Bob Costas' Olympic pink eye blamed on botched Botox: Report

Bob Costas was a sight for sore eyes — especially his own — during NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi after contracting pink eye.

Now the New York Post's Page Six is suggesting the network's prime-time Olympic host may have inadvertently caught the nasty eye virus while having Botox injections.

At one point during The Games, Costas' had to take six days off to recover, and was replaced by Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer because the viral conjunctivitis had become so bad and spread to both eyes.

The 61-year-old Costas tried to cover up the redness by wearing thick glasses. But after five days of blurred vision and light sensitivity made it impossible for him to be on air, Costas took six days off and returned on Feb 17.

Costas and NBC have flatly denied the claim that Botox played any part in the sportscasters' condition.

However eagle-eyed viewers noted how smooth Costas' forehead was during the high definition coverage of the Sochi games.

A spokesperson from NBC Sports insisted to the New York Post: "This has zero truth to this. Zero."

On the first day of NBC's primetime coverage, Costas appeared on camera wearing eyeglasses instead of his usual contact lenses, explaining that he had a medical problem with his eyes, which appeared swollen and red.

During another broadcast he joked about his red, watery and puffy left eye.

"I have no choice to go all Peabody and Sherman on you for the next couple of nights since I woke up this morning with my left eye swollen shut and just about as red as the old Soviet flag."

Following the primetime broadcast, the eye became a trending topic on Twitter, spawning numerous jokes and even a parody account.

Costas, who has been NBC's Olympic presenter since 1992, admitted that he was miserable throughout the entire ordeal.

Doctors say it is rare to contract an infection from a Botox injection, unless there was some sort of contamination or the patient suffered an allergic reaction.

Only his doctor knows for sure.

Russian skier still paralyzed from waist down after breaking spine in Sochi

Maria Komissarova, the Russian freestyle skier who was severely injured during a training accident in Sochi, says she still  has no feeling in her body from the waist down.

The 23-year-old Komissarova crashed and dislocated her spine on Feb. 15 during a training run. She fractured the 12th dorsal vertebrae, located in her lower back. During emergency surgery that lasted more than six hours, a metal rod was implanted into her spine. At the time, doctors did not give a prognosis, but listed her condition as "grave but stable."

Ten days later, she updated her condition on Instagram.

"I do not feel my body lower than my belly button," she posted from her hospital bed. "But I am strong and I know that someday I will definitely be on my feet again."

Russian president Vladimir Putin visited the skier following the operation to give the courageous athlete his best wishes in person.

During the competition, six skiers race against each other in loosely packed bunches. The accident occurred during practice on a series of jumps near the top of the course and Komissarova fell while exiting the third jump.

Komissarova, who won silver in a World Cup medal in ski cross in 2012, was the face of Russian Freestyle Skiing leading up to Sochi.

The skier — who posed in sexy lingerie shoot before the Games— is ranked 33rd in the current World Cup standings and recovered from a leg injury last year to qualify for the Olympics.

Canadian bobsled team flips over and finishes race upside down (VIDEO)

Members of Canada's four-man bobsled team were fortunate to walk away uninjured after a wild crash during the second run of the event at the Winter Olympics in Sochi Saturday.

The Canada 3 sled lifted off the track before turning over on its side as it entered a corner and slid down the Sanki Sliding Center track out of control.

Fortunately, pilot Justin Kripps and team members Jesse Lumsden, Cody Sorensen and Ben Coakwell escaped serious injury and were able to walk away from the crash scene after the sled crossed the finish line upside down.

The Canadian team had decided to change line-ups ahead of the race in order to give Kripps the most powerful team, but that decision was literally turned on its head.

Since the sled passed the finish line, the crew was able to compete Sunday — where they bounced back with the 10th fastest time in the event.

Pussy Riot includes Cossack attack footage in anti-Sochi Olympics music video (VIDEO)

Russian punk band Pussy Riot ended their stay in the Olympic city of Sochi on Thursday by posting a video criticizing the Winter Games and President Vladimir Putin.

