HAIR TODAY, BRONZE TOMORROW

With French snowboarder Matthieu Bozzetto having dyed his hair red and U.S. speedskater KC Boutiette having bleached his white, all these Winter Games are missing is a blue-hued scalp.

Missing that opportunity is Japanese speedskater Tomomi Okazaki, who defied an order by her employer and dyed her hair a light brown color somewhat close to bronze.

“Right now, I belong to Japan, but not to my company,” Okazaki says. “I have dyed my hair in the color of the medal to show how determined I am.”

NO NO NAGANO

Not all Nagano residents are basking in the warm glow of hosting the world in their backyard.

A group of Nagano citizens has denounced the city’s decision to host the Winter Olympics because of the taxes that may be levied to underwrite the cost of the Games. One member of the group, Juichiro Imai, decrying the inconvenience of hosting the Games, has demanded the Winter Olympics be abolished or moved to a permanent location . . . not anywhere near Japan.

IN CASE THEY BREAK TRAINING

So what do Olympic athletes do for fun away from the competition?

Well, cigarettes and alcohol are banned from the athletes’ village, meaning it’s soft drinks or bottled water for visitors to the village disco, but condoms are readily available for the asking.

A Japanese manufacturer donated 36,000 condoms to the Olympic cause, so to speak, and the athletes’ village is making them available at its main medical clinic.

Finding a drink or a smoke presents more of a challenge. The closest bar is a 20-minute cab ride downtown, although beer and cigarettes can be purchased outside the village at streetside vending machines.