Crawley, England. — It seems that British athletes will be going from the podium to the party, as Las Vegas has been revealed as the number one holiday destination for athletes following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Official airline partner British Airways asked a number of Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes about their holiday plans post September. Far from having a relaxing break, the results showed that many of the athletes will be seeking sun and fun on Las Vegas holidays, following weeks and months of gruelling schedules.

Nearly a third of athletes (28 per cent) are planning a trip to America, with Las Vegas and Orlando holidays among the top choices. In second place is Spain, with 13 per cent of athletes planning a break to the mainland and its islands, with Ibiza topping the list.

One of the many athletes planning a trip to Las Vegas is triathlete Helen Jenkins, who said: “My husband and I Iove Vegas and cannot wait to return. The weather is always great, and there’s always something going on. I’m not surprised it’s popular with the athletes as we’ve all trained so hard for so long – it provides the perfect antidote to get away from it all.”

In joint third place are Australia, Greece and Thailand, proving to be popular destinations due to the sunshine, beaches, sports activities, great food and culture they offer.

Some of the more unusual destinations included were Lithuania, Cuba and Scotland. The findings also revealed that there’s no rest for some athletes, with four per cent planning an active ski or snowboarding holiday.

The top destinations chosen by Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes included America, Spain, Greece, Thailand, Australia, France, as well as holidays in the Maldives.

British Airways provides a wide range of holiday including short breaks in Barcelona, seven night holidays in Barbados and three night breaks in Las Vegas.

Richard Tams, British Airways Head of Sales and marketing for UK and Ireland, said: “We’ve seen a slight increase in late summer bookings this year, due to many holidaymakers staying at home to support our athletes during the London 2012 Games. The good news is that there are still lots of late bargains to be had.

“There are some great deals to Spain and Greece for those looking for a quick city break, to make it back in time for the Paralympic Games. For holidaymakers looking to go further a field, then Mexico is great this time of year, although the party atmosphere in Jamaica following their Olympic success may well be more appealing to those looking for a lively time.”

Throughout the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, British Airways is encouraging the nation to get behind the athletes and offer their support, using the hashtag #HomeAdvantage on Twitter.

British Airways is proud airline partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB.

Image Courtesy of   LouLouPhotos / Shutterstock.com

The article Las Vegas, No. 1 Holiday Destination for British Athletes appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Los Angeles, U.S.A. — Luminys Systems Corp. proudly supported the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska with the company’s proprietary SoftSun lights. Luminys provides the world’s most powerful and controllable single source lights for sporting venues, concert arenas, and film and television production, as well as other commercial and industrial applications.

JustLighting of LasVegas, Nevada, renowned event lighting designers, once again teamed up with Luminys for the Olympic Swimming Team Trials.

“With the use of just four 50K SoftSuns, JustLighting was able to deliver incomparable depth of field and stunningly brilliant color renderings to the NBC Sports HD national broadcast,” said Steve Heller of Attitude Specialty Lighting who worked with JustLighting as the exclusive Luminys agent in the Southeast. “The NBC production team was very impressed with the quality of light provided by the 50K’s for their slow motion replays,” Heller added.

Luminys previously supplied SoftSuns for JustLighting’s lighting design of Dolphin Stadium for Super Bowl XLI, among other events.

JustLighting installed four SoftSun 50,000 Watt models within the CenturyLink Center facility for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials. Viewers saw the amazing difference in the resulting picture quality in broadcast and photography taken during the Olympic Swimming trials.

“The superior color quality of the SoftSun lights delivered an enhanced high definition experience captured on camera,” said David Pringle, Chief Technology Officer of Luminys. “Being able to showcase these talented athletes in a highly anticipated and photographed event leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London was a great opportunity to demonstrate the performance that SoftSun delivers.”

Image Courtesy of  US Olympic Team

The article US Olympic Swimming Team Lights Up appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article Olympics 2012: Andy Murray’s Biggest Win appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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.

The article American Judoka Expelled from Olympics For Marijuana Use appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Andy Murray stunned Roger Federer to win the Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon yesterday just 28 days after a gut-wrenching defeat saw the Brit in tears on centre court.

Murray did not drop a set, beating the world number one 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, in a one-sided encounter which showed the world Murray is capable of beating the big guns on the big occasions.

It was revenge for the Scot who lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss just a month earlier on the same court.

“It’s number one for me – the biggest win of my life,” said Murray., who took inspiration from team GB’s performance on the athletics field on Saturday night.

“I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final.”

Murray had  beaten world number two Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-final and looks to be in imperious form entering the American hard-court season.

Many believe this could be the boost the Brit needs to win his first grand slam.

He will now prepare for the final major of the year – the US Open – and will enter with renewed confidence.

“I hope this will give me the confidence to go there and believe in myself a bit more than I have in the past,” said Murray, whose straight sets victory on Sunday was his first in five sets over Federer.

“Hopefully I can have a good run and give myself a shot at winning.

“I’ve had a lot of questions asked about me many times. I’m just glad I managed to put on a performance I’ve been waiting for.

“It was a huge match for me. It was a big match for Roger as well. I’m sure he would have wanted to win the gold – it’s one of the few things he hasn’t done in his singles career.

“To win today, in the way I did, makes those losses a little bit easier to take. It will help with the way I go into the [Grand Slam] matches and I hope it will make me a better player.”

