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By George Dickie © Zap2it COVER STORY Bobsled driver Elana Meyers of the United States vies in the XXII Winter Olympics, which begin Thursday on NBC. From Russia with love: Sochi hosts XXII Winter Olympics 2 x 4" ad 2 – FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2014 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH 1 x 4" ad Imagine palm trees, sea breezes and a temperate climate, and you've got a handle on, not your next Caribbean vacation, but the scene of the XXII Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. Yes, this Eastern European resort city of 340,000 on the northern shores of the Black Sea is not your average Winter Games host, boasting a climate closer to Virginia than Lake Placid, Lillehammer or Innsbruck. But that shouldn't detract from the action on the slopes, ice or halfpipe, given indoor venues, high-elevation ski trails and advanced snow- making technology. Coverage gets going Thursday, Feb. 6, with the first of 17 days of action in alpine skiing, snowboarding, figure and speed skating, bobsled, biathlon, and more. NBC will team with broadcast partners NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and USA Network to provide 539 hours of televised events in addition to the more than 1,000 hours of live streaming action on NBCOlym- pics.com. Bob Costas will host NBC's prime-time and late-night cover- age, with the peacock network's broadcast talent pool of correspondents and studio hosts including Dan Patrick, Mary Carillo, Matt Lauer, Lester Holt, Maria Sharapova, Al Michaels and Vladimir Pozner. Costas, who will host his record 10th Olympics with these Games, is eager to see the 12 new events, including the figure skating team event, women's ski jumping and ski halfpipe, making their Olympic debuts at Sochi. "Ski halfpipe is among many that should bring more of the infusion of youth and energy to the Games that we've seen with snowboarding's halfpipe competitions," Costas says. "While ski halfpipe is definitely one of the most highly anticipated new events, figure skating's new team competition should not be overlooked. Premiering the night before the Opening Ceremony and concluding the first Sunday of the Games, it should be a great way to kick off the figure skating program in a country with such a deep appreciation of the sport. Adding to the drama: The U.S. and Russia should both be in medal conten- tion." Figure skating is also a major storyline in women's singles, where the U.S. has not won a medal since 2006, a drought that Costas thinks could come to an end in Sochi. "The U.S. will have three women skaters in Sochi," Costas says, "and two of the hopefuls have demonstrated the potential to win a medal — two-time reigning U.S. champion Ashley Wagner and the up-and-coming 18-year-old Gracie Gold, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, at last season's World Championships. Winning gold may be out of reach with the sensational Vancouver champion Yu-Na Kim of South Korea returning for Sochi, but the Americans should challenge for a place on the podium."

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