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---SNIP--- In a post to Instagram on Thursday, the devout Christian wrote a message of "submission and obedience to God," and included an image showing her draped in an American flag after her victory. "Let me start off by saying, what an honor it is to be able to represent not only my country but also the kingdom of God," McLaughlin wrote. "What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don't have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God."

To protect human rights and preserve the integrity of the games, the 2022 Olympics should be moved to a location outside of communist China.In less than a year, the 2022 Winter Olympics will begin in Beijing, China. As the world emerges from the global war against a virus and responses to it that cost lives, jobs, and livelihoods, the time is ripe for athletes to come together to celebrate human achievement, perseverance, and grit. The Olympic Charter outlines the Fundamental Principles of Olympism. The first principle clearly states the objective of the games: “Olympism seeks to create a way of...

As if the Olympic Games didn’t have enough problems already. Between nations being awarded hosting gigs and not being able to afford the cost of new facilities and alligators trying to eat some of the competitors, you’d think that the IOC might want to take a more mellow approach going forward. But according to one recent report, when the games come to Paris in 2024 you’ll probably be seeing a new event. Breakdancing. Oh, excuse me… we’re not supposed to call it that anymore. It’s just “breaking.” (LA Times) Outsiders might scoff, but the International Olympic Committee has recognized breaking...

After some thought, Adam Rippon has decided to decline the offer of becoming an NBC correspondent for the remainder of the Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Earlier today, it was announced that the figure skater, who has become a prominent highlight of these games, was going to have his hand at commentary. However, he has decided to turn down the offer after he realized he would have to give up his Olympic standing and credential for the position. By joining NBC as a correspondent, he wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the closing ceremony. “I am so flattered that...

The United States has won at least 25 Winter Olympic medals at each of the last four Games. With one week to go in Pyeongchang, the Americans have visited the podium just 10 times and are on pace to post their lowest medal count at Winter Games since 1998. After winning 13 medals each at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and 1998 Nagano Olympics, Team USA medal totals at Olympic Winter Games increased exponentially. First, it was 34 trips to the podium in 2002 at Salt Lake City. Then, 25 medals at Turin in 2006. A record 37 Winter Olympic medals...

New Years is a time for fresh starts, optimistic attitudes and positive thinking, so what say we kick off the year with some good news out of North Korea? Naw… I’m just kidding. Things are still a mess over there. But during his annual address to welcome in 2018 (given from some undisclosed, bunker location), Kim Jong-un began striking a new tone. And while it’s not precisely conciliatory in nature, he at least sounds like he’s pretending to be interested in normalizing relations with the international community. In fact, he’s even talking about sending a delegation to the Olympic Games,...

President Obama on Tuesday pardoned retired Gen. James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff accused of lying to the FBI about his conversations with reporters regarding U.S. efforts to cripple Iran's nuclear program. Cartwright pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of making false statements during the FBI's investigation into leaks about the government's role in a highly classified operation known as Operation Olympic Games. The clandestine effort -- untaken with Israel -- deployed a computer virus known as Stuxnet that destroyed Iranian centrifuges. New York Times journalist David Sanger exposed the operation in...

A retired four-star Marine Corps general who served as the nation’s second-ranking military officer is a target of a Justice Department investigation into a leak of information about a covert U.S.-Israeli cyberattack on Iran’s nuclear program, a senior Obama administration official said. Retired Gen. James E. “Hoss” Cartwright served as deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was part of President Obama’s inner circle on a range of critical national security issues before he retired in 2011. The administration official said that Cartwright is suspected of revealing information about a highly classified effort to use a computer virus...

USA Olympic legend Dr. Sammy Lee – 1948 and 1952 Olympic Gold medalist – passed away on December 2nd, at age of 96, due to pneumonia. He was a true giant in the sport of Olympic diving... At the 1948 Summer Games in London, England, Lee earned a bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard and a gold medal in 10-meter platform diving events. Four years later, he won the gold medal in the 10-meter platform competition at Helsinki, Finland...

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced that it has awarded NBCUniversal the broadcast rights in the USA for the Olympic Games through 2032. NBC was in competition with ABC/ESPN and Fox/Fox Sports.