Murray went on to claim a silver medal in the mixed doubles with Laura Robson. They lost in the championship tiebreak to number one seeds Victoria Azerenka and Max Mirnyi.

Image Courtesy of  Maxisport / Shutterstock.com

The article Murray wins Olympic Gold in Imperious Fashion appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Serena Williams demolished Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 en route to winning the Olympic gold medal and securing a career golden slam.

Williams stamped her authority on the competition from the outset and lost just 17 games through the course of the competition. The impressive gold medal match victory leaves her on a 17 match-winning streak since her shocking first round exit at the French Open.

The 63 minute final saw the American drop just one game against Sharapova, and was the most comprehensive Olympic women’s single win.

She joins Germany’s Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi of the United States and Spain’s Rafael Nadal as the only players to have won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in singles.

“Oh my gosh, I got the gold. I’ve never played better. Playing against someone like Maria you have to be at your best. I knew that, so it was like I had nothing to lose,” said Williams.

“I never expected gold in singles. I was so happy with my doubles golds [in Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008].

“I thought, ‘If my career’s over I have my gold medal and now I have everything.’

“I have singles, doubles, actually everything there is to win in tennis. Where do I go from here?”

Silver medal winner, Sharapova said: ”Serena played some incredible tennis, with the form she was in during Wimbledon and afterwards.

“With every match she has played she has played great, she has improved and become better, and that showed today.”

Williams teamed up with sister Venus to win the doubles gold medal in a similar fashion, with the pair not dropping a set in the concurrent competition.

She hopes to continue her form into the final part of the season as she attempts to win her 15^th grand slam singles title at the US Open in a few weeks time.

In the bronze medal match, Victoria Azerenka beat Maria Kirilenko to secure her first Olympic medal.

Azerenka went on to win the mixed gold with partner Max Mirnyi leaving her and Williams with two medals each.

Image Courtesy of   Neale Cousland / Shutterstock.com

The article Serena Thrashes Sharapova to Claim Golden Career Slam appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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.”

The article First Saudi Arabian Female Olympian Makes History appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article Josh Booth, Australian Rower Arrested for Damaging Store appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Keyla Harrison has made history by becoming the first American judo woman athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. The Ohio athlete got the gold on Thursday, August 2 in the 172-pound women final by blocking Brit Gemma Gibbons. The bronze was won by French Audrey Tcheumeo and Brazilian Marya Aguiar.

The final match lasted five minutes, and Harrison dominated from the start. The U.S. judoka age-22 won by throwing Gibbons twice with two separate yuko scores. The first point came when the clock was pointing minute one, while the second point took place when only one minute was remaining.

Journey to gold has not been easy for Harrison. In the first game she beat Vera Moskalyuk from Russia in just 56 seconds. On quarterfinals she had to play Abigel Joo of Hungary who was beat in 3:10. In the semifinals Harrison had to play world number 1 Mary Aguiar, who was defeated with an arm lock when 14 seconds were remaining for the end.

This has been the second American medal in the judo category during this Olympics. The first one came with Marti Malloy, who won a bronze in the women 57-kilogram category. Judo is a sport that has recently started producing results for the United States in women’s category, since the first medal was achieved in 2008 (Ronda Rousey, bronze.)

The article Judo Olympics: First Gold Medal in Judo for US appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The quarterfinals for the soccer Olympics are already here, as the group stage games ended on August 1. This has been so far an Olympics full of surprises, as favorite Spain and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay have not made it to the next round. It is especially startling in the Spanish case. The winners of the last World Cup and Euro Cup have not even scored a goal on the three games played in the group stage, and could just tie one of their games (0-0 against Morocco)

The group stage was composed of 16 teams divided within 4 different groups. Teams that have made it into quarterfinals are Great Britain and Senegal in group A, Mexico and South Korea in group B, Brazil and Egypt in group C and Japan and Honduras in group D.

With Spain out, the favorite is the ever-feared Brazil and host Great Britain. Giovani dos Santos’ Mexico is the third front-runner to lift the title. However, the other countries must also need to be taken into account as they have already struggled, and triumphed, through different battles.

A draw has already been made for the quarterfinal round, which will be played on August 4th. Host Great Britain will play against South Korea. Favorite Brazil will have to beat Honduras, who already won to mighty Spain. Mexico will play against Senegal, and Japan and Egypt will face off in the last quarterfinal game.

The most attractive game from the last day of the group stage was Brazil’s victory against New Zealand by 3-0. The Brazilians won the game with even a greater superiority than what the final result reflected. The first two goals were scored before the first half an hour by Leandro Damiao and Danilo. The third one was Sandro’s work at the beginning of second half.

The other big game of the day was the one played between Great Britain and Uruguay in Cardiff, Wales. The Brits won by 1-0 with Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge’s goal in a game that started shrouded in controversy since it was feared that Welsh were going to boo on the God Save the Queen British anthem. At the end fans respected the anthem.

Image Courtesy of  Cyril Hou / Shutterstock.com

The article Olympic Soccer: Quarterfinals are Already Here appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Hod Hasharon, Israel — Allot Communications, a leading provider of service optimization and revenue generation solutions for fixed and mobile data networks worldwide, have announced a new Allot Olympics Report tracking broadband traffic volumes and usage patterns during the 2012 Olympics in London.

