The Iranian women's soccer team was disqualified after they showed up for an Olympics qualifier match against Jordon wearing Islamic head scarves.

FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, said that the team had been "informed thoroughly" that they could not wear the hijab scarves for safety reasons. FIFA issued a statement which read:

"Despite initial assurances that the Iranian delegation understood this, the players came out wearing the hijab, and the head and neck totally covered, which was an infringement of the laws of the game."

The referee thus awarded Jordan a 3-0 victory. This left Iranian officials fuming mad.

Ali Kaffashian, the Iranian Football Federation president, vowed:

"I will file a complaint to FIFA against the individual in charge of holding the match."

The Jordanian team had also objected to the hijab ban before the game last Saturday, but they were able to field a team that did not have religious objects to playing without the head scarves.

The hijab was banned by FIFA in 2007 because of a potential choking danger. There are specially designed FIFA caps, hwoever, many conservative Muslim women complain that they don't cover enough skin.

The logo for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was unveiled in 2007. Iran filed a complaint about the logo, saying that it resembles the word "Zion" and is racist. Today, the International Olympic Committee has shot down Iran's complaint.

In a statement on Tuesday, the IOC said:

"The London 2012 logo represents the figure 2012, nothing else."

The secretary general of Iran's national Olympic committee said in response to the IOC:

"Certainly other countries, including Islamic nations, will react to this racist logo and this would jeopardise the goals of the Olympic games in the world."

Iran has warned that they may withdraw from the Games, and that other Middle Eastern countries might pull out as well.

The London logo includes the number 2012 in jagged figures. Iran argues that the numbers look like the word Zion, which is a term that refers to the city of Jerusalem. Iran does not recognize Israel, and considers them an enemy.

Other complaints were previously filed about the logo, which was designed by Wolf Olins. It's also been compared to a swastika, some have seen sexual imagery, and the animated version induced seizures.

Russia unveiled today the three mascots they've chosen for the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi. They are a polar bear, a snowboarding leopard, and a hare.

The mascots were chosen by popular vote on a television show. However, there was some controversy. The initial favorite to win the most votes was a portrayal of Russian Father Christmas Ded Moroz, but organizers decided to remove it from the voting. Then, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's declared favorite - the "strong, fast and beautiful" snow leopard - handily captured the most votes.

Dara Torres, 43, announced Friday morning on "Live with Regis and Kelly" that she is back in the pool and training for what she hopes will be her sixth Olympics.

Torres decided to try for the 2012 London Games following reconstructive surgery. The swimmer says she is still recovering from the surgery, but started swimming again five weeks ago. She says her "heart and head are like 'Yea, let's go for it.'"

If she's able to make the cut, it wouldn't be the first time that Torres has gone up against athletes half her age in the pool. At 41, she won three silver medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She also became the first US swimmer to compete in five Olympics when she made the Beijing team after giving birth to her first child.

Torres will be 45 when the 2012 Olympics kick off.

Usain Bolt, the reigning Olympic and world champion and world record holder in the 100m and 200m races from Jamaica, says that he may switch to other track events after the 2012 Olympics in London. On Wednesday, Bolt said he fears that fans may get bored of him if he wins the 100 and 200 meters in the 2012 games, and is excited at the possibility of trying new events.

Bolt said:

"I'm not going to be one of those athletes who go on to do track and field until they're 36. If I win (in London), then I probably have to try something else because people are probably tired of seeing me. I definitely want to try long jump before I retire.'"

In the meantime, Bolt is working on returning to competition after a six-week injury layoff at the Athletissima meet on Thursday, which is a part of the IAAF's elite Diamond League series. Instead of running the 200, Bolt will run the 100 to avoid aggravating the Achilles' tendon problem that kept him from competiting since he won the 300 meters at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on May 27.

Despite the layoff and injury, Bolt says he is still "in decent shape." However, he warned against expecting another record-breaking outcome:

"My aim is to finish the race injury-free," he said.

