Injured Norstrom May Not Skate for Sweden

King defenseman Mattias Norstrom said Sunday that he has a concussion, making it unlikely he will play for Sweden in the Olympics.

Norstrom, who had sat out two games since taking a hit Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, tried to play Sunday against the Dallas Stars. He logged 13 minutes 11 seconds through two periods, then sat out the remainder of the game.

“I’m still having concussion-like symptoms,” said Norstrom, who also had his teeth wired after being hit by a puck Jan. 30 in a game against the Mighty Ducks. “I tried to play, and now I have to get healthy.”

Norstrom said it would be up to Team Sweden officials whether he would go to Italy.

“I can’t play right away, so they have to decide whether to carry me on the roster or replace me,” Norstrom said. “I don’t feel right.”

-- Chris Foster

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Boston Bruin forward Marco Sturm withdrew from the German men’s team because of an unspecified upper-body injury that has sidelined him for the last week.

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U.S. Speedskating announced the candidates for the men’s and women’s long-track team pursuit events, which will begin Wednesday.

The women’s squad will be composed of Jennifer Rodriguez, Amy Sannes, Catherine Raney, Maria Lamb and Margaret Crowley. The men’s squad will be composed of Chad Hedrick, KC Boutiette, Derek Parra, Clay Mull and Charles Leveille.

-- Helene Elliott

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Anne Abernathy, who represents the U.S. Virgin Islands in luge, suffered a broken wrist and a possible injury to her shoulder, according to Melita Glanville, her team captain and osteopath. Abernathy’s sled was also badly damaged. Glanville said it would be decided today whether Abernathy will race.

“At this point, it doesn’t look good,” the official said. “But she’s very stubborn.”

-- David Wharton

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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican who four years ago stood in the Olympic spotlight as head of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, said Sunday he was weighing a presidential run in 2008.

“I’ll do what’s necessary to keep the options open and evaluate my choices down the road,” Romney said.

-- Alan Abrahamson

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NBC announced that its prime-time coverage of the first night of competition at the Winter Olympics got a 13.5 national Nielsen rating, a 23 share and attracted a viewing audience of 23.7 million.

The 13.5 is the highest rating for any non-domestic Olympics, Winter or Summer, since a 20.9 for the first night of the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway. The first night of the last non-domestic Winter Olympics -- 1998 at Nagano, Japan -- got a 12.3/22 and had an audience of 19.8 million. The rating and share in Los Angeles for Saturday night’s coverage was a 11.4/21, ranking L.A. 48th among the nation’s 55 largest markets.

-- Larry Stewart

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The a cappella rendition of the Italian national anthem by 9-year-old Eleonora Benetti at Friday’s opening ceremony was moving and heartfelt.

It was not, however, live.

Officials confirmed reports Sunday that Eleonora was lip-synching when she sang an unusual unaccompanied version of the anthem in front of 35,000 at Olympic Stadium.

“She was recorded ahead of the ceremony,” Giuseppe Gattino, spokesman for the TOROC organizing committee, told the Associated Press. “Such a young child, it’s difficult to send her [live] in such an event.”