Traffic statistics were collected from mobile and fixed networks around the globe, starting with the opening ceremony on Friday evening, July 27th, and continue throughout the games. Allot began monitoring global traffic weeks before the event to establish a usage baseline.

Results and analysis of broadband usage are posted in an Olympic Online Edition of Allot MobileTrends Report at http://www.allotmobiletrends.com. To mark the event, Allot released a special edition of protocol signatures with unique support for identifying traffic directly related to popular sources of online sports coverage such as ESPN, CNTV (China) and BBC Sports.

Key findings in the Online Report include:

• Instant Messaging increased 182% on average during the opening ceremony; WhatsApp was out front with a massive 430% increase
• Online video increased and peaked at 217% during the first official day of competition, with dedicated sites such as ESPN, BBC Sports and CNTV leading the pack
• Facebook traffic posted an 87% increase during the first two days of the games
• YouTube traffic hit 40% during the first official day of competition

This is the first time the Olympics are being streamed live over the Internet. As a result, people can watch and discuss the games anywhere, anytime via mobile access devices.

“Mobile access to the Internet has become part of the online lifestyle for billions of people, and they are taking full advantage of the online content available,” said Jonathon Gordon, Director of Marketing, Allot Communications. “Allot enables fixed and mobile broadband service providers to gain a competitive edge by monitoring and managing the real-time impact of the Olympic Games on their networks.”

Visit http://www.allotmobiletrends.com to view more statistics and sign up for updates sent directly via email

Image Courtesy of  RachelC

The article Olympics Report Shows Social Media Wins Gold appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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.”

Image Courtesy of   jdlasica

The article Phelps Becomes Olympic Legend appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The U.S. basketball team had fun playing on Tuesdays night against Tunisia, who was destroyed by the Americans mightiness. The U.S. tried to have fun with this game and did not give it their all. If this happened we would probably be talking about the biggest win difference in the Olympics Games.

Things did not start well for Krzyzewski’s men though. They started in a sleepy mood, so the coach decided to change the 5 initial players when the first quarter was about to end. Until that moment the Africans dreamed during the first eight minutes of the game, when they were winning 15-12. But with the five new players on the pitch (Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Love,) the score moved to 15-26 in just three minutes. Tunisians were back to reality. Especially in the second half.

The second half started with a still close 33-46, and with the U.S. alternates at the pitch. They were the ones that killed Tunisia. Westbrook, Harden and Iguodala opened the scoring gap, ending any chance for Tunisia by the end of the third quarter (47-85).

Last quarter (63-110) was a mere formality for the enjoyment of the viewer and the United States, which keeps on making its way to gold.

It was a game to give the most important men of the team some rest and relaxation. Kobe Bryant just played 8 minutes, while Lebron James and Kevin Durant played 18 and 22 respectively.

Carmelo Anthony led the American scorers with 16 points, while Kevin Durant had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. However, the man of the match was Tunisian Makram Ben Romdhane who scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds.

Nineteen year old Davis, who will debut in the NBA during next season after he was picked in the draft by the New Orleans Hornets, scored 12 points in 12 minutes, and showed his happiness in the after match declarations: “It was real fun just playing with these guys.”

Coach Krzyzewski was also appreciative with his men’s performances: “It’s not going to be a perfect thing, you know?” he said. “But, overall, tonight was good. I mean, come on, it was 110-63.”

Image Courtesy of  Oleksiy Naumov / Shutterstock.com

The article Olympic Basketball: Tunisia Was a Toy in U.S. Hands (63-110) appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article London Olympics: US ‘Fab Five’ Win Gold in Gymnastics appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The US basketball team will play on Tuesday, July 31 against Tunisia in a game that is considered purely procedural. The NBA starts showed their authority and superiority against France (98-71) and now they will play against weak Tunisia that lost in the first game against Nigeria (60-56).

US is the favorite to win the gold and in this game they can ratify the image showed in the first Olympic games. Today’s game will be a good opportunity to correct some of the mistakes made against France, such as the series of triples that were missed at the beginning of the game (first six were failed). LeBron James was one the players that showed his nonconformist face and showed his wanting to improve: “It wasn’t perfect. We’ve still got room for improvement. We had too many turnovers, too many fouls and we had a couple of defensive rebounds we could have come up with.”

This game will also bring the opportunity to adapt to the meticulous referees. US players complained about how the ref whistled during the meeting with France. “There were calls being called that didn’t seem right,” said the NBA star Carmelo Anthony.

On the other side of the field will be Tunisia, which will aim to lose the less amount of points. They might make the surprise of the Olympics, but it will be tight, especially taking into account that from the 12 teams in the Olympic basketball tournament, they are the only country that that does not have at least one current NBA player.

Although winning it is important, the US also has the obligation to play like any team could ever do. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that playing well creates good habits: “It’s about our performance,” he said. “We should beat Tunisia, but we want to play well against Tunisia. When you play games in your pool and you’re a significant favorite, you don’t want to just win, you want to maintain and build good habits. We don’t want to overlook anybody because then we overlook ourselves. And in short period of time you can fall into a bad habit that will have its impact on a game where you’re not a significant favorite.”

The US and Tunisia have only played each other once in their histories. It was in the 2010 World Championships in Turkey and the US won by a clear 92-57.

