Olympics

The action from the 2022 Winter Olympics XXIV in Beijing, China hasn't been all gold medals and stacked podiums ... athletes traveled the globe to leave it all out on the frozen grounds of competition ... which of course includes some pretty crazy crashes.

Put your day on ice while you check out all the biggest slips, spills and all-out blunders to put the impressive drive and courage from the world-class athletes into perspective.

In another strange twist ... controversial Russian skating star Kamila Valieva fell to the ice multiple times and failed to medal in the women's free skate event.

15-year-old Valieva -- the best skater in the world -- was heavily favored to win leading up to the competition, but ended up finishing fourth after suffering one of the worst performances of her young career.

Kamila has been at the center of a firestorm of controversy ... after it was revealed last week that she failed a drug test in December. Valieva was popped for a performance-enhancing drug named trimetazidine. The drug helps blood flow and endurance.

Valieva was ultimately suspended for the positive test by Russian drug officials ... who then quickly reversed course, un-suspending her just a day later.

Other Olympic entities appealed the lifting of the suspension ... so the decision went to an organization called the Court of Arbitration (CAS), who ruled Valieva should be allowed to compete, despite seemingly being caught cheating.

One of their reasons? It'd cause "irreparable harm" to the 15-year-old skater.

Although Kamila didn't medal in Wednesday's event ... she did win a gold medal last week. It's still unclear if she will get to keep her medal.

Simone Biles is officially engaged ... her boyfriend, Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens, proposed to her on Valentine's Day -- and she said yes!!

Owens just posted pictures of the big moment, saying Biles "really had no clue what was coming."

The football player also shared a video and pics of the ring he used to ask the question with -- and it's spectacular.

In the pics, you can see Biles was thrilled over it all, smiling ear-to-ear and showing off her new diamond-clad hand.

Biles also commented on it all, saying it was "THE EASIEST YES."

"I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you," she said, "you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ."

Biles and Owens began dating in 2020 and have been inseparable ever since. Owens was super supportive of her during her low moments at the Olympics, and Biles has been spotted regularly at his football practices and games over the past couple years.

Congrats!!

Figure skater Dorothy Hamill was only 19 years old when she carved herself into the hearts and minds of viewers around the world -- after she stunned the judges and won the gold medal with her grace and beauty -- while representing team USA in figure skating at the XII Winter Olympic Games held in Austria back in 1976.

Dorothy competed against some of the greats of her time at XII including Wendy Burge as the DH's USA teammate, Christine Errath from team East Germany taking home the bronze medal and Dianne De Leeuw from team Netherlands taking home the silver medals.

File this under bizarre, controversial ... Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has officially been cleared to continue competing in the Winter Olympics, despite failing a drug test that initially resulted in a suspension from competition.

Last week it was revealed that 15-year-old Valieva tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, trimetazidine (aids blood flow), back in December.

The skater -- who won gold in a team skating event -- was suspended.

But, Valieva appealed the suspension ... and the Court of Arbitration for Sport actually sided with the Olympic skater, paving the way for her to continue competing.

And, part of the reason she was cleared?

CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said preventing Valieva from competing at the Games "would cause her irreparable harm" ... especially considering she's a minor.

Athletes under 16 are held to less stringent doping standards than that of their adult counterparts ... in the eyes of CAS.

FYI, Russia isn't even officially competing in the Olympics because of pervasive cheating. They're officially called the Russian Olympic Committee.

The governing body also said because Valieva failed the test six weeks ago ... and not at the Olympics, it'd be unfair to keep her from skating.

So, Valieva will now compete ... most likely.

Jonathan Owens, shield your eyes ...

Simone Biles received a lap dance on stage at a "Magic Mike Live" show in Las Vegas on Thursday night ... and video of it, obtained by TMZ Sports, is STEAMY!!

The gymnastics star took in the performance at SAHARA Las Vegas ... when about mid-way through the act, she was pulled on stage with another woman.

It didn't take long for the shirtless dancers to rope the two ladies into their bit -- 'cause the guys grinded all over the girls ... and, at one point, one of them even picked up Biles and took her to the floor.

The whole routine lasted about two minutes -- and it featured tons of gyrating, lots of hip thrusting, and plenty of touching.

Biles played along with it all and seemed to be having a great time -- she even posed for a picture with the dancers after the show.

No word yet on Owens' thoughts on it all -- but he and Biles have both said they're madly in love with each other, so we're pretty sure the football player ain't stressing over this.

