Olympic Sympathy in Norway; "More Vigilance" Needed in Doping Fight; Aquatics World Champs

(ATR) Condolences from Olympic leaders were issued following Friday’s mass shooting at a Norwegian Labor Party youth camp.

The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) published a letter from the committee’s president, Borre Rognlien. The letter was sent to Norway’s Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, the Labor Party secretary and other government leaders.

Rognilen deplored the "completely meaningless" loss of life and sees a role for sport in the country’s recovery.

"My hope and belief is that sport, through all of our sports teams around the country, over time, could help to alleviate the grief and to normalize life for children and youth in all communities," Rognilen wrote.

Anders Behring Breivik began his trial on Monday for the attack, the country’s worst since World War II. He admitted to the shooting in Utoya and planning a bomb explosion at a Norwegian government building in Oslo. Police say 76 people died in the attacks, most coming from the camp shooting. Initial estimates had placed the death toll closer to 100.

WADA Calls for Increased Vigilance

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s president says now that 95% of the world’s countries back anti-doping efforts, WADA and its stakeholders must become "more vigilant" in the fight against doping.

Writing his statement for WADA’s Annual Report, John Fahey said: "We have to be even more vigilant as the doping athletes and their entourages find increasingly sophisticated ways to beat the system."

WADA director general David Howman in his statement pointed out a new, more sinister threat to sport.

"[C]riminal elements are encroaching ever further into sport, and the stories of corruption, illegal gambling, drugs-trafficking and bribery that we hear in the press on a daily basis must be taken very seriously," he said.

Fahey also praised anti-doping work in two regions hosting upcoming Olympics –Russia and South America.

During his "peripatetic" year, Fahey singled out trips to Russia and South America for "particular importance".

Russia had been plagued with a series of high-profile doping violations in the past year and Fahey says he saw "strong commitment from the Russian Government in establishing a robust anti-doping system" and other "significant developments" in the country. Sochi hosts the 2014 Olympics.

A trip to Argentina and Uruguay left him "heartened" with anti-doping work in South America, where the Olympics head in 2016 to Rio de Janeiro.

According to WADA, the report "is a key component in WADA’s commitment to transparent and accountable governance."

Swimming Champs Enter Home Stretch

China sits comfortably atop the medal tally as the focus shifts to short-distance swimming at the aquatics world championships in Shanghai.

The host country boasts 24 total medals, 11 of them gold, at the conclusion of the diving, open-water and synchronized competitions and two days into the showcase swim events. Russia is in second with 13 total medals, and Germany rounds out the top three with10.

Four swim events started and finished on Sunday, the opening day for long-course action at the Shanghai Aquatics Center.

Olympic champion Park Tae-hwan of South Korea took men’s 400m freestyle gold, Federica Pellegrini of Italy defended her 400m freestyle title from the Rome 2009 world champs and the Netherlands captured back-to-back women’s 4x100m freestyle honors.

Sunday’s biggest story, however, was Australia handing Michael Phelps and the U.S. men their first loss in an Olympic or world championship relay in four years. With three-time Olympic champion Ryan Lochte benched due to a poor swim in the qualifying heat, the U.S. finished third behind France in the 4x100m freestyle.

Another four events came to a close Monday with Dana Vollmer of the U.S. capturing women's 100m butterfly gold, Brazil's Cesar Cielo taking the men's 50m butterfly title and Alexander Dale Oen of Norway winning the men's 100 breaststroke. In medley action, teenager Ye Shiwen landed China its first swimming gold in the women’s 200m IM.

Meanwhile, a bit of controversy crept into the open-water events Saturday when 10 of the 29 men andfour of the 21 women who started the races later quit due to high water temperatures.

Both races were bumped up to a 6 a.m. start, but the water was already approaching 31 degrees Celsius, a maximum threshold suggested by FINA in the wake of U.S. swimmer Fran Crippen’s competition death in October.

The temperature later reached 31 degrees, but FINA's liaison official for open-water swimming defended the decision to keep the races going.

"There were obviously a group of athletes who were better prepared than others," Dennis Miller was quoted by The Associated Press. "The majority of the swimmers finished."

Peter Stoychev of Bulgaria won the men’s race and Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil the women’s. Both 10K champion Thomas Lurz and defending women's champ Linsy Heister elected not to start.

Swimming events run through Sunday in Shanghai with the water polo final to be contested Saturday.

Olympians Dominate Tour de France

Three-time Olympian Cadel Evans of Australia is the 2011 Tour De France champion.

Evans, 34, raced in the 1996 and 2000 Games in the mountain bike event, but he failed to medal. He later switched exclusively to road racing and entered the time trial and road race at the Beijing Olympics, where he finished fifth and 15th respectively.

He also won the 2009 road race world championship.

Brothers Andy and Frank Schleck of Luxembourg also entered the 2008 road race, and at the Tour they finished second and third.

2008 road race gold medalist Samuel Sanchez of Spain won the Polka Dot Jersey competition for the "King of the Mountains" category.

British Olympian in track cycling Mark Cavendish won the green jersey for best sprinter.

Pierre Rolland from France won the best young rider competition. He also entered the Beijing road race.

All of the top five finishers in the General Classification are Olympians. Dozens of others entered the race, the highest-profile and most challenging cycling event in the world.

This year’s edition started July 2 ending on Sunday after traveling more than 2,000 miles through France and a sliver of Italy.

Written by Ed Hula III and Matthew Grayson.