Under growing pressure to quit, Scott Blackmun, CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, resigned “due to ongoing health issues resulting from prostate cancer,” according to a USOC statement on Wednesday.

Board member Susanne Lyons will step in as the acting CEO until a permanent replacement is named.

The news came at the same time the committee announced steps “designed to protect athletes from abuse and respond quickly and effectively when issues surface.”

Among the reforms and initiatives the USOC said it is implementing are creating an advisory group that will include abuse survivors to safeguard against future abuse in “the Olympic community,” providing more funding to speed up the resolution of cases, and improving support and counseling “for gymnasts impacted by Nassar’s crimes.”

The USOC has been engulfed by the scandal surrounding Larry Nassar, onetime USA Gymnastics doctor, convicted of sexually assaulting minors. Scores of athletes who were in his care have accused him of abuse going back decades. He has been sentenced to hundreds of years in prison.

Two U.S. senators called for Blackmun’s resignation earlier this month, citing a Wall Street Journal report that found he and other USOC officials were aware of abuse allegations against Nassar for months before acting on them.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, questioned Blackmun’s leadership, citing an open letter he wrote in January in which he pledged to uncover how the abuse could have gone on for so long and “who knew what and when.” But the senators said Blackmun failed “to admit his own supposed direct knowledge of allegations that were brought to his attention in July 2015.”

Several former Olympic athletes and advocates also called on Blackmun to step down.

In courtrooms, dozens of wrenching victim impact statements described Nassar as abusing athletes for years under the guise of legitimate medical treatment with seeming impunity.

Rachael Denhollander, a lawyer and one of Nassar’s first accusers, said after a sentencing earlier this month, that victims “wouldn’t be here had the adults and authorities done what they should have done 20 years ago,” according to The Associated Press.

Denhollander added that victims are turning their attention “with even greater force to the institutional dynamics that led to the greatest sexual assault scandal in history.”

Late last month, the entire board of USA Gymnastics announced they will resign.

USOC Chairman Larry Probst said new leadership is needed “so that we can immediately address the urgent initiatives ahead of us. … The USOC is at a critical point in its history.”

In a statement, Blackmun, who has been USOC CEO since 2010, did not mention the Nassar scandal, instead saying his role “has not only been immensely rewarding, it has been an honor and the highlight of my professional life,” He added, “I am proud of what we have achieved as a team and am confident that Susanne will help the USOC continue to embody the Olympic spirit and champion Team USA athletes during this transition.”

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to try to recover the money spent on a seven-figure legal bill after recent battles with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The story was first reported by The New York Times, and since then, other publications have had sources speak off the record. NPR has not independently confirmed the reports.

It all began several months ago when Jones tried to derail negotiations for Goodell’s contract extension. At the same time, Jones tried to get a six-game suspension reversed for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The New York Times, which talked to five league officials with direct knowledge of the situation, reports the punishment against Jones will be issued in the coming weeks:

“Goodell will declare that Jones’s actions were detrimental to the league … and the commissioner’s office. Goodell has been reluctant to be seen as exacting retribution for the way Jones tried to sabotage his contract talks, but he was urged to bring the penalties by several owners who believed that Jones had crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues.

In November, Jones hired the high-profile lawyer David Boies and said he was prepared to sue the six owners on the league’s compensation committee, which had been working for months on extending Goodell’s contract. Jones also lobbied loudly for running back Ezekiel Elliott not to be penalized, and reportedly tried to influence league officials deciding his case. Elliott had been suspended by the league for six games before the season after the N.F.L. investigated domestic-assault allegations.

Jones will be ordered to pay the legal fees that the committee incurred defending itself, as well as the legal expenses the N.F.L. spent defending its decision to suspend Elliott.”

The Cowboys declined to comment to news organizations, as did the NFL.

In December at a league meeting in Irving, Texas, Goodell received a five-year contract extension. Most of the owners supported the terms, which provide Goodell the possibility of earning as much as $200 million.

Also at that meeting, Goodell and Jones tried to make nice in front of the cameras — they were shown walking together. At a news conference, with the Cowboys owner in the room, Goodell said he didn’t take Jones’ objections to the extension personally.

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The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics concluded Sunday evening in South Korea. The closing ceremony saw fewer athletes than the opening event 17 days ago — some Olympians have already gone home — but didn’t skimp on pageantry, K-pop and expressions of hope for peace between the two Koreas.

Ivanka Trump, daughter of the U.S. president, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sat near a visiting North Korean general, Kim Yong Chol, believed to be a former spy chief, whose delegation had earlier been met with a sit-in by conservative South Korean lawmakers near the border crossing.

