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SCMP Sport

It's the end of one career in Beijing, and potentially a defining moment in another.
Snowboard legend Shaun White has made his final Olympic appearance in the half-pipe, and while the romantics among us wanted to see him slide off into the sunset with a gold medal, he fell trying a second 1440 of his final run and came down the slope to the applause of the crowd.
White's compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin has finished her super-G run in one piece and without crashing. The American skier has already provided one of the defining images for disappointment at the Games, and the reaction to her failure again highlighted the pressure athletes are under to perform.
Hong Kong's Sidney Chu made his Games debut in the short-track speedskating men's 500m event, where he was in the same heat as Olympic record holder and defending champion Wu Dajing from China. He put in a valiant effort, finishing third but missing out on the quarter-finals.
Reporting by Josh Ball, Matt Eaton, Jess Ma, Cyril Ip, Jack Lau, Mia Castagnone, Nazvi Careem, and Nicolas Atkin.


Meet Alex Hall, freestyle skiing’s 2022 Olympic champion competing at Milano Cortina 2026

Shaun White on returning to the Olympics as a commentator and mentoring young snowboarders

Eileen Gu to be in spotlight at Winter Olympics again but passport issue refuses to go away

Ryan Wedding arrested: ex-Olympian fugitive on FBI’s ‘most wanted’ list caught in Mexico

Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Winter Olympics: Hong Kong's Sidney Chu bows out despite valiant effort; Seoul protestors tear up Chinese flag – day 7, as it happened

Sidney Chu of Hong Kong competes during his men’s 500m short-track speedskating heat. Photo: Xinhua


Sport

China

Beijing Winter Games 2022

Explainers


Hong Kong's Sidney Chu finishes third in his stacked men’s short-track speedskating 500m heat, and narrowly misses out on the quarter-finals
Protestors from South Korean conservative group Righteous People tear up Chinese flag near China's embassy



Hong Kong's Sidney Chu finished third in his stacked men’s short-track speedskating 500m heat, narrowly missing out on quarter-finals. In Seoul, protestors tore up a Chinese flag near China's embassy.


Live

Welcome back to our live Winter Olympics coverage and what a line up we have for today. 
Day 6 was another thriller, with “Quad King” Nathan Chen of the US clinching gold in the men’s figure skating free skate.
The event also saw defending champion Yuzuru Hanyu attempt (and fail) to land a quadruple axel, much to the disappointment of the Japanese superstar and his adoring fans.
So, about today. It’s going to be one heck of a day.
An unprecedented fourth gold medal awaits American snowboarder Shaun White if he can successfully defend his title, but there will be lots of rivals waiting in the wings to pounce, including Australia's Scotty James and Japan's Hirano Ayumu.
For Hong Kong, Sidney Chu makes his speedskating debut, but will have a mountain to climb. He’s up against China’s Wu Dajing in the men’s 500m heats. Wu holds both the current world and Olympic records in the event.
Hold on to your hats, folks, we should be in for some big moments. 


Welcome to day 7

From women’s ice hockey, to Hong Kong’s speedskating debut, day 7 is set to be just action-packed.
There’s a lot to unpack, but the five big things we’ll be watching include women’s ice hockey, Mikaela Shiffrin’s return for the women’s Super-G event, and, of course, Shaun White’s last hurrah..
Post reporters Jack Lau and Harvey Kong have poured through the days events to bring you the best of the best.
See the full story right here.



5 things to watch out for on day 7

An easy guide to today’s medal events 
Alpine skiing
11:00–13:09: Women’s super-G
Biathlon
17:00–18:10: Women’s 7.5km sprint
Cross-country skiing
15:00–16:35: Men’s 15km classic
Snowboard
09:30–10:49: Men’s snowboard half-pipe final
Skeleton
21:55–22:40: Men’s heat 4
Speed skating
16:00–17:55: Men’s 10,000m
Short-track speedskating
19:00–20:49: Women’s 1000m quarter-finals, semi-finals, final B, final A



Medal events to watch on day 7

The first run of the men’s half-pipe final is complete, with some of the sport’s bigger named stumbling on their first run - including Australia’s Scotty James, Japan’s Ruka Hirano and Ayumu Hirano.
They are leaving it all out there. 
Shaun White finished the first of his three runs in fourth place and will need something big to put himself on the podium.
There’s two more runs to go before we find out if the 36-year-old can extend his Olympic legacy.



