World class athletes heading to the London Olympics in 2012 have been warned by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Association to avoiding eating Liver. According to the agency the food may cause athletes to test positive for the anabolic agent clenbuterol.

Speaking about the liver warning the Food Standard Agency, a British government agency that acts much in the same was as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States warned athletes:

The FSA cannot rule out the possibility that if a large portion of liver is consumed containing clenbuterol at permitted residue limits, urine collected shortly after consumption may contain detectable levels of clenbuterol. This depends on many factors including the amount consumed, the timing of the urine test and the analytical methods used.

The warning comes after various food related excused have been made after positive drug tests in the past including China weightlifting gold medalist Tong Wen who blamed their failed drug test on pork chops and Spanish cyclist Alberto Contado who blamed steak on their own positive clenbuterol test.

At least in the case of Liver the agency is recommending that athletes avoid a food that most people would pay not to eat.

In the meantime athletes are free to eat burgers, steak, fish and plenty of other actually delicious tasting foods in preparation for their chance at Olympic gold glory for their respective countries.

Are you surprised to learn that a once common food such as liver can actually cause positive drug testing results on a professional level?

London Olympic Athletes Told To Avoid This Food is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bombshell Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn is fighting tooth and nail to quash rumors that she has a secret boyfriend, Mile High Miracle Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Vonn just recently announced, that after four years of marriage, she is divorcing her husband  Thomas Vonn.

This Sunday as the Denver Broncos were pulling off another late game miracle against the Chicago Bears, Vonn was sitting in the Tebow family box cheering on the star quarterback.

Evangelical Christian, Tim Tebow,  has previously announced he was “saving himself for marriage,” is no stranger to rumors he has been doing nothing of the sort by being seen hanging out with Vonn at the ESPY Awards and at various ski races. Vonn has even been shot by photographers Tebowing (bowing down in prayer).

Vonn’s representatives told Fox News’ Page Six, “Lindsey is just friends with the Tebow family. Anyone who is trying to suggest any more to their relationship is wrong.” Vonn herself tweeted, “Hearing a lot of crazy rumors but rest assured I am not dating Tim Tebow (or anyone else).”

Rumors have circulated all over the web suggesting a more than platonic relationship between Tebow and Vonn have popped up. There have been online rumors that Tebow is a factor in Vonn’s upcoming divorce.

Following Sunday’s game, Vonn wrote in the Denver Post: “A lot of people are wondering what’s up with me and the Tebows. I’m just friends with the family. I met Tim and his brother Pete at the ESPY Awards like three or four years ago in the gym — we were working out there. I spent more time with Tim and his brother at the V Foundation Golf Tournament, and this year at the ESPYs.”

Do you think Tebow and Vonn would be a good couple?

[RUMOR] Tebow “Saving Himself” For Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn is a post from: The Inquisitr

The uber-rich were given the opportunity of a lifetime recently when Queen Elizabeth opened up several rooms in one of her Royal Palaces for rent during the upcoming 2012 London Olympics.

The St. James Palace was opened up with a  £30,000 ($45,000 USD) per day charge. Among the rooms for rent were the Throne Room, Tapestry Room and Queen Anne Room. Apparently the rooms sold out just as fast as they were listed.

Among the palaces Olympic draws for those who could afford it and were fast enough to reserve their rooms were a short walk to several Olympic events including beach volleyball which is being held in Horse Guards Parade and the marathon which will start and finish at The Mall which is situated right near the grounds of the palace.

Commissioned by Henry VIII the palace is still used on a regular basis by royal family guests but has not been lived in by a monarch since 1837. It is however currently occupied by Princess Royal and Princess Beatrice and the home of Prince Charles is also found on the grounds.

This is one “hotel” I would definitely be stealing the towels from and perhaps a few pieces of artwork and other items that happened to be laying around. Kidding aside it would definitely make being at the Olympics an entirely different experience than your standard overcrowded hotel in the middle of London.

Would you be willing to spend $45,000 per day to literally live like royalty if you had the money?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Queen Elizabeth Rents Out Royal Palace Rooms For 2012 London Olympics is a post from: The Inquisitr

When the London Summer Olympics rolls around in 2012 basketball teams from the United States, Australia, Russian, the UK and other countries will be practicing on some very rare ground. It turns out that the basketball court is being constructed from eucalyptus wood which is being logged from a 1,000-year-old Tasmanian forest.