The band has been filming in Sochi since Sunday and has had violent run-ins with authorities. They have been detained several times, and on Wednesday Cossacks attacked the group with horsewhips as they tried to perform under an Olympic sign.

Band members said they were returning to Moscow to attend the verdicts in a trial of 20 people arrested after clashes on the eve of Putin’s inauguration to a third term in 2012.

The performance-art collective, made up of a loose grouping of feminists and artists, has called for a boycott of the Sochi Olympics, arguing that Putin has exceeded his authority and is restricting human rights. 

“The Olympics has turned the police state into a total police state and the authoritarian regime into a totalitarian regime with preventive arrests,” band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said. “The Olympics has created an environment of sweeping violations of human rights in Russia. We are banned from speaking out here.”

Tolokonnikova described the band’s performances throughout the city since Sunday as a form of “active boycott” of the games.

Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina spent nearly two years in prison on charges of hooliganism for their protest in Moscow’s main cathedral in 2012.

Pussy Riot’s video, called “Putin will teach you how to love the motherland”, was posted on YouTube and features a song and footage of the band’s protests. Members told a news conference their treatment in Sochi is symptomatic of dissent being stifled in Russia.

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday condemned the attack on Pussy Riot, saying images it saw were “very unsettling.”

John Tavares done for NHL season with torn MCL, meniscus: Report

It's an NHL club's worst fear every four years and for the New York Islanders, that reality is slowly sinking in — after seeing their best player go down during the Winter Games.

John Tavares will miss the remainder of the NHL season, according to a league source, after suffering a knee injury while playing for Canada in the Olympics.

The source said Tavares may need surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament and a torn meniscus in his left knee, but that determination will be made when Tavares returns to Long Island from Sochi. He is staying with Canada through its final two games of the Olympics to attend the medal ceremony.

He should be ready for training camp in September.

Tavares, the Islanders captain, leads the team with 66 points. In his four-plus seasons since joining the Islanders as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Tavares has been very durable, having missed only four games, including one this season with a minor hip injury.

MRI reveals torn MCL and torn meniscus for Tavares. May need surgery. Will be ready for training camp in September. #Isles
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) February 20, 2014

The NHL star was hurt when he tried to sneak past Latvia's Arturs Kulda along the boards in the second period of Canada's quarterfinal game on Wednesday, but his left leg banged awkwardly with Kulda's leg and then the boards.

Tavares could not put any weight on the leg and hobbled off to the dressing room. He was initially ruled out just for the remainder of the Olympic tournament, but a MRI exam on Thursday in Sochi revealed the full damage.

The Islanders do not return to action from the Olympic break until Feb. 27. They are 12 points out of the final playoff spot with 22 games to go.

Japanese skier breaks arm in crash while NBC says he 'lands safely' (GIF)

Japanese skier Taihei Kato suffered a broken arm during a run in the Nordic combined large hill event Tuesday when he lost his balance after landing, hitting the ground hard. NBC's spin of the bone busting spill made it sound less painful than it actually was.

NBC replayed the video highlight and said "Japanese jumper lands safely, loses ski."

Well… he did lose a ski.

Kato ended up at the hospital and will be out for the cross-country portion of the event.

[Deadspin]

Sage Kotsenburg to get bacon gold medal he wished for (PHOTO)

An Olympic gold medal made of solid gold would be awesome but an Olympic gold medal made with bacon? Well, that's nice too.

Shortly after making history by becoming the first-ever Olympic men’s snowboard slopestyle champion, Sage Kotsenburg couldn’t help but wish his medal (and all of the Sochi medals) was made of the smoked meat.

Ahh I wish the Sochi medals were made out of bacon thoooo..!!
— sage kotsenburg (@sagekotsenburg) February 10, 2014

Well, one week later, a Pennsylvania-based meat company – Godshall’s Quality Meats – has come through for Kot.

