He skis on the edge. He's as likely to finish on the podium as not, given his style.

By doing it this way, you have an opportunity to have a candid conversation with all those involved.

In the long term, there is a direct correlation between the strength of the N.G.B.'s and the strength of the U.S. Olympic team.

In less than a week, Bode apologized for his comments, he took responsibility for his comments and his governing body took decisive action.

It was a friendly afternoon of sledding, and as I understand it he completed his run and fell off the sled.

The replacement provisions are injury, illness and exceptional circumstance. It's really in the hands of the organizing committee and international federation to determine whether or not they'll accept the replacement petition.

This is a significant step. Our interest in the short term is in preserving opportunities for athletes to train and compete. In the long term, we want to see a governance and managerial structure that better serves the sport.

You move forward now to '05-06, and I think you're seeing a continuation of all of this, a continuation of the recognition of Winter Olympic athletes.

During the last three weeks ... we should have been reading and hearing about the remarkable stories of athletes attempting to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team in the sport of skeleton. We have instead heard about serious allegations of misconduct. This story has taken a great deal of attention away from the athletes.

The Olympic team is a reflection of our country and what our country stands for, and one of the most important ideals our country stands for is the ability to express yourself.