The year 2012 is already behind us, but for many, some events will leave lasting imprints – both in the positive and negative ways. So what happened in 2012?

The world is not ending at least for now and let the new 2013 be full of more happiness, joy, and good news.

Image Courtesy : KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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The big night is here. Mitt Romney takes to the stage at 11pm to accept the Republican Presidential Nomination and deliver the biggest speech of his life. It has been a long road for Romney. He has never been fully embraced by the party base, and there is still speculation by many on whether he will be tonight or on election day.

One of the things he will have to deal with in this election, which may appear small but is part of the larger narrative is the liberals that try to paint conservatives as a racist party. There have been more than a few stories from the liberal networks about the number of blacks at the national convention. Even though the Republican National Convention had several African-American speakers the story is that no blacks are here. The truth is that there are plenty, and they all have to deal with the question of how they can support Romney.

If you were to put aside the difference in success for blacks under Democrats versus Republicans and just focus on Mitt Romney, here is what we find: Romney’s life has been one of competency. It is a life filled with success at running things. He has turned around companies. He ran the Winter Olympics, a job offered to him because of his turnaround experience, and saved them. He has been Governor of Massachusetts and done a good job. He did not get everything he wanted, but he did leave the state of Massachusetts with a rainy day fund, something the federal government could use right now.

What do we have on the other side?

President Obama’s life is a life of personal success. He went to a good school. He went to an excellent graduate school. He managed to get elected to public office, and managed to get elected President of the United States. All of that is nice personally. But where is the record of success running things?

He has never run a business or worked in one, nor has he run a city or state. Since he never has run anything, we are left with what he has done thus far. I do not find that record a strong one. Unemployment is 8.3% – 15% in black communities – and has been as high as 10%. He promised to lower the deficit, but increased it. He did not lower the debt, he spent more than any President before. Has that spending lead to a robust economy? No. He bailed out GM, which went bankrupt anyway, and still owes the country billions.

The only thing he can really point to is a healthcare plan that is still unconstitutional—the Supreme Court notwithstanding– and will break the financial back of the country. He can point to foreign policy when it comes to Bin Laden and drone attacks, but many will argue that all of that is on the back of President Bush.

Yet, African-Americans are supposed to support him. Worst, if you support Romney, then somehow you are a racist if you are white, and self-hating if you are black.

Both are wrong. What matters in life is success. What matters is doing something and it working. Not how you feel about it, not how it sounds, and not something that is said by a black man. If a black man is in charge, and he screws up, how does that help anyone, black or white? If a white man is in charge and screws up, how does that help anyone, black or white? It does not. You need to be competent at what you are doing. You need someone in charge that can do the job.

Here is a thought. Ask any black democrat this question: “If you are a manager for a company, would you hire someone that was incompetent? Would you keep someone in a job they were failing at just because they were black?”

The answer would be no. So the real question is, why is that acceptable for the most important job in the country?

Image Courtesy of   NewsHour

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London, U.K. — He may have finished 10th in the men’s 5000m at the London Summer Games Saturday night but former Sudan Lost Boy Lopez Lomong remains committed to helping children. Lomong, who led near the end of the race, is tentatively planning a trip early next year to Kenya and South Sudan to help children living in poverty.

The trip is part of a long-term partnership between 4South Sudan, Lomong’s non-profit, and Team World Vision, a program sponsored by international Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. Lomong’s group is hoping to raise $500,000 to provide impoverished people with access to clean water, health care, education and nutrition.

According to the latest estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more than 660,000 displaced South Sudanese as fighting rages with Sudan. Malaria and diarrhea run rampant in the overcrowded refugee camps. Nearly three children die of preventable illnesses in the camps every day.

At the age of six, Lopez was kidnapped from his Southern Sudan village and held captive as he was prepped to be a child soldier. Too small to undergo training, his fate would most likely have been starvation. But after three weeks, he managed to escape with the help of three other captives. After running three days and nights, they were captured by Kenyan troops and brought to a refugee camp where Lopez lived for 10 years.

He was sponsored by a U.S. family and brought to America, where he soon discovered he was the fastest kid in school. At track meets he then discovered he was the fastest in the state. Soon he would become one of the fastest in the nation. In 2008, Lomong qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the men’s 1500m. He was voted by his teammates as the flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies.

World Vision’s child sponsorship programs establish sustainable, long-lasting programs in the world’s most impoverished regions. A $35/month commitment helps provide clean water, improve agricultural conditions and provides educational opportunities for children and their communities. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicate to working with children, families and their communities worldwide by tacking the causes of poverty and injustice.

Image Courtesy of  Sudan Envoy (Two Children) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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New York, U.S.A. – It’s been quite an exciting summer so far in Britain as the London 2012 Olympic Games have just come to a close. VisitBritain, the national tourism agency for England, Scotland and Wales, takes a look back at some of the most memorable and unforgettable golden moments.

The London 2012 Olympics opened with a bang as Queen Elizabeth became the newest Bond Girl and parachuted her way into Olympic Stadium for an unforgettable entrance. This year is the 50th anniversary of first Bond film, which began with Sean Connery in Dr No. The Barbican Centre is celebrating with an exhibition Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style and Beaulieu is celebrating with Bond In Motion, the largest exhibit of Bond vehicles ever staged. The newest Bond Girl wasn’t the only member of the British Royal Family that took part in and supported the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Fab Five won the hearts of America as they took gold, so what better way for these women to celebrate than with a girlfriend getaway fit for champions. These women may now being carrying their own gold, but they won’t want to miss the special Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration exhibition at Buckingham Palace that showcases diamonds worn by British monarchs over the past 200 years.

No girlfriend getaway is complete without shopping and London is a shopper’s paradise offering a wide variety of choice from East London’s Spitalfields and Sunday Upmarket to trendy stores like Topshop. Every fashion loving girl will want to have quintessential afternoon tea, but with a fashionista twist. Prêt-à-Portea at The Berkley London serves a fashion-inspired afternoon tea that changes every six months to following the latest fashion trends.

Team USA’s women’s soccer team is taking home the gold for the third straight summer Olympic Games and the women’s 4x100m relay team shattered the previous world record winning the first gold medal in 16 years, so these winning women certainly have reason to celebrate. After kicking the ball across Britainfrom Glasgow to Manchester to Newcastle Gateshead, the soccer women finally won the gold in London where the track stars also flew past their competition. Now it’s certainly time to party like champions.

There’s no better way for Michael Phelps to celebrate becoming the most decorated Olympic medalist than taking his girlfriend on a romantic vacation. The Royal Scotsman offers guests the opportunity to see the beautiful Scottish countryside in a luxurious setting. Trains depart from Edinburgh and make their way around the Scottish Highlands adding a bit of old world travel to a very romantic setting.

Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee have officially been named the greatest athletes in the world having won gold and silver, respectively, in the decathalon, so now there’s no better way to celebrate being the best in a 10-event competition than experiencing the top 10 great British experiences in the UK.

Britain delivered its own golden moments as the host nation from the Olympic Stadium to cities across the UK hosting competitions and celebrations. With the mini remote-controlled MINIs retrieving the discusses and javelins bringing a bit of fun to the track and field competitions, visitors can have their own MINI fun when visiting London. Small Car, Big City offers visitors guided tours in true MINI style covering all the favorite sights including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and more.

