2012-olympics Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

U.S. Gymnastics Turns Its Back On Chellsie Memmel, Genuine Badass
At the 2006 world championships, Chellsie Memmel botched a release during her uneven-bars routine and tore her labrum. This was more or less the beginning of a prolonged shoulder nightmare that would culminate this weekend in the cold-eyed rejection of her bid to compete in the national championship...

"They Had To Apply Electric Shock To Bring Him Back": The Decline Of Boxer David Reid, Hero Of The 1996 Olympics
Republished from The Ring....

Azerbaijan's Stinky Olympic Wrestling Team Is Sponsored By Febreze
It kind of makes sense for a group of sweaty, smelly wrestlers to partner up with a product that stakes its business model on eliminating odors. If nothing else, we get to see some poor sap take a hefty whiff of some wrestler's headgear and compare it to passionfruit. (Related: Don't ever put a bl...

For The Olympics, London Gets The World's Largest McDonald's
London does things big. Massive Ferris wheel. Giant gherkin. Overwhelming sense of inadequacy over a lost empire. And this summer, the world's largest McDonald's will open up near the Olympic village, for six weeks only. The Olympics truly do bring out the best in the world....

Posting A Facebook Photo From The London Olympics Could Land You In Court
Art by Ronald Wigman....

London Olympics Invite Keith Moon, Dead For 34 Years, To Play Closing Ceremony
There are just about a hundred days to go before the Summer Olympics, so presumably all the heavy lifting is done. The venues are built, the support staff hired and trained, and all that's left is getting the little touches right, so as to avoid incidents like Wayne Gretzky's face....

The World's Slowest Swimmer Is Making His Triumphant Return To The Summer Oympics
Twelve years ago, Eric "The Eel" Moussambani became a cult hero at the Sydney Olympics when he ran a 100-meter freestyle heat (a) as the only swimmer, due to two other DQs, and (b) in the slowest 100-meter freestyle performance the Olympics had ever seen. Now he's coming back—sort of....

The Goldman Sachs-y Group Behind The London Olympics Is Making Torchbearers Buy Their Own Torches
As the 2012 Olympics draw near, our London correspondent will be filing semi-regular dispatches on life, culture, and Sport from the Big Smoke....

The British Are Royally Pissed About Their New Olympic Uniforms
Beatle daughter Stella McCartney (center) is a rather well-regarded clothing designer in the UK, from what I hear. So with the Olympics in London this summer, McCartney was given the task of designing the official uniforms of the British Olympians. Sounds like a dream job, right? Not exactly!...

London May Host The First Olympics With Female Athletes From Every Country
It's hard to believe this is the year 2012 and there are still countries on the planet that have forbidden women from competing in the Olympics. You know, like that's something that still happens. But it's unfortunately true, as Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Qatar—which would really like to get the 2020...

London's $150 Million Olympic Velodrome Looks Like Patio Furniture (Or Pringles)
The 2012 Olympics in London are only some 142 days away, and years of construction are finally coming to a head. The insane spectacle of Beijing's 2008 Olympics seems to have put added pressure on the London crew, which has tapped Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle to plan the Opening Ceremony. The...

The "Scam Cup": How A Very American TV Event Gives U.S. Gymnasts A Leg Up On The Olympic Competition
If you listen to USA Gymnastics and NBC, it's one of the most important Olympic tune-ups. If you listen to the rest of the world, it's a glorified showcase for American athletes. So maybe it's fitting that the American Cup's highest-scoring female gymnast wasn't even entered in the competition. ...

British Olympians Warned Not To Shake Hands With Dirty Foreigners
Because the true Olympic spirit isn't friendship but rather winning, a doctor with the British Olympic Association is warning athletes that shaking hands with rivals and visiting dignitaries is just about the best way to get sick before your event (along with making out with that hot Ukrainian penta...

Nick Mangold's 5-8, 374-Pound Sister Makes US Olympic Weightlifting Team
Perpetual Pro Bowl Jets center Nick Mangold weighs 307 pounds. He has to block the Vince Wilforks and Haloti Ngatas of the world. But he's probably not as strong as his younger sister, Holley, who qualified for the 2012 Olympics last night....

"The Olympics Suck Dogshit Through A Straw," Says Famous Genitals-Faced London Writer
As the 2012 Olympics draw near, our London correspondent will be filing semi-regular dispatches on life, culture, and Sport from the Big Smoke....

In Victory For Tokenism Everywhere, Qatar Will Send Two Women To The Olympics
For the first time, Qatar is including women on its 2012 Olympic team. A swimmer and a sprinter will represent the country in London, an announcement made (totally coincidentally, we're sure) on the same day Qatar's bid to host the 2020 Olympics was released. [AP]...

Some Cop Left Security Plans For The 2012 Olympics On A London Commuter Train
After being found on Jan. 5, the secret dossier was given to The Sun newspaper, which gave it back to the police....

U.K.'s Royal Mint Releases Coin Explaining The Offside Rule
Now that 2012 is upon us, the U.K.'s Royal Mint is releasing 29 new coins, each featuring a different Olympic sport. Above is the soccer coin, the reverse of which contains a handy diagram explaining just what constitutes offside. The image "is designed to provoke discussion," but I think the real d...

British Beach Volleyball Players To Put Barcode Ads On Their Butts
No, seriously. And it's for a gambling company. From London's Daily Mail:...

The London Olympic Medals Are Here, And They've Got That Weird Lisa Simpson Blowjob Logo
With a year to go before the London Games, they've been having all sorts of ceremonies to start the countdown. Today saw the unveiling of the designs for the medals, which will be the heaviest (though not the largest) ever handed out....