SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Fast Five, Monday edition: Five things you’ll want to know about the 2014 Winter Olympics.
WEATHER DELAYS: Heavy fog is giving the Sochi Olympics more problems than the warm temperatures ever did. The men’s snowboardcross and men’s 15-kilometer mass-start biathlon race have been pushed back to Tuesday because of poor visibility. It’s the second straight day that the biathlon has been postponed because of the fog.
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PROTESTER DETAINED: An activist has been detained in Sochi for protesting a recent prison sentence for a local environmentalist. David Khakim was holding a one-man picket outside the city administration in central Sochi on Monday when two police officers took him away. Khakim later posted pictures of his arrest on Twitter. Russia passed an ad-hoc law last year, banning public gatherings and rallies in Sochi during the Olympics.
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BODE’S EMOTIONAL MOMENT: American Alpine skier Bode Miller said an NBC interview that generated significant buzz in the United States was a “crazy emotional moment” after his bronze medal win in a super-G race. The interview was widely criticized after Miller was pressed on the death of his brother last year. The six-time medalist ended the interview in tears.
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GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST: An Italian gay-rights activist says she was detained by police in the Olympic host city after being stopped while carrying a rainbow flag saying “Gay is OK” in Russian. Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament, said on her website and Twitter feed that she was held for several hours Sunday before being released. Olympic officials say there is no record of the arrest.
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MEDAL MOVERS: The Netherlands is dominating speedskating in the Winter Olympics in a big way. Second in the overall medal standings — zero medals in any other sport. The Dutch swept their third podium of the Sochi Games Sunday, the women’s 1,500 meters speedskating, to be the biggest medal mover of the day. The Netherlands has won 17 medals overall, including five silvers and seven bronzes.