The skip of Canada's gold-medal curling team at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics has been arrested and charged in the United States with trafficking in counterfeit Viagra and Cialis.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA(AP) —Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games cost Vancouver only slightly less than it takes to run the city itself for an entire year.

A report going before the city council next week estimates the city spent $727.6 million on infrastructure and operations to host the world for the 27 days of the games.

It recouped $174.5 million of it from the provincial and the federal governments, leaving a bill of $553.1 million.

Team Canada successfully defended its 2006 Paralymic wheelchair curling gold medal Saturday, defeating Korea 8-7 in the final played before a capacity crowd of 5,500 at the Hillcrest facility.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—A Swedish curler at the Paralympics has been banned for two years after failing a doping test.

Wheelchair curling fourth Glenn Ikonen says he didn’t know the blood pressure medication he was taking was on the banned list.

Ikonen, who was to throw the rocks in Friday’s match against Italy, told a news conference he was disappointed his doctor gave him medication that was on the banned list.

Should there be any temptation for Team Canada to look past this morning's semifinal opponent in the 2010 Paralympic wheelchair curling competition they need look no further than their own story from last year.

VANCOUVER - They wrapped up first place in the round robin Wednesday, but Canada still doesn't know its semifinal playoff opponent at the 2010 Paralympic wheelchair curling event.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA(AP) —It doesn’t appear as if the power of the crazy pants will be enough to help the Norwegian Paralympic curling team.

One day after telling The Associated Press they were wearing loud blue plaid pants because the original red, white and blue diamond-checkered pattern Norway’s Olympians wore so famously had sold out, the Paralympic team got their own set.

“That’s why,” skip Rune Lorentsen said of stories published after he called the blue pants “leftovers” on Monday. “The firm that makes then called and said, `Now we have them. You want them?’ Everybody loves them so we have to love them also.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—Norwegian Paralympic curling team will get to test out the power of the pants.

One day after telling The Associated Press they were wearing loud blue plaid pants instead because the original red, white and blue diamond-checkered pattern the Norwegian Olympians wore so famously had completely sold out, the Paralympic team got its own matching set.

“That’s why,” skip Rune Lorentsen said of the stories published after he called the blue pants “leftovers” on Monday.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—The closing ceremonies for the Paralympic Winter Games will be broadcast live across Canada in both English and French.

Originally, the ceremony wasn’t on CTV’s broadcast schedule for the Games.

The network reversed that decision after being happy with their numbers from the opening ceremonies broadcast.