canada’s women’s team faced similar accusations of double touching from match officials during their game against Switzerland.
While all parties involved deny any wrongdoing, this isn't Canada's first brush with controversy; the staff of their women's soccer team utilized drones to observe an opponent's closed training session during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. These incidents might prompt a reevaluation of their national anthem, perhaps transforming it into an "Oh, no, Canada?"
Sunday's Action and Monday's Schedule
Sunday's events saw varied results across the Olympic venues. In pairs figure skating, a medal for the U.S. will require an exceptional performance, with Germany, Georgia, and Canada currently occupying the podium spots after the short program; Ellie Kim and Dany O’Sullivan of the U.S. are in seventh. The U.S. men’s hockey team completed pool play undefeated, triumphing over Germany 5-1.
Erin Jackson of the U.S. was unable to defend her 2022 gold in the women’s 500m speed skating, finishing fifth, as the Netherlands claimed both gold and silver. Italy secured gold in the women’s super G skiing, with Mikaela Shiffrin, the 2018 event winner, finishing 11th for the U.S. Italy also earned another gold in the women’s biathlon 10km Pursuit, where Deedra Irwin of the U.S. placed 35th. In the men’s 12km Pursuit, Sweden won gold, with Campbell Wright of the U.S. finishing eighth.
Winter Olympics powerhouse Norway dominated the cross-country men’s 4 X 7.5km relay, while the U.S. team finished sixth. The U.S. curling teams had a strong Sunday, with the men (now 3-2) defeating Sweden 8-5 and Norway 10-8, and the women (4-1) beating China 6-5. Canada won the freestyle skiing dual moguls, with the U.S. eliminated in the quarterfinals. Britain celebrated its first gold of the day in the snowboard mixed team event, as U.S. teams lost in the quarterfinals, placing 14th and 15th. Skeleton competition concluded with Britain winning the mixed team event, and the U.S. finishing seventh. In women’s ski jumping normal hill, Norway took both first and second, while the U.S. jumpers occupied the last three spots out of 30 competitors.
Looking ahead to Monday, there are several compelling events. The U.S. women’s hockey team faces Sweden in the semifinals at approximately 7:40 a.m. PST, followed by Canada versus Switzerland in the other semifinal at 12:10 p.m. PST. The pairs free skate begins around 11:00 a.m. PST, though the U.S. pair of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are currently in seventh place. The fourth and final run of the women’s monobob, featuring strong U.S. medal contenders, starts around 12:06 p.m. PST, with Elana Mayers Taylor, a Beijing silver medalist, in second, Kallie Humphries, the Beijing gold medalist, in third, and Kaysha Love in fifth after two runs.
Today's featured photo, selected by newsletter editor Houston Mitchell from the lens of L.A. Times photographer Robert Gauthier, captures Enzo Guebey of France body checking Sam Bennett of Canada during Sunday’s men’s hockey tournament. A full schedule of Monday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics is available, along with dispatches from the L.A. Times team on the ground, covering topics from the U.S. men’s hockey team’s unbeaten run to Mikaela Shiffrin’s struggles and 2026 Winter Olympics updates.
