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Winter Olympics showcase skills, speed on snow and ice
Get set for more than two weeks of thrills on slopes, rinks and sled tracks as 2,500 athletes from around the world come to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the XXI Winter Olympic Games -- or 21st Winter Olympics. The show starts Friday as competitors walk behind their flags flag in a colorful stadium parade by more than 80 nations. America's 216 athletes will wear vintage-style jackets, turtlenecks and wool hats designed by Polo Ralph Lauren.
Televised action runs through Feb. 28 with activities that include ski jumping, snowboarding, bobsledding, ice dancing, figure skating, hockey and downhill racing. Athletes also will try for gold, silver or bronze medals in sports that are not as well-known -- such as the biathlon (cross-country skiing and target shooting), curling (sliding heavy granite "stones" on ice), luge (one-person or two-person sleds that exceed 90 mph) and skeleton (face-first sledding).
The Winter Olympics, held every four years, are a big deal for broadcasters and a huge challenge for Canadian security forces. NBC will show nearly 200 hours of coverage, with additional programming on the MSNBC and CNBC cable networks. NBC's website (www.nbcolympics.com) has a feed of Twitter message streams from more than 80 athletes.
Front Page Talking Points is written by Felix Grabowski and Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2010
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