Miscellany

Strict qualification standards will be imposed to weed out “tourists” and ensure that only top-level athletes compete in the Winter Games, Olympic officials said. Marc Hodler, an IOC executive board member and president of the international ski federation, cited the case of a Latin American country that entered a competitor who had never skied before in his life.

It would also appear to rule out a ski jumper such as Eddie (the Eagle) Edwards, who became a folk hero at the 1998 Games.