Kobe Bryant said that this US team could beat the Dream Team from 1992. Today’s game could be a great chance to play like angels and show that this team has nothing to envy from the team from ’92.

Image Courtesy of  Oleksiy Naumov / Shutterstock.com

The article US-Tunisia: A Chance to Prove They Are Better than the Dream Team appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Olympics 2012 is once again making a scene on Twitter. On July 26, Toonari Post wrote about Greek athlete Voula Papachristou being sent home after she made a racist comment on the social network and this time the turn has come for the Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella.

The Swiss Federation has decided to expel the 23-year-old Palermo player from the Olympic Games after he posted a controversial tweet right after his team lost against South Korea. The player wrote a message saying that South Koreans “can go burn” and referred to them as a “bunch of mongoloids.”

The Chief of the Swiss Olympic Delegation, Gian Gilli, made a statement where he explained the Swiss decision to send Morganella home: “Michel Morganella gravely insulted and discriminated against the South Korean people and their football team with his highly offensive comments on Twitter. We condemn his comments, which are in fundamental violation of the IOC’s Olympic charter and Swiss Olympic’s own ethics charter. This is why, in consultation with the Swiss Football Association, we have withdrawn Morganella’s accreditation.”

Morganella did not take long to apologize and even closed his Twitter account. He made a statement where he expressed his remorse: “I wish to apologise to the people in South Korea and their team, but also to the Swiss delegation and Swiss football in general. I obviously accept the consequences for my actions.”

However, the apology was not accepted by the Swiss Delegation. Gian Gilli said that “despite the public apology for his behavior, he is strongly condemned by the Swiss Football Association.” The delegation chief explained that he had “no alternative” than to send him home. Morganella is the second athlete to go home prematurely on account of Olympics-related chatter on Twitter. Have other athletes learned from their mistakes or can we expect more cases of bad sportsmanship on the social network?

The article Morganella Is Expelled from Olympics After Insulting South Koreans appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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.

Image Courtesy of   Jaggat / Shutterstock.com

The article Ryan Giggs Does Not Sing God Save The Queen UK Anthem appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Chicago, U.S.A. – United Airlines will launch its 2012 Team USA television advertising this evening, highlighting the airline’s role as the official airline of Team USA and marking the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The commercials – under the direction of veteran commercial director Joe Pytka – are narrated by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and actor Matt Damon, and feature a stirring new arrangement of United’s signature theme, “Rhapsody in Blue,” by the London Symphony Orchestra:

• “Tunnel,” a 60-second commercial highlighting United’s role in flying Team USA to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The spot launches during NBC’s broadcast of the Opening Ceremony and will run, along with a 30-second version, throughout the network’s 17-day coverage of the Games.
• “Getting Ready,” a 30-second commercial highlighting United employees’ pride and coordination in flying Team USA. The spot will also run throughout NBC’s coverage of the Games.

The commercials are part of a larger United 2012 Team USA advertising campaign, “Before They Move Us, We Move Them,” which highlights the airline’s history in flying Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes to training events, competitions, Olympic Trials and Olympic Games for 32 years. The campaign includes print and outdoor advertising, a “17 Days/17 Flights to London” promotion that United conducted in the spring, social media and airport signage in United’s eight continental U.S. hubs.

“Our effort reflects the enormous pride United has in flying Team USA,” said Mark Bergsrud, United’s senior vice president of marketing. “We are thrilled to support the 2012 Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they ‘go for gold’ in London.”

United’s agency-of-record, McGarryBowen, developed the campaign with the airline.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,605 flights a day to 375 airports on six continents from our hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. In 2011, United carried more traffic than any other airline in the world, and operated more than two million flights carrying 142 million passengers. United is upgrading its cabins with more flat-bed seats in first and business class and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any other airline in North America.

United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has orders for more than 270 new aircraft deliveries through 2022, including 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 25 Airbus A350XWBs, and 100 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

United was rated the world’s most admired airline on FORTUNE magazine’s 2012 airline-industry list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United’s MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for eight consecutive years. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

Image Courtesy of   Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.com

The article United Airlines, Team USA Celebrate 2012 Olympic Games appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article London Olympics: Why So Many Empty Seats? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Britain’s men won a surprising bronze medal in the team gymnastics competition, and were unlucky to not claim the silver medal after an appeal from the Japanese team meant the home nation were downgraded from second spot.

The result was completely unexpected – Britain’s men have not even qualified for the final since 1924 and just making the final itself was seen as a big achievement.

They shocked competition favourites such as the USA, Russia and Germany and took the bronze in controversial fashion, perhaps marking a change in fortune for Team GB.

A strong all round performance from Louis Smith, Sam Oldham Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Dan Purvis  saw them battling with Ukraine for third place as they went in to their final apparatus, the floor.

Whitlock, Purvis and Thomas landed every move of their floor routines to secure Britain the bronze.

But a surprising twist of events saw Japan, who looked comfortable in second place, make a succession of errors on the pommel horse.

Japan moved down from second place to fourth, leaving Britain and Ukraine in the medals, but they questioned the points awarded to their final gymnast on the horse and made an official inquiry.

Their successful appeal put them back into their deserved silver medal spot as China comfortably won the gold.

But it was Britain’s medal that was the biggest talk of the day and the home nation will look to gain from the result which could spur on the rest of the team after a start which many have perceived as slow.

Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead won Britain’s first medal, a silver, in the women’s road race on day two, after favourite Mark Cavendish missed out on the men’s equivalent on Saturday.

Rebecca Addlington added the second medal on Sunday with a bronze in the 400m freestyle, the event she won four years ago in Beijing.

But it had been anticipated these medals would be just two of many by this stage in the Games for Britain, who had high hopes as they chase a demanding target set by UK Sport.

With a few medal hopes not living up to expectations thus far, many believe Team GB have not risen to the challenge, but the pressure of a home Olympic Games cannot be overstated.

It felt like Cavendish had won the Olympic road race before the Tour de France was even completed, whilst Tom Daley was expected to bring back a medal – no questions asked - in the diving, an event which can be swung with one tiny error.

Daley came fourth in the 10m synchronized diving as he partnered Pete Waterfield on Monday, but still has a chance in the individual event.

Elsewhere the sailors seem to be struggling for form in an event the home team was looking to dominate and a few medal prospects, especially in the swimming, have not made the most of their opportunities.

The triumphs of the home nation are vital to the success of the Olympics and these Games have the potential to be one of the greatest the world has ever seen so the nation will be hoping that the unexpected success in the men’s team gymnastics result will be the much-needed boost for the rest of Team GB.

Image Courtesy of   Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com

The article Bronze For GB Men’s Gymnasts To Spark Much Needed Gold Rush? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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).

Image Courtesy of   Solovyova Lyudmyla / Shutterstock.com

The article Olympics Soccer: Favorite Spain Goes Home Before Anyone appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Washington, U.S.A. – Lisa Raymond, the 2012 mixed doubles Wimbledon champion, appears in her first public service announcement for ThanksUSA since being announced as the charity’s national spokesperson earlier this year.

“We are thrilled that Lisa is lending her celebrity to help ThanksUSA provide scholarships for the children and spouses of America’s troops,” said ThanksUSA Chairman and CEO Bob Okun. ”Her spectacular Wimbledon victory with partner Mike Bryan reflects the same dedication and spirit they both bring to thanking our military families with the gift of education.”

“I am honored to support our Armed Forces through the mission of ThanksUSA,” Ms. Raymond said. “The scholarships open up enormous opportunities for those who have sacrificed so much for our country, and my hope is that this PSA brings increased attention to ThanksUSA’s efforts.”

Ms. Raymond has joined Mr. Bryan and twin brother Bob in ThanksUSA’s “Tennis Thanks the Troops” campaign, a cornerstone in the charity’s efforts. The nationwide campaign was launched this spring, with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) leading the effort with ThanksUSA and additional support from the United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic (MAS).

Through the “Tennis Thanks the Troops” campaign, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 1 Doubles player and U.S. Open Doubles champion Ms. Raymond, along with the Men’s Doubles champions the Bryan twins, partner with U.S. tennis clubs, professionals, players and fans in helping provide need-based post-secondary school scholarships to military families.

“Our men and women in uniform and their families are incredibly inspiring,” said Mike and Bob Bryan.  “Their bravery and commitment uplift every one of us, and raising our racquets for them is our way of showing our gratitude. We hope all Americans will join the ThanksUSA team.”

The powerhouse mixed doubles pair of Lisa Raymond and Mike Bryan is now setting their sights on repeating their Wimbledon win at the summer Olympics where mixed doubles is returning as a medal sport for the first time since 1924.

“Taking the title at Wimbledon this year was the kind of moment that drives me,” said Ms. Raymond. “Mike and I bring out the best in each other on the court and I’m looking forward to our joining forces again and representing our country at the Olympics.”

Mike and Bob Bryan, bronze medalists in Beijing, will also be competing for gold in men’s doubles. They are top seeds in the men’s doubles, and Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond are seeded No. 1 in the women’s doubles.

“ThanksUSA is fortunate to have these world-class tennis players on our team,” said Okun. “Their commitment to our troops makes us all winners, and we’ll be cheering for them during the Olympics.”

For more information on ThanksUSA go to http://www.thanksusa.org/.

Image Courtesy of   lev radin / Shutterstock.com

The article ThanksUSA’s Public Service Announcement Features Lisa Raymond appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Richmond, U.S.A. – The British Royal Mint has announced a distribution deal with Stauer and GovMint to release their official Olympic London 2012 coin collection. Consumers will now be able to collect each of the unique gold and silver coins as a celebration of this year’s 30th Summer Olympiad.

The Royal Mint has been striking coins for over 1,000 years, and this year’s Summer Games provided their designers and engravers with an exceptional opportunity to create exclusive Olympic collectibles.

Many millions will watch the “unprecedented summer,” as the BBC calls it. Few will ever have a chance to secure one of these precious mementos of history. Britain’s Royal Mint is making these coveted Olympic Games “coins of the realm” available worldwide through their network of official distributors.

The limited-edition line includes the Handover Series, the Countdown Series and the Gold Higher Series. The Celebration Series, a six coin set, marks the historic return of the games to the United Kingdom with a collection of stunning coins honoring the nation’s greatest icons and landmarks. Proofs and sets are available highlighting Big Ben, Stonehenge and Winston Churchill. And for the first time in the history of Olympic Games coinage, the Royal Mint is releasing a commemorative set of 29 coins depicting every Olympic and Paralympic sport.

