london Page 23 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Olympics Field Guide: Nick D'Arcy And Kenrick Monk, Idiot Gun-Toting Aussie Swimmers
Names: Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk...

"Athletic" Shawn Johnson Retires: How Gymnastics Talks About Bodies In Code
On Sunday, former world and Olympic champion gymnast Shawn Johnson, 20, retired from gymnastics. Citing a bum knee, she withdrew from this coming weekend's national championships, the first competitive step towards the 2012 Olympic team....

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....

In Olympic Hurdles Tune-Up, Organizers Forget To Put Enough Hurdles On The Track
Heptathlete Jessica Ennis is one of the U.K.'s best hopes for a gold, and perhaps even more important, could be a crossover celebrity. So the Great City Games in Manchester was a chance for England to show off one of its most telegenic Olympians on a made-for-tv course: a hurdles track running rig...

Olympic Officials Ban Outside Bottled Water, Will Confiscate Any "Excessive Food"
Of course, London Olympic officials want patrons to enjoy their time this summer at the Games, but they also want them to pay for every single amenity imaginable. To that end, organizers have banned fans from bringing in any bottled water and will also confiscate large amounts of food....

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....

London Olympics To Be Protected By Rooftop Missile Launchers
The British Ministry of Defence recently informed residents of an "upscale apartment development" near Olympic Park that it plans to install a "missile battery" on the development's property....

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 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....

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...

70-Year-Old Japanese Equestrian Earns Spot In London Olympics
Hiroshi Hoketsu (who turns 71 on March 28) earned the spot by winning an international dressage meet in France earlier this week. It remains unclear whether he will actually compete in the games, but Japanese Equestrian officials not only exist but will also announce Hoketsu's participation status ...

"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....

Jack The Ripper Spoiled The Unveiling Of Canada's Newest Baseball Team, The London Rippers
The group behind London, Ontario's newest pro baseball team, the Rippers, claims not to have had one of the most infamous serial killers in mind when they chose the name and designed the logo seen here. London, Ontario's "Ripper" is a man hiding behind a cape, wearing a top hat, and wielding a baseb...

Streaking At The London Olympics Will Result In A $31,000 Fine
The harsh penalty is less about obscenity than the potential for free advertising on all that exposed flesh. "Olympic sponsors plough hundreds of millions of dollars into the quadrennial sporting extravaganza and organisers fear their investments being undermined." [NineMSN]...