Fans from around the world watched as Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh bumped, set and spiked their way to their third gold medal on a beach with a truly unique and iconic British background. The temporary beach is built on Horse Guards Parade, which is right in front of the Prime Minister’s doorstep in London.  This is also the location of the Trooping the Colour event that takes place each year on the Queen’s official birthday.

Visitors from around the world took notice as the iconic Royal Mail red mailboxes started popping up goldas a new one was painted each time a Team GB athlete won a gold medal. Visitors who haven’t seen one in person yet still has a chance as the boxes will continue through the London 2012 Paralympic Games in honor of the Team GB champions. The Royal Mail is also honoring Team GB champions by creating a personalized Royal Mail stamp for each champion.

The Closing Ceremony ended the 17 day event in true British spirit. From British fashion to the best of British music including the reuniting of the Spice Girls the entire night rocked. It’s not too late to check out one of Britain’s many music festivals.

The Olympic Games may have concluded, but that doesn’t mean the 2012 fun and competition is over just yet. There are sure to be plenty more golden moments as the London 2012 Paralympic Games commence with the Opening Ceremony on August 29 and the London 2012 Festival has plenty more opportunities for visitors to take part in through September 9.

For more information and ideas for visiting Britain, please visit www.visitbritain.com.

Image Courtesy of  Diego Barbieri / Shutterstock.com

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. – The 2012 Summer Olympics have ended, and the world’s greatest competitors have showcased their abilities in London. Americans and people from every country were watching and rooting for their greatest sports stars. Because these are the summer games, these patriotic athletes were dressed somewhat revealingly, increasing scrutiny on their bodies.

This can make us reflect on our own physiques. However, it’s not always the physiques of these athletes that we are drawn to (because they have to undergo rigorous exercise and eating routines that are, frankly, impossible for most people to follow)—it’s the confidence these legends convey in their spandex, bathing suits, and other Olympic uniforms. If a part of your body is causing undeserved damage to your self-esteem, then perhaps an aesthetic procedure is just what you need.

Dr. Payam Jarrah-Nejad, affectionately called Dr. J by his patients, is a double-board certified plastic surgeon who can restore your confidence and make you feel as boldly beautiful as an Olympic gold-medalist.

Dr. J has been performing top-rate Beverly Hills plastic surgery for many years, specializing in breast and buttock augmentations, mommy makeovers, rhinoplasties, and many other procedures. What distinguishes him from other surgeons is his notion that his work is a delicate art form. As such, he treats patients with the utmost respect and care; after all, Michelangelo didn’t just carelessly hack at marble to craft his David. This compassion can be seen on the many testimonials showcased on Dr. J’s website.

One stated that Dr. J “cares 100% about his patients,” and another called him “one of the warmest people I know.” His work itself is viewable on the “Before and After” section of his site. There’s mastery on display in the pictures, but also confidence; after all, these patients are so proud of and happy with their results that they’re willing to let Dr. J showcase their bodies.

It’s not too far into the summer to sport your Olympian-inspired makeover. Breast augmentation recovery time can be quick, allowing you to be on the beach before August. Many can return to work 24 hours after surgery; for a butt lift or augmentation, it may take two weeks. However, for both, normal activity can be resumed after a month.

Meetings with Dr. J will confirm this for sure. As with any surgical procedure, he will guide you through the recovery process, comforting you and ensuring that you are happy with your results. If you’re considering buttock or breast augmentation in Beverly Hills, reach out to Dr. J for a free consultation.

For more information, visit his website at www.drjplasticsurgery.com.

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Iran is forever in the news, whether for its bold statements on the West or its tête-à-tête with Israel. By courtesy of the Iranian Olympians, Iran is in the news for positive reasons right now. One should put aside the pre-Olympics hype over whether Iranian Olympians will face their arch rivals from Israel or not and focus on the contributions their athletes made to the spirit of the 2012 Olympics.

The country current ranks at 12th place in the Olympic table with a total of eight medals: four golds, three silvers, and one bronze. To celebrate their country’s accolades in Olympics, Iranians took to social networking sites to express their joy. One could argue that this Olympics has indeed exposed a rare side of Iran to the global audience.

Iran has participated in the Olympics since the 1948 London Games. This year, 45 men and eight women are participating from Iran in the London 2012 Olympics. However, this is the first time that Iran has won medals in athletic categories and their first-ever gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Twenty-five-year-old Neda Shahsavari also made a history by becoming the first Iranian woman to qualify for women’s table tennis. Tuesday, August 7, was especially jubilant for Iranians as their Olympians won two gold and two silver medals.

Twenty-two-year-old Behdad Salimikordasiabi was bestowed with the title of strongest man after winning the gold medal on Tuesday in the 105kg weightlifting competition. Salimi said in a statement, “In Iran I know they’re all partying in the street already.” Salimikordasiabi’s final competitor was Russia’s European champion Ruslan Albegov, who lost by 1kg, allowing Salimikordasiabi’s lift of 455kg to become the champion. On his winning Salimikordasiabi told the media, “I’m very happy, I worked very hard for this and had a very hard schedule.”

Fellow Iranian 28-year-old Sajjad Anoushiravani took the bronze medal, with the silver going to Albegov. Anoushiravani said, “I’d have liked to be first but I’m happy with what I’ve got. God forbid if one day he is not able to compete, I will carry Iran’s flag for him. But the most important thing is that we both competed and both won a medal.”

In men’s athletics, Ehsan Hadadi won Iran’s first ever silver medal with a 68.18m discus throw on Tuesday with Kianoush Rostami winning Iran a bronze medal on August 3 in the men’s 85kg weightlifting.

Hamid Soryan, a 26-year-old wrestler from Tehran, won Iran’s first gold medal in 40 years in  the 55kg Greco-Roman wrestling on August 5 after defeating Azerbaijan’s Rovshan Bayramov 2-0 in the final. Another celebrated winner is defending world champion Omid Noroozi in men’s 60kg Greco-Roman wrestling, who defeated Georgia’s Revaz Lashkhi 1-0, 1-0 to give Iran its second gold medal.

Ghasem Rezai in men’s 96kg Greco-Roman wrestling gave Iran its third gold medal in many days by beating Russia’s Rustam Totrov 2-0, 1-0 on Tuesday. Rezai said in a statement, “I am very happy because I have made my people very proud. To see all the Iranians inside the stadium and back home, to bring smiles to their faces is the happiest moment of my life.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated the Iranian Olympians on Sunday, “I hereby congratulate the Iranian wrestlers, athletes and nation on Iran’s first gold medal at the London Olympics won by young and brave Greco-Roman wrestler Hamid Sourian. I pray to God for more victories by Iranian athletes in the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

Image Courtesy of  Boris Pamikov / Shutterstock.com

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Seattle, U.S.A. — As he prepares for his Olympic Summer Games qualifying heat on Wednesday, August 8 th in the men’s 5,000 meter, former Sudan Lost Boy Lopez Lomong is also focused on children living in poverty back home in South Sudan.

After London, whether he medals or not, the U.S. Olympian is hoping to return to Africa. The trip, tentatively scheduled for January, 2013, is part of long-term partnership between Lomong’s non-profit, 4South Sudan and Team World Vision, a program sponsored by international Christian charity World Vision. Lomong’s group is dedicated to helping raise $500,000 to provide access to clean water, health care, education and nutrition.

