The Jessica Hardy ruling is about to become more messy

Phillip Hersh in the L.A. Times:

"... What is the difference between U.S. swimmer Hardy and Chinese swimmers Qu Jing, Liu Bingyao, Zuo Ziqiao, Fu Bo and Hu Shaozi?

And why might that difference factor into Chicago's 2016 Olympic hopes?

First, the facts (with a little interpretation, of course):

* All six swimmers tested positive last year for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol.

* The five Chinese have received two-year suspensions, as mandated by the World Anti-Doping Code, from their national swimming federation.

* Hardy's two-year suspension was cut in half by an American Arbitration Assn. panel that on Monday issued one of the strangest rulings in what long has been an Alice-in-Wonderland world of doping punishments. ..."

He goes on to say that the shortened suspension [flies] in the face of the IOC and WADA ..."

[Link]

Read the article for he goes into specifics.

Next, Ron Judd in Seattle who I think is the finest sports journalist around quoted the following in the Seattle Times:

"... "Every single raw material used in the specific lots consumed by Ms. Hardy [Hardy is the AdvoCare Lawyer] also tested negative (Not Detected) for Clenbuterol."

The test results were certified by NSF International, an independent laboratory licensted to test for controlled substances, the release states. The results also were certified by HFL Sports Science, a World Anti-Doping Association-experienced laboratory that AdvoCare says has analyzed more samples for banned substances than any other lab in the world. ..."

[Link]

My take: I am willing to presume Jessica Hardy is telling the truth because I have a reasonable doubt or more accurately, a bias towards "Nutritional Supplement" salesmen.

I will accept that her intake was accidental but I can't accept that her suspension is allowed to be shortened whereas the other athletes from China are forced to sit out the 2012 games. We either follow international rules or we don't compete.

Does the USOC receive an "immoral amount" of IOC cash? - Peter Ueberroth spanks the guy who suggested just that!

From Boston.com:

"... "An immoral amount," declared IOC member Hein Verbruggen of the Netherlands.

It's pretty simple math," Ueberroth said in his farewell speech at the US Olympic Assembly.

The USOC gets 12.75 percent of the domestic TV fee and 20 percent of the sponsorship cash, which added up to $300 million over the past quadrennium (half of the committee's budget) and will increase to $450 million for the upcoming quad. Still, it's only a fraction of what the Americans fork over to the IOC.

NBC paid nearly $900 million for the Beijing rights (twice as much as the European Broadcasting Union did) and signed on for another $2 billion for the 2010 and 2012 Games even before the sites were chosen. And half of the $866 million from the IOC's 12 global sponsors for the last quad came from US-based companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Visa.

"Who pays the bill for the world Olympic movement? Make no mistake about it," Ueberroth said. ..."

[Link]

These figures are amazing. Both the IOC and the USOC are overwhelmingly, stinky, smelly, rich. I think they both should spread the wealth around a little bit more. Maybe throw some more money at the athletes.

Is the 'International Olympic Commitee' playing hardball with the 'USOC' or is it the other way around?

The IOC is taking the international credit crisis quite seriously and they are leveraging external profit centers for more money. In fact they are pointedly asking the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to take a smaller cut in both Olympic Sponsorship deals and broadcast revenue sharing.

In none too subtle ways, the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid has been hinted as the carrot the IOC will use to get the USOC to agree to smaller percentage deals. From the L.A. Times:

Many IOC members have been applying public pressure for three years to insist that the USOC reduce the shares it gets from global Olympic sponsorship (20%) and U.S. broadcast rights money (12.75%)

[Link]

Now, though the IOC has categorically stated that they can ride out this credit crunch, IOC reserves have dropped 14% to $400-million dollars due to their financial officer making a bad bet against the dollar.

From another L.A. Times article:

As of last week, IOC reserves had dropped about 14% in 2008, to $400 million, according to IOC Finance Commission Chairman Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico. The stock market decline was an obvious reason for the drop, but another loss shows just how hard it is to hedge bets. The IOC's investments in currencies other than dollars also dropped because the dollar strengthened -- until the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to nothing this week.

[Link]

There is a Nigerian proverb that states: "When the mouse laughs at the cat, there is always a hole nearby!"

The fact that the USOC will not negotiate a compromise means the USOC is the "mouse" here and that the proverbial "hole" has got to be the massive interest USA media companies have on bidding for the Olympic Games. From AP News:

NEW YORK (AP) — CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc. executives have discussed joining forces to bid on rights to televise the Olympics in 2014 and 2016, turning that competition into an even greater clash of media titans.

TV empires headed by incumbent NBC, Fox and ABC-ESPN have all said they expect to bid on the U.S. rights to the games. Because of the economy, the International Olympics Committee has said it is prepared to postpone its bid selection until after the host city is named next October for the 2016 Summer Games.

