Advertisement

WHERE EVERY DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY

 
Published March 14, 2014

Adding to the long history of randy behavior among the thousands of mostly young, physically fit, raging-hormoned occupants of the athletes village is this Olympics' hot hookup mechanism, the dating app Tinder. "Tinder in the Olympic Village is next level," American snowboard slopestyle gold medalist Jamie Anderson tells Us Weekly. "It's all athletes! In the mountain village it's all athletes. It's hilarious. There are some cuties on there." Apparently there are a LOT of cuties on there. "There was a point where I had to be like okay, this is way too distracting," said Anderson, 23, who is single. "I deleted my account to focus on the Olympics."

* * *

Readers ask us

Could you please explain why the hockey consists of professional NHL players and the rest of the sports are amateurs?

Pros have been allowed to compete in the Olympics in any sport since 1986, when the International Olympic Committee changed its rules to allow "all the world's great male and female athletes to participate."

* * *

The suit may not suit U.S. speed skaters

After the United States' latest speed-skating disaster - the women's long-track 1,000 meters, in which Americans entered ranked 1-2 in the world but didn't even medal - a possible target for blame emerged: the high-tech racing suits by Under Armour, the popular athletic clothing maker that has sponsored the team since 2011.

They have a design flaw that might be slowing the skaters, the Wall Street Journal says: Vents on the back, designed to let heat escape, are allowing air to enter the suit, which creates drag that keeps the skaters from staying in the "low" position they need to achieve maximum speed.

No American has finished better than seventh in any of the six events so far. Several skaters, including top-ranked 1,000 skater Heather Richardson, sent their suits to an Under Armour tailor Thursday to have the panel modified with an extra piece of rubber. Richardson finished seventh, more than a second slower than the winner.

Coach Ryan Shimabukuro declined to discuss the suits. U.S. Speed Skating said there's no evidence to suggest the suits have contributed to the results. Kevin Haley, Under Armour senior VP of innovation, said he has received only positive feedback but because the lack of medals means "we'll move heaven and earth to make them better."

Compiled from Times staff and wire reports.