That forest unfortunately is not just full of old trees but also various endangered species including the Tasmanian Devil.

Adding to Olympic promoters woes it has also been discovered that the United Nations has been working to have the area in question marked as a protected area because of it’s value as a habitat for the nearly extinct species it houses.

According to the Independent the Olympic games in recent years have attempted to be “green” but the building where the new court is being built is not supervised by London 2012 organizers, instead the court is being built by the University of East London. According to University officials they were never made aware of the floors origin.

In defending the new floor the Malaysian manufacturer involved in the build says they did not break any laws and that the timber used was not from “old growth trees.”

Speaking about the logged timber used in the process one activist says the practice of using endangered woods must “end the UK’s part in wrecking some of the world’s last remaining old growth forests.”

Do you believe that the London Olympics organizers should have more oversight concerning construction practices used for the games?

London Olympics Under Hot Water For Using Wood From Endangered Area is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is threatening to sue the Redneck Olympics over the “Olympic” part of their name.

The event was held last week by founder Harold Brooks and the three-day event drew more than 2,600 fans.

Harold says he received a call form the USOC’s legal department who said the word “Olympics” is the property of the Olympic Committee and that he must immediately stop using the name or face legal action.

Brooks for his part won’t allow the USOC to bully him, refusing to change the name’s appearance, however he may change the “O” to “Zero”  and pronounce it the “Redneck Zero-Lympics.”

According to Brooks:

“The ‘Zero-lympics,’” he says. “Are they going to say I can’t use numbers?”

“I’m not basing it on your Olympics; I’m basing it on the Olympics in Greece,” Brooks told the person who phoned him from the USOC, while he added, “I understand we can’t use the word ‘Pepsi,’ but we can use the word ‘soda.’ The Olympics has been around for thousands of years.”

According to the Sun Journal he argues that none of his fans could afford to attend the real Olympics and that they would never confuse the Redneck Olympics with the real event.

The USOC says money they raise from the “Olympics” name is used for athlete training and transportation and they hope it doesn’t go to court.

In the meantime, Greece will be suing the USOC next week for using an ancient event name to make money. Joking aside is this what the Olympics have become? A money making venture that tramples everyone that gets in their way? When I think Olympics the first thing I think about is how long it’s been around, I’m pretty sure the USOC wasn’t competing in the event during ancient times.

Redneck Olympics May Be Sued By USOC Over Event Name is a post from: The Inquisitr

The official song at the 2012 Olympic Games in London may be sung by Coldplay should the band receive and accept the invitation to perform. According to a committee insider, the band would perform a specially penned song to open the Olympics to a crowd of more than two billion people.

A source close to the event told the Daily Mirror:

“Chris is at the top of the list to front the official record. He’s a huge star and a British musical icon, with an international profile. We’re pulling out all the stops to get hold of him, ideally with the rest of Coldplay involved, too.”

The deal is far from closed with Muse and Joss Stone also in the running for the honor of opening the event on July 27, 2012.

Who would you like to see open the show?

Coldplay Offered “Opening Ceremony” Gig For 2012 Summer Olympics is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Arab Emirate has an eye for the extreme and in 2022 their extreme ideas will be taken to a whole new level when Dr. Saud Abdul Ghani and his team at Qatar University release giant clouds into the skies above their Olympic stadium.

As part of their winning bid, Qatar officials agreed to air condition their stadiums which normally would be far too hot for competitors from most nations.

Dr. Ghani, head of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Qatar University came up with the idea to use remote controlled “drones” made from 100 percent light carbonic materials that can be slowly flown over the outdoor stadium.

While the drones will be large and involve new technologies, they are expected to be rather cheap at just $500,000 a piece.

Qatar Olympics To Feature Giant Remote Controlled Clouds is a post from: The Inquisitr

When you think of ice skating competitions, especially at the Olympics level, the last thing that would come to mind is sex. That is however until you look at the photographs taken of skaters, especially the couples, as they go through their routines.

