CNBC's Carl Quintanilla called the Pyeongchang Games "one of the smoothest Olympics I've covered." He said there was "never a debate ... that Korea would be ready" for the event. Quintanilla: "They are so competent, they are so polite. The Games have basically gone off without a hitch" ("Worldwide Exchange," CNBC, 2/15). Meanwhile, POCOG today said that a total of 16 Olympics staffers and spectators "were injured when strong winds ripped through the Olympic venues on Wednesday, while also causing considerable damage to the installations." The wind "ripped tents, signposts and steel fencing off their base and sent them flying through the Olympic park" (REUTERS, 2/15).
3-D printing company Stratasys helped customize the sled used by Krewson and SherkGETTY IMAGES
BUILDING A BETTER SLED: In Minneapolis, Nicole Norfleet notes U.S. lugers Justin Krewson and Andrew Sherk yesterday competed in a doubles luge event in a "custom ride made with the help" of Minnesota-based 3-D printing company Stratasys, which "customized the sled Krewson and Sherk used." The technology is "seen as a competitive improvement in aerodynamics and the time it takes to build and test the sleds." The company has been "working with the U.S. luge team for a little less than two years brainstorming ideas for how to improve sleds" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/15).
GETTING CREATIVE: In Utah, Jed Boal notes KT Tape, the exclusive provider of kinesiology tape for the Team USA, has been growing, "doubling its business in the past three years." KT Tape is "usually used for shoulder and knee injuries." The USA-emblazoned blue tape is "being used by some Winter Olympic athletes, including some using it in a unique way that caught the attention of fans and the company." U.S. skier Ted Ligety earlier this week "tried it on his face to try and fend off frostbite while traveling 70 to 80 mph downhill during frigid temperatures" in Pyeongchang (DESERET NEWS, 2/15).
PUZZLING DECISION: The AP’s Paul Newberry notes French skiers who attempted to “place tiny stickers on their helmets in honor” of their fallen teammate David Poisson were stopped by the IOC because it was a “violation of rules that apparently forbid athletes from showing the least bit of empathy or coping with their grief.” Poisson died in November while training in Canada, and the skiers “wanted to wear a sticker with a drawing of a fish’s head, a play on the meaning of his name in French.” Newberry: “We have no idea why the IOC would object to a small token of respect and remembrance for a two-time Olympian who gave his life for the sport he loved” (AP, 2/15).
