Olympic Notes: Swedish Sports Minister To Shun Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony

Sweden's sports minister said that she "will snub the Opening Ceremony at the Sochi Olympics for political reasons." Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth said that "human rights are important and her decision to skip the Feb. 7 ceremony should be seen as a 'political marker.'" Liljeroth said that she "will attend the Olympics themselves to support Sweden's athletes" (AP, 1/13). ... Australian freestyle skiers Amy and Lyndon Sheehan will "compete under different flags at next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi." Amy, 27, "will represent her country of birth, Australia, while Lyndon, 25, will compete for his adopted country New Zealand in a new spin on the Anzac alliance" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/14).