Olympic Newsdesk -- Pettigrew Suicide; Police Warning for London

Pettigrew Death Ruled Suicide

The death of Olympian Antonio Pettigrew was ruled a suicide on Wednesday.

Pettigrew, who won the 4x400m relay gold in Sydney but lost his medal due to doping, was 42 at the time of his death.

An autopsy released by the North Carolina chief medical examiner on Wednesday said Pettigrew overdosed on sleeping pills, dying of diphenhydramine toxicity.

When Pettigrew was found dead in his car on Aug. 10, a bottle of Unisom, which contains diphenhydramine, was found near his body.

Pettigrew testified to taking human growth hormone and EPO before, during and after the Sydney Olympics while on the witness stand during the BALCO designer steroid scandal.

The IOC stripped the 4x400m relay team of its medals in August 2008. Pettigrew was the third of the six-member squad to be tainted by doping.

He was an assistant athletics coach at the University of North Carolina when he died.

He is survived by his wife and son.

Cuts Could Stretch Cops During Games

A report from the London Assembly warns of stretching police too thin during the Olympics.

In order to tackle a major budget deficit, the government announced it would cut spending to help cover the deficit.

"All emergency and health services are facing a core funding squeeze in the current financial environment," the Assembly said in a report.

"Funding for all of London's emergency and health services is one key unknown variable which may have an impact on their preparedness for the Games and ability to provide business as usual services."

Warnings that police will be "very, very stretched" during the Games were brought to the attention of the Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee.

London’s ambulance service said it anticipated needing 300 extra drivers during the Games, and the Fire Brigade expects a funding shortfall of more than $1.4 million for Games preparations, according to the report.

Blatter Meets Johnson

London mayor Boris Johnson met Wednesday with FIFA President Sepp Blatter at London’s City Hall, taking the opportunity to reinforce the message that London and the rest of the country are right behind the bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The meeting followed Blatter's visit to Downing Street.

Johnson said: "With just a few weeks before FIFA announces its decision, the anticipation is building in London and right across the country.

"At the heart of England's bid is a commitment to creating a lasting legacy.

"By hosting the most operationally efficient andcommercially successful contest ever, what's promised is a global fund for football to finance community projects around the world.

"In England, winning the bid could also create more than four million extra young players, 100,000 coaches, an international center for disability football and a chance for every schoolgirl to sample the sport. We can show that football really has the power to transform lives."

UK Sport to Merge with Sport England

The UK’s ministry of sport and culture announced UK Sport will merge with Sport England.

According to the ministry, the move will ensure a "more unified, coherent and cost-effective structure" for the Olympics legacy.

Sports minister Jeremy Hunt said in a statement: "Across Government we are increasing the efficiency, transparency and accountability of public bodies, while at the same time cutting their number and cost.

"As part of that I will be abolishing or reforming a number of bodies in the culture, media and sport sectors. These changes will allow us to continue to deliver some of the world’s best culture, media and sport, while at the same time ensuring efficiency, transparency and better value for money for the public."

Written by Ed Hula III.