USADA files motion to dismiss Armstrong suit

The motion, filed Thursday in Austin, Texas, cites the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, which gives USADA jurisdiction over athletes who compete in Olympic sports. (Photo: AP/Bas Czerwinski)

July 19, 2012, 10:02 pm

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss Lance Armstrong's federal lawsuit that seeks to prevent the drug-fighting organization from pursuing doping charges against him.
The motion, filed Thursday in Austin, Texas, cites the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, which gives USADA jurisdiction over athletes who compete in Olympic sports.
It also includes a 2005 affidavit from USADA CEO Travis Tygart stating that Armstrong took part in USADA's testing program and was under its jurisdiction -- the opposite claim Armstrong is making in the current case.
The affidavit helped bolster Armstrong's claims in a lawsuit against SCA Promotions, which refused to pay bonus money to the Tour de France winner because of allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs.
That affidavit also states that Armstrong passed 12 doping tests. Armstrong claims he has never tested positive. USADA's current case against him, which could cost him his seven Tour de France titles, is a "non-analytical" case -- based on evidence other than positive doping tests.
Tygart released a statement Thursday night discussing the motion to dismiss and restating some of what he has said in response to Armstrong's claims that USADA is unfairly targeting him.
"Were we not to bring this case, we would be complicit in covering up evidence of doping, and failing to do our job on behalf of those we are charged with protecting," Tygart said.
Armstrong's representative, Mark Fabiani, did not immediately return emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
On July 9, Armstrong filed -- and a judge quickly threw out -- a lawsuit seeking to stop USADA from pursuing its case.
Armstrong's attorneys called the USADA hearing procedure a "kangaroo court" and said the USADA filing was a "testament to USADA's brazenness and callous disregard for its own mission that it seeks to strip Mr. Armstrong of his life's work."
In dismissing the case, the judge criticized Armstrong for grandstanding and using it as a publicity stunt; Armstrong's attorneys responded by refiling a shorter version of the same lawsuit.
Meantime, USADA has granted Armstrong an extension -- through Aug. 13 -- to decide whether he wants to take the charges to arbitration, the next step in the anti-doping adjudication process that Armstrong is trying to avoid with the lawsuit.
The USADA motion to dismiss includes 30 entries detailing what it says are "unsupported factual statements" in the Armstrong lawsuit.

Sugar-laden sports drinks 'cancel out exercise gain'

Sports drinks can contain so many calories that consuming them often cancels out the benefit of exercising, say medics.

The vast majority should stick to drinking water instead, say Oxford University researchers who put hundreds of marketing claims about sports products to the test.

A 380ml bottle of Lucozade Energy contains 266 calories - virtually the same as that in a Mars bar (260 calories) - which would take about half an hour of jogging to burn off.

Dr Matthew Thompson, from the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, said drinking such products “could completely counteract exercising more, playing football more, going to the gym more” in terms of weight loss.

Other products with artificial sweeteners do contain less: Lucozade Body Fuel (500ml), for instance, contains 135 calories.

Dr Thompson and colleagues investigated 431 marketing claims of performance enhancement, for 104 sports products including sports drinks, protein shakes and trainers.

Many firms provided no evidence for their claims although GlaxoSmithKline provided 174 for Lucozade.
However, writing in the British Medical Journal, the Oxford team said they could only find three studies in total that were high quality with a low risk of bias.
Sports drinks were often marketed on the claim that they improved endurance, but the team said even rigorous studies, showing this, were of limited relevance to most people because the tests were on elite athletes.
The matter is explored tonight (Thursday) in Panorama: The Truth About Sports Products, on BBC One.
A spokesman from the British Soft Drinks Association said: " Sports drinks carry nutritional information on the label, including the calorie content. By helping people participating in sport to perform better and to recover more quickly, sports drinks can encourage people to exercise more."
He added: "It is well established that one of the factors that can help sporting performance is drinking the right amount of the right kind of drink."

