IAAF Disagree with Rogge's Comments

The president of the IAAF disagreed with IOC head Jacques Rogge's comments about the behaviour of Usain Bolt after the Jamaican's world record races at the Olympics, saying such occasions merit extraordinary celebrations.

"No, no, I did not mind,'' Lamine Diack said Saturday.

Rogge criticized Bolt for showing a lack of respect to other competitors after his record-breaking gold medal performances in the 100 and 200 metres.

"It is normal actually for him not to come back'' once he crossed the line, Diack said, considering the enormity of the achievements.

And Bolt himself was unrepentant - International Olympic Committee president or not.

"I won't change that. And I don't see any problem with it, because people enjoy watching me. I'll stay the way I am - that's my personality,'' Bolt said Saturday.

Even the Jamaican government came to the defence of its star athlete.

"It is an unfortunate comment at this time, especially when we are driving young people to become more involved,'' government minister Edmund Bartlett said of Rogge's comments.

"We have to see it in the glory of their moment and give it to them,'' Bartlett said of the 22-year-old Bolt. "We have to allow the personality of youth to express itself.''

UFC Confirms European Shows

Marshall Zaleznik, the company's UK division president, is working with co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta in the company's expansion plans as they look to build on the scheduled 19 UFC shows this year.

There will likely be between 23 and 25 UFC events in 2009, including a number of breakthrough events held in countries new to big-time MMA.

"In the spring of 2009, we plan to have two (international) events outside of the United Kingdom," said Zaleznik.

"We're looking at Italy, Sweden, Australia and the Philippines. We want to go to Germany (in 2009) but we haven't launched television there."

President Dana White also said recently that the UFC plan to turn their attention to Canada after they resolve sanctioning problems in the US states of Massachusetts and New York.

Montreal recently hosted a hugely successful UFC event in April, drawing a crowd of over 21,000 to see home star Georges St Pierre reclaim his welterweight title from Matt Serra.

Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, South Korea and Malaysia are also among UFC's long-term targets for expansion.

Over the past four years, UFC has reached deals to broadcast fights in 170 countries and territories, reaching a potential 300 million homes.

Cuban Taekwondo Athlete Disqualified for Kicking Ref

A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.

Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) match.

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. He was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

"He was too strict," Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.

"This is a strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games. The sanctions are the following and are effective immediately: Lifetime ban of the coach and athlete in all championships sanctioned by the (World Taekwondo Federation) and at the same time, all records of this athlete at the Beijing Games will immediately be erased," said the announcer, reading a WTF release.

In his first match, Matos defeated Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But he lost to South Korean Cha Dong-min in the semis to land in the bronze-medal match.

"To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."

Matos won the gold medal in this division at the 2000 Sydney Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. At the 2004 Athens Games, he finished 11th.

Phelps Signs New Book Deal

American swimmer and Olympic star Michael Phelps will write a book telling the story behind his record-setting run at the Beijing Olympics, a U.S. publisher announced on Friday.

Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, said that the upcoming title — to be called Built to Succeed — is scheduled for release in December, in time for the holiday season.

In addition to giving the 23-year-old swimmer the opportunity to discuss his amazing eight-gold medal performance in Beijing, the book will explore his philosophies on training and competitions as well as his childhood.

Phelps grew up in a single-parent family and struggles with attention deficit disorder, Free Press said.

Phelps, who hails from Baltimore, became the winningest Olympian in history in Beijing, adding eight gold medals to the six he won in Athens in 2004.

His performance in Beijing bested the seven gold medals haul U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz took at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Nicknamed the Baltimore Bullet, Phelps has also scored endorsement deals with a raft of major firms, including Speedo, Visa, Omega, Hilton, AT&T, PureSport and Kellogg Co.

Source: CBC, Associated Press

'Medical Passports' for 2010 Olympics?

Chief VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee)
medical officer Jack Taunton, who is in Beijing to help supervise medical care and anti-doping measures at the Olympics, said technology now exists for the medical history of every Olympic athlete to be available on an individual computer chip that can be accessed by the doctors treating them.