Olympic Snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg wished his gold medal was "made of bacon"

Well, we want to thank him for his amazing gold medal representation of the US in Sochi by making that dream a reality!

We're making cooked and uncooked Sochi medals from round slabs of real wood smoked Godshall's Turkey Bacon and reaching out to get them to him!

The good folks at Godshall's confirmed that it will be sending cooked and uncooked Sochi medals made from round slabs of their wood-smoked turkey bacon to Kotsenburg shortly.

“For athletes like Mr. Kotsenburg, it offers a high protein alternative to pork bacon with all the flavor and is 94 percent fat free,” said a Godshall’s statement. “It is also allergen free, gluten free, and has no MSG.”

Still prefer the solid gold version though.

Starbucks outlet smuggled into Sochi by NBC: Report

It's not an official sponsor of the Sochi Olympics — and strict rules ban it from having an official presence at the Winter Olympics — but that hasn't stopped Starbucks from sneaking a private outlet into the Olympic media center at Sochi compliments of NBC.

And it's no small operation either. The coffee shop has more staff than the delegations of some countries taking part in the games.

McDonald's is supposed to be the only branded coffee player at the Olympics with its McCafe outlets but hidden away inside NBC's cordoned-off section, intended specifically for NBC staff, there's a not-so-secret Starbucks.

It's never easy standing in the path of someone jonesing for their morning fix of a grande skinny carmel macchiato. 

The worldwide coffee chain runs 24-hours a day serving the 2,500 people NBC, which paid $775 million for exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for the Games, has sent to the Olympic host city.

Keeping it going takes a fair share of caffeine as well.

NBC flies in a rotating crew of around 15 baristas from Starbucks coffee shops in Russia. It sets them up with accommodation in Sochi, and pays their regular wages.

NBC says its Starbucks doesn't break Olympic rules because it isn't open to the public. And the network reportedly keeps "pretty tight security" around the coffee spot, but notes that "we don't mind sharing a bit" with other broadcasters.

The International Olympic Committee is vigilant in keeping at bay brands that haven't paid for sponsor privileges.

In the past, markings on non sponsor brands of elevators, light switches and even thermostats have been covered up.

IOC representative Rachel Rominger told The Wall Street Journal that the NBC Starbucks isn't violating any rules.

She says the broadcasters can bring in "supplementary facilities," so long as the companies providing the services don't publicize or suggest any association with the Olympics.

McDonald's shrugged off the unofficial presence of its rival.

Canadian bobsledder Heather Moyse takes bath in garbage can (PHOTO)

Heather Moyse couldn’t find a bath tub in Sochi’s mountain village. So the Canadian bobsledder used a garbage can instead.

When a typical tub couldn't be found, the resourceful Moyse found the biggest receptacle available and took her soothing salt bath in the giant green bin.

She also did a little trash talking via Twitter.

"No bath tubs in the Mountain Village … So just chillin’ in a garbage bin doing a hot Epsom salt 'bath'!" she tweeted Sunday, along with a photo of herself taking a dip.

No bath tubs in the Mountain Village... So just chillin' in a garbage bin doing a hot Epsom salt 'bath'! #NoExcuses pic.twitter.com/HwdyaPUO7K
— Heather Moyse (@HeatherMoyse) February 16, 2014

The Canada 1 bobsledding crew will begin competing Tuesday.

British halfpipe skier knocked unconscious tweets photo of her battered face (PHOTO)

British halfpipe skier Rowan Cheshire spent Sunday night in hospital after the perilous Sochi ski course snared another victim.

The 18-year-old was knocked unconscious for a few minutes when she fell heavily on her face during a training run at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. The British Olympic Association confirmed she had concussion and that her condition would be monitored overnight.

The spunky skier tweeted a photo of her battered face from her hospital bed:

Wasn't the best day yesterday, still don't remember much! Thanks everyone for the lovely messages pic.twitter.com/qVG8eET3BV
— Rowan Cheshire (@Rowan_C_) February 17, 2014

Here's the pretty skier's face before her fateful fall.

