Olympics
Olympics — the stories and the money behind faster, higher, stronger.
When the Cold War Hijacked the Olympics: The Boycotts That Split the World
The Olympic boycotts of 1980 and 1984 were the most politically charged moments in modern Games history. In 19…
From Zeus to Jade: How Olympic Medal Design Has Evolved Over 130 Years
The Olympic medal has evolved from a simple silver disc awarded in Athens 1896 to a sophisticated work of art…
The Hole in the Wall: How Russia Cheated the Olympics and Nearly Got Away With It
The Russian state-sponsored doping scandal is the largest and most sophisticated cheating operation in Olympic…
From a Simple Parade to a $100 Million Spectacle: How the Opening Ceremony Became the World's Most Expensive Show
The Olympic opening ceremony has evolved from a modest parade of athletes into the most-watched live show on…
Eight Olympics, One Son: The Gymnast Who Refused to Stop
Oksana Chusovitina (Оксана Чусовитина) (born June 19, 1975) is an Uzbek gymnast who competed in a record eight…
21 Hours, 11 Dead: The Night Terror Shattered the Olympic Dream
The 1972 Munich Olympics were meant to present a peaceful, modern Germany to the world — instead, they became …
The .5 Billion Olympic Stadium That Took 30 Years to Pay Off
The 1976 Montreal Olympics left the city with a .5 billion debt that took 30 years to repay — the…
She Was 4'11" and Told She Was Too Short. Then She Won 4 Olympic Golds.
Deng Yaping (邓亚萍) (born February 6, 1973) is a Chinese table tennis player widely considered the greatest fema…
The $225 Million Profit That Saved the Olympic Games
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics were the first Games in history to turn a profit — $225 million — and…
The Five Rings That Cost Nothing and Mean Everything
The Olympic rings were hand-drawn by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and have since become the most recognized sym…
The Flame That Survived Nazis, Protests, and a Pandemic
The Olympic torch relay was first introduced at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by the Nazi regime and has since evol…