MLS W.O.R.K.S. Gives Back to the Chester Community

By MLS W.O.R.K.S


MLS W.O.R.K.S. Gives Back to the Chester Community
MLS Players and Executives to Leave a Lasting Impact on Behalf of the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game
MLS W.O.R.K.S. is committed to increasing the accessibility of soccer, creating sustainable projects that leave a lasting legacy and supporting local youth programs that will encourage children to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
On July 24, Major League Soccer will join the Philadelphia Union, AT&T, Chester Upland School District and organizers from KaBOOM! to construct a new playground and small-sided field at Science and Discovery High School.  The AT&T Community Field and new playground will provide more than 500 children in the Chester community with a safe place to play, and will increase awareness and provide additional opportunities for local youth to play soccer.
Over 200 volunteers will help construct the playground while Philadelphia Union Academy coaches lead drills and small-sided games for approximately 100 local children as part of the AT&T Youth Clinic. MLS All-Stars and Philadelphia Union players will join the day's festivities, taking part in youth activities, the construction of the playground and the ribbon-cutting ceremony with MLS and Philadelphia Union executives and members of the Chester Upland School District.  Former MLS All-Star Alexi Lalas will also volunteer his time to participate in youth activities.
The day of service - a partnership between MLS W.O.R.K.S., the Philadelphia Union Foundation and AT&T - is part of the League's community service program, Unite. Volunteer. Serve., a collaborative effort to combine sport and service, promote good will and improve lives and communities at the grassroots level.
On Wednesday, July 25, MLS W.O.R.K.S. and the Philadelphia Union will team up with Starlight Children's Foundation for a hospital visit and placement of a Starlight Fun Center™ mobile entertainment unit at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pa. Part of the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Soccer Kicks Cancer program, the visit will provide an opportunity for seriously ill children and their families to enjoy a unique experience and a renewed sense of strength and hope. Union players will visit with patients, play games and participate in other activities prior to the dedication ceremony. In addition to the Fun Center, MLS will also provide tickets to the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game to Starlight families. The 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, featuring the MLS All-Stars against Chelsea FC, will be played on Wednesday, July 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.
During halftime of the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, MLS W.O.R.K.S. will announce the 2012 Community MVP Grand Prize winner. Fans across the League had the opportunity to nominate individuals who are committed to improving their communities. Nineteen winners were selected, representing each MLS market, and competed in a two-week online contest. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice and a trip to the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at PPL Park, which includes roundtrip airfare, two nights' accommodation, an award from Tiffany & Co. and official MLS merchandise as part of the prize package. Click here to view the final list of 2012 Community MVPs.
In addition, MLS W.O.R.K.S. and Continental Tire will recognize the winner of the "How Green Are Your Goals?" contest, created to engage MLS fans in environmentally friendly efforts leading up to Earth Day. Fans were encouraged to visit the Greener Goals website and share stories of how they incorporate green efforts into their everyday lives. Portland, the MLS market with the greenest MLS fans, has won a Solar 4R Schools Renewable School package valued at $50,000 for a deserving school in their city for Earth Day 2013. The prize includes a solar panel installation and a renewable energy education package for teachers. As the Grand Prize winner, Timbers' fan Jeffrey Briley won a trip to the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game and a set of tires, courtesy of Continental Tire.

British Open: Jeev laments missed opportunities

Golf | Posted on Jul 20, 2012 at 09:05am IST

Lytham St Annes: Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh was kicking himself after allowing a flying start end with a level par 70 in the first round of the British Open here on Thursday.
Jeev, who won the Scottish Open in a play-off on Sunday, was on top of the leaderboard at three-under-par through 11 holes at a benign Royal Lytham and St Annes, but dropped three shots over the next two holes.
The two-time Asian Tour No.1 bounced back with a birdie on 14 but dropped another shot on 17 after finding thick rough with a wayward tee shot. Still, the Indian star was pleased with his effort, considering he only played six holes in practice after gaining a last-minute ticket into The Open from his Scottish success.

"I played really well the first 11 holes. I think the 13th hole was the hole that got me. I hit a bad shot and I think I got greedy with it. When you hit it in the rough you need to take your medicine and move on. I made a double there but came back with a birdie on the next and made some good pars coming in.
"I think I've just got to stay patient. I'm happy. I've come away with a 70. I thought I could have done much better. But it's alright and I look forward to the next three days," he said.
Jeev had only a brief look at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Tuesday and then spent several hours at the range on Wednesday. He said he relied on his long-time caddie, Janet Squire, to map out his game plan.
"I take it in a way that if you play a lot of practice rounds, you see a lot of trouble. So you might as well not see it, you might as well just tee it up straight and see the good and go for it. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. I'm still happy. I think it worked for me, and I'm going to do the same most of the time," said the 40-year-old Indian.
"I like to play the golf course blind. I think that's why I paid my dues on No.13, but that's alright. It could have gone my way, and it couldn't have, too, but that's all right. That's the way I like playing coming into a tournament. I think mentally I was a little tired so I just wanted to take it easy.
"I rely quite a bit on her (Janet), because she's walked the course a few times and I just ask her where to go and just look at the yardage book and fire away."
Jeev, whose best finish in a Major was tied ninth in the 2008 PGA Championship, started brilliantly with a 25-foot birdie conversion on the first hole before holing another long effort on the fourth. He snared three more birdies and dropped bogeys on the seventh and 17th holes and a double on 13 where he took two shots out of a greenside bunker.