Cheshire is due to compete on Thursday but her participation is now in jeopardy. 

The competition she was taking part in had been postponed from Saturday because temperatures had topped 60F. Snowboarders had previously complained about the shape and condition of the halfpipe, prompting last-minute changes.

Bode Miller reduced to tears by NBC reporter's repeated questions about dead brother (VIDEO)

NBC is feeling the heat after one of its reporters questioned bronze medal winning skier Bode Miller so much about the death of his brother he began to sob uncontrollably on camera.

Christin Cooper interviewed Miller just moments after he finished third in the Super G final Sunday, making the 36-year-old both the most medaled skier in history and the oldest person to win an alpine medal at the Games.

However, what should have been a happy moment quickly turned to tears when Cooper's quest to bring a personal insight to the story swerved out of bounds.

Miller was the first to mention his brother, Chilly, a snowboarder who died in April from a seizure, but Cooper continued to push to the point so much that the skier had to walk away.

Cooper badgered Miller about his brother well after Miller became visibly emotional.

As Miller began to tear up, Cooper asked if his performance was for Chilly. He struggled but managed to answer the question, saying that it wasn't for him but he wanted to make himself proud.

But then she asks whether he had been talking to his brother when he looked up at the sky before the start of the race.

That incessant line of questioning became too much for Miller as he fully breaks down, hunching over before walking away.

Finally, his wife, professional volleyball player Morgan Miller, comes to comfort him.

The interview was conducted on Sunday, and NBC's edit later that night showed Miller for more than a minute after the interview ended, crying, from different camera angles.

Twitter erupted with criticism for Cooper, with most saying she was too aggressive.

But Miller took to Twitter and defended Miller — who was also a skier before getting the TV gig.

"I appreciate everyone sticking up for me. Please be gentle w christin cooper, it was crazy emotional and not all her fault. #heatofthemoment' he wrote.

"My emotions were very raw, she asked the questions that every interviewer would have, pushing is part of it, she wasn't trying to cause pain."

I appreciate everyone sticking up for me. Please be gentle w christin cooper, it was crazy emotional and not all her fault. #heatofthemoment
— Bode Miller (@MillerBode) February 17, 2014

The win was Miller's sixth career Olympic medal over a 12 year span, and he now has sole possession of second place on the all-time men's Alpine medal list.

Sochi Olympic bear tries to fit big head into little car (VIDEO)

Chalk up another unforeseen problem for planners at the Sochi Games. While not as serious as its injury-defying halfpipes, busted elevators or buddy toilets, no one seemed to plan ahead on how to get Sochi Olympic mascot's ginormous head into a tiny little car.

Rather than just removing its Keith Olbermann-sized noggin to sit shotgun, the Nightmare Bear stubbornly stays in character and stuffs himself into the backseat — head-first.

Canadian bobsledder suffers belly-busting wardrobe malfunction (PHOTO)

While the USA speed skating team blames their untested skinsuits for diminishing their chances at Olympic glory, one Canadian bobsledder had sense enough to try his suit on before he was scheduled to compete — to humorous results.

Thanks to his wardrobe malfunction, Christopher Spring found out just in time that his Olympic gear was just a tiny big snug. 

"I tried on my race suit ahead of tomorrow's 2man Olympic race and its a little...er tight. 

#powerbelly," Spring tweeted, along with a photo of his stomach bursting through the center of the suit.

I tried on my race suit ahead of tomorrow's 2man Olympic race and its a little...er tight. #powerbelly pic.twitter.com/Ws25bERzjV
— Christopher Spring (@BobTeamSpring) February 15, 2014

This is Spring's first time competing for Canada in the Olympics. Hopefully the team found time to outfit him with a roomier suit for Sunday's competition.

Or keep him away from the Olympic Village food court.