In addition, each coin features Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this year. Designed for the passionate coin collector seeking rare gold proofs or the history buff looking for a unique reminder of this landmark event, the Royal Mint coins, offer Olympic memorabilia coins available at Stauer and GovMint starting at only $4.95 each.

For more information visit www.Stauer.com or www.govmint.com.

The article Official Olympic Collector Coins Available in Silver and Gold appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

New York, U.S.A. – AJC was surprised to learn last week that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) indeed chose to hold a moment of remembrance for terror victims — just not one dedicated to the memory of the 11 Israeli Olympians murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics 40 years ago.

After rejecting repeated requests from the victims’ families and world leaders, including President Obama and the Australian, Canadian, German and Italian parliaments, for a minute of silence at the opening ceremony in London, there was a commemoration of the victims of the 2005 terror attacks in London.

“We mourn all those slain at the hands of terrorists, and were profoundly saddened by the barbaric bombings in London on July 7th seven years ago,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “We fully support the desire to remember these deadly assaults.”

“At the same time, the 1972 attack was on Olympics participants. It took place in the Olympic Village during the games themselves. The requested moment of silence was to honor not only the Israelis, but also the very sanctity of the Olympic movement.”

IOC President Jacque Rogge repeatedly turned down the requests for honoring the fallen Israelis, saying that such a moment of silence would not be appropriate and, misleadingly, had no precedent.

Indeed, there have been observances in past Olympics, including in 2002 to honor the victims of 9/11 and now of 7/7.

“The 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics was the perfect opportunity for the IOC to publicly remember, for 60 seconds and in silence, the 11 Israelis,” said Harris. “Regrettably, the IOC has spoken loudly and consistently for four decades — the murder of 11 Israeli Olympians is best ignored, if not forgotten.”

Image Courtesy of  Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

The article AJC Upset that Olympic Terror Victim Remembrance Not Just for Israelis appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

London, U.K. — Live coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony Friday night by Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium has broken records as the most-watched Summer Olympic Games broadcast on record in Canada. On average, 6.4 million Canadians watched the late-afternoon, 3.5- hour-plus ceremony from 4-7:30 p.m. ET, making it the second most-watched Opening Ceremony on record in Canada behind Vancouver 2010 (13.5 million).

The audience eclipsed the previous Summer Olympic record-holder, the Atlanta 1996 opening ceremony (4.3 million), by 49%, and delivered nearly four times the audience of Beijing 2008 opening ceremony (1.6 million) and more than four times the audience of Athens 2004 opening ceremony (1.4 million). Last Friday’s prime time encore broadcast of the opening ceremony attracted 3 million viewers from 7:45 – 11 p.m. ET, while earlier in the day 1.6 million Canadians watched the Consortium’s opening ceremony pre-show from 2-4 p.m. ET.

Airing live across Consortium networks in six languages (English, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Punjabi), an astonishing 16.6 million viewers, or nearly one in every two Canadians, tuned in to some part of the ceremony. Overall, 64% of Canadians watched some Olympic Games coverage on the Consortium’s channels on Friday. The television coverage peaked at 8.1 million viewers at 7:36 p.m. ET when the Olympic Cauldron was lit.

Meanwhile, nearly 1.5 million Canadians watched CTV national news with Lisa LaFlamme live from London, an increase of 36% compared to its summer average.

Directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), the Opening Ceremony took viewers on a whirlwind visual and musical ride through London’s rich history, from Shakespeare to the industrial revolution to present day. Appearances were made by Daniel Craig as the iconic character James Bond, alongside Queen Elizabeth II, soccer star David Beckham, beloved Harry Potter author J.K Rowling, Mr. Bean star Rowan Atkinson, and a stellar closing performance of “Hey Jude” by the legendary Paul McCartney.

Showing a possible change in trends of how people will consume London 2012, more than half the traffic (54%) to CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca was from a mobile device.

Image Courtesy of  London 2012

The article London 2012 Opening Ceremony, Most Watched appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Amidst political furor in Middle East North Africa, civil wars in South Asia and impending recession crisis, the 2012 Olympic is finally here. Tonight Billions across the world will be watching much anticipated opening ceremony of London’s 2012 Olympics games. However, for Muslim countries and its Olympians, the 2012 Olympics presented a unique challenge in the face of a religious month of fasting (called Ramadan in Arabic).

This will be second time in history that Ramadan has coincided with the world Olympics event. The last time two events clashed was during Moscow games in July 1980. On 19th July from sunrise till sunset, more than 1.5 billion Muslims of the world started observing the 30 days of fasting period. During the period of fasting, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking, and are encouraged to offer extra prayers and give to charity.

Due to long British summer day hours, the observance will last for 18 hours each day for British Muslims. Many of the 3000 Muslim Olympic athletes from 200 countries will be paying a duty to their legions of fans and will also be fasting during the legendary game competitions.

For decades the United Kingdom (UK) has waited for its turn to play host to International Olympic Games. The British nation is looking forward to the most anticipated event of the year, which will revive the local economy and bring in much needed revenues. The tourist spending will certainly benefit businesses across the county and will give recession-blighted London businesses much needed economic boost. From Harrods in Knightsbridge to small cafes in Greenwich, British flags and Olympic symbols are gracing the display windows.