[Link]

Another curious thing that has been suggested is that IOC appears to be planning to wait till a host city is selected before opening the bidding for television rights for the 2016 Olympic Games. Now, if Chicago is selected, I suspect USA Media interests would bid more frantically since the US would be the host country. From Hellenic Athletes.com:

According to the IOC, a contract for the US market could be quite the bidding war as NBC, CBS-Time Warner, Fox and ABC Sports-ESPN are all reportedly chomping at the bit to televise what could be another US based games. The IOC’s main revenue source is broadcasting rights, with close to $4 billion alone for the 2010-2012 two-Games package. NBC’s portion -- long the lion’s share -- is about $2.2 billion, from a bid agreed to back in 2003.

And that is the issue -- prices agreed to many years in advance. The US rights deal has been considered the most important IOC television contract because it represents one of the largest source of funds..."

[Link]

Though I am hoping for a Tokyo 2016 Summer Games, I suspect that Chicago is the likely pick especially since the President elect of the United States has ties to that city, that there is a global recession in the horizon, and several enthusiastic USA media conglomerates are ready to go to auction. Hence it appears that Chicago is the likely candidate, and the IOC will likely place a bet on that horse.

As for the economic health of the United States and its global standing post Beijing. Our government has made a lot of bad choices. Americans have made a lot of bad choices and we share the blame for this economic credit collapse. Our government and the citizens herein generally only change when we HAVE TO and the people I associate with feel a sense of panic and severe embarrassment at this time!

Now is an opportunity for the US to change and get innovative or to simply circle the drain as we have been doing.

The "feeling on the ground" here in the US is that we are about to print up a lot of money and spend it on taking the US to the "next level" with massive energy projects and infrastructure projects like this country did in the 1930's and 1950's. I suspect Chicago 2016 will get some of that money and I bet the IOC really wants to hear that.

So, post cash infusion into our economy, I expect either a renaissance on a "Biblical scale" or the United States becoming a second tier nation in the next 30-years with a ferocious military. I for one am betting on the renaissance for that's what Americans do, they believe, and we take chances.

Chicago 2016 bid suggests building a temporary pool for the games

Their reason for building a disposable pool is that they want to: "do it for the children!"

That is to say, once the Olympics are done, they fold it up and put it in a park somewhere for kids to enjoy!

Frankly, I think that it is a tired, political, PR line they are floating here and it does not wash. I just don't believe that a temp pool will benefit Chicago kids for Illinois politicians, starting with the Governor's office, certainly don't have a history of credibility.

From the USOC: "...We worked very closely with international sports federations and national governing bodies,'' said Doug Arnot, Chicago 2016's operations chief. ``This plan is better for sport, better for the games and, perhaps most importantly, better for Chicago's youth sports legacy. This plan remains very financially responsible. ...'' [Link]

Well, Points-off, Chicago! You flunked miserably in my Olympic view of the world. I want a pool with artistic glory and a structure that is a de facto Olympic monument. Perhaps something so great that in a 1000 years it would even rival the Roman Coliseum. The Bird's Nest may be that monument that this century is remebered by but I prefer better one.

In the long run we are all dead. Let Chicago spend some money on an inspirational idea and leave it behind for us.

If Chicago's ideas are that uninspired then the IOC should pass the torch to Japan or Rio!

How bizarre that the richest nation on earth is considering building a temp-pool for the Olympics! That to me is indicitive that this nation is degrading both financially and artistically.

Boy, Japan and Rio are looking pretty good to me right now!

IOC urges the nations of earth not to boycott the Beijing Olympics over Tibet

Today the Greek God, Zeus... Actually, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said: "We believe that the boycott doesn't solve anything," Rogge told reporters on this Caribbean island. "On the contrary, it is penalizing innocent athletes and it is stopping the organization from something that definitely is worthwhile organizing."

I agree, I do not like boycotts! In my lifetime I have never seen the "Byzantine Seige" work to a favorable political outcome. This includes Iraq, twice; Iran, once; The Moscow Olympics; The Los Angeles and potentially the Beijing Olympics.

I don't know where I read this, but those borders not crossed by goods are eventually crossed by armiew. Here is the IOC article: [Link]

"They Cheated. They Stole. They Lied!" - Moral conundrum for the IOC

Swimming World has an article/polemic comparing the Marion Jones steroid scandal with the 1972-1976 GDR (East German) Olympic Team. Therein, it states that Marion Jones will have to return her Olympic medals whereas the East German Olympians who were knowingly or unknowingly doped will get to keep their medals.

It all has to do with this "statute of limitations thingy" that the IOC has adopted. If you go 8-years without being "discovered", you are immune to IOC retribution. Marion Jones was within her alloted 8-year time limit whereas the GDR was a quarter-century into theirs.

Inevitably the name Shirley Babashoff comes up and a quote from her as well.

