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LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Netherlands Antilles sprinter Churandy Martina lost his appeal Friday to be reinstated as silver medalist in the 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Martina's claim that he should be listed as runner-up behind Usain Bolt, who broke the world record in the race.

Shawn Crawford keeps second place, even though the American already gave his silver medal to Martina. Walter Dix of the U.S. keeps the bronze medal.

Martina crossed the line in second place but was disqualified for running out of his lane after a protest by the U.S. team. Martina and his Caribbean island team claimed the protest was filed too late and appealed to CAS, the highest tribunal in sports. The appeal was filed against the International Association of Athletics Federations and U.S. Olympic Committee.

The CAS arbitrator ruled that, under IAAF rules, the decision by the jury of appeal in Beijing is final and not subject to further appeal.

"Furthermore, the sole arbitrator did.....

Home Depot Inc., citing the tough economic climate, has ended its much-ballyhooed program that gave Olympic athletes part-time jobs, flexible hours and full-time pay and benefits to help support their training.

In the 16 years that Home Depot has sponsored the U.S. and Puerto Rico Olympic and Paralympic teams, it has employed 600 athletes who have won 145 medals. Home Depot's sponsorship amounted to a $15 million to $20 million commitment over four years, said one person familiar with the matter.

Up to 300 test results taken from athletes at the Beijing Olympics have gone missing, says a report by official drug testing observers who attended the Games.

The team of 10 independent observers, who were given the task of reporting on drug testing procedures at the Games, detailed the startling news in their official report to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Report of the Independent Observers states: "Once the [Beijing] laboratory had apparently delivered all reports to the independent observer team, it transpired that around 300 test results were missing in comparison to the doping control forms."

The team checked the status of the laboratory results with the International Olympic Committee medical chairman, Dr Arne Ljungqvist, and the observers reported that the IOC also "may be missing some reports".

The independent observers were so concerned by the missing tests that they have reserved the right to submit further comment on the process, pending further cross-checking.

They also uncovered some surprising deviations from normal drug testing procedures, including the fact that the Beijing laboratory couldn't test for one banned substances - insulin. The observers noted that the samples would be stored for eight years and could be retested if the IOC deemed it necessary. Another concern was that the laboratory had failed to detect one of the quality control samples that had contained a prohibited substance.

The observers also reported that nearly half the national Olympic committees did not provide data on the whereabouts of their athletes to enable effective pre-Games and out-of-competition drug testing. The numbers tested for erythro-poetin (EPO) were "relatively low, notably in the sports where the use of EPO has been detected".

Initially, more than 110 national Olympic committees - out of the 204 teams competing - failed to.... READ MORE

The IOC said its doping lab in Switzerland would be specifically testing for Cera, an advanced version of endurance-enhancing hormone EPO.

The decision comes after French officials detected Cera during retesting of Tour de France samples.

However, it is thought the retests will cover all sports, not just cycling.

IOC president Jacques Rogge explained: "Our message is very clear. The IOC will not miss any opportunity to further analyse samples retroactively.

"We hope that this will work as a strong deterrent and make athletes think twice before cheating."

The decision was welcomed by a...  Read More

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Pretty sweet eh? But you’re probably asking yourself, what kind of elfin magic did he use to make that sweet time-warp effect, right? It's called a ‘starburst’ effect, and here's how you do it: Set you're camera to a slow shutter speed like 1/60th or so. Then, at the same moment that you push the shutter button, zoom in on your subject with your telephoto lens. Try it at home kids!

2007 world champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia has had a tremendous last two seasons with 34 consecutive wins and 31 consecutive meets over 2 meters.  She has been on a quest to break the world record and as a result of competing in so many meets and taking so many jumps she may have worn herself out.  Tia Hellebaut of Belgium only recently became a full-time high jumper (2006 was her last Heptathlon) but proved to be in peak form last year and has two European titles to her credit.  The Russian jumpers Elena Sleseranko (defending champion) and Anna Chicherova ('07 world silver medallist) always come through in big events.  American Chaunte Howard was 2nd at the 2005 world championships but had a child in 2007 and hasn't reached her 2005 form yet. 

Andreas Thorkildson of Norway (defending champion) and Tero Pitkamaki of Finland ('07 World champion) have been the top two javelin throwers over the last four years.  Thorkildsen has not finished lower than second in any of those international championships the last four years and is the likely favorite here.  Vadims Vasilevskis of Latvia was third at the '07 worlds and was the top qualifier.  Young (24) Australian Jarrod Bannister is the list leader this year. 

The 800 meters may feature Yeimar Lopez of Cuba.  He is likely to get the first male Cuban non-relay, non-hurdle medal on the track since Alberto Juanterena won the 400 and 800 meters in 1976.  Yussef Kamal of Brunei is probably the favorite due to his fast times this year.  2007 World champion Alfred Kirwa and silver medallist Gary Reed took advantage of a slow pace to medal.  Kirwa still has a good shot to medal in what is likely to be a pace much faster than the 1:47 that he won in last year. 

Brunei's Maryam Jamal won the 1,500 meters at the 2007 world championships but unlike other runners America's Shannon Rowbury is not afraid to race with her as she did in the close race in Paris.  Anna Alminova is the only Russian left  after her country's two best were suspended.  There is little separation among most of the competitors except for Jamal which could mean surprise medallists. 