“Although parting is sad, we will remember Pyeongchang with beautiful memories. Athletes, you are true champions,” said Lee Hee-beom, the Pyeongchang Olympics organizing committee president. “The seed of peace you have planted here in Pyeongchang will grow as a big tree in the not-distant future. The hope and aspirations of South and North Korean athletes together with cheerleaders will definitely serve as a cornerstone of the unification of the Korean Peninsula.”

Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, said North and South Korea “have shown how sport brings people together in our very fragile world. You have shown how sport builds bridges.”

With the Olympic flame extinguished in Pyeongchang, the torch has been passed to Beijing. In 2022, the Chinese capital will host the next Winter Games. In the meantime, we have the Summer Olympics to look forward to in Tokyo in 2020.

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The Olympic Athletes from Russia won 4-3 in a game against Germany where neither team had much to lose.

Germany had defeated hockey powerhouses Sweden and Canada in the semifinals, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia were highly stacked. Neither country had medaled in men’s hockey since 2002, when Russia won bronze.

With 0.5 seconds remaining in the first period, Russian Vyacheslav Voynov scored the first point of the match after an ambitious shot that made it past German goaltender Danny aus den Birken.

Germany brought the score to a tie with 10 minutes left in the second period, after a shot by Felix Schütz bounced off of goalkeeper Vasily Koshechkin and deflected off the body of Russian defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich across the goal line.

A steady back and forth continued, until Russian Nikita Gusev scored a point with 6:39 left in the third period. But the Russians relaxed — and just 10 seconds later, German frontman Dominik Kahun tied the game right back up, the stakes just as high as before.

With three minutes left in the third period, Jonas Müller broke the tie 3-2 with the cleanest shot of the game after a winning a puck battle against the Russians. This lead didn’t last for long; either: With less than 60 seconds to go, Gusev scored again, and the teams were back to a tie.

About 15 minutes into sudden-death overtime, Gusev scored yet another goal — and the Russians threw off their helmets in celebration of winning gold.

The match was guaranteed to be Germany’s best showing in men’s hockey no matter the outcome: The team had won bronze in 1932, and West Germany won bronze in 1976. Their silver medal is the strongest performance Germany has ever shown in men’s hockey, while Russia won gold in 1992 as the Unified Team.

Canada walked away with the bronze medal by beating the Czech Republic 6-4 after being knocked out for silver and gold by Germany.

The Russian athletes competed in neutral Olympic gear rather than Russian colors. The International Olympic Committee suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in 2017, citing a widespread culture of doping in Russia and alleged state-sponsored system of cheating.

Russian athletes were allowed to compete in the 2018 Winter Games under a neutral Olympic flag and were required to pass rigorous doping tests. Going into Pyeongchang, the IOC said there was a chance Russia’s athletes could march under their country’s colors at the games’ closing ceremony.

After two Russian athletes were disqualified over doping, the IOC voted to uphold the ban, meaning that athletes will once again leave their Russian colors at home in the closing ceremony.

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With a gold medal in the snowboard parallel giant slalom, Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic has become the first woman in Winter Olympics history to win a gold medal in two different sports at the same Olympic Games.

On Saturday she emerged victorious in the final run against Germany’s Selina Joerg, finishing just 0.46 seconds ahead. Joerg took silver in the event, followed by Ramona Theresia Hofmeister, also of Germany, who took bronze.

A week earlier, Ledecka surprised spectators and herself by taking a gold medal — in skiing. Ledecka finished first in the women’s super-G in Alpine skiing, finishing several spots ahead of the decorated American skier Lindsey Vonn.

But Ledecka is best known and has seen the most success as a snowboarder, where she’s won world titles and competed in the Winter Games in Sochi four years ago.

Ledecka is the third athlete to win gold in two events in the same Winter Games, according to analytics company Gracenote. The last time it happened was in 1928, with Johan Grøttumsbråten taking gold in the Nordic combined and cross-country skiing. Four years earlier, Thorleif Haug achieved the same thing, the company says.

The 22-year-old Ledecka earlier made Olympic history just by being the first woman to compete in both the Alpine skiing and snowboarding events.

She first skied at age 2 and snowboarded at age 5, according to The New York Times, but refused to follow the conventional wisdom of her coaches to give up one sport in order to specialize.

In the men’s snowboarding parallel giant slalom, Nevin Galmarini of Switzerland was the gold medal winner, besting his silver medal he won in Sochi in 2014.

