The Latest: Curler: Russian facing charge should lose medal
By Associated Press
Feb 19, 2018 3:24 AM CST
Ronja Savolainen, of Finland, grimaces in pain after colliding with Meghan Duggan, of the United States, during the first period of the semifinal round of the women's hockey game at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)   (Associated Press)

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

U.S. Olympic curler Matt Hamilton says a Russian bronze medalist who is facing a doping charge should lose his medal from the Pyeongchang Games.

Hamilton played against Russia's Alexander Krushelnitsky in mixed doubles curling last week. Russian officials say he tested positive for meldonium.

Hamilton says he would feel bad if Krushelnitsky had not intentionally taken a banned substance. But Hamilton says athletes are ultimately responsible for what goes into their bodies.

Russian Curling Federation president Dmitry Svishchev says it's possible someone spiked Krushelnitsky's food or drink with meldonium.

The drug's manufacturer says it is mostly aimed at people with heart conditions, though it can also be used for "physical and psycho-emotional overload" in otherwise healthy people.

Meldonium's inventor has said it was given to Soviet soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to boost their stamina.

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4:45 p.m.

One of hockey's most time-honored traditions is in danger of not happening at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Officials have told players to fist-bump one another rather than shaking hands to prevent transmission of norovirus, which is highly contagious. U.S. defenseman James Wisniewski's father tested positive for norovirus last week and is one of 49 of 283 confirmed Olympic cases still in quarantine.

The U.S. men's team definitely isn't shaking hands.

Women's teams have decided to continue shaking hands, including the U.S. and Finland after their semifinal Monday. Players know about the warning and decided the meaning behind the postgame ritual outweighs the risks.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel is not sure it's necessary for players to stop but figures it's better to be safe than sorry.

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4:15 p.m.

French ice dancer Gabriella Papadakis' costume has come unhooked at the neckline, exposing her breast, during her performance at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The first notes of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" had just played Monday when Papadakis suddenly became aware that people were about to see a whole lot more of her shape than she had planned.

She calls it her "worst nightmare happening at the Olympics."

The performance was being shown live on international television, and people immediately began posting screen grabs on social media.

An NBC spokesman says the network has edited the video for future television broadcasts and online replays.

Papadakis and her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, are in second place behind Canadian stars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.

Papadakis says she's proud of their performance despite the wardrobe malfunction.

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3:50 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed that Russian curling medalist Alexander Krushelnitsky has been charged with a doping offense at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court said Monday that it has "initiated a procedure" involving Krushelnitsky, who won bronze in the mixed doubles event along with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova.

The court says no hearing date has been set.

If confirmed, a doping violation could affect Russian athletes' chances of being allowed to march under their own flag at the closing ceremony.

It's the second doping case of the Pyeongchang Olympics after a Japanese short-track speedskater tested positive for a banned diuretic.

Krushelnitsky was not with the curling team at the arena Monday.

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3:35 p.m.

The Americans are back in the Olympic gold medal game in women's hockey.

Dani Cameranesi scored two goals and an assist, and the United States advanced to the gold medal game for a third straight Olympics after beating Finland 5-0 in the semifinal Monday.

The Americans will play the winner of the other semifinal between Canada and the Russians. That game is Monday night.

Gigi Marvin started the scoring. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Hilary Knight had a goal apiece as they turned a 5-on-3 into two goals 34 seconds apart in the second.

Maddie Rooney made 14 saves for the shutout.

Finland remains winless now in eight games against the Americans in the Olympics and now will play for the bronze medal on Wednesday.

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3:20 p.m.

A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee says a failed doping test by a Russian curler could keep the country's banned federation from being reinstated and marching under the national flag at the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Associated Press has identified the curler as mixed doubles bronze medalist Alexander Krushelnitsky. The IOC has declined to name him.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams says Russian athletes and staff must follow "the letter and the spirit of the law. If they haven't, there will obviously be consequences."