In some cases you’d think that the fun was going far beyond just skating around the rink as these images might lead you to believe.

via Fresh Pics

8 downright sexual poses from Olympics ice skating is a post from: The Inquisitr

For only the second time ever in Olympic history (the last time being 90 years ago) an Olympic athlete is competing while knowingly pregnant.

Kristie Moore, 30, is a Canadian curler who happens to be nearly six months pregnant. It’s not slowing her down, though, and her teammates and coaches are completely supportive:

Moore found out about her pregnancy weeks before team officials invited her to join Team Canada as an alternate. When she divulged her secret, the team was more than supportive. Said team leader Cheryl Bernard, “she is young and fit. There’s no reason we’ll have any problems and she’ll be out there.”

Moore’s attitude seems to match her teammates:

Though she has started to show (as evidenced in the picture above), Moore says that her pregnancy has not affected her ability to deliver rocks … yet. “[In] the eighth month or so, that might be an issue,” she said.

Moore is only the second ever athlete known to complete in the Olympics while pregnant. (It stands to reason that at least a few female athletes were with child and either kept it secret or didn’t know at some point during the Olympic games in history, so pregnant olympians are probably not entirely new.) Swedish figure skater Magda Julin won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1920 games in Antwerp, in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The women’s curling event starts today and ends next Friday, and Canada is, according to Yahoo! Sports, the “gold medal favorite.”

Canadian curler still kicks ass while knocked up is a post from: The Inquisitr

In what seems like an extraordinarily fast investigation, Olympics officials have indicated that 21-year-old luger Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death resulted from his loss of “control” over the sled and not, as has been suggested, the presence of massive steel poles flanking the track without a cover of plexiglass.

Granted, the extent of my expertise on the subject of luging stems from hours spent playing Winter Games on Commodore 64. But as Business Insider points out, Kumaritashvili’s death resulted from allegedly losing control of the sled in less than half a second and not “over a period of months,” which is strange juxtaposed with the officials’ use of the word “eventually.” In a statement, officials said:

It appears after a routine run, the athlete came late out of curve 15 and did not compensate properly to make correct entrance into curve 16. This resulted in a late entrance into curve 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem he eventually lost control of the sled resulting in the tragic accident.  The technical officials of the FIL were able to retrace the path of the athlete and concluded there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track.

Calling the incident an “extremely exceptional accident,” the joint statement indicates that fundamental changes have been made in the track’s ice profile and by adding a wall. Georgia’s sport director has spoken out in defense of Kumaritashvili’s skills following the committee’s findings:

“The insinuation and speculation about his experience seems unfair and misleading,” Nikoloz Rurua said. “He was young, very promising. He was qualified, a hard worker. He was from a place in Georgia (Borjomi-Bakuriani) with a long history in winter sports.”

Rurua pointed out that other lugers had similar problems with the course, and that Kumaritashvili had limited opportunity to train on the site – despite the fact that the Georgian team had been in Canada for a month.

“There were some questions asked by other athletes, even before this accident,” Rurua said.

In the wake of the accident, international curiosity in seeing the deadly incident unfold has not waned. While video was initially pulled by the IOC pending the formal notification to the athlete’s family, the footage has subsequently been deemed newsworthy and footage of the event is readily available.

In our post yesterday on Kumaritashvili’s death, I included video that was pulled in the hours following the crash. Although it was horrifying to watch, it was indeed newsworthy and by extension, not my place to include or exclude based on personal sensibilities. However, seeing it replayed on primetime news with my children in the room repeatedly was surprisingly unnerving and very strange. It seems the most raw and shocking imagery is no longer the domain of the internet, and content that used to be associated with sites like Ogrish.com and Rotten.com are now not out of place on daytime television.

I have re-included the video below, but even on a subsequent viewing, it’s no less sickening, horrifying and tragic.

Olympics Committee blames Kumaritashvili for crash, video cycles heavily in evening news is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m sorry but I have to say this from the very beginning – this is utter and total bullshit.

Word has come down from the British Columbia Court of Appeals that the International Olympics Commissions can not be forced to allow female ski jumpers on the grounds that their rules go against the Canadian Charter of Rights.

Justice Ann Rowles, one of the three appeal court judges who heard the case over the last two days, said she was aware a decision was needed quickly. Reasons for the decision will be released next week.

The women could seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but lawyer Ross Clark, who is representing the ski jumpers, said such an appeal would need to overcome a lot of hurdles.