According to the latest United Nations (UNHCR) estimates, there are more than 660,000 displaced South Sudanese as fighting rages between Sudan and its neighbor, South Sudan. Malaria and diarrhea run rampant in the overcrowded refugee camps. Nearly three children die of preventable illnesses in the camps every day.

At the age of six, Lopez was kidnapped from his Southern Sudan village and held captive as he was being prepped as a child soldier. Too small to undergo training, his fate would most likely have been starvation. But he managed to escape with the help of three other captives. After running three days and nights, they were captured by Kenyan troops and brought to a refugee camp where Lopez lived for 10 years.

He was sponsored by a U.S. family and brought to this country where he soon discovered he was the fastest kid in school. At track meets he then discovered he was the fastest in the state. Soon he would become one of the fastest in the nation.

In 2008, Lomong qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the men’s 1,500 meters. He was voted by his teammates as the flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies.

Lomong has a new book entitled “Running For My Life” (Thomas Nelson Publisher) http://www.thomasnelson.com/running-for-my-life.html

Image Courtesy of  sidelife

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Seattle, U.S.A. — After qualifying Wednesday for this weekend’s final in the men’s 5,000 meters, former Sudan Lost Boy Lopez Lomong is ready to use his Olympic fame to help kids back home in Africa. After Saturday’s final, Lopez will focus on a partnership with international Christian charity World Vision, including a trip, tentatively planned for early next year to Kenya and South Sudan to help children living in poverty.

The trip is part of long-term partnership between Lomong’s non-profit, 4 South Sudan and Team World Vision, a program sponsored by World Vision. Lomong hopes to help raise $500,000 to provide access to clean water, health care, education and nutrition.

According to the latest United Nations (UNHCR) estimates, there are more than 660,000 displaced South Sudanese as fighting rages between Sudan and its neighbor, South Sudan. Malaria and diarrhea run rampant in the overcrowded refugee camps. Nearly three children die of preventable illnesses in the camps every day.

At the age of six, Lopez was kidnapped from his Southern Sudan village and held captive as he was being prepped as a child soldier. Too small to undergo training, his fate would most likely have been starvation. But after three weeks, he managed to escape with the help of three other captives. After running three days and nights, they were captured by Kenyan troops and brought to a refugee camp where Lopez lived for 10 years.

He was supported by a U.S. family and brought to this country where he soon discovered he was the fastest kid in school. At track meets he then discovered he was the fastest in the state. Soon he would become one of the fastest in the nation. In 2008, Lomong qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the men’s 1,500 meters. He was voted by his teammates as the flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies.

Lomong has a new book entitled “Running For My Life” (Thomas Nelson Publisher) http://www.thomasnelson.com/running-for-my-life.html

For more info: 4South Sudan : http://lopezlomong.com/foundation/

Team World Vision: http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR?px=1209501&fr_id=1790&pg=personal

Image Courtesy of   Maxisport / Shutterstock.com

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London, England — A massive audience of 6.2 million Canadians watched the world’s fastest runner win gold in the men’s 100m final Sunday, powering Day 9 (August 5) to be the most-watched day yet for Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium at London 2012.

With an average of nearly 5 million viewers watching from 4:52 – 5:03 p.m. ET on CTV alone, Usain Bolt’s winning race is in line with the record-setting Top 10 (non-hockey) events from Vancouver 2010. Day 9 (Sunday, August 5) becomes the most-watched yet at London 2012 with 2.5 million viewers watching on average over 22 hours of coverage.

Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium confirms that audiences for London 2012 continue to out-run Beijing 2008, with viewing increasing by an impressive 87% during Days 7-9. An average of 2.3 millionviewers tuned in throughout the consortium’s 22 hours of daily coverage from Aug. 3-5, including an average audience of 2.9 million viewers in prime time.

Additionally, a whopping 3.6 million viewers tuned into OLYMPIC DAYTIME during Days 7-9, with 4.3 million viewers tuning in to Sunday’s daytime broadcast alone. On CTV, the tape-delayed prime time coverage averaged 2 million viewers, up 43% over CBC’s prime time live/tape-delayed coverage of Beijing 2008 (1.4 million) for the same time period.

From the start of the 2012 Games to date, an incredible 30.5 million Canadians – or 90.7% of the population – has watched some coverage on Consortium channels. Additionally, London 2012 continues to be a wide-reaching event with 92% of all women, 91% of all men and 87% of all children experiencing some part of the 2012 Games on television.

In addition to the men’s athletics 100m final, the top events of London 2012 on the Consortium networks all took place over the weekend. On Canada’s golden Saturday, an average of 2.1 million viewers tuned in as Rosie MacLennan won Canada’s first gold medal of the 2012 Games during the women’s trampoline final.

The men’s 1500m freestyle swimming final averaged 2.8 million viewers as Canada’s Ryan Cochranewon a silver medal, while the women’s team pursuit cycling averaged 2.2 million as Canada won bronze. Additionally, Michael Phelps’ last Olympic race, the men’s 4x100m medley relay, garnered an average audience of more than 2.9 million on Saturday.

Meanwhile, despite only two days of coverage, athletics (16.3 million) is now a close second to swimming (18.6 million) in terms of most-watched sports by unique viewers.

Additional Highlights for Days 7-9:

• Sunday’s men’s athletics 100m final is the top event on both CTV (4.9 million) and V (854,000) of the 2012 Games to date
• TSN achieved its highest audience of the 2012 Games to date on Friday with the Canada/Great Britain women’s soccer quarter-final averaging 841,000 viewers and reaching 2.7 million viewers
• Sportsnet achieved three of its Top 5 most-watched events of the 2012 Games on Days 7-9, led by the women’s athletics 100m semifinal on Saturday with 417,000 viewers
• RDS had four of its Top 5 events of the 2012 Games on Sunday including the women’s 3m springboard final (446,000) and men’s athletics 100m final (426,000)

As Canadians left work for the long weekend, they stayed with Consortium digital coverage of London2012 as Days 7-9 brought 4.3 million video views, 20% higher than the same three days during Vancouver2010. By the end of Day 9, total page views to CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, and the CTV Olympics London 2012 and RDS olympiques pour Londres 2012 Apps reached 129 million views, pacing 17% higher than Vancouver 2010.

The mobile story continues, as Saturday and Sunday saw the highest days of mobile traffic to digital platforms with almost 70% of digital traffic coming through mobile devices.

Image Courtesy of  José Goulão

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Oxford, England — With the Games well under way this summer, businesses have been given a unique opportunity to evaluate the way they communicate internally and externally in the face of challenging outside influences. It has been reported that some of the busiest commercial districts in London have been unrecognisable during the last week – not because of increased footfall but because they are so much quieter than usual.

This is down to an improvement in the way companies in the capital have dealt with important communications in adverse conditions – such as the hosting of a major international sporting event. A large number of businesses trading in the capital have made full use of the technology supplied by telecommunications experts like MeetingZone Ltd.

