Antonio Pettigrew Admits : IOC Strips Gold From USA's 2000 Sydney Relay Team

The International Olympic Committee stripped gold medals Saturday from the U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team that competed at the 2000 Olympics in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.

The IOC executive board disqualified the entire team, the fourth gold and sixth overall medal stripped from that U.S. track contingent in the past eight months for doping.

Three gold and two bronze were previously removed after Marion Jones confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Saturday's decision was almost a formality after Pettigrew gave up his gold medal in June. He admitted in court in May that he used EPO and human growth hormone from 1997 to 2003.

Five of Pettigrew's teammates also lose their medals: Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison ran in the final; Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor ran in the preliminaries.

News from AP.

Italian Fencer Andrea Baldini Tested Positive With Furosemide

Italian fencer Andrea Baldini will miss the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for a diuretic during last month's European Championships in Ukraine.

The urine test was conducted in Prague, Czech Republic, and showed the presence of the banned substance furosemide.

Baldini won a silver medal in foil at the 2006 and 2007 world championships and was considered a gold-medal candidate for Beijing.

He will be dropped from the team for the Olympics, which start next week, the Italian fencing federation said Friday.

Baldini told the news agency ANSA he "did not take anything," but the Italian federation could not confirm the comment. Baldini was to speak at a news conference in Milan later in the day.


The federation has not announced his replacement, but ANSA said it would be Andrea Cassara, a double medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Maria Sharapova To Miss Beijing Olympics And US Open

21-year-old Russian tennis sensation Maria Sharapova today declared that she will also miss the US open after Beijing Olympics. The glamorous Sharapova announced on her website that she wouldn't play the final Grand Slam of the season, which starts August 25 in New York.

"It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the US Open, you have no idea, just to type those words hurt!," she wrote. "I think this will be the first grand slam I have ever missed."

According to Sharapova, New York doctor David Altchek said she had been playing with a tear in her right rotator cuff since April.

Maria Sharapova is not expected to require surgery. She will travel to Arizona for rehabilitation and strength work and is likely to miss two to three months.

AFC Challenge Cup 2008 : Indian V/S Tajikistan : Pictures

Indian against Tajikistan in Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad.

India -1 -Baichung Bhutia

Tajikistan -1 -Yusuf Rabiev

The Indian Goal Scorer and Captain Baichung Bhutia

WAGS: Gary Linekar and Danielle Bux Third Holiday In Barbados : Snapshots

English soccer star Gary Lineker and his model girlfriend Danielle Bux are currently on a beach in Barbados enjoying their holiday.

Linekar, 47, and his 29-year-old girlfriend are midway through their third holiday in Barbados this year.

Garry Linekar and Danielle Bux in Barbados Pictures

Beijing Olympics : Australian Cycling Squad

Australia is represented in all four disciplines of the Olympic cycling competiton.

Australian Olympic Cycling Team

Mountain Biking

MEN

Daniel McConnell (men's cross-country)

WOMEN

Dellys Starr (women's cross-country)

Road Racing

MEN

Cadel Evans (individual)

Simon Gerrans (individual)

Matt Lloyd (individual)

Stuart O'Grady (individual)

Michael Rogers (Individual, Individual time-trial)

WOMEN

Kate Bates (individual)

Sara Carrigan (individual)

Oenone Wood (individual, individual time-trial)

Track

MEN

Ryan Bayley (keirin, sprint, team sprint)

Jack Bobridge (team pursuit, 4000m)

Graeme Brown (team pursuit, 4000m)

Dan Ellis (sprint, team sprint)

Mark French (team sprint)

Mark Jamieson (team pursuit, 4000m)

Shane Kelly (keirin, team sprint)

Brett Lancaster (team pursuit, 4000m)

Brad McGee (individual pursuit, 4000m; team pursuit, 4000m)

Cameron Meyer (points race)

Luke Roberts (individual pursuit, 4000m; team pursuit, 4000m)

WOMEN

Kate Bates (points race)

Katie Mactier (individual pursuit, 3000m)

Anna Meares (sprint)

BMX

MEN

Jared Graves (individual)

Kamakazi (individual)

Luke Madill (individual)

WOMEN

Tanya Bailey (individual)

Nicole Callisto (individual)

OFFICIALS

Shayne Bannan (head coach)
Martin Barras (track coach)
Wade Bootes (BMX coach)
Ian McKenzie (track coach)
Neil Ross (mountain biking coach)
Scott Sharples (BMX coach)
Neil Stephens (road, men)
Warren McDonald (road, women)
Mark Fisher (doctor)
Karin Stephens (seigneur)
David Hayes (seigneur)
Berthy May (seigneur)
Christine O'Connor (soft tissue therapist)
Craig Colduck (sports scientist, performance analyst)
Gregory Boorer (road mechanic)
James Bullen (track mechanic)
Wayne Nichols (mountain biking, BMX mechanic)
James Nitis (road mechanic)

Olympic-Themed Condom Adverts Released By Elasun

While Beijing gets ready to welcome thousands of athletes from various nations, cheeky condom adverts have been released in China to coincide with the 2008 Olympic Games.

Themed on Olympics, the adverts show stick-man athletes using condoms as apparatus in Olympic events.

The adverts, which have become a growing sensation in China, show contraceptives take up a versatile role—standing in as bicycle wheels, basketball nets, archery targets and gymnastic rings, reports Telegraph.

If this wasn’t enough, the ad-makers have used a ribbed condom to exemplify choppy water in the swimming version of the campaign.

Made for Chinese condom-maker Elasun, the adverts show off the broken English slogan “Sports make you health”.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics 130,000 free condoms were made available to athletes and officials.

News Courtsey: Telegraph.co.uk