Olympic notes

By Times staff reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 20, 2002

At a glance

WHEN: Through Sunday.

WHERE: Salt Lake City and surrounding area.

WEATHER: High of 42, 30 percent chance of rain in the afternoon.

BEYOND THE VENUES

First silver, then gold, now green

Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, the co-gold medalists in pairs figure skating, have capped their instant celebrity by appearing on the cover of Time and Newsweek. Now, it's time to cash in. The Globe and Mail of Toronto has reported that the Canadian duo could make $1.3-million in endorsements and tour fees this year. Sale and Pelletier will give their first exhibition after the Olympics March12 in Edmonton, said Craig Fenech, their New Jersey-based agent.

We just went to the Games and a political convention broke out

Speaking of Sale and Pelletier ... see what their event started? The only thing more fashionable at the Games than those beanie hats is filing protests. These are just from Tuesday: 1) Germany protested the results of men's and women's cross country but a panel of judges denied that racers ahead of the Germans improperly changed lanes; 2) Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas of Lithuania protested their fifth place in ice dancing, questioning the voting that placed the couple lower than Italian and Canadian couples who fell during Monday's free dance; 3) The Russian Olympic Committee sent a letter to the head of the International Ski Federation complaining of biased judging in women's freestyle aerials, in which Russian Olga Koroleva, who led after the first jump of Monday's final, wound up fourth. So this was where all the old hippies wound up.

MEET A COUNTRY

Liechtenstein

LOCATION: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland.
POPULATION: 32,200.
CAPITAL: Vaduz.
COMPARATIVE AREA: Slightly smaller than Washington.
WINTER OLYMPIC STARS: Hanni Wenzel (skiing).
RECOGNIZED BY IOC: 1935.
NOTABLE: Wenzel and her brother, Andreas, are the most recent brother-sister team to collect skiing medals at the same Games. They combined for four medals, including Hanni's two golds, the only ones the country has won, in 1980.

NUMBERS GAMES

2: Total medals won by Australia - both bronze - in Winter Games history before Saturday.

2: Medals won by Australia since Saturday -- both gold.

QUOTABLE

"The Olympic motto is "Swifter, Higher, Stronger,' not "Swifter, Higher, Sliding With My Best Friend.' I applaud the final decision. This is the Olympics, not a sorority function.''

-- JOHN MORGAN; NBC bobsledding analyst on Jen Racine and the U.S women's team, before the other American team of Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers won the gol