In the run-up to the Games inquiries came flooding in to meetingzone.com from companies eager to assess how their in-house communications systems could be enhanced using cutting edge technology in preparation for a testing time in the capital. The solutions supplied have enabled many businesses to keep operating at the optimum level in spite of the forecast difficulties many have had to face in terms of travel and logistics.

Improved communications in the form of web conferences and telephone conference calls make it possible to gather a team in order to solve problems, meet with partners, clients and suppliers and discuss strategies, even when external conditions make it very difficult for businesses to succeed in this capacity, especially when they are limited to less up-to-date modes of communication.

How well businesses have dealt with the unique conditions supplied by London’s hosting of the Games is likely to determine how they move forward with their own communications strategies in the future.

In order to deliver solutions to more businesses in need of advice in the field of communications, Meeting Zone has teamed up with Cheshire SEO agency Just Search – the aim being to enhance the online presence of the company so that more enterprises can make use of their individually-tailored packages and services.

Image Courtesy of   Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock.com

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Russian high jumper Ivan Ukhov won a gold medal on August 7, but had to struggle with an untimely issue. The 26-year-old lost his uniform t-shirt between his third and fourth jumps, and had to use the one of his compatriot and 2008 Olympic champion, Andre Silnov. He then pinned his number to the shirt and successfully cleared the 2.33 meter.

“I had put it in my bag as I always do after each attempt but it disappeared. Someone might have stolen it,” he told the Russian media on Wednesday.

Although he was afraid of being disqualified, pressure was not an impediment for Ukhov to win. He accomplished the gold medal with a leap of 2.38 meters. “I was afraid I could be disqualified for not wearing a proper uniform but in the end it turned out just fine. It was symbolic that I won gold in Silnov’s shirt. I guess Andrei being the 2008 champion just passed me the good luck,” Ukhov said.

The Russian is very grateful to his compatriot, who could not get a medal, and also to judges, who waited for him to find a replacement uniform.

America’s Erik Kynard took silver with a 2.33 jump, and Britain’s Robbie Grabarz won the bronze. He later tweeted: “I don’t have Ukhov’s shirt, but I do have an Olympic bronze!”

It’s not the first time Ukhov has drawn attention to himself with his misadventures. In 2008, he was drunk when competing at a Laussane event.

The gold has now given Ukhov the redemption that he was looking for, after he was called out with a strong warning from the IAAF for the incident.

This has not been the first time an athlete has found clothes to have disappeared during the London Olympics. British cyclist Bradley Wiggins had his shorts stolen while he was using the shower, following his gold-medal performance in the men’s time trial race last week.

Image Courtesy of Erik van Leeuwen, attribution: Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia). (http://www.erki.nl/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=33703) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Seven athletes from the Cameroon delegation at the 2012 London Olympics have left the Olympic village without official permission, confirmed the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education in the African country. Five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer player are the athletes who have disappeared from the concentration, presumably for economic reasons.

“What began as rumour has finally turned out to be true. Seven Cameroonian athletes who participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games have disappeared from the Olympic village,” wrote David Ojong, the manager of the Cameroon delegation, in a message for the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education in Cameroon.

He said the Cameroon delegation consisted originally of 59 people, but 28 already have returned home, 24 remain in London and seven are missing.

Ojong explained that Drusille Ngako, a reserve goalkeeper from the Olympic football woman team, was the first to disappear. Ngako did not finally make it for the group of selected 18 players to compete in the Olympic competition. While her teammates moved from Scotland to Coventry to continue the preparation, Ngako did not accompany the group and no one ever heard from her.

A few days later it was swimmer, Paul Ekane Edingue’s turn. Also, five boxers, Thomas Essomba, Christian Donfack Adjoufack, Abdon Mewoli, and Serge Blaise Mendouo Yepmou Ambomo, were absent from the village on Sunday.

Representatives of the International Olympic Committee said today that they knew nothing about it. “We are not aware of it,” said spokesman Mark Adams.

It is not the first time Cameroonian athletes have disappeared during international sports competitions. At past Francophonie and Commonwealth games as well as junior soccer competitions, several Cameroonians have quit their delegation without official consent.

Image Courtesy of   Denis Kuvaev / Shutterstock.com

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The U.S. women’s soccer team has done it again and fulfilled all the predictions: they beat Canada in the semifinals in the “Theater of Dreams” from Manchester and will fight for the gold medal in the final game against Japan.

The finalist was not decided until the last minute of extra time. During the 90 minutes, Canada went ahead on the scoreboard three different times, but the Americans managed to tie the game every time Canada scored.

The first Canadian advantage came with Christine Sinclair, who made the first goal of the night. In the second half, the Americans managed a draw thanks to Megan Rapinoe.

However, Sinclair again put his team ahead three minutes before Rapinoe drilled on goal again. In their particular duel to become the best player in the game, Sinclair scored a hat-trick, but when the game seemed already over, Abby Wambach tied it in the 80th minute with a penalty kick.

With the score at 3-3, the semi-final went to over time and it was not until the second part of the extension in the third minute of injury time, when Alex Morgan put the U.S. into the final, avoiding penalties with an agonizing goal.

Canadians have complained that the fourth goal came when the game should have been over. They have also showed their disagreement with the American’s third goal, which came after a penalty preceded by an indirect free kick that was indicated when Canadian goalkeeper, Erin McLeod, was called for time wasting, something that is rarely whistled.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed and upset. We felt that the referee took it away from us, so, yes, we are disappointed,” Canada captain Sinclair said. “We feel like we didn’t lose, we feel like it was taken from us. It’s a shame in a game like that, which is so important, that the ref decided the result before the game started.”

Canadian coach John Herdman also showed his anger: “It felt like it was America and the referee against us.”

On the other hand, American players refused to talk about the polemic, as they were celebrating going into the final. “I’m still in shock,” Morgan told NBC following the game. “I was saying the whole time, ‘I don’t care who scores as long as we freaking score, as long as we win. I just got my head on it in the end and I didn’t see it go on.”

“Even when they scored their third goal, there was something in me that knew that we had more, that we could give more,” Wambach said. “I don’t know what that means, quite honestly. I don’t know if it’s just confidence until the end, but this team has a belief in itself, even when the going gets rough.”

Now the final against Japan is on the horizon, and will take place on Thursday at London’s Wembley Stadium. Americans will have the chance to seek revenge against the Japanese, who defeated them in last year’s World Cup final. American Morgan has not forgotten about this game: “We wanted the rematch with Japan, and we got it.”

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London, England — Simon Fuller managed Andy Murray wins epic victory against Roger Federer in a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Andy Murray joined the ranks of the Olympic gold medal winners after securing an emphatic victory over Roger Federer in the Olympic Men’s Singles final at Wimbledon. He became the first British man to win Olympic gold in the tennis since Josiah Ritchie in 1908.

Murray’s victory was secured after one hour and 56 minutes in front of a packed Centre Court and a global TV audience of many millions:

“It’s number one for me. The biggest win of my life,” Andy Murray said after the game. “I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final.”

After beating Djokovic in the semi-final, Murray was full of confidence going into Sunday’s final. He saved two break points in the opening game and then went on to dominate the first set before breaking serve in the sixth game, and taking the set 6-2. This comprehensive display set the tone for the rest of the match, with Murray racing into a 3-0 lead in the second set despite saving six break points in the third game, going on to a 6-1 second set victory. Although the final set was closer, finishing at 6-4, Murray always looked likely to win Team GB’s 16th gold medal at the summer games.

