Olympics

Ukraine skeleton star Vladyslav Heraskevych won’t be sliding for Olympic gold this year ... because officials have benched him over a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed in the war -- and now the decision is sparking a global firestorm.

The Ukrainian Olympian -- widely seen as a legit medal threat -- was disqualified from competing after refusing to ditch a custom helmet featuring tributes to more than 20 fallen Ukrainian athletes and coaches who died during Russia’s invasion.

Olympic officials say the tribute crossed a line.

Lindsey Vonn is giving fans an update from her hospital bed, announcing she underwent ANOTHER surgery -- her third since Sunday's brutal accident -- which she says was a success ... though the road to recovery is a long one.

"I had my 3rd surgery today and it was successful," the 41-year-old Olympian wrote to her over 3 million followers on Instagram.

"Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago. I’m making progress and while it is slow, I know I’ll be ok. Thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world."

Along with the medical update, Vonn also posted three photographs ... including one showing what appears to be an external fixator device on her right leg, which she broke in multiple places during Sunday's gnarly crash on a mountain in Italy.

It appears Sturla Holm Laegreid's not out of the doghouse (yet?) -- his ex-girlfriend has addressed his public cheating confession during the Winter Olympics ... and she said forgiveness isn't so easy.

SHL's ex, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke with Norwegian news outlet VG about Tuesday's viral moment ... when the biathlete admitted during his medal-winning interview that he stepped out on her months ago.

"I made the biggest mistake of my life and was unfaithful, and I told her about it a week ago," SHL said. "This has been the worst week of my life."

Before addressing the confession, she congratulated SHL and his teammate, Johan-Olav Bothn, on winning the bronze ... but despite his public apology, she's not ready to move past his infidelity.

Chinese snowboarder Jiayu Liu took a serious spill in a disastrous move on her women's halfpipe qualifying run Wednesday ... slamming down hard and unable to get up afterward.

Check out the scary video ... the 33-year-old was well on her way to landing a 900-degree spin ... but her board suddenly caught an edge as she was coming off the transition part of the pipe, violently tossing her forward and sending her into an uncontrolled somersault.

The clip shows her legs and board flipping over her back -- a wipeout known as a "Scorpion," because the crash resembles the arachnid's tail curling up forward toward its head.

Well, this is certainly an Olympics cheating scandal no one saw coming -- Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid won his first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games -- and confessed to cheating on his girlfriend after one of the biggest accomplishments of his career!!

We're serious -- it happened after SHL won the bronze in the 20km individual biathlon on Tuesday ... when he opened up on his personal life.

As he began to discuss the amazing accomplishment with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Laegreid was suddenly overcome with emotion -- and it wasn't because of the medal.

Maxim Naumov turned his Olympic debut into a powerful tribute … honoring his late parents while competing on the biggest stage of his life.

The 24-year-old Team USA figure skater finally lived out the dream he once shared with his mom and dad -- stepping onto Olympic ice on Tuesday while carrying their memory with him every step of the way.

Naumov arrived at the Olympics with far more on his shoulders than just medals and scores nearly a year after losing his parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. They were among 67 people who lost their lives when a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air with an American Airlines jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025.

And he delivered.

Naumov skated with emotion and precision in his Olympic short program, posting a season-best 85.65 -- then brought a photo of his parents into the kiss-and-cry … the same picture of him stepping onto the ice as a baby that’s followed him throughout the season.

Those close to the skating world say the Olympics represented the ultimate shared goal for the Naumov family -- one Maxim never imagined reaching without his parents by his side.

After earning his Olympic spot at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Naumov made it clear that resilience has been his driving force through grief, pressure and doubt.

Team USA curler Rich Ruohonen, a native Minnesotan, went in on ICE at the Winter Olympics ... calling out immigration officials for what he says is illegal and unjust behavior.

Ruohonen -- who is an attorney by day -- didn't hold back when meeting with the media in Italy, calling out the Department of Homeland Security agency for what he says is aggressive enforcement.

"First of all, I'd like to say I'm proud to be here to represent Team USA, and to represent our country, but we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been for everybody," Ruohonen said.

The Winter Olympics have officially slid into our lives ... and of course, we have pics of celebs channeling their inner figure skaters and a little icy game to keep things fun, if you’re down to chill!