I have never understood the "statute of limitations." Perhaps everyone at one time or another has made a really bad choice or a very self-interested decision that violated a law. Let's presume they did nothing to cover up the crime; (heavy emphasis on the assumption that they did nothing to cover up the crime), no one was physically hurt, and they subsequently moved on and led a good life. Should these people be punished, selectively punished, or simply forgiven? The IOC has chosen the latter. Swimming World wishes they would have chosen the former. [Link]

The photo is of: Ender, Kornelia (Britannica Student Encyclopedia) (born 1958). East German swimmer Kornelia Ender was the first woman to win four gold medals in one Olympic Games.

IOC: Stiffer penalties but potential amnesty for dopers!

Before that meet in Chiba, Japan, the President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, discussed proposing stiff new measures to counter doping.

In society, or in this case sports, when penalties or laws become more harsh or more strict that is generally a red flag. If you read between the lines in the submitted articles below, it appears to me that the IOC, WADA and USADA are apparently losing the war on doping. I say that because penalties imposed by society or organizations are primarily nothing short of incentives to modify behavior. When these incentives become more harsh or more encompassing, it means the former incentives were not working.

Though the IOC will punish dopers more stringently they will lessen the suspensions and/or bans greatly if an athlete completely debriefs detailing his or her complete doping network which includes coaches, doctors, suppliers, manufacturers and individuals they know are doping as well. Here are some news articles about the proposed rule changes:

BBC News: [Link]
Swim News: [Link]
International Herald Tribune: [Link]

My take: Perhaps they need to start doing supplemental tests such as blood and hair rather than just urine? Though hair is controversial for some races, it could provide a preponderance of evidence needed to justify or clarify what sort of "sneaky" chemical is being used.

Hair testing info: Craig Medical Distribution: [Link]
Drug testing info: Wikipedia: [Link]

I am not looking forward to the day when gene doping, "Tommy John" surgeries, and the lengthening tendons by severing them becomes the undetectable norm.

Science News on Gene doping: [Link]
Wired Magazine Blog: Teenage Pitchers Volunteer for Tommy John Surgery: [Link]

The picture above is of disgraced Tour de France rider, Floyd Landis USA, who tested positive for artificially high testosterone levels after "winning" Le Tour. The picture comes from missingsaddle photostream at Flickr.com. Here is a direct link to the photo: [Link]

Four minute interview and slide show with the Beijing 'Water Cube' architect.

Jane McLean spoke with John Bilmon of PTW, the architects of this over-designed, form before function, aquatics center. Here is a link to the PTW site so you can see all of the 'horsey' stuff they build: [Link]

From CNN: The National Aquatics Centre, known as the "Water Cube," for the Beijing Olympics looks set to be ready in October 2007. ... he building's design and operation aims to live up to China's promise to be the most environmentally friendly Games ever. ..." [Link]

Greenest games ever? I don't think so. The IOC is all ready having issues with air quality and has suggested events be rescheduled if air quality is rated unhealthful: [Link]

Keep in mind this is a country that uses coal as a primary energy source, allows metal tailings to flow into rivers unregulated and prefers 'Sour Crude' oil instead of 'Brent Crude' or 'Sweet Crude' to drive their cars and buses. (Sour Crude contains more sulphur and costs more to refine but it is cheaper than Sweet Crude but pollutes more.)

West German swimmer, Michael Gross, IOC porfile.

Michael Gross swam for West Germany(FRG) all throughout the 1980's.

Gross was 6'7" in height but his wing span was 7'2". That is almost as tall as Yao Ming of the NBA who stands at 7'6". Look at this IOC You Tube video and notice how his hands practically hang over each lane line as he does his fly. Imagine sharing a lane with him while doing a fly set? If you weren't careful you would get karate chopped in the neck. ;-)

Is Janet Evans roaring like a lion or just taking a deep breath?

I wish I could ask her. I have never seen somebody do that during a start dive. The worst start-dive I ever did was at a fund raising meet at LMU. Right when I jumped off the block I wondered in mid-air if I had taken a breath before the bell went off. I got these images from the IOC website: [Link]

The IOC is considering a "Youth Olympic Games"

The executive board of the International Olympic Committee agreed in principle to consider ratifying a new Youth Olympic Games so as to impress on the younger generation how important sports are to character, discipline and values. I am surprised that obesity, diabetes, video games, collapsing sports revenue in such sports as tennis and ice skating were not mentioned.

• The Format The Summer and Winter Youth Games would alternate every four years, the Summer events would be staged in the years of the Olympic Winter Games and vice versa. The first edition of Summer YOG is envisaged for 2010. Estimates around participant numbers range from 3,000 for the Summer YOG and 1,000 for the winter counterpart. The organisational effort for a city to host the YOG would be significantly lower for the Olympic Games. However the details of the concept still need to be defined in close cooperation with the members of the Olympic Movement. Experience can be gathered from events like the European and Australian Youth Olympic Festivals.