Simon Fuller Andy Murray’s manager, said after the game, “What an incredible day for Andy, not only for winning an Olympic Gold, but for winning here at Wimbledon during London 2012 in front of his home fans. This is a justified reward for all his hard work and devotion. Andy is an exemplary sportsman and an inspiration for a young British sporting generation. I am proud to be associated with him at this special moment and certain that this will be the first of many more great victories.”

Shortly after the game Andy Murray competed in the Final of the Mixed Doubles with his partner Laura Robson, winning a silver medal.

Image Courtesy of  Neale Cousland / Shutterstock.com

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During the past days we have heard of athletes being expelled for unruly behavior. Up until now, there were no Americans involved in the controversies surrounding this year’s Olympics, but unfortunately the time has come for an American athlete to join the unflattering ranks. Judoka Nick Delpopolo has been expelled from the Olympics for failing a drug test where he tested positive for marijuana.

Test results showed that Delpopolo had cannabis metabolites within his body the day he competed (July 30).

Delpopolo has defended himself saying that he unintentionally ate something before the Games that had marijuana baked into it: “My positive test was caused by my inadvertent consumption of food that I did not realize had been baked with marijuana, before I left for the Olympic Games.”

The American Judoka competed in the 73-kilogram class where he ended up in the seventh position, which gave him an Olympic diploma. However, according to information on the official International Olympics website, Delpopolo’s diploma from the event has been withdrawn.

The athlete has shown remorse for his behavior, despite assuring that he did not know that he was eating a banned substance: “I apologize to U.S. Olympic Committee, to my teammates, and to my fans, and I am embarrassed by this mistake,” he said in a statement released by the USOC. “I look forward to representing my country in the future, and will rededicate myself to being the best judo athlete that I can be.”

U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky made clear that athletes have to face the consequences of with their actions: “The IOC is absolutely committed to clean competition and stringent anti-doping penalties. Any positive test, for any banned substance, comes with the appropriate consequences and we absolutely support the disqualification.”

Delpopolo’s doping positive is the fifth case of use of an illegal substance since the International Olympic committee started making the tests. However, the other four athletes were caught before competition started.

Therefore, Delpopolo is the first athlete to be expelled during competition for using drugs. He joins the list of athletes who have been forced to leave London for their behavior: Greek Voula Papachristou and Swiss Morganella were sent home for inappropriate social media use, Australian rower Josh Booth was expelled for damaging a storefront while drunk, and 8 badminton players were kicked out for trying to lose their game on purpose.

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A historic moment has happened in the London Olympics. For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia has sent a women to the games. Wojdan Shaherkani, one of the two women sent, has already made her debut in Judo wearing a modified hijab.

Wojdan Shaherkani is only 16 years old; she competed against Melissa Mojica, a 28-year-old Puerto Rican ranked 13^th in the world, so the fight only lasted one minute 22 seconds. Mojica quickly did a technique called a side-drop, in which she made Shaherkani hit the mat, so a knockout was determined by the judges. But the result of the fight was the less important thing; Shaherkani had already made history.

Wojdan Shaherkani in Judo and Sarah Attar, an 800-meter runner, are the only women the Saudi Arabian delegation has sent to the Olympics. This was not an easy decision for some of the country leaders. Along with Brunei and Qatar, Saudi Arabia had never sent a women to the Olympics. But now in London things are different, Brunei and Qatar have also sent women in their delegations; Qatar has sent four female athletes and Brunei has also sent their first female Olympian.

The decision to send women to the Olympics was taken at the last moment; the different leaders had a very intense internal debate. External pressure also contributed to the final decision.

One of the latest controversies was if Wojdan Shaherkani would be able to fight wearing a hijab. This was not an easy topic because Judo has a very strict dressing code. But in the end Saudi Arabia and international Judo federations agreed to let her compete with a modified hijab, so her debut was possible even with much negative pressure from her country. Hard-liners said she was dishonoring herself fighting in front of men.

Shaherkani, after the fight, said “I’m excited and proud to be representing my country,” although she was disappointed for her loss she is sure she will do it better in the future. We must consider that Shaherkani is only a blue belt in Judo that has been trained by her father for two years and she faced one of the most experienced Judo fighters in the Olympics.

The president of the Saudi Arabia Judo and Taekwondo Federation, Hani Kamal Najm, is very proud of her participation in the Olympics and said that “certainly it’s a good start, and hopefully it will progress from here onward.”

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If we talked in past days about athletes being careless with social media use, the irresponsibility news of the day would be related to alcohol abuse. The rower Josh Booth from Australia was detained by police for causing damage to a storefront. Apparently he smashed two windows, severely damaging them.

Josh Booth, age-21, was debuting in London in the Olympic Games, and was apparently under the influence of alcohol during the incident. The incident took place a few hours after he disputed the men’s eight on rowing, where his team ended up in the last position.

Nick Green, head of the Australian delegation and former Olympic rowing champion, said to the press that police contacted him by telephone at 3.30 AM to notify him of the arrest of one of their athletes.

According to Green, the rower, collapsed in the police station where he was interrogated, hitting his head, and had to be taken to a hospital. The Australian athlete was subsequently released without charge. However, Booth will have to go back to the police station: “No charges have been laid but he has to go back to the police station tomorrow (Friday) where the police will investigate the matter,” said Nick Green.

Australian team leader added that they will make a decision on possible disciplinary action to punish Booth for his actions.

This has not been the first incident related to alcohol in this Olympics. South Korean sailing coach Lee Jae-cheol was sent home last week from the London Games after being caught by police drunk driving on his way back to the athletes’ village.

Image Courtesy of   jo.sau

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Serbian Novak Djokovic has really shown his aspirations for the Olympic gold medal after beating American Andy Roddick by a clear 6-2, 6-1 in the second round of the tennis discipline at Wimbledon on Tuesday, July 31.

The world’s second-ranked, Djokovic had little trouble against the American and finished with a clear score to the three-time Wimbledon finalist, Andy Roddick.

After a steady start on Centre Court at Wimbledon, Djokovic broke the Nebraskan player’s serve two times (on the sixth and eighth game), to take the first set in 30 minutes by a 6-2 score.

In the second set, the Serbian managed to break his serve in the second game to Roddick, who usually performs well on the grass. Djokovic destroyed Roddick’s chances with a convincing 6-1 after just 54 minutes on the court.

“It was a perfect match in every sense,” Djokovic said after the game ended.

Novak Djokovic is playing at the All England Club, which has the same settings as the Wimbledon. He is aiming for the gold medal and winning back his place as the world’s number one, which Swiss player Roger Federer took from him just twenty days ago.

Murray also won on Tuesday after beating Finish player Jarkko Nieminen (6-2 y 6-4). Therefore it seems that number two on the ATP ranking Djokovic and number four Andy Murray, will play each other if they both keep winning, since they are in the same side of the pairing chart. However, before this can happen Djokovic will have to play against the winning racquet of the game between Croatian Marin Cilic and Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

With the loss against Djokovic, Roddick says goodbye to the Olympics 2012. Rumor has it that he might be thinking about retirement, but the tennis player has yet to confirm speculations, saying: “That’s not something that I’m going to talk about.”

