US National Soccer Team Striker Charles Davies Seriously Injured in Car Crash

Charlie Davies, striker for the US national soccer team, has been seriously injured in a car accident.

He was one of two passengers in the car, which crashed in Washington DC on the George Washington Parkway. The other passenger a young lady of 22, Ashley Roberta was killed in the crash.


Davies' injuries included a shattered right leg, and a lacerated bladder. Doctors predict that it will take him six to twelve months to recover.

He will most likely have to miss playing for the US in the World Cup in June next year.

He was playing for the team against Honduras last Saturday. The win against Honduras got a place for the US in the World Cup.

In July 2009 Davies signed up with the French Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard in French Ligue 1, which is the top division in French football. Sochaux is a strong team and recently won the French Cup in 2007.


Photo above: Charlie Davies 

Photo middle right:   Magallon (Mexico) and Charlie Davies (USA) clash during the FIFA World Cup Qualifying soccer match at Azteco Stadium in Mexico City, August 12, 2009

LeGarrette Blount Goes Haywire - Video

The LeGarrette Blount incident is causing an uproar. People are disgusted with his behaviour.

After his team, the Oregon Ducks, lost in an upset to Boise State, Blount attacked and punched Byron Hout, and continued hitting even after Hout fell down.

Blount offered an apology later, saying that he lost his head. No doubt about that, but his actions were totally unacceptable and who needs a player who can lose his head like that?

The video is no longer available!

Golden Girl Caster Semanya Receives Royal Reception in South Africa

Caster Semanya arrives home in South Africa, receiving from her supporters a rousing reception befitting a royal.

Semanya was shot to fame by her stunning 800m win in the World's Athletics Championships in Berlin last week. Then controversy reigned as it became widely known that the  International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had demanded that Semanya should take a gender test hours before her win.

She was so upset that she almost refused to accept the gold medal at the podium.

South Africa has strongly rallied behind her, and the women's league has accuse the IAFF of launching a vicious attack on the dignity of Semanya and all women athletes.

Caster Semanya has been hailed as "our first lady of sport", as the message on one poster reads.

Her family are frustrated and bemused by the gender controversy. Semanya  was born and grew up as a girl throughout all of her 18 years.

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Gender Issue in Athletics - Caster Semanya

South African Caster Semanya, 18, with a tume of 1 minute 55.45 seconds became the woman world 800m champion on Wednesday.

But will she hold on to her title? That depends on whether she is a she or a he.

Doubt have surfaced whether Semanya is male or female. The International Association of Athletics Federations asked her to undergo a gender test three weeks.

The tests, it says, are complex and it would be several weeks before results are in. The procedure involves various doctors, a gender expert and even a psychologist.

The South African athetics federation is convinced that such fears are unfounded, and that it is sure that Semanya is a female.

Golf, Rugby Sevens and Women's Boxing - New Olympic Sports

The International Olympic Committee has made recommendations to add golf, rugby sevens and women's boxing as new sports in the Olympics.

Women's boxing will be part of the 2012 London Olympics. British women boxers are delighted to be given the chance to compete on home ground.

Image via Wikipedia

In the meantime, the IOC executive board has also voted to include golf and rugby sevens in the games, but that will be for the 2016 Olympics. The recommendations have to be approved by the full IOC congress, which will meet in October in Copenhagen. It is expected that the congress will rubber-stamp the recommendations.

Even Tiger Woods is delighted at the prospect of playing in the Olympics.

Rugby sevens is a fact-action sport, that has grown rapidly in popularity world-wide. It will certainly add to the excitement of the Olympics. More on Rugby Sevens.

British Open 2009 Day 2 - Steve Marino Takes Top Spot

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Steve Marino scored a 68 on day 2 of the British Open, that's 2 under par. Rain and fresh strong gusts of wind did little to deter him from achieving four birdies and an eagle. With a total score of 135, he is ahead of Mark Calcavecchia in second place with 136.

Steve Marino is not well-known and this is his British Open debut. Well, so far, he's been pretty impressive. He hails from Oklahoma, but now resides in Florida. He turned professional in 2002. A great start, and more to follow, I'm sure.

(Photo: Mark Calcavecchia tries to keep warm on the 15th green.)

Tom Watson Surprises By Taking British Open Leaderboard 2009

59-year old Tom Watson surprised everyone by taking the British Open Leaderboard 2009 on the first day. Following closely in second place was Mark Calcavecchia.

Favorite Tiger Woods was not doing so well, with one over par. He admitted to having made a few mistakes.

Round 2 is now underway and it seems Tom Watson could not continue with his great style of play from day one.

Current scores have Steve Marino in the lead. He has finished round 2 with a 2-under. He had 3-under on day 1, so he is leading overall with a 5-under.

Follow latest scores here.

Tour de France 2009

Stage 11 of the 2009 Tour de France has been completed. Overal the top position is being held by Rinaldo Nocentini, with Alberto Contador in second position. Lance Armstrong is in third place.

Armstrong and Contador are in the Astana team, which is really a strong team. Two others in the team are also in the top six.

Tonnere will be where Stage 12 will begin. The 211-kilometer stretch provides good opportunities for sprinters, as its relatively flat.

Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador are the strong contenders for the overall win in the Tour. The two team-mates appear to have develope a rift, with Armstrong's remarks of a tension between them. But Contador denies it and says it's important that the Astana team should work together.

NFL "Air" McNair Shot Dead

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

On 4th July, "Air" McNair, a recently retired 14-year NFL veteran, was shot and killed in Nashville. He was found with multiple shot wounds.

His body was found in an apartment, along with the body of 20-year old Sahel Kazemi. A pistol was found near her body. She had received a single shot to the head.