Bode Miller becomes oldest Olympic medalist in alpine skiing history

Andrew Weibrecht of upstate New York might have shocked the world with a silver medal Sunday after a kamikaze run down the Olympic men’s super G race course, but it was his teammate Bode Miller who made history with a bronze medal finish.

“Everything felt pretty raw and connected,” said Miller, who at 36 became the oldest Olympic medalist in Alpine skiing history. The oft-troubled Miller might have collected gold if it weren’t for a mistake on the lower section of the course.

Weibrecht initially thought the melting snow would hinder his late start position, but then he got a radio report from Miller, who was already at the finish line and told him to “f---ing pipe it” according to U.S. Ski Team coach Forest Carey.  Weibrecht's spectacular run knocked Miller into third place.

Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, who completed the course in 1 minute, 18.14 seconds, took home the gold.

Miller, who tied for bronze with Canada’s Jan Hudec, extended his American record to six career Olympic medals in Alpine skiing. Cameras showed Miller wiping tears from his eyes after the race, which he later attributed to thoughts of his younger brother, Chelone, who died last year.

“Skiing 80 percent would probably get me more medals, but it just doesn’t feel right,” said Miller, echoing a sentiment he has expressed more or less consistently throughout his entire 16-year career in elite-level Alpine ski racing.

Thanks for all the support, today was one of the most emotional days of my life. I miss my brother.
— Bode Miller (@MillerBode) February 16, 2014

Organizers moved the start time up an hour to assure that the top racers competed on a harder surface, and on some turns Weibrecht cut inside of the groove that the previous racers had left on the snow, a risky approach that paid off in speed.

Miller was also the silver medalist in super G at the Vancouver Games, where he finished behind Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway. Norwegians have won the gold medal in every Olympic men’s super G since 1998, when Hermann Maier of Austria took the gold.

Still, not a bad day for the USA.

USA sweeps men's ski slopestyle medals

The Americans continued their dominance in ski slopestyle by taking not only gold but all three medals in the event Thursday in Sochi. Joss Christensen led the sweep by taking home the gold after a monster final run score of 95.80, defined by a triple corkscrew on the final jump. 

Christensen was joined on the podium by Gus Kenworthy in the silver position and the top-ranked skier in the world Nicholas Goepper for the bronze. The only other skier to crack 90 points was Norway's Andreas Haatveit, who finished with a 91.80 to Goepper's 92.40.

With the medal sweep in the men's event, that means the USA won gold in three of the four events on the course (men's and women's ski slopestyle, men's and women's snowboard slopestyle) as Christensen joined Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg as champions.

Just how rare is a medal sweep for the US in Winter Olympic history? The two previous times were in 1956 (men's figure skating) and in 2002 (halfpipe snowboarding).

Unfortunately for the USA, there are no more slopestyle events in the Games.

This is only #TeamUSA's third sweep in #Olympic Winter Games history. #GOTEAMUSA
— US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) February 13, 2014

Skiers share gold medal in first ever tie in Winter Olympic history

An Olympic gold medal was awarded to two women in the same event on Wednesday, after Switzerland’s Dominique Gisin and Tina Maze, from Slovenia, recorded the identical time of 1min 41.57 in the women's downhill.

It is the first gold medal tie in the history of the Winter Games.

Another Swiss, Lara Gut, won bronze. There was no silver medal awarded.

NBC's overlapping replays of the two skiers show almost the exact moves by each competitor during their individual runs.

Guess they'll have to flip a coin on the podium.

Canadian coach helps Russian skier finish cross-country course in front of his hometown crowd (PHOTOS)

A Canadian coach came to the aid of a Russian cross-country skier by running out onto the course and replacing the competitor's broken ski with a new one during a heartwarming moment in Sochi.

Russian cross-country skier Anton Gafarov finally completed the men's semifinal despite multiple crashes and a shredded ski after Canadian ski coach Justin Wadsworth jumped onto the course to provide Gafarov with a replacement ski. 