Having such information would end situations that occurred at past Olympics, where athletes have sometimes received improper care because attending physicians did not know their medical history, Dr. Taunton said.

"It would be like having a medical passport ... with your most recent blood tests, allergies, checkups and other health information able to be pulled up on computer. It's really exciting."

Canada and a few other countries already code their athletes' medical background, but nowhere has a comprehensive program been established at an international sporting competition.

"We're pushing very hard to have it in place for the Winter Olympics," Dr. Taunton said. "This is real cutting edge. Between now and 2010, we are really hoping other countries pick it up."

Source: Globe and Mail

Coke and Pepsi Battle in Beijing Over Olympic Athlete

Coke and Pepsi were slugging it out for supremacy outside the home of Thai Olympic boxing athlete Worapoj Phetkum, who fought in the Beijing Games this week.

PepsiCo's local distributor made the first move, erecting promotional tents at the police sergeant's home in the southern province of Surat Thani, where hundreds of people gathered for his bout against Italy's Vittorio Parrinello.

Coca-Cola's Thai agents quickly countered, offering the boxer's father, Thaweep, a deal -- on condition the Pepsi tents were removed.

In a compromise, both companies were allowed to stay, providing they behaved themselves.

"If they make problems, both will have to leave," Thaweep said.

Thai boxer Worapoj Phetkum was able to beat Parrinello, but missed out on his dream of winning an Olympic medal for his cancer-stricken father when he was beaten in the bantamweight quarter-finals by Cuba's Yankiel Leon.

Rebirth of the New Orleans Hornets: Team Unveils New Logos

To proudly showcase the images of New Orleans’ passion, heritage and future, the Hornets unveiled updated logo modifications and new team uniforms. The new designs were created in collaboration with the Hornets, the NBA and adidas, and are inspired by the emblems, colors and textures that New Orleanians and people around the world associate with the city of New Orleans.


“We are extremely proud to be the New Orleans Hornets, and our new logos and uniforms pay tribute to the past, present and future of this great city,” said Executive Officer of the Board Chad Shinn. “These exciting new designs represent our commitment to championship performance on and off the court as we look ahead to a successful future in New Orleans.”


The Hornets primary logo has been enhanced with the team’s new colors: Creole blue, a deeper, more passionate purple and Mardi Gras gold. In addition, the arms on the primary logo have been better proportioned, the ball channels have been made more accurate and “NOLA” now appears across the chest. The wordmark “New Orleans Hornets” includes more stylization linked to the wrought iron of New Orleans architecture.


The “Fleur-de-bee”, which was introduced as a patch on the team’s uniforms last season, will continue this season as the Hornets secondary logo but will be used as a major element of the Hornets brand identity. The “Fleur-de-bee” is based on the fleur-de-lis, or “flower of life”, which is an enduring image of the region’s cultural identity and is recognized worldwide as a symbol of New Orleans’ resiliency and rebirth.


A third logo has also been introduced and depicts the familiar NOLA abbreviation with a basketball and trumpet, capturing the essence of the city, its history of music and the team, and creates one cohesive mark.


The Hornets uniforms maintain consistency with the logo identity, using the same logos, fonts and colors. “New Orleans” will still be featured on the front of the home and away jerseys, making the Hornets one of only two NBA teams to wear their city’s name on the front of both jerseys. The “Fleur-de-bee” is featured on the side of the shorts and on the center back of the neck of the jersey. The NOLA horn is placed on the back of the shorts. The home (white) and road (Creole blue) uniforms also feature pinstripes, which provide a bit of jazz flair as well as pay tribute to the 20 years the Hornets franchise has been in existence. In addition, the team’s second road uniform has been retired.


The entire launch event was featured on Hornets.com in a live stream. New merchandise featuring the new colors and logos will be available immediately at the Hornets Nest team store as well as online at NBAStore.com.