Phelps Ready to Swim in Shanghai, Greek Sprinters Duck Hearing

Phelps in Shanghai, FINA Urges Brazilian Ban

U.S. swim star Michael Phelps arrives in China for the FINA World Championships while Brazil’s Cesar Cielo waits for word on whether a doping charge will keep him out of the pool in Shanghai – and possibly London.

Cielo, who would compete against Phelps, faced a six-hour Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in Shanghai Wednesday. He and three other teammates tested positive in May for furosemide, known as a masking agent and banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The four Brazilian swimmers were given a warning, but FINA is pressing for sanctions to keep them out of the Shanghai championships. A positive ruling from the CAS panel could lead to a ban from competing in London, too.

Cielo blames a contaminated food supplement for the presence of the diuretic.

Phelps arrived Wednesday in Shanghai without speaking to media at the airport. The world championships will be seen as a test of whether Phelps is still the world’s dominant swimmer three years after winning a record eight medals at the Beijing Olympics.

Now 26, Phelps could compete in up to seven events in Shanghai. At the 2009 worlds he won five gold medals.

Swimming events start Sunday and run through next week. The FINA championships opened last weekend with diving, synchronized swimming and water polo.

On Wednesday, Greece’s Spryros Gianniotis came from behind to win the 10k open water swim, qualifying for the London Olympics.

Disgraced Greek Sprinters Miss Court Date

Disgraced Olympic sprinters Katerina Thanou and Costas Kenteris missed the court date that marked the start of their appeal of a perjury charge.The two continually missed court dates while that case was being tried.

In May, both were found guilty of lying about a motorcycle crash to avoid a drug test during the 2004 Olympics.

According to the Associated Press, their court date was rescheduled for Thursday.

U.K. Prepares for Potential Increased Human Trafficking Attempts

Gangs could use the large number of people visiting the London Olympics to cover their work in human trafficking, says the U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May.

May said that U.K. needs to work with other countries to respond to potential increased risk of human trafficking, reported the Telegraph.

The announcement coincides with a new human trafficking strategy that protects the victims and creates stricter penalties for smugglers.

"We are sending a message that the UK is not a soft touch for traffickers," said Immigration Minister Damian Green.

"We will pursue and disrupt trafficking networks overseas wherever possible to stop them before they ply their trade in the UK, and then bring them to justice," he added.

Pierre Jonqueres d'Oriola, Two-Time Gold Medalist, 91

Pierre Jonqueres d'Oriola a two-time gold medalist in equestrian died on Tuesday at his home in the Pyrenees. He was 91. No cause of death was given.

D’Oriola represented France at the 1952 Helsinki and 1964 Olympics in jumping equestrian events. His cousin, Christian, won the family’s first gold of the Games a few days earlier in fencing. His championship in Tokyo was France’s only medal of the Games. In total, he competed at five Games, winning a silver in the team event in 1968, his final Olympics.

"He was an absolute gentleman and a wonderful horseman", FEI Director Jumping John Roche said in a statement. "He will be missed greatly by all who knew him and came in contact with him."

Media Watch

Reuters interviews LOCOG sport director Debbie Jevans.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/olympics-london-jevans-idUSL3E7I82HM20110720

Kyung Kee Hang wrote a column for Korea’s The Chosun Ilbo saying "euphoria alone" isn’t enough to successfully stage the 2018 Olympics, outlining some of the challenges ahead for Korea.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/07/20/2011072001245.html

Written by Ed Hula and Ed Hula III.