This act of good sportsmanship allowed Gafarov to finish the race in front of his hometown crowd — in last place, but triumphant at the end. 

NBC announcers said the moment "epitomizes what we want the Olympic spirit to be."

And the touching moment has gone viral.

Wadsworth—a Canadian cross-country ski coach — sprinted over to help Gafarov when he spotted the Russian struggle toward the finish line with a mangled ski. 

The ski had snapped in earlier in the race, but Gafarov staggered on anyway, only to tumble down a hill and rip it to pieces. 

"It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can’t just sit there and do nothing about it," Wadsworth, himself a three-time Olympian, told the Toronto Star. 

"I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line."

Wadsworth hopped into action even while a group of Russian coaches just looked at their hobbled skier. The Canadian said he knew he had to help. 

"Canada has just enjoyed the finest day in its Olympic history," boasted the newspaper.

Gafarov completed the race — which is typically decided by tenths of a second — three minutes behind the pack— thanks to a an unlikely helping hand.

[VIDEO]

Canadian passport gets you free beer in Sochi (PHOTO)

The biggest names for Team Canada in Sochi right now aren't Kingsbury, Bilodeau or even Crosby, they are those old Canuck favorites Molson and Labatt's.

It seems that our friendly neighbors to the north have installed a vending machine which allows athletes to help themselves to a free beer courtesy of this custom fridge in Sochi. Just swipe your Canadian passport, open the door and grab a bottle of 10-proof refreshment that chills inside.

/hums anthem MT @SideCG: Canada's Olympic House in Sochi has a beer fridge that only opens with Canadian passport. pic.twitter.com/UvAEhLjPa1
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) February 11, 2014

Meanwhile, the U.S. team has a keychain that gets them a free Coca-Cola or Powerade.

Considering that Canada currently leads the gold medal count, maybe they are onto something revolutionary?

Or they hired the McKenzie Brothers as trainers, eh?

USA bobsledder gets stuck in elevator days after having to bash through bathroom door (PHOTO)

The next time someone complains about the inconveniences they are experiencing in Sochi, think about what Johnny Quinn has had to go through so far.

The Team USA bobsledder gained notoriety when he tweeted a photo of the hotel bathroom door he had to bash through when he was stuck over the weekend (no word on whether that was captured on film)

On Monday, teammates tweeted the photos below, telling the world he got stuck in an elevator. It looks like there was no way of busting out of this predicament, so it looks like Quinn tried to pry the doors open:

Of course I'm with @JohnnyQuinnUSA when the elevator door breaks and we get stuck! Good thing I'm with him! pic.twitter.com/cnVQlDgQV4
— Nick Cunningham (@BOBSLEDR) February 10, 2014

Now we're stuck in the elevator! Can @JohnnyQuinnUSA get us out ? pic.twitter.com/sVbyksEXlc
— David Cripps (@Crippsee) February 10, 2014

If a bobsled somehow manages to get stuck on the run this week, chances seem pretty high that Quinn will probably be sitting inside.

...With no phone to call for help, I used my bobsled push training to break out. #SochiJailBreak pic.twitter.com/apZRefgvCO
— Johnny Quinn (@JohnnyQuinnUSA) February 8, 2014

T-shirt takes jab at Sochi Opening Ceremony fail (PHOTO)

The days leading up to the Sochi Olympics have been riddled with a seemingly endless stream of structural and technical miscues but none stood out any brighter than the doily-fication of one of the mighty Olympic rings during Friday night's Opening Ceremony.

And it didn't take one entrepreneur long to take advantage of the epic fail.

#sochiproblems The Commerative Tshirt. pic.twitter.com/rBnCsMkaT8
— Michael Miller (@mychelmiller) February 7, 2014

Michael Miller said proceeds from his T-shirt — available in various colors — poking fun at the miscue will be donated to a still undetermined charity.

Just don't wear them on the streets of Sochi.