The Games are at a crossroads and a historic meeting is being held this week in Monte Carlo to map a viable future.

President Obama and six other world leaders said Monday that they would not meet at the so-called Group of Eight summit in June in Sochi, Russia, and instead would convene at that time in Brussels, without Russia, to discuss the “broad agenda we have together.”

Journalists covering the Sochi Olympics have taken to Twitter to air complaints over the state of their hotel rooms. For the past week, some reporters have been tweeting images describing what they say are appalling conditions in the media hotels.

The XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, ended just as they began: with an ostentatious, exhaustive, and carefully scripted celebration of Russian heritage and culture. The 17 days of athletic competition featured all the riveting performances, unexpected disappointments, and weather-related updates that one would expect.

What an awesome sight it was, all those Olympians holding hands with teammates of the same gender, in quiet but unmistakable defiance of Russia's anti-gay laws and the International Olympic Committee's stated ban on political protest.

The International Olympic Committee has decided to reinstate India, officials say.

The move, which was announced early Tuesday, will allow the country's three athletes to compete in the Sochi Games under India's flag. Prior to the ruling, skiers Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal and luger Shiva Keshavan were competing as independent Olympic participants.