Lee Sang-ho of South Korea finished 0.43 seconds behind to take silver, the country’s first medal in a snowboarding event. Zan Kosir of Slovenia was the bronze winner, beating Sylvain Dufour of France in the “small final,” which determines the contest’s overall third place.

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Update at 12:50 a.m. ET Friday

Alina Zagitova narrowly beat her teammate Evgenia Medvedeva in the women’s singles figure skating competition at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, winning the first gold medal for the Olympic Athlete from Russia team.

“I haven’t fully realized yet that I’ve won,” said Zagitova, who is just 15. “I think I need some time to understand that I won the Olympic Games.”

It would begin to sink in, she said, when she gets her medal in tonight’s ceremony in Pyeongchang.

In addition to her jaw-dropping talent, Zagitova has drawn scrutiny for the composition of her program, in which she saves all the most complicated moves for the second half, to maximize their scoring potential.

But Zagitova also uses the first half of the program to show her artistry and dramatic flair. She did that in her free skate here in South Korea – and when it was time to hit her jumps, she nailed them in spinning, smooth precision.

As she finished, the crowd, including a large and vocal Russian contingent, cheered loudly. Coming off the ice, Zagitova was beaming.

Of her score, Zagitova said, “I was surprised and it was a nice surprise. I am glad that I was able to deal with my nervousness, go out there and skate my program calmly.”

She added that she would have given herself “a 4 with a little plus [out of 5] for my performance, because I didn’t do the first jump combination [triple Lutz-triple loop], but I did it later. I proved one more time to myself that I can change my jump elements during the program.”

The three Americans in the field — Mirai Nagasu, Karen Chen, and Bradie Tennell — needed to turn in eye-popping performances today to even approach the podium. None of them had scored above 70 points in their short program, as six other skaters had. In the final rankings, they held onto their spots, all in a group, with Tennell vaulting from 11th, last in the group, to 9th.

An updated version of our original story, recapping the event:

Zagitova’s score in the free program of 156.65 points staked her claim to the gold medal.

Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond, 22, followed with a graceful and smooth skate, with elements flowing into one another. One highlight: a triple salchow – double toeloop – double loop combination that drew loud cheers.

For Osmond, there was at least one stumble on a landing. But when she spun into her finish, the packed arena (with many Canadian fans) was already roaring its approval. Osmond put her hands on the ice, smiling and laughing — and clearly trying to catch her breath: These elite skaters only make these routines SEEM easy.

“I was so excited, I was so ready for this program,” Osmond said later. “All day I was terrified, I was so nervous, but it is a program I feel super comfortable with in practice, and I was so ready to show it in competition — that’s exactly what I felt.”

Osmond’s score: 152.15, putting her into second place overall — a bump up from third and assuring her of a medal.

But then it was all up to Medvedeva, skating in the final slot of the day to “Anna Karenina” by Dario Marianelli. The question in the arena was: Would the reigning world champion take gold, or silver?

Medvedeva’s fluid technique and ability to express herself on the ice — while pulling off jumps with technical skill and grace — are captivating. The crowd cheered her dramatic program with appreciation, but it wasn’t the loudest we heard today.

Finishing her program, Medvedeva immediately started weeping on the ice, covering her face with her hands. As she skated off and hugged her coach, she began crying openly.

Medvedeva’s score: 156.65 points — a tie in the free skate with Zagitova, who had come into the final skate leading her by less than two points: 82.92 to 81.06. That sealed the gold medal for Zagitova, with 239.57 total points.

“I felt today in my program really like Anna Karenina in the movie,” Medvedeva said, discussing her performance and likely mortifying Russian literature professors. “I put everything out there that I had, I left everything on the ice. I have no regrets.”

She skated “in a fog,” Medvedeva said, saying she was in the moment and aware that for four minutes she could express herself to the world.

“My soul thrives on that feeling, the body and the brain did their job,” she said.

When Medvedeva left the scoring area, she and Zagitova shared a big and long hug.

Of her bronze medal, Osmond said, “Not long after the last Olympics, I didn’t even know that I would be competing at this one. It means so much, and to know that I fought so hard in the last four years.”

She added, “My main goal was to place higher than 13th, which I did, and I improved that by 10 placements. I am so excited.”

Among the U.S. trio, Tennell led the way in this final, after trailing on Wednesday. She and Chen turned in solid, but far from perfect, performances that left them behind Russian athlete Maria Sotskova. Nagasu, who made history earlier in Pyeongchang by landing the first triple axel at an Olympics, pulled out of her jumps today and didn’t seem as steady as she was during the team event. She finished between Tennell and Chen.

“I’m ready to go home,” Nagasu said afterwards, according to NPR’s Tom Goldman.