The appeal to B.C.’s highest court was an attempt to overturn a B.C. Supreme Court decision that found that while excluding the women from competing is discriminatory, the International Olympic Committee is not subject to the Charter and cannot be forced to hold a women’s ski jumping event.

Source: The Toronto Star

I’m not blaming the British Columbia Court of Appeals for their decision because in fact they were right. However that doesn’t change the fact that the IOC policy against female ski jumpers is archaic and just plain wrong. The IOC argument has always been thatthere are not enough competitions to merit making a woman’s ski jumping an Olympic sport.

Like I said at the beginning this is bullshit and the IOC is totally wrong in excluding woman from participating in a female ski jumping category.

The International Olympics Commission gets to keep being sexists – no female ski jumpers allowed is a post from: The Inquisitr

There was a lot of hope for the Olympics to come to Chicago. The President and Mrs. Obama did everything they could to help promote their home town win the bid to win the bid for the next Summer Olympics. However it was all for naught as the winning bid went to Rio de Janeiro and while some might point to the recent increase in violent crime in the city that doesn’t seem likely considering Rio de Janeiro’s crime problems,

That does seem to have been the big drawback to Chicago winning the bid is the United State’s border policies. As it is international travel to the US has dropped by 10 percent with much of the finger pointing as to why centering on the country’s current border policies,

“It’s clear the United States still has a lot of work to do to restore its place as a premier travel destination,” Roger Dow, U.S. Travel’s president, said in the statement released today. “When IOC members are commenting to our President that foreign visitors find traveling to the United States a ‘pretty harrowing experience,’ we need to take seriously the challenge of reforming our entry process to ensure there is a welcome mat to our friends around the world, even as we ensure a secure system.”

Source: In Transit – Chicago’s Loss: Is Passport Control to Blame?

One has to wonder if this is a problem that will only escalate as time goes by and more restrictions end up being put in place.

Could the US Border policy impact future world events? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Despite appeals by the Obamas and Oprah, Chicago has been fallen out of the running for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games at the first hurdle, gaining the least amount of votes in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee, quickly followed by Tokyo in round two.

This leaves Rio de Janeiro and Madrid as the two remaining candidates. The votes have already been cast in the third and final round of voting between the two cities, with the announcement due within an hour.

Chicago had been installed as favourite by betting agencies, but failed to survive the first round in an embarrassing result for President Obama, who became the first sitting US president to lobby directly for an Olympic bid.

Madrid’s bid may be hurt by the relative recency of the Barcelona games of 1992, while the fact that the continent of South America has never hosted an Olympics of either season may get Rio over the line.

Maybe it won’t be all bad for American interests. Perhaps the 2016 Rio Olympics will be sponsored by Amazon.

Chicago and Tokyo knocked out of 2016 Olympic voting is a post from: The Inquisitr

Being the most successful Olympian of all time can be stressful, so what better way than a few cones to keep things in perspective.

That’s apparently how Michael Phelps copes.

Photos of the US Olympic swim star smoking from a bong have appeared in the UK tabloid News of the World, who claim that due to “four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.”

The photos are said to have been taken in November 2008. Neither the US Olympic and swimming bodies, nor Phelps’ agent has commented on the shots, although News of the World claims Phelps’ representatives tried to offer the paper incentives to not publish the photograph.

Whoops: Michael Phelps caught getting stoned (picture) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vegas Confidential reported earlier this week that Michael Phelps new girlfriend is Caz Pal, a 26-year-old cocktail waitress at Moon nightclub at the Palms.

According to Norm at Vegas Confidential, her MySpace page lists her hometown as Long Beach, California, and that she attended Cal State Northridge. She doesn’t list swimming or the Olympics or Olympians as interests.

Being a 14 times Olympic medallist must give you some serious pulling power because Caz Pal is undeniably hot, although in a very “obvious way”. I suppose at least she doesn’t list her occupation as “dancer”. Wonder what his mom will think when she sees the photo below. Soon find out, since Michael took Caz home to meet the family this Thanksgiving.

