Olympics Countdown

Days until opening ceremony: 12.

Snowfall: 3.54 inches in Nagano city and no snowfall on men's downhill course.

Update: The "Snowlet's House," named after the Olympic mascot, opened in the Olympic Plaza in front of the Nagano railway station with Mayor Tasuku Tsukada attending. The house will sell Olympic goods, like Olympic-marked shirts, and also will provide visitors with information about the Olympics. Three torches that traveled through 46 prefectures in Japan have arrived in Nagano.

Going for the gold: Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin bolstered their hopes of becoming the first Americans to win an Olympic luge medal by capturing the World Cup doubles title in Winterberg, Germany. Luge is one of three sports the United States never has won a medal in at the Winter Olympics. The others are biathlon and Nordic combined.

Pub Date: 1/26/98