Olympics

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Russia Swapped Urine Samples Through 'Mouse Hole': Report

It led to a room full of clean, frozen samples

(Newser) - During the day, it looked like an impenetrable wall. Only under cover of darkness was the small "mouse hole" at ground level uncovered to reveal a passage from Russia's anti-doping lab to a room where clean urine tests sat waiting, frozen. "At a convenient moment, usually around...

Russians Rigged Doping at Own Olympics: Report

And Moscow's anti-doping lab was assisted in scheme by Russia's Ministry of Sport

(Newser) - Speculation that Russia's athletes might be banned from the Rio Olympics has just ramped up after an independent doping investigation found the Russians cheated during their own Sochi Olympics in 2014—and in events beyond that, the AP reports. Canadian law professor Richard McLaren was picked by the World...

'Traitor' Russian Athlete Will Compete as Neutral at Olympics

Long-jumper Darya Klishina was exempted from the ban on Russia's track-and-field team

(Newser) - Out of the entire banned Russian track-and-field team, it appears only 25-year-old long-jumper Darya Klishina will be allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics. And the Guardian reports that's made her a top target for frustrated Russian sports fans. The Russian team was banned over a doping scandal . But...

Rio Olympics, Now Brought to You by Insect Repellent

And Zika virus, capitalism

(Newser) - Making marketing lemonade out of infectious disease lemons, the Olympics have partnered with an insect repellent for the first time ever, Bloomberg reports. More than 100,000 bottles of OFF!, a repellent "widely used" in Brazil, will be given to athletes, volunteers, and staff during next month's Olympics...

Rio's Newest Problem: 'Super Bacteria' in the Water

And a nasty oil slick in Guanabara Bay, right where sailors are set to compete

(Newser) - Rio de Janeiro has been plagued by body parts on beaches , muggings , and Zika fears ahead of the Summer Olympics, and now a "super bacteria" has entered the mix. Brazilian scientists say the drug-resistant bacteria was found along the coast of popular beaches including Flamengo and Botafogo, both of...

Doping Gets Another Russian Team Booted From Olympics

Rower's urine sample had banned substance in it

(Newser) - World rowing's ruling body says that the Russian men's quadruple sculls team has been disqualified from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for a doping violation, and will be replaced at the games by New Zealand, the AP reports. The World Rowing Federation says that trimetazidine, a banned substance,...

Rio Governor: Olympics Could Be 'Big Failure'

Acting governor warns that federal government payout is needed

(Newser) - Rio de Janeiro's acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a "big failure" because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the games. In an interview with Rio's O Globo daily, Francisco Dornelles said the state is still awaiting an...

Runner's Success Story Is Wild. So Is His Fight With Nike

Boris Berian hopes to raise $25K for legal fight

(Newser) - Two years ago, Boris Berian was a college dropout working at McDonald's. He now hopes to run for Team USA at the Olympics, but first he has to clear a major hurdle: a lawsuit from Nike. And he wants your help. The world champion in the indoor 800-meter is...

Rory McIlroy Drops Out of Olympics Over Zika Fears

Golf is making its first appearance at the Olympics in 112 years

(Newser) - Golfer Rory McIlroy won't be participating in this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro over concerns about the Zika virus, the BBC reports. According to the New York Times , he's the "highest-profile athlete" to pull out because of Zika so far. McIlroy, who was going to...

Girl Finds Stolen Gold Medal, Thinks It's a Frisbee

$500 reward should help replace her new toy

(Newser) - Six-year-old Chloe Smith was out for a walk with her dad in Atlanta on Saturday when she picked up a shiny disc from the ground and threw it like a Frisbee, reports Fox 5 . Had she known it was an Olympic gold medal, she might have thought twice. The medal,...

Rio Declares Financial Emergency Just Weeks Before Olympics

Not to mention looming 'public calamity' and 'social collapse'

(Newser) - With less than 50 days before the Olympics, the state of Rio de Janeiro officially declared financial emergency while warning of a "serious economic crisis" and looming "public calamity," the BBC reports. According to Reuters , Gov. Francisco Dornelles declared the state of financial emergency Friday, requesting federal...

Athletes, Coaches Freezing Sperm Before Olympics Over Zika Fears

But few plan on staying home

(Newser) - The Zika virus is adding a whole new wrinkle to the way athletes and coaches are preparing for the Olympics this year. For example, the New York Times reports John Speraw, coach of the US men's indoor volleyball team, is freezing his sperm before traveling to Rio. “My...

Pregnant Savannah Guthrie: I'm Skipping Olympics

She's the highest-profile NBC employee to opt out so far

(Newser) - Today co-host Savannah Guthrie is pregnant with her second child—which means she won't be heading to Brazil to cover the Olympics this summer. "I’m not going to be able to go to Rio, so you’ll have to go to beach volleyball without me," she...

Refugees Get Their Own Team at Olympics

Athletes come from South Sudan, Syria, Congo, and Ethiopia

(Newser) - Ten refugee athletes from Africa and the Middle East were selected Friday to compete under the Olympic flag at the Rio de Janeiro Games in what the IOC said represents a "symbol of hope" for migrants and refugees around the world, the AP reports. The members of the first-ever...

Usain Bolt Could Lose One of His Gold Medals

2008 teammate allegedly tested positive for banned substance

(Newser) - Usain Bolt could lose one of his three gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics thanks to another member of Jamaica's 400-meter relay team from that year. Amid a crackdown during which Olympic officials have been re-testing samples from the past two Summer Games with new technology, Jamaican team...

Zika Fears Sideline US Cyclist With Pregnant Wife

Tejay van Garderen won't compete at Rio Olympics

(Newser) - American cyclist Tejay van Garderen has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Rio Olympics amid concerns that he may contract the Zika virus and pass it along to his pregnant wife, reports the AP . He is believed to be the first athlete to back out of the Summer Olympics...

Growing Doping Scandal May Keep Russia Out of Rio

'Unprecedented level of criminality'

(Newser) - Allegations of sports doping are so common it's easy for the eyes to glaze over, but a series of recent developments raises the possibility of a jarring reality check: Russia might be barred from the Rio Olympics. Related coverage:
  • A panel from the International Association of Athletics Federations is
...

'Miracle on Ice' Goalie Hawking His Gold Medal

And American flag Jim Craig wore after 1980 victory at Olympics

(Newser) - The "Miracle on Ice" hockey team is an indelible memory from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, with the US coming from behind to defeat the long-reigning Soviets, and then Finland, for the gold. And goalie Jim Craig, then 22, made an equally poignant impression after his team's victory,...

Expert Says Olympics Should Be Rescheduled Over Zika

He says the lives of many thousands of unborn babies are at risk

(Newser) - "But for the games, would anyone recommend sending an extra half a million visitors into Brazil right now?" University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran writes in the Harvard Public Health Review . According to the AP , Attaran is calling on the International Olympic Committee to postpone or relocate the Summer...

Hot Fashion for S. Korea's Olympic Team: Zika-Proof Attire

Training, ceremonial clothing for Rio Games to be 'impregnated' with chemicals

(Newser) - South Korea's Olympic committee on Wednesday unveiled Zika-proof long-sleeved shirts and pants it says will help protect the country's Olympic athletes from the mosquito-borne virus at this year's games in Rio de Janeiro, the AP reports. The sets of clothing will be impregnated with mosquito-repellent chemicals and...

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