Olympic Games

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Games&#39; Strangest Job: Sweat Mopper
 Games' 
 Strangest Job: 
 Sweat Mopper 
olympics
Aug 8, 2012 1:33 PM CDT

Games' Strangest Job: Sweat Mopper

Volunteers compete for elite, but kinda gross, position

(Newser) - One of the most unusual—and sought-after—volunteer positions in the London Olympics? Sweat mopper. These surprisingly high-profile volunteers are in charge of keeping the players safe from slips on a wet court, and even though they're not athletes themselves, the job is quite intense. Teams of two moppers...

16% of Olympic Gold Medalists Cry on the Podium
16% of Olympic Gold Medalists Cry on the Podium
study says
Aug 8, 2012 5:27 AM CDT

16% of Olympic Gold Medalists Cry on the Podium

But there's a big difference between male and female criers

(Newser) - After winning Olympic gold, who cries the most? The Wall Street Journal reviewed the evidence, watching footage of 129 London winners as they accepted their medal to find out:
  • One-quarter of women cry, while just 8% of men break down. (But, the Journal notes, many of the male criers "
...

Games' Last Male-Only Sport Officially Dies

Women box for 1st time in Olympics yesterday

(Newser) - It's been a banner year for women at the Olympics, with the presence of two female Saudi Arabian athletes getting the lion's share of attention—until yesterday. Sunday marked the death of the Games' last male-only sport: boxing. The day saw a dozen fights, a number of them...

Why Bronze Winners Are Happier Than Silver Winners

Coming in third not so bad, psychologically speaking

(Newser) - A silver medal is better than a bronze medal—yet psychologists have consistently found that bronze medalists are typically happier than silver medalists with the outcome of a competition. NPR offers up this example from London: After winning a silver, Ryan Lochte reflected on coming up "a little short....

Federer Misses Out on Gold
 Federer Misses Out on Gold 
olympics
Aug 5, 2012 10:29 AM CDT

Federer Misses Out on Gold

Andy Murray beats him for Olympic top spot in tennis

(Newser) - Andy Murray had Centre Court rocking today, winning gold for the home team and beating Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in the Olympics tennis final at Wimbledon. The result was a royal rout. Murray swept nine consecutive games, breaking Federer's serve four times in a row. The victory marked...

US Basketball Team Busts Through Olympic Records

Beats Nigeria 156-73

(Newser) - The last group in England with this many records was The Beatles: The US men's Olympic basketball team beat Nigeria 156-73 last night in an epic blowout that answered the Americans' detractors, who had earlier criticized their slow starts and outside shooting. "Our guys just couldn't miss,...

US Grabs Judo Milestone
 US Grabs Judo Milestone 
olympics
Aug 2, 2012 11:43 AM CDT

US Grabs Judo Milestone

Kayla Harrison wins nation's first gold in the sport

(Newser) - For the first time in Olympic history, the United States has taken home a gold medal in judo. Kayla Harrison won the top spot in the 78-kilogram division today, the AP reports. She defeated Britain's Gemma Gibbons, who won silver, throwing her twice in the final. Harrison, a former...

Mom&#39;s Cancer, Family Deaths Kept From China Diver
Mom's Cancer, Family Deaths Kept From China Diver
olympics
Aug 2, 2012 10:36 AM CDT

Mom's Cancer, Family Deaths Kept From China Diver

News hidden from Wu Minxia to ensure success

(Newser) - Wu Minxia won gold yet again for China in the women's synchronized 3m springboard at the London Olympics, making her the first diver to ever take gold at three consecutive Games—but the honor comes at a great cost. Wu's father tells the Shanghai Morning Post that he...

Samuel L. Jackson's Olympic Tweets: Totally Nuts

To say the actor is a fan is ... a bit of an understatement

(Newser) - Gawker has located Team USA's biggest fan, and it is: Samuel L. Jackson. To say the actor's tweets about the London Olympics have been "enthusiastic" doesn't quite cover it. And while he clearly loves both gymnastics and exclamation points, he doesn't discriminate—he's...