The start times for the final six women in the free skate on Friday in South Korea (Thursday night in the U.S.) had Medvedeva going last:

Satoko Miyahara (Japan)
Carolina Kostner (Italy)
Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)
Alina Zagitova (OAR)
Kaetlyn Osmond (Canada)
Evgenia Medvedeva (OAR)

Before the highest-ranked skaters from the short program began their programs, Chen and Tennell had come closer to skating the way many had expected them to – and the way they didn’t quite manage to in their short program (for Tennell, it included a fall, something she rarely does).

After Chen earned a 119.75 score, Tennell put down a solid program to get a 128.34 – and 192.35 total points, with nine skaters still to take the ice.

As she finished her skate and awaited her score, Tennell looked relieved, proud, and happy.

There were 24 skaters in the final — but Zagitova and Medvedeva were the only ones to score above 80 points in the short program. Zagitova had the edge with 82.92 points, partly because her program is shaped to maximize scoring: All of her big jumps come in the last section, when they’re worth more.

Medvedeva, 18, is the reigning world champion. She’s competing in South Korea after recovering from a broken foot that she suffered last October.

Zagitova, 15, won this year’s European championship in Moscow. She has risen to the heights of the world’s elite skaters just one year after winning the world junior championship.

With a Russian skater winning gold, it set off a celebration for fans of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team — who are competing under a neutral flag at these Winter Games because of doping punishments. Before today’s event — and with the final weekend of competition looming in Pyeongchang, the team hadn’t managed to win a gold medal, it has now also won five silver and eight bronze medals.

For a brief while earlier this week, Medvedeva owned the Olympic record for the highest-scoring women’s short program in history, after turning in a flawless skate at the Gangneung Ice Arena. But within moments, her score of 81.06 was eclipsed by Zagitova’s 82.92.

Both Medvedeva and Zagitova attend Sambo 70, a large sports center and school in Moscow that was founded in 1970. The school trains Olympic athletes in a variety of winter and summer sports, from judo and swimming to skiing and figure skating. Another product of Sambo 70:Julia Lipnitskaya, who was 15 when she won a gold medal as part of Russia’s figure skating team at the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

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Updated at 2:25 a.m. ET

The U.S. women’s hockey team owns Olympic gold for the first time in 20 years, after breaking Canada’s remarkable streak of success in a gripping final at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Their only previous win had come in the tournament’s first year, in 1998.

When the American women finally received their gold medals, they were placed on their necks by Angela Ruggiero — who was on the last U.S. Olympic team to win it all.

This game was far from easy — for the players on either side, and for their fans. Regulation time had ended with a 2-2 tie — and when a 20-minute overtime didn’t produce a sudden-death goal, a penalty shootout also ended in a 2-2 tie. That sent it to a sudden-death shootout to decide who would wear gold at the Gangneung Hockey Center.

Canada had shot first in the first shootout — and to lead off the second round, the U.S. sent Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson skating out. Starting from center ice, she used some artful stick handling to get the puck around and past Canada’s goalie — and finally, the game and the U.S. gold drought were over, after three hours of intense and physical play and tense moments.

Facing their archrival, the U.S. had scored in the first period, and Canada tied it early in the second — and went ahead minutes later. After two periods, the score was 2-1; the Americans tied it in the third, forcing overtime. And that brought on the penalty shots.

The U.S. hit home in their first turn at the penalty shot, as Gigi Marvin scored. But then Canada answered, with Meghan Agosta — a legend on the ice — getting the puck home. That made it 1-1. It went back and forth from there. U.S. forward Hilary Knight, who owns one of the hardest shots in women’s hockey — had the final U.S. shot in that first round of five, but she was unable to get the score to end it.

The game began at 11:10 ET, Wednesday night. We’ve been updating this post with news from Gangneung Hockey Center.

The Americans’ last attempt to break Canada’s grip on the gold medal had ended in heartbreak, in an overtime loss in Sochi. But this thrilling win should help dispel that memory. It will give more energy to an exciting rivalry between the two most talented teams in the world.

The format of overtime calls for a 20-minute sudden-death period, with four-on-four play. But despite an intense exchange and good chances for both sides, it ended with no score, triggering a penalty shootout with five players from each team getting a chance to score a goal.

Midway through the overtime period, each team had already taken shots that could have ended the game, and their fans were growing more desperate to see their side win. They roared; they chanted over each other – anything that might push their team over the top.

With four players on the ice for each team, breakaways were frequent. And with more space opened up, the pace was even more frenetic than it had been in regulation.