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic committee last year in connection with a massive doping scheme but said it would allow "clean athletes to participate."

The IOC has allowed about 160 Russians to compete under neutral uniforms and without the national flag.

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2:40 p.m.

Finland defenseman Ronja Savolainen is back in the game, the very next period after a scary, face-first collision into the boards.

Savolainen needed to be helped off the ice at the Gangneung Hockey Center as her legs dangled helplessly beneath her in the first period of Monday's women's hockey semifinal against the United States. But she returned to the game in the second.

There was no immediate announcement about her condition. The International Ice Hockey Federation lists "rubber legs" as one sign of a concussion that should lead to an evaluation by a team physician. A player can only return to the game if the team physician determines that she did not sustain a concussion.

The Americans led 4-0 heading into the final period.

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2:15 p.m.

American Lindsey Vonn was third-fastest on the second day of Olympic downhill training, despite easing up and standing tall with arms spread at the finish.

The 2010 Vancouver Games gold medalist, who missed the 2014 Olympics after knee surgery, finished the 1¾-mile (2.8-kilometer) course at the Jeongseon Alpine Center in 1 minute, 40.10 seconds on Monday. That was nearly a second faster than the time she turned in Sunday to lead the opening training run.

There is more training Tuesday. The race is Wednesday.

Austria's Stephanie Venier, the runner-up at last year's world championships, led Monday's session at 1:39.75, with Italy's Sofia Goggia next.

Pyeongchang Olympics giant slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin was 16th-fastest. She and Vonn are assured of being picked for the four-woman U.S. downhill team, and Alice McKennis earned a spot by having the best time of other contenders Monday, arriving ninth overall.

Surprise super-G gold medalist Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic has not participated in either downhill training run and is expected to instead compete in her other sport, snowboarding, where qualifying for the parallel giant slalom is Thursday.

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2 p.m.

Finland defenseman Ronja Savolainen went face-first into the boards and had to be carried off the ice during the women's hockey semifinal against the U.S. at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Savolainen got her legs tangled with American captain Meghan Duggan inside the Finnish zone midway through the first period Monday and went hard into the boards. She crumpled to the ice, while teammates surrounded her and the training staff rushed to her aid.

After a few minutes, two people helped her off, with her arm around their shoulders and her legs dangling between them.

There was no immediate announcement about her condition.

Duggan was not penalized, drawing a jeer from the Finnish fans in the crowd.

The heavily favored Americans were up 2-0 at the beginning of the second period.

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1:50 p.m.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir lead the ice dance competition at the Pyeongchang Olympics after a record-breaking short program set to the rock music of the Rolling Stones, the Eagles and Santana.

The Canadian duo scored 83.67 points to lead their training partners and biggest rivals, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, by more than a point heading into Tuesday's free dance.

The French couple scored 81.93 points for their Latin short program.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. are third, two-hundredths of a point ahead of their compatriots, Alex and Maia Shibutani. Fellow Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates are seventh.

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1:45 p.m.

Russian curlers say a coach on their team has told them that mixed doubles bronze medalist Alexander Krushelnitsky tested positive for a banned substance at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Women's skip Viktoria Moiseeva says the coach "came to tell us the news" late Sunday South Korea time.

She adds the team wanted to comfort Krushelnitsky and his wife and curling partner Anastasia Bryzgalova but "we thought that there are no words to comfort now. We just tried to stay away."

Russian Curling Federation president Dmitry Svishchev would not confirm the athlete's name. Svishchev said it was possible that an athlete's food or drink had been spiked with a banned substance.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams says a failed doping test by a Russian athlete could keep the country's banned team from being reinstated and marching under the national flag at the closing ceremony.

Krushelnitsky, whose event is over, was not with the team at the arena Monday.

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1:35 p.m.

Another eight cases of norovirus have been confirmed at the Pyeongchang Olympics, bringing the total to 283. Of those, 49 are still quarantined and the rest have recovered and been cleared to resume their normal routines.