Snowboard half-pipe up and running

Mikaela Shiffrin is ready to have some “fun” when she returns to Olympic action in the super-G.
Shiffrin posted on Twitter early Friday morning to say she’s grateful “to have the opportunity to refocus on a new race, in the sport that I love so much.”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist is off to a rough start at the Beijing Games.
She went off-course within about 10 seconds in the giant slalom on Monday and after about half as much time in the slalom on Wednesday.
“I’ve had a lot of support over the last 48 hours,” Shiffrin wrote Friday, “and I have to thank everyone for that.”
The 26-year-old American won each of those events at past Games.
She has never entered an Olympic super-G before but did win that race at the 2019 world championships. Associated Press
Well I’ve had a lot of support over the last 48 hours and I have to thank everyone for that.  Today is Super G, and Super G is fun. I can’t express how grateful I am to have the opportunity to refocus on a new race, in the sport that I love so much. Onward.
  — Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 10, 2022


Mikaela Shiffrin gives thanks

After a somewhat shaky start, Shaun White rebounds with a solid second run to post a score of 85. But will it be enough? Maybe not.
So far it’s all Scotty James. The Aussie has taken a clear lead with a huge second run of 92.5, with Swiss snowboarder Jan Scherrer in second place on 87.25.
With the Japanese snowboarders still to come, White will be lucky to make the podium at this stage.


Solid second run for White, but is it enough

In a statement posted onto Weibo, Yasuhiro Sato, coach of 17-year-old Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming, urged the public to not criticise the judges who awarded Su silver and Canada’s Max Parrot gold in Monday’s controversial slopestyle final.
Sato and Su were “disappointed” that the scoring may be due to a misjudgment, but respect their decision and understood that “the job of judging is sometimes really difficult”.



Respect the judges, says team Su

And there you have it, it’s all over for Shaun White. The three-time champion left nothing on the table, but, sadly he will not make the podium.
He was unable to land a back-to-back 1440 and finishes in fourth place with still several runs to come from the Japanese riders and Aussie Scotty James. 
Instead, White will leave a snowboarding legacy that will last for a long, long time.
He snowboards to the end to the applause of everyone in the crowd.
White is incredibly emotional in the finish area.



Emotional last run for Shaun White

Ayumu Hirano wins gold in men’s halfpipe, with Pyeongchang bronze medalist Scotty James claiming silver.
Hirano’s final run was epic. Two double cork 1260s and a frontside double cork 1440 to finish. 96 points.
Swiss Jan Scherrer has bronze.



Ayumu Hirano lands two triple cork 1440s to win gold

In a message from one sporting legend to another, skateboarder Tony Hawk has told Shaun White not to stop riding.
"My advice to him [Shaun White] when it’s all over would be: keep riding,” Hawk told Olympics.com. “But do it for fun. Do it for yourself. That’s what fuels you. It’s not about winning. It’s about that extension of yourself and that outlet. I sent him a video message recently alluding to this very thing.
"I’m living proof of maybe how far you can take it – and to what age. I just think for his own sanity, he needs to keep riding his snowboard. Don’t just hang it up. And if he wants to get back into skateboarding, he knows where to find me."


Hawk urges White: don’t stop riding

California-born Chinese figure skater Zhu Yi declared her “excitement” at the possibility of becoming “another big name for China” when she renounced her US citizenship in 2018.
Zhu has certainly fulfilled that potential at the Beijing Winter Olympics – just not for the right reasons.
After a costly team event fumble and further falls in the free skate, the sniffling 19-year-old was subjected to negative comments on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, where she was labelled “a disgrace” and “dream-stealer”, with hashtags such as “Shame on Zhu Yi”, “Zhu Yi has fallen” and “Zhu Yi cried again”.
SCMP reporter Andrew McNicol has done some digging and produced a fantastic profile of Zhu and her family.
An excellent read, which you can find here. 



Who is Zhu Yi? Meet the US-born Chinese figure skater

A backlash against Chinese state media is taking place on Weibo as netizens tell state media to “stop putting pressure” on reigning champion Wu Dajing before his race.
A trending post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, is the hashtag #Wu Dajing starts journey to defend title, with more than 3 million views. The hashtag was created by Sportschinanews.com, the sports arm of state-backed China News Service.
However, unlike the usual outpouring of support for Chinese athletes, netizens are united in their dismayed accusation of state media piling pressure on the reigning world champion short-track speedskater. 
“This media attention is sick... stop milking this by whipping out the phrase “gold rush” before anything happens. This gives so much pressure to the athlete,” one commentator wrote.
“The media going ‘gold rush’ and ‘defending title’ every day just irks me. If the media is so impressive they might as well go for the gold themselves. They’re winning gold with their empty mouths when the pressure’s not on them,” another netizen said.