U.S. defender had a breathtaking chance to end it with six minutes left, emerging in a breakaway to a chorus of “Ohhhh!” from the crowd. But her shot didn’t hit home, and the frenzy continued.

Shot after shot, the Americans sent the puck flying at the Canadian goal. And there to block it away was Szabados – high, low, straight, angled – she handled them all. Until, that is, the fateful shootout.

With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, U.S. defender Megan Keller was sent to the penalty box for an illegal hit, after an exchange in which she became entangled with a Canadian opponent as they crashed into the boards.

That put the Canadians into a 4-on-3 power play – sending thrills and chills (!) through the audience. Canada nearly capitalized, and their fans thought for one delicious moment that they had, after the puck centered in on goal – but then the puck skittered away, and the U.S. fans held their breath for another 25 seconds before time, and the power play advantage, disappeared.

The game’s first goal came on a laser shot by Hilary Knight. The U.S. brought the puck out from behind goal, and Knight worked her way up to the left faceoff circle before unleashing a low hard shot that glanced off a Canadian player and eluded Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados. It bounced inside off the far side of the netting and landed as the U.S. crowd erupted.

Canada’s Haley Irwin equalized the score minutes into the second period, putting away a breakaway that brought loud cheers from the Canadians’ fans.

Marie-Philip Poulin gave Canada the lead minutes later, scoring in a rush on the American goal. It was quick redemption for Poulin, who had emerged from the penalty box moments earlier. The score came with 13:05 left in the second period.

Canada had a prime scoring chance in the third period, rushing toward Rooney in goal – but the puck was deflected away wide, and it was then sent out to U.S. forward Monique Lamoureux-Morando, who caught the Canadian defense off-guard. Collecting the long diagonal pass, Lamoureux-Morando mounted her own breakaway and finished it off, getting the puck past Szabados on the far side and sending the American fans into delirium with six minutes left in regulation.

Earlier, Knight had nearly leveled the score with a hard and long shot from the right flank — but the puck was deflected and caught by Canada’s goalie, Szabados.

Canada had a chance to build a 3-1 lead moments later, after U.S. player Sidney Morin was penalized for an illegal hit. The Canadians worked the puck down around the goal, setting up a frenzy of shots and blocks — and the Americans managed to escape with the score intact.

The U.S. strategy, as preached by coach Robb Stauber, is to pound the goal with shots. The Americans did that from the start and finished the first two periods with a 22-16 lead in shots on goal.

The Americans got a power play opportunity nearly midway through the first period, but they were not able to convert it into a score. That came after Canada’s Jennifer Wakefield lowered her shoulder to level American Dani Cameranesi along the boards – a sign that this would indeed be a physical matchup. Wakefield was put in the penalty box for an illegal hit.

As happens between two rivals who know each other all too well, there were chippy moments. Away from the action late in the first period, Sarah Nurse slashed her stick down hard in the open ice, knocking the stick out of her U.S. opponent’s hands. The sizeable Canadian fanbase in attendance booed in protest as Nurse was put in the penalty box.

In the preliminary games before the start of the elimination round, Canada beat the U.S., 2-0 — despite the Americans firing more shots on goal, 45-23. That game was a very physical clash, including a scrum around the Canadian goal that took two referees to break up; before it was over, one of Canada’s players had lost her helmet.

In a bit of good news for the U.S. team, its star forward Hilary Knight broke her scoring drought at these Olympics in the semifinal against Finland that put them into this gold-medal match. But the U.S. will have to contend with Canada’s Meghan Agosta, who has 17 career goals at the Winter Games – second all-time. Agosta has won three gold medals.

The American women won the very first Olympic hockey tournament, in 1998. But that was 20 years ago. Since then, Canada has won every time. And often, it’s been at the Americans’ expense: today marks the fifth time the U.S. and Canada have met to decide who gets gold and who gets silver.

The U.S. women have had great success in the World Championships during Canada’s run in the Olympics. But the Americans suffered a heartbreaker in Sochi in 2014, when Canada won the gold medal match in overtime.

Coming into this game, players on both teams said things are different now, and that they were hungry to win the title. They also said this game would be intense and physical — something that proved accurate.

The U.S. and Canada are the only two teams to have ever won an Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey. And while the start time in the U.S. falls on Wednesday night, this year’s title game is taking place on Feb. 22 in South Korea — 38 years after the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980, when the U.S. men’s team upset the Soviet Union.

Canada’s streak of four consecutive team gold medals is now halted; it is second among all Olympic women’s team events, trailing only the U.S. women’s basketball team, who have won six in a row (so far).

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