Keninise Bekele of Ethiopia will try to become one of the rare doublers to win both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.  He has not run a major 5k since his runner-up finish to El Guerrouj in Athens.  American 2007 world champion Bernard Lagat has not looked good at the Olympics and this pace may be too fast for him.  His teammate and 2007 world fourth place finisher Matt Tegenkamp may also be involved in too fast of a pace.  2007 world silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge and Kenyan teammate Edwin Soi are likely to try to stop the Ethiopian.  2005 800/1500 world championship winner Rashid Ramzi is trying the 1500/5000 double and may be good enough to do it if the pace is not pushed. 

Women's 4x400 meter relay.  The US has too many good 400 meter runners for them to be defeated.  The Russians as usual will challenge them and the Jamaicans have plenty of talent to make it interesting.

The US men are good enough to break the world record in the 4x400 meter relay.  What would be interesting is if Usain Bolt runs the relay.  Until Bolt broke the 100 world record in New York earlier this year he was planning on running the 400 meters here.  He has talented teammates that should give them second unless one of the American runners does not make a strong effort.  The British looked very strong but the anchor, Sean Rooney, tried to "show-up" the Jamaicans and the Jamaicans will try to make him pay. 

The Marathon is always a wide open event.  No medallists in the last three international championships have repeated.  Martin Lel of Kenya has won the last two London Marathons and New York recently but many runners save their energy specifically for the Olympics and will have fresher legs.  Kenyans Sammy Wanjiru and Robert Cheruiyot will challenge for medals as will Mubarak Shami of Qatar and Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco.  Ryan Hall won the US Olympic Trials and teammates (Eugene resident) Dathan Ritzenhein and Brian Sell have the potential to compete at a high level in this race.

In the women's long jump Brittney Reese will challenge the favorites and is likely to medal with a good chance to get gold.  Naide Gomes of Portugal has been dominant this year but so had Idowu in the triple jump and he finished second.  Maurren Maggi of Brazil has a lot of talent and jumped well at the Pre meet.  Ex-Duck Grace Upshaw will attempt to medal in what is probably her final Olympics (33 in September).  The three time US champion will try to improve on her best international championship finish of seventh in 2005. 

The men's Pole Vault is a disappointment for Washington's Brad Walker.  The '07 World champion and top ranked by Track and Field News did not clear a height in qualifying.  The US has won two straight Gold medals and veteran Trials champion Derek Miles will try to keep the US streak of Gold medals going that is currently at two.  Three Russians qualified for the final including the favorite, 22 year-old, Evgeniy Lukyanenko.  He had defeated Walker twice this year and would have been the favorite if Walker had made the final.  Steven Hooker of Australia is also vaulting well and was ranked #1 two years ago. 

The women's 5,000 meters will once again showcase the Ethiopians who have now surpassed the Kenyans for distance running superiority.  Tirunesh Dibaba just recently set the world record but is doubling back from the 10,000 win. If defending Olympic champion and '07 World Champion Meseret Defar is running like last year she is the favorite to win.  Teammate Meselech Melkamu is favored to finish third but it is hard to count out '07 World Silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot. Shalane Flanagan will try to come back after a pr bronze medal performance in the 10,000, Portlander Kara Goucher will also try to return after a pr in the 10k and Jen Rhines, seventh at last year's worlds and coached by ex-Duck Terrance Mahon, is the freshest of the group and hopes to improve on last year's performance. 

The women's and men's 4x100 meter relay should be dominated by the Jamaicans after the Americans dropped their batons.  The men will likely get a world record with the amazing Usain Bolt and former world record holder Asafa Powell.  The Jamaicans would have been the favorites even with the Americans in the race but now there will be no competition. The Russians and  British are the favorites on the women's side to medal behind Jamaica.  Trinidad and Tobago and Canada are likely to medal on the men's side.   

Barbora Spotakova was last year's world champion in the Javelin and is likely to win again after another fine performance in qualifying.  She and Christine Obergfoll of Germany were more than three meters ahead of the rest of the competition in qualifying.  Obergfoll was the '05 and '07 World runner-up.  After them the competition is wide open for the bronze. 

The women's 200 meters will have three Americans against three Jamaicans again.  This time the two-time World gold medallist Allyson Felix will probably win and not allow another Jamaican sweep.  Defending gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown and recent Auburn grad Kerron Stewart have run under 22 seconds this year and should give the Jamaicans second and third. 

The men's triple jump lacks an American competitor.  This was disappointing after Aarik Wilson had been considered a medal favorite.  Phillips Idowu of Great Britain has been dominant this year and will likely continue his success.  '07 Nelson Evora of Portugal is likely to at least be the runner-up.  Jadel Gregorio of Brazil was second at the 2007 World Championships.  This is usually a very unpredictable event so expect a lot of surprises.

In the men's 400 meters Jeremy Wariner has been unbeatable since his loss to LaShawn Merritt at the Olympic Trials.  Expect Wariner and Merritt to go 1-2 at the Olympics but with the short turn-around at the trials for Angelo Taylor a likely 1-2-3 sweep was taken away.  Chris Brown of the Bahamas  has been fourth in the last two world championships and could get his first medal. 

 The men's 110 high hurdles will have two Americans try to knock off the world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba.  Only David Oliver has beaten Robles this year and I think he will do it again in a possible world record of his own.  He does so much strength training under the tutelage of Brooks Johnson.  David Payne is likely to get the bronze.  It is too bad that Trammel is hurt.  It is likely the US would have three of the top four positions.