Olympic skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin's BF, Aleksander Kilde, is doing everything in his power to keep his GF's spirits up ... after she suffered yet another devastating loss at the Olympics on Wednesday.

Kilde -- an Olympic skiing star himself -- posted a photo of Mikaela sitting on the mountain, head down, along with a touching note to his girlfriend ... after she was disqualified for missing a gate and skiing off the course during the competition.

"When you look at this picture you can make up so many statements, meanings and thoughts," Aleksander wrote.

"Most of you probably look at it saying: 'she has lost it', 'she can’t handle the pressure' or 'what happened?' ... Which makes me frustrated, because all I see is a top athlete doing what a top athlete does!"

He continued ... "It’s a part of the game and it happens. The pressure we all put on individuals in the sports are enormous, so let’s give the same amount of support back.. It’s all about the balance and we are just normal human beings!!"

"I love you Kaela"

The 26-year-old -- regarded by many as the greatest skier in the world -- is off to a rocky start in Beijing ... earning 2 DQ's. In fact, it's the first time that's happened since 2011 ... when she was a teenager.

Shiffrin recently appeared on "Today" and opened up about the death of her father, who died after suffering a severe head injury.

She says the tragedy made her contemplate walking away from the sport she's been competing in her entire life.

Mikaela -- who's expected to participate in three more events at the Games -- was thankful for her man's support.

Team USA superstar Chloe Kim says she was close to passing up the opportunity to defend her gold medal at the 2022 Olympics ... admitting the anxiety she experienced the first time around was overpowering.

The 21-year-old snowboarder made the revelation on "Today" this week ... saying her newfound fame post-2018 Olympics was a lot for her to handle.

"My first one was really overwhelming," Kim says. "I was not expecting that kind of response."

She continued ... "So, then I like kind of got scared. I got really bad anxiety and I was like, maybe I can't do that again, 'cause I just don't know if I can handle it."

Kim says she needed to reset mentally and took her talents to Princeton University in search of a fresh start ... but was unable to escape her stardom there, too.

Kim says she even started to hate snowboarding because of what came with it ... which led to her two-year hiatus from the sport she grew up loving.

But, Chloe never ruled out the possibility of returning ... saying she knew she would come back if she missed it while at Princeton -- and she did.

It's not the first time a Team USA hero has opened up about their mental struggles -- Simone Biles most recently backed out of the 2020 Games -- and it certainly won't be the last.

Caitlyn Jenner mastered winning races with her legs ... and now, the Olympic gold medalist is literally shifting gears -- launching the "Jenner Racing" team.

TMZ Sports has learned the 72-year-old 1976 Olympic Decathlon champ's team will race in the W Series this season ... starting in May.

FYI, the W Series is an "international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers."

We're told Jenner will oversee the day in, day out operation of the team.

Jenner is no stranger to motorsports. Back in 1979, she won a celebrity F1 race in Long Beach, CA. Then, in 1986, Jenner made her debut as a real deal pro driver, racing for Ford and Jack Roush.

She made 56 starts over a 6 year period.

So, Caitlyn is super familiar with racing ... but this is about more than winning or losing for the gold medalist.

"As a believer in fair competition, a lover of motor racing, and a supporter of all women in sport from the grassroots to elite level, W Series ticks every box for me and is a fusion of the different aspects of my career,"

Olympic stars Lisa Buckwitz and Janine Flock bared all before heading to Beijing ... by posing nude for Playboy to promote body positivity!!

Buckwitz -- a gold medalist for Germany in the 2018 Winter Olympics -- wore only an open green top and black heels in her cover shoot for the popular mag's Germany edition.

Flock -- a 10-time world champ from Austria -- sat nekkid in a chair draped in a fur blanket for her cover.

27-year-old Buckwitz said she jumped at the opportunity to be photographed in the buff to encourage women to maintain a positive perception of their body.

"Every woman can be naked and nobody should be ashamed of her body," Lisa told the Sun. "For example, I have a few more muscles -- so what? I wanted to show that this is also a woman's body."

She added ... "I don't have to hide as a competitive athlete. No woman has to hide."

Much like Buckwitz, Flock said the motivation for doing the shoot was her desire to remind women to be proud of their bodies.

"I haven't had any cosmetic surgeries and I stand by what I have," Flock told the outlet. "Every woman can be proud of her body."

An Olympic athlete at the 2022 Games in Beijing says the food she's been given during her quarantine period has been so bad, she's in physical pain and cries every day.

Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova made the claims on her Instagram page earlier this month ... attaching a photo of some unappealing food that she says she was given while in COVID-19 isolation at a local hotel.

The picture appears to show a plate of plain pasta, some meat, a few potatoes and a sauce ... none of which looks incredibly appetizing.

In her comment on the picture ... Vasnetsova trashed the food as inedible, and claimed the meal was what she was receiving for "breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already."

"My stomach hurts," Vasnetsova said. "I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’m very tired."

Vasnetsova added that the lack of nutrition in the food has caused her to drop weight ... saying, "my bones are already sticking out."

According to the Associated Press, things have improved for Vasnetsova following her complaints ... the outlet reported Russian biathlon team spokesperson Sergei Averyanov said Vasnetsova was getting delivered better meals over the weekend, including salmon and cucumbers.

Vasnetsova is far from the only athlete to complain about quarantine conditions at the Games ... there have been several others from countries all around the world who have griped about the living conditions.

Before this pipsqueak throwing up the peace sign was landing some of the most difficult tricks in the rink, she was just another baby with bangs training for the Olympics in Arcadia, California.

This cute kid is best known for representing the United States with her amazing figure skating skills ... she hasn't only made a remarkable impact for America in Winter Olympic Games, but also on the future of the sport itself.

She has won numerous bronze and silver medals over the course of her career but only has taken home the gold once.

Kristi Yamaguchi deserves the gold medal for these good looks!

Here's the 20-year-old version of the figure skater during the medal ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France back in 1992 (left). She had become the world champion by winning the gold medal for her talents ... becoming the first Asian American woman to do so.

And, 30 years later ... the now 50-year-old elite athlete still showing her support for the USA team on Instagram as they gear up for the 2022 Winter Olympics Games in Beijing, China this weekend (right).

She sticks the landing!

The question is ...

The torch is lit and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing have begun!

While most events require braving the cold on the ice and in the snow, these elite athletes are bringing the heat and proving they have a lot more to show than just their determination for the gold medal.

It doesn't matter if they are an expert in Luge or skating in unison with their doubles partner in the rink, these Olympians all have one thing in common ... and that's their fit physiques!

The Beijing Olympic Winter Games are officially underway ... kicking off with an elaborate opening ceremony at Beijing National Stadium.

Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the games open ... marking the start of the historic sporting event.

The Olympics are being held in China -- across three different time zones -- as various athletes from all over the world compete for medals in 15 different sports.

These games mark the second time China is hosting the Olympics -- they previously held the Summer Games back in 2008 -- and won the bid for the 2022 Winter Games in 2015.

Beijing -- where the games are being played -- is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Of course, Team USA will be there ... and is expected to perform well. But, they'll have to do it without the support of their govt. officials -- at least, in person, that is.

President Biden and his administration are imposing a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games ... due to China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity."

The move from #46 is a deviation from the norm -- it's tradition for the U.S. to send high-profile delegates to represent the country and support America's athletes.

The boycott, however, does not stop the athletes from competing ... and the White House still supports Team USA in their endeavors. In fact, a "record number" of 177 US athletes walked during the opening ceremony, according to CNN.

Figure skater Timothy LeDuc is set to become the first openly nonbinary American athlete to ever compete at the Winter Games ... but they don't want to make it a big deal about themself -- their goal is to make all queer people feel accepted in sports.

31-year-old LeDuc -- who came out as gay at 18 before opening up about being nonbinary (not exclusively identifying as male or female) in 2021 -- said when they take the ice alongside partner Ashley Cain-Gribble in Beijing this month, they hope the storyline isn't, "Timothy is the first nonbinary person to achieve this level of success in sports."

Instead, the 2-time national champ wants to use this opportunity to show all members of the LGBTQ+ community there is a place for them in competitive sport.

"We’ve always been here, we have always been a part of sports. We just haven’t always been able to be open," LeDuc said, according to the AP.

In fact, Adam Rippon became the first openly gay American skater to earn podium while competing at the Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018 ... but former American stars like Brian Boitano and Johnny Weir did not come out until after their competing days.

The Games have seen a rise in LGBTQ+ athletes recently -- Canadian soccer player Quinn was the first openly transgender and nonbinary Olympian to medal in Tokyo ... New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete.

LeDuc says it hasn't been easy identifying their gender ... but luckily, they had a strong support group to help along the way.

"It’s been a really long journey for me, embracing my gender," they added.