Netizens tell state media to ease up on Wu Dajing

American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has finished her first race of Beijing 2022 in the women's super-G.
Shiffrin, who skied out of both the giant slalom and slalom events, started well but lost time on leader Lara Gut-Behrami down the rest of the course.
She is in provisional ninth place in a field of 44 entrants, but the result didn't really matter.
Shiffrin had never entered a super-G at an Olympics before, although she did win a gold in the event at the 2019 world championship and a bronze at last year’s worlds.



Shiffrin completes super-G run

There’s a few decent games up for fans of curling today, and China have the day off to a good start with win over Denmark in third round of the men’s round robin.
Great Britain lost to the USA 9-7, while Swiss men’s team beat ROC 6-3. The Swedes look unstoppable right now.
Later today, the highly anticipated women’s match between China and the US will start at 14.05.



China defeat Denmark in men’s curling

Retiring American snowboard legend Shaun White missed out on a halfpipe medal at the Beijing Olympics on Friday in his final competition, finishing fourth, as Japan's Ayumu Hirano claimed gold. White, speaking after his final run, was understandably emotional.
"It's done and I'm so relieved," he said.
"I wish I would have done better in my runs.
The 35-year-old, who will retire after the Games, scored 85.00 points to finish off the podium, as Hirano took gold in front of Australia's Scotty James and Switzerland's Jan Scherrer.
“I mean, there's a reason: my back leg was like, giving out on me, it was so sore, maybe it's the nerves. It was just locking up and I did what I could and I'm proud of fourth.
"Obviously I would have loved to have third, and then if I would have had third, I would have loved to have second.
“I always want more as a competitor, but I'm proud. I'm leaving behind a lifetime and a career in this sport and a legacy.
"Snowboarding, thank you. It's been the love of my life.”



Shaun White: ‘It’s done and I’m so relieved’

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s right to compete in the women’s event at the Beijing Winter Olympics will be decided at an urgent hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The International Testing Agency said Friday it will lead an appeal on behalf of the IOC against a decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to lift a provisional ban – which Russian officials had imposed Tuesday – on the 15-year-old Valieva for failing a doping test in December.
Read the full story here. 



Developing: Kamila Valieva’s fate to be decided

The first ever super-G Olympic gold for a Swiss athlete, man or woman, belongs to Lara Gut-Behrami.
No one else from Switzerland has just accomplished what the world champion has done. Gut-Behrami claims her first Olympic gold medal to add to two career bronzes.
Mirjam Puchner of Austria claims a big personal-best silver; Gut-Behrami's teammate Michelle Gisin wins bronze.
Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin is out of the medal places in ninth. The American failed to finish in either of her two previous races in Beijing.



Gut-Behrami wins super-G gold

Each day the Olympic cafeteria whips up myriad cuisines to cater to diverse palates for nearly 2,000 athletes and staff.
However, it is also a place where foreign athletes get to sample Chinese food, or satisfy their cravings for China’s cuisine.
Among the offerings, Peking duck and dumplings are particularly popular, reports Chinese media on the ground.
Around 80 roasted ducks are gobbled up during peak lunch hours from 11am to 5pm every day, according to CRI News Radio.



How many ducks does it take to feed a village?

Team USA have found rhythm in the women's Olympic quarter-final, taking a 2-1 lead over the Czech Republic.
Michaela Pejzlova gave the Czechs an early goal in the second period before Hilary Knight struck back for the Americans shortly after.
Elsewhere ROC continue to hold Denmark in the men’s quarter-finals with a narrow 1-0 lead.



US rebound in women’s ice hockey quarter-final

Short-track speed skater Sidney Chu is just hours away from making his Winter Olympic debut in the men’s 500m event – and who better to race against than China’s world record-holder Wu Dajing?
Chu is in the last of the heats at the Capital Indoor Stadium on Friday evening. Leading the quartet will be Wu, the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic champion who a won controversial gold in the mixed team relay on Tuesday.
Post reporter Andrew McNicol takes a look at what’s at stake for the 22-year-old. 