Image Courtesy of  Yuya Chiu / Shutterstock.com

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The Williams sisters had mixed fortunes during the tennis third round games played on the 1st of August. Serena won the game against Russian Vera Zvonareva, and reached the Olympic quarterfinals. A round that will not be played by her sister Venus, who was defeated by German Angelique Kerber.

Serena Williams beat number 13 seeded Vera Zvonareva in a 51 minute game. In that short time the American destroyed Russian player by both clear 6-1 and 6-0 scores. Williams hit 32 winners to three for the Russian.

Williams has become the biggest nightmare for Vera Zvonareva, who was also defeated by the American in the 2010 Wimbledon final.

In the three matches played so far, Serena has only lost 10 games. She made declarations in the aftermath in which said that her older sister Venus is her inspiration: “I was inspired by her. I watched her and I said, ‘Serena, you need to play better or she’s getting the gold’.”

But Serena will not have to worry about her sister anymore, since Venus got eliminated by number 7 seeded German Angelique Kerber. The scores were 7-6 for the first set and again 7-6 for the second one.

However, Venus does not say goodbye to the Olympics, since she will still have to play with her sister Serena in doubles, where they are in the quarterfinals.

Now the hopes for U.S. women tennis are deposited in the third-time Olympian Serena, the winner of two gold medals in doubles and 14 major titles, but who still has not won a singles medal in any Olympic competition.

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No one could ever doubt that Michael Phelps is a legend. But with his new gold in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay, he has became the most decorated Olympian of all times. It is the 19th time that he has been awarded with a medal and the 15th that it is gold.

With this new medal he has broken Soviet Larisa Layynina’s record, who won 18 medals between the 1956 and 1964 Olympics under the gymnastics category.

This has been the first gold for Phelps on the London Olympics, but he still could win three more (the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and the 4×100 medley relay,) and make the record even bigger.

He started to become a legend in Athens 2004 after having debuted when he was only 15 in Sydney. The Baltimore swimmer won six gold medals (100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, 4×200 free, and 4×100 medley) and two bronze (200 free and 4×100 free) in Greece before facing the greatest challenge of swimming history: overcoming the seven gold medals record from Mark Spitz.

In the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps became the greatest swimmer in the world to win eight gold medals in an Olympic game. (400 styles, 4×100 free, 200 free, 200 butterfly, 4×200 free, 200m medley, 100 butterfly and 4×100 styles.)

Having achieved the feat, Phelps faced the London Games with less demand but with a final record to beat: that of the 18 Olympic medals from the gymnast Larissa Latynina. He failed in the 400 individual medley and placed fourth in the final, had to settle for silver in the 4×100 free after France and could not overcome South Africa’s Le Clos in the 200 butterfly.

But it was just a matter of time before Phelps won his nineteenth medal. This one came in the 4×200 free category; making Phelps the best swimmer of all time in the history of the Olympics.

Phelps’ ambition seems to not have an end, as he is already thinking about making the record even bigger: “It has been a pretty amazing career but we still have a couple races to go,” he said.

Larisa Layynina, who held the record before Phelp’s achievement was happy for the swimmer’s victory: “I saw his swim, and I saw my record swim away,” Latynina told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He’s very talented — no doubt about that.”

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The U.S. has won another gold medal thanks to the performance of the so called “Fab Five” in the women’s gymnastics team finals, especially due to the high score obtained by Gabby Douglas and World Champion Jordyn Wieber.

The gold has come after beating Russia by more than 5 points (183.596-178.530). The bronze went for Romania (176.414 points.) Former gold winner, China, was a disappointment as they ended up in fourth position.

The American team was made up of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber.

Gabby Douglas, the “Flying Squirrel,” scored a 15.966 on the vault, a 15.200 on the uneven bars, a 15.233 on the balance beam and a 15.066 on the floor exercise. She was the only one that did all four events and performed brilliantly in all of them.

The highest score was achieved by McKayla Maroney, who got 16,233 points on the vault.

It is the first time that the US has won the gold for the women’s gymnastics team since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Back then the Magnificent Seven made history, and now the day has come for the Fab Five to write their names in gold letters in the U.S. sports history book.

From the outset it became clear that the Americans were superior to the other countries and that the battle was really only for second place. The difference was so great that the last competition, the floor exercise, was almost a formality.

Bela Karolyi, who was the coach of the 1996 squad, made a declaration to The Detroit Free Press, comparing this year’s team to the Atlanta one: “I think this is a more even team with their performances.” “The 1996 team had ups and downs,” he added.

Image Courtesy of   US Olympic Team

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Ryan Giggs made history on Sunday 28th by becoming the oldest player to score a goal in the soccer category of an Olympic tournament. The Manchester United player was 38 years and 243 days old when he scored the goal with a header that helped the UK team to approach the quarterfinals.

However, Ryan Giggs name is not on people’s mouth because of his last goal, but because of a controversial political overtone. A Welsh player for the UK team Ryan Giggs, alongside his fellows Bellamy and Allen did not sing the ‘God Save the Queen’ anthem when it sounded, as the other members of the team did.

The UK national soccer team has 5 Welsh players, while the rest are English. It is well know that citizens from Scotland and Wales do not feel themselves as Brits, so that is the reason why Giggs and the others did not show much passion when the anthem was played. “It is a personal thing,” said the Manchester United player when asked about why he did not sing it. “’It’s difficult but it’s not an issue for us. It might be for other people but, once the game starts, we’re all pulling in the same direction and I think that’s the main thing,” he said to downplay the situation.

However this has not been the spark that provoked all the fires. Polemic started when the officials came up with the idea of having an UK soccer team for the London Olympics, something that has not happened since 1972, when the UK played its last official game in soccer.

Next the UK game against Uruguay will take place in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff (Wales), so controversy may grow, since the national anthem may not be so warmly received in the Welsh capital. However, and despite not singing the anthem, soccer star Giggs has asked the Welsh fans to respect the UK colors: “I hope the National Anthem won’t get booed and I hope the fans will get behind us.”

A draw on Wednesday will be enough for UK to qualify to the quarter-final. However it will not be easy for the blues, especially taking into account that no one knows how the Welsh people will react, and whether they will, or won’t, support the UK team. Ryan Giggs has made the first step to look for a tacit agreement with the supporters despite his political beliefs.

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After the excitement over the opening ceremony have settled in, the organizers of the Olympic Games in London are waking up to the harsh reality of failed expectations: the many too many empty seats at the stadiums.

The problem is not just isolated to the less popular sports, but also big audience disciplines such as swimming, tennis, basket, and soccer are not competing in view of a full house. The initial rounds so far have rarely sold out.

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has initiated an investigation into why there are so many empty seats at the stadiums. Especially taking into account that there was a really high demand for tickets in the months leading up to the opening ceremony and many people could not get a hold of the ones they wanted. In fact, before the Games started, 8,8 millions tickets were sold, which beg the question — where are these tickets being used?

According to the investigations, the empty seats are those provided to media, government authorities and sponsors.

The organizing committee chairman, former athlete Sebastian Coe, has threatened to name the sponsors who have not filled their seats. The controversy has even made the British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson say that he is “very disappointing” to see the empty seats.