Record-Setting Ye &#39;Clean,&#39; Says Olympic Bigwig
Record-Setting Ye 'Clean,' Says Olympic Bigwig
olympics
Jul 31, 2012 7:45 AM CDT

Record-Setting Ye 'Clean,' Says Olympic Bigwig

Lord Colin Moynihan confirms Chinese swimmer passed drug tests

(Newser) - Ye Shiwen was "clean" when she set a world record in the women's 400-meter individual medley at the London Olympics, according to the British Olympic Association chairman. Lord Colin Moynihan confirmed that Ye went through the World Anti-Doping Agency's drug testing program, the BBC reports. "That'...

Saudi Woman May Withdraw From Games Over Hijab Ban
Saudi Woman May Withdraw From Games Over Hijab Ban
olympics
Jul 30, 2012 11:08 AM CDT

Saudi Woman May Withdraw From Games Over Hijab Ban

Shaherkani will withdraw from judo match if not allowed to wear headscarf

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia made history by sending two female athletes to the Olympics this year—but that number could drop to one if a judoka is not allowed to wear a hijab during her judo bouts. The International Judo Federation president said last week that Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani will...

Olympics to Fans: Please Stop Tweeting

Overwhelmed networks causing problems with TV coverage

(Newser) - Excited Olympics attendees have been overwhelming mobile networks, and now the International Olympic Committee is urging spectators to cool it with the texting and tweeting. "Of course, if you want to send something, we are not going to say 'you can't do it', and we would certainly...

What Some Olympic Athletes Eat Is Insane

A whole pizza, an entire pint of ice cream ... and that's just for starters

(Newser) - Some Olympic athletes maintain their prime physical condition by ... eating an entire cheese pizza and a full pint of Ben & Jerry's? Believe it. The New York Times takes a look at the outsize dietary needs of top athletes, who, as one doctor explains, can burn as many as...

Top 10 Firsts in Olympic Games
 Top 10 Firsts 
 in Olympic 
 Games 
Olympics
Jul 28, 2012 5:31 PM CDT

Top 10 Firsts in Olympic Games

Heard of Coroebus? He was quite the nude runner

(Newser) - The Olympics have come a long way since the first games were hosted in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC. Listverse looks at few inspiring firsts:

Opening Ceremony Reviews: Weird but Fun

After grandiosity of Beijing, London opts for goofy, fanciful

(Newser) - After Zhang Yimou's spectacular cast of thousands opened the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the pressure was on London to have an opening ceremony at least as memorable. And after seeing Oscar-winning Danny Boyle's $42 million spectacle, the verdict is ... well, weird. But entertaining:
  • The Hollywood Reporter calls Boyle a
...

Opening Ceremony Begins
 Let the Games Begin 
olympics
Jul 27, 2012 6:55 PM CDT

Let the Games Begin

London hosts lavish opening ceremony

(Newser) - Britain opened its Olympics with a royal entrance like no other. London greeted the world in a celebration of Old England that was stunning, imaginative, whimsical, and dramatic. Cheeky, too, with a stand-in for Queen Elizabeth II parachuting into Olympic Stadium, accompanied by James Bond, no less. Brit director Danny...

Carl Lewis on Romney Gaffe: He Should 'Stay Home'

Olympic legend joins the crowd pummeling Romney for criticizing games

(Newser) - Mitt Romney got yet another high-profile tongue-lashing for having the effrontery to suggest that London wasn't ready for the Olympics—while in London. "Every Olympics is ready, I don't care whatever he said," nine-time US gold medalist Carl Lewis told the Independent . "I swear, sometimes...

Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum
 Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum 
Olympics
Jul 27, 2012 10:36 AM CDT

Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum

British right has made asylum an issue

(Newser) - An Olympic runner from Sudan has requested asylum at a London police station, an official tells the New York Times . The athlete's name hasn't been released, but the list of suspects isn't long; the war-torn East African nation only sent six athletes to the games. The case...

Saudi Woman Competing at Olympics Without Hijab

Decision will likely be controversial

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is sending women to the Olympics for the first time—and at least one of them, a judo competitor, won’t be wearing a traditional Islamic headscarf while competing. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani "will fight according to the principle and spirit of judo, so without a...

News Flash: The Olympics Start Today

Soccer, archery kick off early

(Newser) - The Opening Ceremonies aren’t until Friday, but the Olympics actually start today, 400 miles away from London. Soccer and archery start early, so as not to wear out the athletes with the number of games that are required, the Detroit Free Press explains. The US women’s soccer team...

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