Sidney Chu predicts a ‘very difficult race’

The defending Olympic champion US women’s hockey team held off an impressive quarterfinal challenge by the first-time Olympian Czech Republic on Friday, winning their quarterfinal 4-1 at Wukesong Sports Centre.
The Americans outshot the Czechs 59-6, but Czech goaltender Klara Peslarova was outstanding while keeping her underdog team in the game.
The U.S. women’s semifinal opponent is to be determined because teams are reseeded after the quarterfinal round, which continues through Saturday. Tribute News Service



US advance to women’s hockey semi-finals

A lull in competition for a while, but curling continues at pace. In the women's events, Japan have stolen back-to-back ends against Canada to lead 5–4.
After seven ends, USA have run away from China 6-1, while ROC lead Switzerland 4-2.
Korea have the edge over Great Britain at the end of the sixth period, 5-3.



Curling continues

The men's blue-riband event of the speed skating programme, the 10,000m, has begun at the National Speed Skating Oval.
There are a whole bunch of athletes who could threaten the podium positions in this final.
Only 12 have qualified for this long race, among them multiple (former) world record holders. Canada's Graeme Fish, one of those former record holders, is in the first pair against New Zealander Peter Michael.



Men’s 10,000m final begins

Like the Tokyo Summer Games, the Beijing Winter Olympics has been fuelled by social media and Eileen Gu has been a massive beneficiary. 
Her social media audience has grown significantly over the past week. 
On Instagram, Gu has reached 1 million fans since the Winter Games begun and this afternoon she thanked fans for helping her to reach this milestone.
Meanwhile her presence on Weibo, the Chinese social media website, has soared to 4.3 million.
Her Douyin account, the Chinese equivalent of Tiktok, has grown even more, from 2 million followers on February 3 to 11.9 million as of today.
Gu will be back in action on Sunday for the women’s freeski half-pipe qualification rounds. Expect her followers to balloon.


Eileen Gu wins on social media

The US are crushing China in women’s curling.
The Americans lead 8-3 after scoring four consecutive ends.
Not a good day for the Chinese women.


US take clear lead in women’s curling

Team USA have defeated China 8-4 in women’s curling.
The Chinese women have never got a lead over the Americans, who scored two points in the first end. China scored 1 in the second, but the margin just got bigger and bigger from the third to sixth end, when China scored nothing.
China had a better run in end 7, when they scored two points but the US’ lead proved too big to overcome.
China have won no games so far in the round robin stage, whereas the US won all three of their games. The US will face Britain on Saturday next, and China will face South Korea the day after.
Meanwhile Japan stun Canada with to win 8-8. That is an upset. And Great Britain have lost to the Republic of Korea's so-called "Garlic Girls" 9–7.



Team USA defeat China in women’s curling

Japan notches its first win of the Beijing women’s curling tournament, prevailing 8-5 against a Canada team that repeatedly failed to capitalise with the hammer.
Skipper Satsuki Fujisawa and team Loco Solare scored against the hammer in the first, fourth and fifth ends on the way to a convincing victory at the National Aquatics Centre.
The result leaves world No 7 Japan with a 1-1 record in round-robin play following an 8-5 defeat to reigning Olympic champion Sweden the previous day. Kyodo



Japan up and running

Wow, this is incredible.
New world record and Olympic record for Nils van der Poel in the men’s 10,000m speed skating event.
The Swede crosses the line in 12:30.74 – a massive world record by over 2.2 seconds, beating his own mark from last February.



Van der Poel smashes all the records

The Kremlin says it is fully behind Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, whose Olympic gold medal hangs in the balance after she failed a doping test.
“We boundlessly and fully support Kamila Valieva and call on everyone to support her,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters.
“And we say to Kamila: don’t hide your face. You are a Russian – perform and defeat everybody,” Peskov adds.
He says the Kremlin is encouraging everyone to wait for the results of the investigation and for the IOC to make its decision.
“We are convinced that this is some kind of misunderstanding,” Peskov says. AFP



Kremlin ‘fully supports’ Valieva

Norway’s Marte Olsbu Roeiseland captures gold at the women’s biathlon 7.5km sprint event, followed by Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg and Italy’s Dorothea Wierer.
Roeiseland is the leader in the International Biathlon Union World Cup by total score, and was the most successful Norwegian women’s biathlete at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.
She’s led a very successful Olympic campaign so far, bagging a bronze in the women’s 15km individual event and a gold for the mixed 4x6km relay before today’s race.