Take a scroll through the gallery -- you’ll spot Olivia Pierson, Catherine Paiz, and Natalie Halcro serving girls’-night-on-ice energy, plus Chloe Cherry hanging out on the rink with the rap-loving alien doll, Lil Mayo.

Feeling frosty? Warm things up by putting that brain to work with our ice-skating trivia game above. No blades required!

Lindsey Vonn is breaking her silence after Sunday's terrifying crash at the Olympics ... detailing the severity of the injury, a tibia fracture, that she says will require "multiple surgeries to fix properly."

Vonn took to Instagram Monday afternoon after undergoing emergency surgery for the injury, saying "my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would."

"I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches."

Jutta Leerdam can officially call herself an Olympic gold medalist -- the Dutch speed skater just won the women's 1,000-meter speed skating competition -- while also breaking the Olympic record!

It all went down Monday morning in Milan, with Leerdam surpassing her Dutch counterpart Femke Kok by 0.28 seconds to win the first medal of the games for the Netherlands.

She was quickly overcome with emotions after the win, skating around the ice to take it all in.

Alpine Ski Racer Picabo Street was in her early 20s when she scored her first Olympic metal at the Lillehammer Olympics back in 1994 -- taking home the silver in the women's downhill.

At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, she won the gold medal in the women’s Super-G (super-giant slalom) event -- by the slimmest margin in Olympic alpine history, just 0.01 seconds.

Lindsey Vonn is in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery to repair a broken leg she suffered during her violent crash in the women's downhill at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Team officials and hospital staff say the skiing legend is recovering and expected to be okay after the procedure, which stabilized the fracture she suffered early Sunday in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Vonn's Olympic bid came to a frightening end just seconds into her downhill run on Sunday, when she lost control and tumbled hard down the Olympia delle Tofane course. The impact left her on the snow in visible pain before medical personnel rushed in.

Lindsey Vonn's Olympic run ended in terrifying fashion Sunday after the skiing legend crashed hard during the downhill and was airlifted off the mountain by helicopter following medical treatment on the snow.

The American, racing despite a badly injured left knee, lost control early in her run after cutting the opening traverse too tight. Vonn was spun around in the air before slamming down and witnesses say she could be heard screaming in pain as ski patrol and medical personnel rushed to her side.

The race was immediately put on hold as Vonn was surrounded by doctors, strapped to a gurney and flown off the course.

"The dog ate my homework" excuse is old news ... try "My Olympic obligations got in the way" instead!

Madeline Schizas -- a figure skater for the Canadian Olympic team -- is trying that line out on her college professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada ... sharing an email she sent asking for an extension.

Check it out ... Schizas writes she thought a assignment for her sociology class was due Sunday, not Friday -- and, she didn't have time to complete it anyway because she was representing Canada at the Olympics.

Tate McRae is catching heat north of the border -- and now fellow Canadian hitmaker DJ Frank Walker is weighing in on the Olympic controversy.

TMZ Sports caught up with Walker at the Tight Ends and Friends bash in the Bay Area amid the backlash over McRae appearing in a Team USA-leaning Winter Olympics promo … and he made it clear where her loyalty should lie.

Team Canada, baby.

"You’ve gotta ride for Team Canada," Walker said. "I feel like she got a bag for it. I don’t think she needs the money, but maybe she saw a good business opportunity. She's from Canada. You've gotta rep Canada a little bit when you get that chance, you know."

Robert Griffin III is tipping his cap to Lindsey Vonn's wild Olympic gamble ... saying if she pulls off gold with a ruptured ACL, Hollywood better start casting ASAP.

After all, he knows a thing or two about ACL injuries, having torn his twice -- once in college at Baylor and again in the NFL with Washington.

TMZ Sports asked the former QB about Vonn's decision to compete in the Winter Games despite the injury ... and he says he can relate to her all-gas-no-brakes mindset.

"Having done that before, you can get back to similar strength, similar flexibility before you have the surgery," Griffin said. "But your knee is going to be in a much more compromised position. So Lindsey is going to do what she wants to do."

"She wants to go attack it and try it out, and if the doctors clear, then there’s nothing anyone can do about it."