London was awarded an honor of hosting Olympics in 2005. However, the realization that Olympics will be clashing with Ramadan had participating Muslim countries such as Turkey, Morocco and Egypt calling for the dates to be changed in order to accommodate its Muslim Olympians. In 2006, the Islamic Human Rights Commission in London argued that “It’s not only going to affect the participants it’s going to affect all the people who want to watch the Games.”

In order to unite everyone in the spirit of sportsmanship, the game organizers have tailored certain provisos to accommodate Muslim participants by providing round the clock halal meals at Olympic village dining halls. Mosques across London, such as Regent Park Mosque, East London Mosque, Packham Mosque and many others have made preparations for extra food to be made available for athletes and Muslim tourists.

Across the Muslim world, local religious bodies made special provisions regarding athletes who were participating in games. Prince Feisal Bin Al- Hussein of Jordan, a member of the International Olympic Committee, said that Muslim athletes should be excused from fasting during the London games. According to Islamic guidelines, Muslim men and women are exempted from fasting if they are travelling away from home. Malaysia, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt’s religious councils have therefore placed their atheletes under the exempted category of travelers.

The decision of whether or not to fast has caused conflicting emotions among Muslim Olympians. Libyan swimmer Sofyan Fathi Aljaddi is among many Olympians who will be keeping his fast during the game period. In an interview with 7M sports, Aljaddi said, “Honestly, some people say that you are allowed to break your fast on the day of the race, but to be honest this is between you and your God. I say fasting for God is more important than any sport or anything in this world.”

Algerian runner Mohamed-Khaled Belabbas said, “I will fast like I always have. It will not be a novelty for me. ”

But British discus thrower Abdul Buhari, Moroccan swimmer Sara El-Bekri, Qatari sprinter Noor al-Malki, French Boxer Rachid Azzedine, judo competitor Hemeed Al Drie, British rower Mohammed Sbihi, and many others will be adjourning their fast till the end of competition. In 1980, Tanzanian Suleiman Nyambui won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters, while observing the fast.

Even though, the present month of Ramadan has come with its numerous challenges for Muslim Olympians, but with the abet edict of ruling religious authorities and effective cooperation from Olympics committee, the Olympians will be able to overcome these challenges and hopefully will win some medals to take back home.

The article Olympics 2012 Collides with Ramadan appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article Spain’s Olympic Uniform Sparks Controversy appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The first two Olympics have been set before the opening ceremony even began. South Korean Im Dong-hyun, 26, made the new world record in archery early Friday, July 27 and even more amazing is that Im Dong-hyun is legally blind.

On July 27 the Olympic preliminary rounds for archery began, several sports’ preliminary rounds have already started to ensure that all of the sports are gone through in time. During the competition Dong-hyun, who has 10% vision in his left eye and 20% vision in his right, scored 699 points in the 72-arrow mark. He beat his own world record that he had set in Turkey a few months prior by three points.

Dong-hyun’s reaction was more than humble. “This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it.”

Not only did Im Dong-hyun set an individual world record but he and his fellow teammates, Kim Bub-min and Oh Jin-hyek, set the team world record as well with a total of 2,087 points. The team world record they beat was set by a South Korean team as well at 2,069 points. With these scores the team as well as the individual rounds should go very nicely for all three of the members of the South Korean team.

Im Dong-hyun also won the gold in the team events at the Olympics in Beijing and Athens in 2008 and 2004 respectively. However, his teammates are certainly able to hold their own being in second and third place in the individual competition.

Britain’s Larry Godfrey is in fourth place with his own personal best of 680 points. Godfrey reported that he was “very happy.” “I thought I would be a bit lower than fourth. I’ve shot similar scores and finished much lower.” The British team came eighth out of twelve.

Im does not wear glasses when he competes. Instead he says that he looks at the difference in the bright colors of the target to decide where to shoot.

In South Korea, archery is one of the most popular sports. Most elementary school children are taught archery in school and there is a lot of government funding and training available. The current world champion of archery, a South Korean named Kim Woo-Jin, did not make the Olympic team.

According to the Telegraph the weather was favorable for archery on the morning of July 27 with no cross breeze and cool temperatures. Many people were disappointed, however, when they showed up to watch the preliminary rounds only to be told that no tickets are sold to watch them.

Image Courtesy of   Bill Hails

The article Legally Blind Olympic Archer Sets World Record appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Fencing is not a sport that people normally associate with the United States, but two-time Olympic gold medalist in saber fencing, Mariel Zagunis, hopes to change all of that.

Mariel Zagunis, 27, is a left-handed (normally considered a slight advantage in fencing) saberist from Beaverton, Oregon. Zagunis was born to two Olympic athletes who participated as rowers in the 1976 Olympics; she seems to be carrying on the legacy quite nicely.

In 2004, at the Athens Olympics, Zagunis was a replacement who lucked out in getting a spot to go to the Olympics and surprised everyone when she won the gold, the first American fencing medal in one hundred years. If that’s not enough she also helped take five other individual and team medals at the Beijing Olympics including the team bronze and individual gold in sabre.

She is also the highest ranking fencer according to the Federation International d’Escrime (FIE) since 2009 and has won the world titles for 2009 and 2010 and several world cup victories. She also won the FIE’s highest honor for sportsmanship and fair play, the Chevelier Feyerick in 2009 and was the first American ever to win it. Overall, she is the most decorated fencer in America.