Among the more recently diagnosed is U.S. hockey defenseman James Wisniewski's father. Wisniewski says his dad, Jim, who is 62, began feeling the effects of norovirus Saturday and is in quarantine.

Officials have recommended players fist-bump each other rather than shaking hands because norovirus is so contagious.

At the beginning of the games, thousands of security workers were kept in their rooms because of norovirus concerns at a youth training center where they were staying

Organizing committee spokeswoman Nancy Park says the numbers indicate officials have been successful in containing the virus.

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1:30 p.m.

Two-time Olympic medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have broken their own record for an ice dance short program with a score of 83.67 points at Gangneung Ice Arena.

The Canadians, who won Olympic gold in Vancouver and silver in Sochi, received level-four marks on all five elements in their program. That included a dazzling midline step sequence to open the program and a rhumba sequence on which they were graded harshly during the team event.

Virtue and Moir performed both their short and free skate programs in helping Canada win team gold.

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12:50 p.m.

Canada's women curlers are fighting their way back from a shocking string of losses at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Canadians nabbed an 8-3 win over Japan on Monday in the women's round robin. Japan conceded the game early after a strong performance from the Canadians left them with little chance of catching up.

Canada's women curlers are the defending world champions and came into the games as the favorite to win gold. But they fell to last place in the standings after losing their first three games. Monday's game marks their third straight win, putting them fourth place in the rankings.

Korea and Sweden are now tied for first place in the women's rankings, followed by Japan.

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12:40 p.m.

Two Americans who are representing South Korea in the Pyeongchang Olympics have made the cut for the free dance competition.

Yura Min has Korean heritage, and her partner, Alexander Gamelin, passed a citizenship test to become eligible.

Min bawled when she saw the short dance numbers from the judges.

She says, "All we could ask for was to put out our best performance, and we did. It's the most amazing feeling."

Min had a wardrobe malfunction during the team short dance, with a hook popping at the beginning of the routine. She fought through, keeping the costume up for the entire program despite having thoughts of stopping.

No such worries this time, and she's thrilled to be remembered for something else at these Olympics.

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11:50 a.m.

The women's hockey tournament will increase from eight to 10 teams for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel confirmed the change at a news conference Monday. Fasel says the Beijing organizing committee requested the addition of two teams.

The move will help allow China to have a team in the tournament.

Federation council chairwoman Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer says the quality of women's hockey around the world is good enough for this step, pointing to Japan beating Sweden on Sunday and no team scoring more than eight goals in a game as signs of progress.

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10:30 a.m.

Gangneung Ice Center has been pretty much filled for most of figure skating, one of the premier events of the Winter Olympics.

Not Monday morning (Sunday evening U.S. time), though. The building that has a capacity of about 12,000 was half-empty when the short dance began. There were sections near mid-ice and also in the end zones that were practically unoccupied.

For most other figure skating events at these games, the arena filled up quickly. But it never had so few people in it for the beginning of a competition.

The top ice dance couples are not scheduled to perform until deep into the 24-duo short dance.

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10:10 a.m.

Ice dancing is underway at the Olympic Games with two-time medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron the heavy favorites to win gold.

Three American couples have a chance at landing on the podium.

Maia and Alex Shibutani, the siblings who helped the U.S. win team bronze, are making their second Olympic appearance. They're joined by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, the reigning national champs, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the latter of whom is competing in his third Olympics.

The short dance is Monday South Korea time (to be broadcast Sunday night in the U.S.) with the free dance wrapping up the competition Tuesday.

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10 a.m.

After a one-day break, Olympic figure skating resumes with the ice dancing short program.

A strong performance from Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir helped Canada win gold in the team competition, but Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France and American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani could provide serious competition.

Medals are up for grabs in just three events Monday: men's 500-meter speedskating, men's large hill team ski jumping, and men's two-man bobsled.

In the women's hockey semifinals, the Americans play Finland, while defending champion Canada faces Russia.

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