Professor Andreas Vött presents new results of geomorphological and geoarcheological investigations on the sedimentary burial of OlympiaOlympia, site of the famous Temple of Zeus and original venue of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, was presumably destroyed by repeated tsunamis that travelled considerable distances inland, and not by earthquake and river floods as has been assumed to date. Evidence in support of this new theory on the virtual disappearance of the ancient cult site on the Peloponnesian peninsula comes from Professor Dr Andreas Vött of the Institute of Geography of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Vött investigated the site as...

Olympia, the Sanctuary of Zeus and venue of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, was probably destroyed by tsunamis that reached far inland, and not as previously believed, by earthquakes and river flooding... Paläotsunamis that have taken place over the last 11,000 years along the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean. The Olympic-tsunami hypothesis has been put forward due to sediments found in the vicinity of Olympia, which were buried under an 8 metres thick layer of sand and other debris, and only rediscovered around 250 years ago. "The composition and thickness of the sediments we have found, do not fit...

The guided-missile frigate USS Taylor, one of two ships on deployment in the Black Sea, is being inspected for damage after running aground last week as it was preparing to moor in Samsun, Turkey, a spokesman for the U.S. 6th Fleet said Tuesday. The Taylor was able to moor without further incident, and there were no injuries, said 6th Fleet spokesman Lt. Shawn Eklund. The incident, which occurred on Feb. 12, is under further investigation, Eklund said. The Taylor and the USS Mount Whitney, an amphibious command ship and the 6th Fleet flagship, entered the Black Sea on Feb. 4...

SNIPPET: "Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics security will be beefed up following Boston Marathon explosions, officials say Russian sports officials said they will beef up security at forthcoming sports events and the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the wake of deadly explosions at Boston's marathon that killed three people, and injured over 140 others." "Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics security will be beefed up following Boston Marathon explosions, officials say" SNIPPET: "The World Athletics Championship takes place in Moscow on Aug 10-18, and the event is seen as a dress rehearsal for the 2014 Winter Games in the Black Sea resort...

Questions are also being raised questions over whether London could be trusted to stage a safe Olympic Games. After months during which China has bridled over western lectures about its fierce crackdown on dissent in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings, the country's official media reported on the shaming scenes in Britain with a mixture of shock and schadenfreude. "The West have been talking about supporting internet freedom, and oppose other countries' government to control this kind of websites, now we can say they are tasting the bitter fruit [of their complacency] and they can't complain about it," wrote...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Apolo Anton Ohno glided around the ice Saturday night with a U.S. flag tucked under an arm, flashing a handful of fingers plus one.

SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are both traveling to Copenhagen this week to promote Chicago's bid to host to the 2016 Olympic Games--and they will be making the 3,979-mile trip on separate airplanes." SNIPPET: "As reported earlier by CNSNews.com, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report cited two cost estimates for an hour of air travel by the president, vice president and first lady. One estimate comes from the White House Military Office, the other from the U.S. Air Force. Using the CRS cost estimates and the inflation adjuster from the Bureau of Labor Statisitcs,...

Chciago - There's word this morning that President Obama could go to Copenhagen to help Chicago land the Olympics afterall

April 20, 2009 TG-92 "Treasury Targets Leader of Group Tied to Al Qaida" SNIPPET: "Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today targeted al Qaida's support network by designating Abdul Haq, the overall leader and commander of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIP), a terrorist organization designated under E.O. 13224 for its support to al Qaida. E.O. 13224 targets terrorists and those providing financial, technological, or material support to terrorists or acts of terrorism by freezing the assets of designated persons and prohibiting transactions with them. This Treasury action follows a decision by the United Nations Security Council's...

The night was certainly not without its touching moments. From a beautiful little girl in a red dress sweetly singing a classic Chinese song to a young earthquake survivor leading the Chinese athletes with Yao Ming, the ceremony certainly had the potential to pull on the heartstrings. It was a ceremony that at least for one night allowed the "One World One Dream" motto to be realized. The night was also not without some intrigue. Hu JinTao’s half hearted applause for Chinese Tapei’s entrance followed later by his enthusiastic clapping for Hong Kong probably left some eyebrows raised. Iraq and...