Coe has said that he will try to fill up the stadiums by offering the empty seats to the army personel that helps with security within the Olympic village, and to teachers and students in the area, as long as it means putting more tickets on sale. This last action worked on Sunday 29, where 3,000 tickets were sold through the Olympics website.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the situation ‘very disappointing’ and said that they might try selling the sponsor-reserved tickets: “I think it was accredited seats that belonged to sponsors, but if they’re not going to turn up, we want those tickets to be available for members of the public, because that creates the best atmosphere. We are looking at this very urgently at the moment.”

Jackie Brock-Doyle, director of communications for the London organizers, or LOCOG said that they are working on solutions: “We are trying everything we can to make sure that those accredited seats are filled where we can.”

Image Courtesy of   Maxisport / Shutterstock.com

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Bets, other coaches, press and soccer experts were wrong in their predictions. They awarded Spain with a medal even before competition started, and now the Spanish have to set aside any hope of bringing home a medal even before the group stage has finished.

Against all odds, Spain lost on July 29th against Honduras by 0-1. This loss, along with the first stumbling block against Japan in the initial game (also 1-0), removes all the possible chances of passing through to the next stage for the “Rojita” -remember that during the Olympics the soccer squads play with their under 21 teams.

The loss against Honduras seems inexplicable, especially taking into account the superiority shown by Spain during the 90 minutes. But everything was against the “Rojita”: They hit the post in three different occasions, and referee Juan Soto did not whistle two penalties that seemed pretty clear. Honduras goalkeeper Jose Mendoza also played an incredible game, and flew from post to post in different occasions to save the Spanish onslaughts.

Spain started losing soon and could not do anything to fix it. Honduras’ goal came at minute 7 when striker Jerry Bengston headed a precise cross from Roger Espinoza. It is Bengston third goal in the Olympics, after the two goals he scored against Morocco, which so far leads him to the top score first position from this Olympic Games.

Once it was hit, Spain had a lot of chances to equalize the game, but whether it was goalkeeper Mendoza or the posts it did not happen. Best chances came from Juan Mata’s boots, who could have changed Spain’s destiny three different times. Munian, Rodrigo and Adrian also had great chances to invert the game situation.

Therefore, after yesterday’s loss against Honduras the Spaniards have to pack before time and will play the last group stage game against Morocco without any chance on passing through to the next stage. On the other hand, if Honduras ties against Japan in next game, they will make history, since it would be the first time that they played on quarter finals.

The Rojita, -Olympic champion in Barcelona-1992, conceded the greatest failure of Spanish football in recent years, especially after the contrast with the historic treble that the Absolute achieved just a month ago in Kiev (Euro – WorldCup).

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Wearing their national uniform has always been a source of pride for athletes. However, this will not be the case for the Spanish athletes during the London 2012 Olympics Games. The reason for this is the style of their uniforms, which has created a lot of polemic between the athletes. One look at the uniform and you will understand why there has been so much talk about the style.

The people of Spain seem ashamed about the uniform, specially those who will be in London, competing for Spain in the Olympics. A lot of athletes have made their feelings known, specially through Twitter, where they have posted tweets criticizing the uniform, which, by the way, is not even designed by a Spanish brand, but by the Italian and Russian company Bosco.

“At home trying on the Olympic clothes. Best I don’t comment, I will leave it up to you…” canoeist Saul Craviotto posted on his Twitter account while posing with full kit including baseball, cap and backpack.

Other athletes have also mocked the uniform. Tennis player Anabel Medina joked, “With this uniform we are going to look like the Singapore Airline stewardesses.”

Famous handball goalkeeper, Jose Javier Hombrados also did not miss the chance to joke about this: “No one of us is gonna get lost in the Olympic Village with these clothes,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Looking forward to seeing Feliciano Lopez wearing the official Olympic uniform. He’ll never have worn anything so ugly in his life,” former tennis world number one Carlos Moya also wrote on Twitter.

Jose Luis Saez, the Spanish Basket Federation president, made a statement to a local newspaper where he said that the decision to choose this uniform was “terrible.”

The Spanish Olympic Committee president, Alejandro Blanco, has replied to the animosity with anger, especially towards Jose Luis Saez: “In any case a directing should criticize the national team uniform. This is something that I have not seen anyone ever, I believe these statements to be from a leader should left over.”

Blanco has defended the decision to select this uniform by arguing that Spain will not pay anything for it, since Bosco trademark will produce it for free, and even pays for the sportsmen and women to wear it. Blanco said that “in other circumstances Spain would have to paid around € 1.7 millions, which would have been responsible in the actual financial situation.”

Image Courtesy of   Igor Marx / Shutterstock.com

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The Olympic Games started on Wednesday 25 with women soccer games despite the inauguration will not take place until Friday 27. And it did not start off on the right foot. The organization confused the Korean national flag with the one from their South Korean neighbors during the pre-match ceremonies.

When the North Korean players came out the tunnel to play against Colombia and realized the mistake, they refused to jump onto the field. Tension arose and the Koreans players were adamant on not playing the game. They accused the organization of having made the mistake intentionally.

Finally, after a public apology was made and the flag changed, the Colombian players asked for 30 extra minutes to perform their exercises needed to warmup. Therefore the game started one hour later than it was scheduled, constituting the first bump of this year’s London Olympic Games.

The final score for the controversial match was 2-0 for North Korea, with two goals scored by Song Hui.

During the post game press conference, Gun Sin Ui North Korean coach showed his irritation about the flag issue and was skeptical about the committee apologies: “I will ask the Organizing Committee if this was premeditated. We consider this incident as something impossible to forget”.

Very serious throughout his appearance, he remembered that he could have boycotted the game, and also showed their rivalry with his Southern neighbors: “It was clear that we would not have played if the incident was not resolved. We do not want our players to go with other flags, especially the South Korea one.”

Not even the 2-0 victory seemed to calm down the North Korean coach: “Winning the game can not compensate for what happened. They are two different things,” said Gun Sin Ui.

The representative of the Organizing Committee Andy Mitchel apologized about what happened and promised that nothing similar will happen during the Olympics: “We have apologized to the team and to the Olympic Committee. It was a mistake and we have taken measures to prevent more similar cases.”

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Amid the self-proclaimed comparisons to the 1992 “Dream Team”, a side that boasted eleven future NBA Hall of Famers, notably the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson, one vital fact seems to be consistently overlooked; the 2012 United States Men’s National Basketball Team is yet to play a competitive game. With the Olympic Games kicking off this weekend in London, Team USA looks to validate the hype and bring a record fourteenth gold medal back to the States.

This Olympic tournament however is likely to pose much more of a challenge to Team USA than their 1992 Dream Team counterparts encountered. Since those Olympic Games in Barcelona  twenty years ago, the global aptitude for basketball has increased exponentially due to the likes of international superstars Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Manu Ginobili making their marks in the National Basketball Association, the world’s elite basketball league.

Despite the increases in both quantity and quality of competition, the American fans expect nothing less then a gold medal from Team USA. When you consider the United States teams hold an all-time record of 122 wins and 5 losses at the Olympic games, it is easy to see why expectations are so high for this talented group of athletes.

