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World's Fairs still exist, but just two cities bid to host the 2017 Expo. In contrast, seven U.S. cities are vying for the 2024 Olympics, and the games just signed a $7.75 billion deal with NBC.

This year, the men's U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team is packed with Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, and they've found an outlet in hitting, slamming and speeding across the ice as fast as they can.

Athletes and spectators are giving the food in Sochi rave reviews. But what are they eating, exactly? It's a mashup of Soviet-era Russian faves, punctuated with foods of the Caucasus that have long been special treats for people visiting the Russian Riviera.

From cross-country skiers to ski jumpers, elite athletes can have very different fueling priorities. Endurance winter athletes may need up to 5,000 calories on competition day, while ski jumpers hoping to stay light and lithe might limit themselves to 1,800 calories or less a day.

It's not easy to qualify what makes a sport a sport. Commentator Frank Deford says his broadest, most inclusive definition is anything that involves competing in a physical activity.

Jumpers Lindsey Van and Jessica Jerome spent a decade advocating for the event's inclusion. "There's nothing to wait for anymore," says Van. "I'm here, and it feels good." Their teammate Sarah Hendrickson, meanwhile, has another battle to fight, as she competes on a newly reconstructed knee.

As the world focuses its attention on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Boulder-based Global Greengrants is raising environmental and civil liberties…

Vladimir Putin's Olympics remind commentator Frank Deford of prescription medicine ads — the kind with the short list of benefits and long disclaimer.

There's plenty of snow for the Olympics. A massive, fully automatic snow-making system operated by a Michigan-based company comes complete with two man-made lakes to draw water from. The company says the snow that's been pumped so far could cover more than 900 football fields.

Despite the enormous cost of hosting the Olympics, many former venues are languishing away unused.