Roeiseland captures biathlon gold

Members of Righteous People, a conservative South Korean group, have torn up a Chinese flag near China’s embassy in Seoul, to protest what they see as biased refereeing in the men’s 1,000m short-track speedskating semi-finals.
South Korea’s Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo were penalised and eliminated from the race, which allowed Chinese speed skaters Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong to advance. Ren and Li went on to win gold and silver at the event.
The group also protested the appearance of hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, at the opening ceremony, saying that it was cultural appropriation. At the ceremony on February 4, a woman in hanbok was among a group of performers who donned clothing from China’s official ethnic minority groups and carried the Chinese flag.
Koreans are one of 56 officially recognised ethnic minority groups in China. Here’s a report from the Post’s Laura Zhou on the hanbok debacle. Yonhap News Agency



Chinese flag torn up in Seoul protest

The women’s 1,000m speed skating quarter-finals kick off with China’s Qu Chunyu and Han Yutong up against the Netherlands’ Suzanne Schulting, and Xandra Velzeboer and Corine Stoddard of the USA.
The defending champion Schulting comes in first and beats her own world record with a time of 1:26.514.
Qu and Han miss out on the semi-finals after coming fourth and fifth. China’s last hope, Zhang Chutong, is coming up in the third heat.



Schulting smashes world record

Zhang Chutong is unable to deliver, registering a disappointing fourth-place finish in the third heat of the women’s 1,000m speed skating.
Italy’s Arianna Fontana and Belgium’s Hanne Desmet finish first and second respectively, and will be advancing to the semi-finals.



Zhang misses out

Ren Ziwei is up next in the men’s 500m short -track speedskating heat 2.
Hong Kong’s Sidney Chu and China’s Qu Dajing are in heat 8.


Men’s 500m heats set to start

Ren Ziwei flies through the second heat of the men’s 500m in first place, with a time of 40.669.
He is followed by Kazakhstan’s Adil Galiakhmetov.
The two best athletes in each heat and the four fastest third-place finishers will qualify for the quarter-finals.



A breeze for Ren

South Korean police are investigating an alleged assault on a Chinese student in the southern port city of Busan, amid growing anti-China sentiment over an Olympics skating race triggered home controversy.
The disqualification of two South Korean short-track speed skaters has provoked anger at home, with many comments on social media and from some politicians accusing the referees of penalising them to boost the host nation’s chances of winning medals.
The Busan incident occurred on Wednesday night when an unidentified Chinese student was attacked by two Korean men, according to the Yonhap news agency.
A video posted by China’s state-run Beijing Youth Daily on its Chinese social media WeChat account showed a man kicking another man sitting in a parking lot. The video was also widely circulated on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter. Reuters


South Korean police probe assault of Chinese man

South Korea’s Hwang Dae-hoon, who took the gold medal in the 1,500m short track final on Wednesday, comes in second in the sixth 500m heat.
Abzal Azhgaliyev takes first place.



Hwang safely through

Hungary’s Liu Shaoang will join his brother, Liu Shaolin in the quarter-finals of the men’s 500m after coming first in his heat.
China’s Sun Long progresses after being pushed during the race by the Netherlands’ Jens van’t Wout, who was subsequently penalised.



Liu Shaoang joins brother in quarter-finals

Defending champion Wu Dajing comes in first in his heat, with a time of 40.23. Hong Kong’s Sidney Chu finishes third.
This was a tough heat that produced the fastest time – a credit to Chu, who had the odds stacked against him.
The commentators also gave credit to Chu. “This is Hong Kong’s first speed skater. You have to feel for Sidney Chu. He was placed in a very fast heat.”



Valiant effort but Chu bows out

Kristen Santos of the US enters final A after finishing first in the second women’s 1,000m short-track speedskating semi-final.
Her time of 1.26.79 is faster than Suzanne Schulting, the winner of the other semi-final. The Netherland’s Schulting breezed through in 1:28.108.
Lee Yubin of South Korea, in third, narrowly misses out. Her time of 1:28.170 is just 0.004 seconds slower than Belgium’s Hanne Desmet, who was third in the other race.
Final A is set for 8.43pm.



Santos, Schulting through to final

That was close for China. They were nearly out of the men’s 5,000m short-track speedskating relay after Li Wenlong fell on the 34th lap.
China were skating in second behind Canada before the mishap. 
But after a video replay, China will advance to the A final. Canada and Italy will join them, while Japan proceed to the B final.



Close shave for China

The second men’s 5,000m relay semi-final race ends with South Korea finishing first, and ROC second.
They will join Canada, Italy and China in the final, which will take place next Wednesday.