Team USA will be sporting some of the NBA’s most prolific talent in its efforts to repeat their 2008 gold medal run. All-time greats and sure fire future hall of famers Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, arguably the two greatest players in the world today, will be joined by rookie phenom Anthony Davis and nine other perennial All-Stars; Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Deron Williams. The United States talent isn’t limited to NBA championship rings and on court prowess; coach Mike Krzyzewski has won eight gold medals from the bench and boasts 927 career wins as a collegiate coach. With accolades like this, it is no wonder that Team USA is the odds on favorite to win gold in London.

Team USA begins their campaign on Sunday, July 29 against Group A rivals France. The Olympic tournament consists of twelve teams split into two groups of six, with the top four teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, where the remaining eight sides will compete to make to the semifinals and the opportunity to win a medal.

The two winning semifinal teams will then meet in the gold medal game on Sunday, August 11.  The number two rated team in the world behind the United States, Spain, lead by brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, anchors a bottom heavy Group B, potentially setting up a highly anticipated USA vs. Spain gold medal rematch from 2008. It’s worth noting that Team USA racked up a twenty-two point victory over the Spanish in their final exhibition tune-up on July 24.

Although the Olympics are a time for international harmony and patriotism, this 2012 campaign is all business for Team USA- it is gold medal or bust for these superstars. This team knows that if the court of public opinion is going to justify comparisons to the ’92 Dream Team, they are going to have to win, and win big. We’ve heard them talk the biggest game around, now it’s finally time for Team USA to back it up on the court in their effort to make history and bring the gold medal back across the Atlantic Ocean like their predecessors Jordan, Johnson and Bird did ten years ago.

Image Courtesy of    USA Basketball

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A triple jump Olympic athlete from Greece, Voula Papachristou, was withdrawn from the London Olympics on July 25 after she made an racist comment on her personal Twitter account that talked about African immigrants in Greece. She posted the tweet on July 22 and it said: “With so many Africans in Greece… the West Nile mosquitoes will at least eat homemade food!”

With this post, Papachristou was making a reference to a crisis in Greece caused by a virus from the Nile that has caused one death and at least five infections.

Papachristou’s tweet has caused so much controversy around, that the Greek Federation has not doubted about the reprisal made. The respond was not letting her defend the Greek colors during the Olympic Games.

Isidoros Kouvelos, who is in charge of the Greek delegation, showed his anger on Greek SKAI TV: “She showed no respect for a basic Olympic value and unfortunately she is out. She made a mistake and in life we pay for our mistakes.”

A decision that her coach, George Pomaski, has not understood, and assesses it as harsh, especially for someone that has apologized. “It’s too much, the penalty should not have been so strict,” he told Reuters.

The triple jump athlete showed her repentance on her personal Facebook page, but this has not helped her to achieve forgiveness and compete in London: “I am very sorry and ashamed for the negative responses I triggered, since I never wanted to offend anyone, or to encroach human rights.”

“My dream is connected to the Olympic Games and I could not possibly participate if I did not respect their values. Therefore, I could never believe in discrimination between human beings and races. I would like to apologize to all my friends and fellow athletes, who I may have insulted or shamed, the National Team, as well as the people and companies who support my athletic career. Finally, I would like to apologize to my coach and my family,” she wrote.

The athlete’s comment has caused a lot of controversy on social media, specially in Twitter. Two groups have been made: those that support her and those that agree she should have been expelled from the Olympics.

With the social media being so present in everyone’s life, some coaches, such as Spain soccer national team coach, are advising their athletes to not use social media during competitions in order to avoid these type of problems.

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New Jersey, U.S.A. – NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group and Panasonic Corporation of North America announced on July 20 that the first-ever 3D coverage of the Olympic Games, beginning in London later this month, will be available to subscribers of MVPD’s (multichannel video programming distributors) representing nearly 80% of U.S. TV households.

The daily 3D programming, which will be shown on next-day delay, will be carried by many cable, satellite and telco providers such as such as Armstrong, AT&T, Blue Ridge, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, Insight, Mediacom, RCN, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, and  WideOpen West.

These carriers will distribute roughly 242 hours of the 3D broadcasts via the Media Center. Panasonic is NBC Olympics’ exclusive Flat-Panel HDTV and Blu-ray Disc Player advertiser for the London Olympic Games.

“We are pleased that nearly 80 percent of U.S. TV households will receive the incomparable clarity and performance of the first-ever 3D production of the Olympic Games,” said Joseph M. Taylor, Chairman & CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America. “Panasonic’s 3D technology and NBC Olympics’ superb, moment-by-moment coverage of the Games will make the events more engaging to viewers as they watch their favorite athletes compete.”

The 3D broadcasts will be produced by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and will include some of the most-anticipated events of the Games, including:

• Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• Men’s and Women’s gymnastics
• Extensive coverage from the Aquatic Center, including both diving and swimming
• Bicycle racing (cycling) from the Velodrome
• Full coverage of track & field from the Olympic Stadium

NBC Olympics will provide 12 hours of U.S.-oriented 3D programming every day, introduced by Bob Costas and featuring both competitive highlights from the previous day as well as the best moments of the Games to-date. Viewers who watch the award-winning primetime coverage on NBC will have the opportunity to go back and relive their favorite events as never before – in Full HD 3D.

Olympic Broadcasting Services will capture the Games using Panasonic’s state-of-the-art 3D production technologies and fully-integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camera recorder products. A taste of what’s in store can be sampled at retail outlets everywhere, where Panasonic 3D televisions will be displaying amazing 3D footage of the memorable Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Image Courtesy of  fstockfoto / Shutterstock.com

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Crawley, England, – British Airways will be rewarding customers who stay in the UK to cheer on Team GB and Paralympics GB. The cashback rewards on holidays are for travel after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and in line with specific athlete wins.

British Airways will feature a new offer based on a chosen athlete, valid for a limited period and in line with their schedule in the London 2012 Games. Each offer will also have a money back incentive dependent on the performance of the athlete.

Customers can book an offer via the dedicated campaign page on ba.com and later if the featured athlete wins a medal, cashback will be given on the booking in relation to the medal won. A maximum cashback reward is given based on the highest medal won.

For a Gold medal the cashback will be GBP100 per booking, for a Silver medal GBP75 per booking and for a Bronze medal GBP50 per booking.

The airline is currently supporting Jessica Ennis, World and European heptathlon gold medalist and if customers book an all-inclusive Caribbean holiday for seven nights they can win cashback on their holiday if she wins a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal.

Twenty-five favourite all-inclusive Caribbean holidays are on offer with flights plus seven nights all-inclusive accommodation. Holidays in Cancun including flights and seven night’s all-inclusive accommodation are included for travel on selected dates between September 10 and October 14, 2012 (travel dates vary by offer).

Many other destinations are also on offer including Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Tobago and Grenada.

The Caribbean holiday deals are available to book until July 24, 2012. Visit ba.com/winningdeals for more information.

About British Airways

British Airways plc offers a wide range of worldwide destinations – including holidays in Venice and holidays in Los Angeles, as well as flights to New York, hotels, car rental with Avis, and experiences. Customers can save time and money with ba.com when booking ATOL protected holiday packages, ATOL number is 5985. Passengers are offered added peace of mind to their holiday plans and the security of travelling with British Airways. British Airways plc constantly seeks to exceed customers’ expectations, both in terms of the value for money and quality of the service provided.

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