NEW YORK -- Of the many countries participating at the

Vancouver Olympics, add Colbert Nation to the list.

On Monday's "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert announced

his show has become the primary sponsor of the U.S. Speedskating

team. The team's largest annual cash sponsor, DSB Bank NV, left the

team in the lurch after it declared bankruptcy in October.

The name "Colbert Nation" -- the catchall for the legion of

ardent fans of the satirical Comedy Central program -- will be

emblazoned on the team's uniforms.

"On their enormous, billboard thighs, it will say, 'Colbert

Nation,"' Colbert said in an interview before Monday evening's

taping. "Be looking for that logo as it comes around the final

turn. It will be easy to see because it will be in first place."

Speedskating has produced some of the most iconic figures in

U.S. Olympic history, from Eric Heiden to Dan Jansen and Bonnie

Blair. In all, Americans have claimed 75 medals -- 32 of them gold --

on the traditional long track oval and the wild-and-wooly short

track rink. In Vancouver, Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick and short track

star Apolo Anton Ohno will all be vying for medals.

"I personally love Comedy Central + The Colbert Report," Ohno

said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Any attention the

sport can get is going to be beneficial. I'd like to see how

creative they can get! I'm game to do a skit about it :-)"

The show isn't paying the team any money directly. Instead,

Colbert is calling on his fans to donate to the team via

www.colbertnation.com and www.usspeedskating.org. In the past,

Colbert has had a great deal of success raising money this way. He

has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon

Fund, a charity that assists injured service members and their

families.

The Dutch bank DSB was to pay $300,000 for the sponsorship but

failed to make any payments. That put U.S. Speedskating in a

difficult position with little time to court new sponsors before

the games begin in February.

U.S. Speedskating executive director Robert Crowley, who

appeared on Monday's show along with Jansen, acknowledged it was a

"definitely unconventional arrangement," but said it would

generate exposure for the sport.

"We're highly optimistic that the country is going to get

behind this and get behind the Colbert Nation and support this

amazing team," Crowley said. "I don't have any idea if it's going

to make $5 or $500,000. I couldn't tell you."

Colbert, who often leads his audience in chants of "U-S-A!,"

said he had been considering taking "The Report" to Vancouver for

the Olympics, much as he took the show to Iraq earlier this year to

perform for American troops.

"My character sees the Olympics as war, but nobody gets hurt,"

Colbert said. "It's a way to peacefully figure out who has got the

top country."

Colbert, who plays a kind of mock conservative talk-show host on

"The Report," also has a penchant for seeing his name adopted for

various causes around the world. Things that have taken his name

include a NASA treadmill used in the international space station

(COLBERT), a bald eagle (Stephen Jr.), a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

flavor (Americone Dream) and a junior hockey league team (mascot

Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle).

An American Olympic team is clearly a step up, and Colbert can

be expected to feature the team frequently on his show in the

coming months.

"It still tragically involves a lot of Canadians," the

comedian said. "It's kind of unseemly how many Canadians I'm going

to have to be dealing with."