South Korea, Russians through to 5,000m relay final

Sidney Chu speaks to reporters after narrowly missing out on the men’s 500m quarter-finals.
“The result was not ideal, and it’s a pity, especially because I wasn’t used to starting next to my opponents,” Chu says.
“But I have completed my mission this time of taking part in this high-level competition, racing against opponents and challenging myself.
“At the same time, we are very honoured and happy to be able to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. I hope everyone can continue to support winter sports and enjoy together the joys of ice skating.”


Chu ‘honoured’ despite exit

Skeleton run 3 is under way.
China’s Yan Wengang is currently in fourth place, and Yin Zheng is seventh with one run to go, and the medal still up for grabs.
Germany’s Christopher Grotheer and Axel Jungk are in first and second respectively.



Skeleton under way

Sidney Chu finished third in his Beijing Winter Olympics men’s 500m short-track speedskating heat at the Capital Indoor Stadium on Friday night, making history as Hong Kong’s first-ever athlete to take part in the event.
The 22-year-old clocked a time of 44.90 seconds as reigning Olympic champion Wu Dajing and world championship bronze medallist Pietro Sighel eased through to the next rounds with 40.24 and 40.37, respectively. 
Though he did not qualify or set a new personal best, Chu said he left the rink with invaluable experience. Meanwhile, European championship silver medallist Dylan Hoogerwerf rounded up the heat with a “Did Not Finish” after slipping midway.
“The result was not ideal, but to compete next to Wu Dajing is already an incredible achievement,” world No 80 Chu told TVB after the race, adding that he was forced to slow down after almost bumping into Dutchman Hoogerwerf in the second turn. 
Read our full report here.



Chu proud of ‘incredible achievement’

Suzanne Schulting – world record holder, world champion and defending Olympic champion – does it again.
The Dutch speed skater takes gold in the women’s 1,000m short-track final, followed by South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong taking silver.
Belgium’s 25-year-old Hanne Desmet finishes in third, winning her country’s first short-track speedskating medal.
Italy’s Arianna Fontana and the US’ Kristen Santos collide. The Italian is penalised for a lane change causing contact, and places last.



Unstoppable Schulting does it again

Police are punishing Chinese traders for cashing in by reselling scarce dolls of Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen at up to 10 times the retail price.
Buyers stood in line overnight in freezing weather and emptied store shelves after the Winter Games opened on February 4. News reports say factory employees were called back from their Lunar New Year holiday to make more panda mascots.
Three people in Beijing were sentenced to unspecified “administrative penalties” for reselling souvenirs at prices deemed too high, police announced. Punishment can include detention, fines and confiscation of goods.
Plush toys of Bing Dwen Dwen, a panda in a clear plastic suit, sold for 192 yuan (US$30) at the Gongmei Emporium in central Beijing. The shop on the Wangfujing pedestrian mall and other authorised outlets also sell Olympics-themed pens, badges and other souvenirs. Associated Press



Bing Dwen Dwen crackdown

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych has used the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing to highlight the threat of his country being invaded by Russia.
He held up a sign saying “No War in Ukraine” after his third of four runs in the men’s competition at the sliding venue in Yanqing on Friday.
The 23-year-old could face sanctions for the action from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who forbid athletes from making political statements at Games venues.
Russia have amassed thousands of troops on Ukraine’s borders but despite western fears have denied plans to invade the country. dpa



‘No War in Ukraine’

Suzanne Schulting has spoken about her 1,000m gold medal win.
“I became really confident out there after skating a world record. I was really excited,” she said.
This is the fifth gold medal for the Netherlands at Beijing 2022, the first four of which all from speed skating.
“For the Netherlands, it means a lot. I worked so hard for the whole team. I got the gold, but I got the gold for the whole team, and I am super proud,” said the 24-year-old. Associated Press



Schulting ‘worked so hard’

Beijing is the "safest place on the planet" given its anti-coronavirus measures taken during the Winter Olympics, an official of the International Olympic Committee has said.
"It is almost impossible to get infected with Covid-19 within the bubble," Brian McCloskey, chief of the Beijing 2022 Medical Expert Panel, was quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency as saying recently.
"We look at the results of all tests every day and everyone has been vaccinated," he said.
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are being held under strict anti-coronavirus measures, RIA Novosti noted. Xinhua



Beijing ‘safest place on the planet’

Cristopher Grotheer of Germany wins the gold medal in the men's skeleton.
Axel Jungk of Germany takes the silver medal, with Yan Wengang of China winning bronze.



Gold for Grotheer

That about does it from us.
Thank you for following along on what was another thrilling day of action in Beijing.
Be sure to check our dedicated Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics microsite on Saturday, for updates from a busy Day 8.