Zagunis, who has been fencing since she was ten, has received so much corporate sponsorship that she no longer needs to work but can practice fencing all day and still provide for her family, an incredible feat. Zagunis knows she is lucky and commented, “a lot of American fencers who wish to pursue it at the level that I am doing at look at my story as an inspiration. That if they can also achieve success and do what I have done or close to what I have done, that they can also do it full time… Because that’s what I think fencing is lacking the United States…People go to college, and they fence through college and then after that it’s ‘welcome to the real world’.”

Mariel Zagunis not only wants to bring home some medals from the Olympics but also wants to raise awareness of the sport in the United States. She founded the Mariel Zagunis Women’s Saber Fund to support young female sabre fencers as well as the sport in general. Zagunis’ fame seems to have sparked a significant interest in fencing since as of May 2012 the United States Fencing Association reported that it had 20,000 members which is up from the just over 6,000 members in 1982.

The awareness is needed especially since NBC announced that it will only be covering some of the fencing events, only 2.5 hours worth in fact. With a sport that includes three different weapons (foil, sabre, and epee) and then the team events, that’s a lot of fencing that American viewers are missing out on.

MSNBC will cover the women’s events on July 28 – August 1 but will not feature any of the men’s events. In comparison beach volleyball will have four hours of coverage on opening day alone.

Something that should help bring more awareness to the sport is that Mariel Zagunis has been chosen to lead the American team in the parade at the Opening Ceremonies on July 27. This means that Zagunis will lead the 530 members of the American team – 269 women and 261 men – while she carries the American flag. Zagunis claimed, “I’m just going to focus on not tripping, not letting the flag touch the ground and doing everything right.” In order to become the flag-bearer Zagunis was chosen as a finalist and went through five rounds of voting by team captains, finally coming out on top.

Zagunis also knows that she is the athlete to conquer this year. “Everyone else really has nothing to lose.” Her worst threats are Russian Sofia Velikaya who won gold against her in October of last year in Italy and the Ukrainian Olga Kharlan who won the Korfanty Cup against Zagunis in Chicago last month. Hopefully for the sake of American fencing, Zagunis will continue to bring home the gold.

Image Courtesy of   Mariel Zagunis

The article US Fencing Champion Hopes to Bring Home the Gold…Again appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The night of July 27 will be a night to remember with the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics kicking off several weeks of incredible competitions. With the economic crisis and uncertainty, the Olympic games are a refreshing distraction for all people of the world.

Originally the tone in London leading up to the games was one of gloom and dislike, but now that the games are actually here they seem to be just as excited as the rest of the world. One London street sweeper, Augustine Adejoh said, “I’m not really into the Olympics and all that. But I’ve got to say, it’s good for London. People are quite thrilled about it.”

Not everything has been perfect in the lead up to this Olympics. London cab drivers have protested not being allowed into lanes reserved for Olympic athletes and coaches. Additionally, a security debacle by the company hired for the Olympics, G4, meant that not enough guards had been hired; now police and armed forces will be involved in the security measures. The Olympics will be the largest security operation in peacetime for England ever.

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney commented on the security mix up saying, “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out.” London Mayor Boris Johnson quickly responded via a speech to a crowd of 60,000 in Hyde Park stating, “There’s a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. We are ready… We’re going to win more gold, silver, and bronze medals than you’d need to bail out Greece.”

The Olympic torch made its way through London on July 26 passing Parliament and Buckingham Palace. So far the torch has traveled 8,000 miles in the last seventy days. The torch will sail down the Thames on its way to the stadium in East London on the royal barge called the Gloriana.

The Olympics have not been seen in London since 1948 when the entire country was devastated after the destruction wrought by World War II. That Olympics was called the “Austerity Olympics” because of the understandable financial trouble England had.

This Olympics has already cost the United Kingdom 9 billion pounds ($14 billion), triple the original estimate. Most of the officials are justifying the use of the money because much of it was used to renovate a run-down area of London.

The former polluted industrial park is now a beautiful stadium that will be the location for the Opening Ceremonies at 9 PM tonight. The Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics always include a performance arranged by the host nation that demonstrates the best aspects of the nation. The United Kingdom’s Opening Ceremonies will be called the ‘Isles of Wonder’ and have been designed by Danny Boyle, director of ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’

The ceremony will begin with the tolling of the largest harmonically tuned bell that was created at Whitechapel Foundry. The Queen will be met at the entrance to the stadium by the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge. The parade of nations will then begin with the countries entering in alphabetical order according to the language of the host nation. The only exceptions will be that the Greek team will lead and the team from Great Britain will be last.

The Queen will then declare that the games have begun and the Olympic flag, anthem, and oath will occur. Finally the torch will enter and light the cauldron and the performance, the “Isles of Wonder,” will begin.

It is already known that the stadium will be set up to look like a rural English countryside with real farm animals for the opening sequence called “Green and Pleasant.” The rest of the ceremony will include references to William Shakespeare, pop culture like Mary Poppins, Paul McCartney and James Bond, and darker parts of English history like the industrial revolution.

Danny Boyle stated, “our ‘Isles of Wonder’ salutes and celebrates the exuberant creativity of the British genius in an Opening Ceremony that we hope will be as unpredictable and inventive as the British people.”

Tonight will be a night to remember.

Image Courtesy of  samsungtomorrow

The article The Opening Ceremony Begins London 2012 Olympics appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.