Via SportsbyBrooks

Caz Pal: Michael Phelps Mystery Girlfriend Pics is a post from: The Inquisitr

Saturday Night Live announced their season premiere host: it’ll be Olympic supahstar Michael Phelps! Let’s hope that this fares better than his pre-/post-performance interviews, where things can get a little awkward. Come September 13th (11:30 pm, on NBC, people!), I’ll be wishing that he doesn’t suck out after riding high on his gold awesomeness. I hope there’s a surprise lurking and he turns out to be a comedic genius, because otherwise it’ll be kinda sad.

Who am I kidding? It’s not like people will worship him any less if he has an off day in the comedy world.

Image: Getty

Michael Phelps Will Kick Off Saturday Night Live’s New Season is a post from: The Inquisitr

So what’s the real story here? We checked with the folks at GoDaddy, who initially acknowledged having seen the reports but ultimately came back with a “no comment” on the matter. Moonlight speculates the move may have an Olympic connection, and its logic makes sense: The Chinese government had banned anyone but the nation’s Olympic gold medalists from registering domains based on the athletes’ names within the “.cn” suffix. It even “advised” anyone who already owned such a domain to turn it over to the medalist “as a gift.”

Moonlight says the government wants to go a step further and force people to turn over those domains if they don’t do so on their own. If the domain is registered with an outside company such as GoDaddy, however — as opposed to with China’s own CNNIC domain registry service — the government won’t be able to gain control and seize the name.

That theory, of course, is no more than speculation at this point — though, from the looks of it, an official explanation may not be in our sights any time soon.

Report: GoDaddy Banned in China is a post from: The Inquisitr

Government scientists apparently fired nearly 250 rockets full of a “rain dispersal” chemical into the clouds prior to Sunday’s closing event. They used a combination of planes and ground-based launching devices to do the deed, according to Xinhua News.

It wasn’t just this weekend, either: A government official told Xinhua they did the same thing on opening night, using a full 1,000 rockets that time.

So did they actually make a difference? Hard to say. China spends $40 million a year on weather-making technology like this, some of which is believed to create rain as well. It’s also been tested in Russia, Australia, and the United States — though the U.S. government has stopped most of its federal funding for the research. While some swear the technology works, many scientists say there just isn’t enough evidence to demonstrate it has a reliable effect.

China Fired Rockets to Stop Olympic Rain is a post from: The Inquisitr

The newest tidbit is about iTunes and China’s apparent blocking of the site in the midst of its international moment. Computer users in Beijing say they haven’t been able to download songs all week. Speculation points the sudden silencing to a Tibet-themed album made available on the service. The Art of Peace Foundation says several dozen athletes downloaded its work “in an act of solidarity,” and the site was blocked soon thereafter.

China’s government officials have not responded to any press inquiries. Apple, for its part, is only saying it’s “aware of the logon problems” but has “no comment at the moment.”

Oh yeah, and those medal-winning Chinese gymnasts? Newly uncovered documents may finally prove what everyone’s suspected all along: that more than one of them is underage and not eligible to be competing.

Add all of this to the opening ceremony saga, the questions over judging validity, and the backing down of promises for “complete media freedom” for press — not to mention the hoards of quickly quieted and slyly arrested protesters all throughout the days — and the Games haven’t exactly brought China the glory it wanted. It’s a damned shame, too. But beneath the eerily plastered-on smiles being shown for the cameras, the entire world has seen a disturbing and consistent picture of censorship, dishonesty, and questionable treatment of people.

You can put on all the fake fireworks and lipsynced performances you want, but when the charades are over, there’s little to celebrate — and no one is being fooled.

Hey China: The Olympics Haven’t Helped Your Image is a post from: The Inquisitr

Organizers have been upping the number of rubbers every year since they started offering them to athletes back in ’92. Apparently, they severely underestimated the athletes’ abilities in 2000: The original supply of 70,000 ran out in no time and cartons of extras had to be rushed in.

This year, it’s not just your average Trojanman making the rounds, either. All sorts of varieties are floating around, including some condoms with the Olympics mascots printed right on them. Here’s where it gets good. The 2008 Olympics mascots are Beibei the fish, Jingjing the panda, Huanhuan the Olympic flame, Yingying the Tibetan antelope, and — I kid you not — Nini the swallow.

One guess which design is the most popular.

Now, THAT’S a Lot of Condoms is a post from: The Inquisitr