Steve "Air" McNair played quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was aged 36 and retired only last year.

Titans Radio is airing a special tonight - Memories of McNair" - at 6 pm central.

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Youth Sailing Championships

Competitive sailing is gaining ground amongst youngsters from all over the world.

The U.S. Youth Sailing Championships are underway from June 25-30 hosted by the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Conn.

Meanwhile, across the oceans, the Asian Youth Sailing Championships are being held in Singapore from June 28 to July 7.

This an international event with 21 countries taking part.

The Malaysian Yachting Association is sending two national sailors to compete, and has high hopes that they will bring home at least two medals.

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NFL Player Donté Stallworth Faces DUI Manslaughter Charge

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28-year old NFL player Donté Stallworth is facing a charge of DUI man- slaughter. The prosecutors allege that the Cleveland Browns wide receiver struck and killed a pedestrian last month while driving drunk on March 14.

The accident happened shortly after 7 am when Stallworth was driving on the MacArthur Causeway. He crashed into 59 year-old Mario Reyes a crane operator, who had just got off work and was rushing across the causeway trying to catch a bus.

The police evidence showed that Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of .126, above the legal limit in Florida of .08. Prior to the accident, Stallworth had been drinking in the Fountainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

Stallworth attended the hearing with his mother, after which he was handcuffed and taken away. He was later released on bail of $200,000.

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Tiger Woods Wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational

2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The much anticipated return of Tiger Woods to action on the golf courses has delighted all golf enthusiasts. His spectacular win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational proves again he is probably the best of the best.

This was his third tournament following his recovery from his knee injury. He was two under, and five strokes behind Sean O'Hair. But he got level on the 15th hole, and were still tied on the 18th. The drama ended with Woods sinking a 16 ft putt, to the delight of the crowd and himself.



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Chelsea Striker Didier Drogba Let Off with Police Caution

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Didier Drogba, the Chelsea striker, got cautioned for common assault over the incident in November when he threw a coin at Burnley fans who had thrown missiles at the Chelsea players.


Drogba immediately apologised after the match but was banned for three matches by the Football Association.

The caution was given after police obtained legal advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.

This seems punishment enough for a relatively minor infraction, for which he has already received the wrath of the Football Association.

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NFL Player Donté Stallworth Kills Man in Car Crash

NFL player Donté Stallworth, Cleveland Browns wide receiver, was released by Miami Beach police after being questioned about an accident in which his car struck and killed a man on Saturday.

Stallworth was driving on the MacArthur Causeway shortly after 7 am when he crashed into a 59 year-old man, Mario Reyes.  Reyes,a crane operator, had just finished work and was heading towards the bus-stop where he took his bus home every morning.

Stallworth has not been charged but the investigation is on-going.

After Tragedy the U.S. Indoor Volleyball Team Wins First Match

The man killed in the Drum Tower was disclosed as the father-in law of the Men's Indoor Volleyball Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon.

Before their first match, the U.S. team observed a moment of silence, then went on to beat Venezuela in five sets for their first win in the Olympics.

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Olympics | Drum Tower Killing in Beijing

An American couple were at the famous Drum Tower in Beijing with their guide. A 47-year old Chinese assailant stabbed them. The man was killed.

The assailant jumped to his death from the tower.

No motives are established for the attack. The authorities say he was a lone assailant.

The American couple are relatives of one of the coaches of the U.S. volleyball team.

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Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

Well, the long wait is over. The Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony was a huge success, providing a stunning display. Viewers like myself, watching it on TV, were glued to the television screen. And it's estimated that this might be the single most watched event on television in history, given that China itself has about 1.3 billion people.

But credit must be given where it's due. Clearly China spared no expense and talent in preparing for the Opening Ceremony. It was magical. There were fireworks, but that's the least of it. It wasn't the noise that was impressive, but the beautifully crafted effects, both electronically, mechanically or by the sheer number of performers acting in flawless concert. You never knew what might come next, and when it came it was overwhelmingly impressive.

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Iraq Out of the Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Iraq will not be allowed to take part in the upcoming Olympics.

This is the result of the Iraqi government replacing the country's Olympic committee with its own appointees.

The IOC expresses regret that no Iraqi athletes will be at the Olympics, and says they have been "ill-served" by their governments actions.

The Iraqi government has claimed that the original committee was corrupt and was not working properly. According to IOC regulations, committees must be free of political influence.

The real victims are the athletes who've been training hard and looking forward to participating in the Olympics. At least 7 athletes were slotted to take part. Iraqi sprinter Dana Hussain broke down and cried when she heard the news of the ban.

It's also a blow for Iraq in its journey to regain some semblance of normalcy as a nation.

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U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Suffers Blow From Abby Wambach's Broken Leg

The U.S. Women's Soccer team have had hopes of going for gold, with their star player and top scorer Abby Wambach. But in an exhibition match against Brazil on Wednesday, she violently collided with a Brazilian player. She suffered fractures to the tibia and fibula in her left leg.

She had been doing brilliantly until then. She had scored 99 goals in 127 appearnces.

She underwent surgery successfully the next morning. It involved a "nail placement". The surgeon said it was a significant injury to her bone.

She will need two months or so to recuperate, and the Olympic team will have to go ahead without her.


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Anna Willard Sets Steeplechase Record - U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

Anna Willard has broken the U.S. record in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, which took place at the University of Oregon.

The record set last year was 9 minutes 28:75 seconds. Willard has set a new record at 9 minutes 27:59 seconds.

She won the national title last year at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships.

She will be one of the three women representing the U.S. at the Beijing Olympics in the steeplechase event.

Joining her will be Lindsey Anderson, who came second, and Jennifer Barringer, who came third.


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