Business at a brother near downtown Vancouver tripled during the Winter Olympics. n However, instead of a surge of foreign visitors, the brothel's owner, Sexy Nina, said that she found that local clients were excited by the Games' competitive spirit.

She told AOL News:

"The Games gave us the desire and willingness to connect, the energy to move. What an amazing two weeks!"

Interestingly, some street workers reported that business was slow. The slowdown in street business, however, could possibly be blamed on increased police presence.

Sex work is legal in Vancouver, but some associated activities, such as running a brothel, is not. However, the Vancouver Police Department tends to leave sex workers alone.

I liked Stephen Colbert's observation about curling. "It looks like housekeeping," he said.

The 108 continuous hours of curling coverage on MSNBC got me so fired up, I went around the house dusting everything.

Do you think that if any country swept through the curling competition unbeaten, it's anthem would have been, "Get out the brooms?"

Seriously, I'm going to start training for the 2014 Winter Games. I'll be in the prime of my curling career. I'll be 75.

Curling is a dangerous game, I must say. A well-conditioned curler is liable to die of old age at any time.

It reminds me of the game we played in bars 50 years ago, sliding silver discs a mite smaller than hockey pucks down a polished wood board. The object was to get them as close to the end as possible without falling over. That game could be resurrected for the Summer Games, something to keep curlers in shape during their off-years.

The hockey gold medal game between the USA and Canada was a thrill a minute, but I couldn't shake the thought that it was essentially the NHL all-star game, except with something at stake. All the players on both sides were NHL stars. Nobody watches the NHL all-star game any other year, but the Olympics made this one important.

I know it’s more than just a hockey game when my 63 year old father is looking forward to watching, and has been watching most of the hockey games during this Olympics. I know it’s more than just a game when patrons at bars ask to turn the hockey game on, both the men’s and women’s games, as I have seen happen over the last couple weeks. This is about reliving nostalgia for those who were around for the 1980 Gold Medal team‘s “Miracle“ run. And it’s about wanting to experience that same feeling for those of us who were too young or weren’t around then. This is the kind of thing the brings generations of sons and fathers together creating memories that become part of family lore. More importantly, this is a message to the world that hockey isn’t a secondary sport in the United States anymore, but one we can excel at, and even be the best.
It’s almost time for the opening face off, winning twice on enemy territory won’t be easy, but I think if anyone can, it’s this group of relentless young men. No matter what the outcome, they will put forth an effort to be proud of.
My in game thoughts from the penalty box:

It's been an enjoyable two weeks, but the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are coming to an end today. While Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams headlined the Games' Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony promises to be an even more star-studded affair, featuring Neil Young, Avril Lavigne, Michael Buble, and Shania Twain, amongst others.

The Closing Ceremony will take place Sunday evening, immediately following the gold medal hockey game between Canada and the United States. It will kick off at 8:30pm EST on NBC, but will be tape delayed in the US for the West Coast.

Organizers promise a few surprises during the closing ceremony, so be sure to tune in tonight.

On Saturday, Canada accomplished a rare feat, becoming only the third country to win 13 gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games. If Canada beats the United States in men's hockey, thus winning a gold medal, a new mark for the Winter Games will be set.

The host nation experienced their first three-gold medal day in their Winter Games history on Saturday. The men's long-track team consisting of Denny Morrison, Lucas Makowsky, and Mathieu Giroux started off the day by beating the US, and just minutes later Jasey-Jay Anderson mounted an exciting comeback in the second leg of the Parallel Giant Slalom final, winning another gold medal for Canada. The third Canadian gold medal of the day went to Kevin Martin, who beat Norway 6-3 in men's curling.

There have only been two other countries that have won 13 gold medals in a Winter Games, and those were Norway in 2002 and the Soviet Union in 1976. The 13 gold medals won by Canada have also set a record for a host nation, breaking the previous records held by the US and Norway at 10 medals.