STAMFORD, Conn. — Nothing satisfies NBC’s crew of Olympic researchers more than discovering something unusual about an athlete heading to the Games. A little-known back story or a strange hobby. A name change or a shifted national affiliation. An injury or a medical condition overcome. And if an athlete is not a household name, all the better.

By the time Lindsey Vonn withdrew last week from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, there was not much more to uncover about her. She is the reigning women’s Olympic downhill skiing champion and a celebrity beyond winter sports. She was being counted on by NBC to attract viewers. But injuries late last year to Vonn’s reconstructed right knee will require more surgery.

“It’s unfortunate that she won’t be competing, but our research allows us to prepare for how this impacts the rest of the team,” said Joe Gesue, the senior vice president of NBC’s Olympic production, who oversees the research effort. “The competitive outlook hasn’t changed too much since she’d had a significant injury, and we didn’t know if she’d come all the way back.”

Vonn was never the sole focus of the efforts of NBC’s five researchers any more than she was pivotal to the network’s promotional plans. There are just too many athletes to focus on one, even one as telegenic as Vonn. Instead, the researchers have traveled to world championships, World Cup and Grand Prix events to create the informational spine of the Olympics.