Wiggins hits out at negative Tour vibe

Bradley Wiggins in a downhill section of the 17th stage. Photo: AFP
Bradley Wiggins, the Tour de France champion-in-waiting, had a direct and blunt message for those who continue to doubt the worthiness of his performances in the race that, barring disaster, he is almost certain to win - and he didn't need a swear word to emphasise the point.
In a year in which he has also won the Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine stage races, Wiggins (Sky) could not hide his exasperation at the fact that he is still asked whether or not the absence of the likes of last year's runner-up Andy Schleck or the suspended Spaniard Alberto Contador took something away from his feat.
After answering one such question after Thursday's 143.5-kilometre 17th stage from Bagneres-de-Luchon to the ski station of Peyragudes, which was won by Spaniard Alejandro Valverde from the Movistar team, Wiggins said in reference to his own ride: "You do something like that and then you sit somewhere like this.
"That fellow just asked me a question and straightaway it's in a negative sense. After everything I've done this year you still have to justify... 'so you might've won the Tour, but is it ever going to be remembered for these people not being here, this, that and the other'.

Advertisement

"I don't think all the people that came out from the UK to stand on the climbs for the last couple of weeks give a monkey's about that.
"For me in a positive sense, no one's actually praised me yet, saying, 'Actually, he's been there since Tour of Algarve in February, winning races. "You went to Paris-Nice ... you've raced, you've trained, you've answered all the questions of the press all year. You've really taken it on, you came to the Tour as the favourite from Liege [where the Tour started]. I haven't dropped out of the first two [overall] for three weeks now.
"No-one's actually said: 'You know what, Brad, good on you mate. You've answered all these doping questions as articulately as you possibly can'. No-one's actually patted me on the back yet.
"It's all still in a negative sense. 'Don't you reckon it's just because Alberto's not here'. All year, it's 'Have you peaked too early, Brad'?"
Wiggins now appears set to become Britain's first Tour champion when the 3496km race ends on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday afternoon.
His lead heading into Friday's 222.5km 18th stage from Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde that includes one-third category and three-fourth category climbs is still two minutes and five seconds on his British teammate Chris Froome (Sky), who is in second place overall. Still in third is Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), but he is now at two minutes and 41 seconds after losing 18 seconds to the leading British pair on the last climb, the Col de Peyresourde.
It was after Nibali was dropped and Wiggins and Froome found themselves closing in on Valverde and within a shot of taking the stage win that the most engaging moment of the race came. Froome was clearly in far better form and several times surged and took space on Wiggins before slowing up to wait. The pair were seen repeatedly talking to each other, and Froome into his race radio with the Sky team car that was following the race.
Wiggins explained the exchange, saying that Froome had wanted to go for the stage win, but not without isolating his leader, Wiggins.
"We were talking about Nibali. We said 'he's nailed, he's finished'. We knew at that point he wasn't going to be attacking on the last climb, which we feared all day; we knew at some point he wanted to win the stage," Wiggins said.
"We were then talking about the time gap to Valverde because Chris really wanted to win the stage today. We weren't sure of the time gap and then we hit the last climb and that's when we were on the front. Chris came past and that's when all the gaps opened up again.
"I heard on the radio that we were alone, just the two of us. It surprised me a little bit, I didn't realise they didn't have much left, the rest of the group.
"At that point, the first time in this whole Tour since I've led this race, I thought maybe I've just won the Tour.
"That moment I went over with Chris, all the fight went out of the window, everything to do with the performance. And that's when it starts getting hard then because you lose concentration. It was an incredible feeling. It really was."
That allowed Valverde to solo across the finish line and win the stage by 19 seconds from Froome and Wiggins, who finished together in second and third places, followed by a strung out peloton that numbered 153 riders by the time the last major mountains of the Tour were passed.
Australia's Cadel Evans (BMC) was again dropped by Wiggins et al - this time with 8.2km to go - and finished 18th on the stage at two minutes and 10 seconds.
However, Evans - last year's Tour champion who fell out of podium contention on Wednesday - saw his overall position move up by one to sixth place at nine minutes and 57 seconds to Wiggins, as Spaniard Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack-Nissan) dropped from fifth place overnight to seventh at 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
For Valverde (Movistar), his win was fifth for this season in which he has returned from a doping ban.
His comeback season this year began at the Tour Down Under in South Australia in January when he won the stage to Willunga Hill.

More than 200 Chihuahuas removed from Pa. home

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - More than 200 Chihuahuas have been removed from what officials are calling unsanitary conditions in a central Pennsylvania home.
The state Agriculture Department said late Thursday that dog wardens cooperating with state police executed a search warrant at the home in Benton, in Columbia County, after receiving numerous tips.
They say many of the dogs were sick and numerous dead dogs were found. State police are expected to file animal cruelty charges against the owners.
The dogs are being held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg and will be transferred to shelters Friday. They will then be treated by veterinarians and evaluated for adoption.
Mike Pechart oversees dog law enforcement activities at the Agriculture Department. He calls it "an unfortunate situation of animal hoarding."
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)