Don't Get Fooled on April Fools

(ATR) It can be hard distinguishing the real from the fake on the internet, especially as April Fool's Day once again brings along stories ranging from the ridiculous to the absurd. Around the Rings is here to sort through the nonsense and show you what you need to know on this important day in the world of sports.

IAAF Considers Rule Changes

World athletics governing body, the IAAF is discussing a change in rulesat its competitions that will see athletes from Kenya and Ethiopiatogether with runners of their descent competing for other nations startdistance races from 10000m to the full marathon a minute behind therest of the field.

This, according to IAAF President, Lord Sebastian Coe will reignitefalling interests of athletics rich markets of Europe, Asia and Americain distance running.

"Already, commercial interest in events such as the World Cross CountryChampionships and World Half Marathon Championships decline sharply inthe last decade.

"The proposals are not meant to discriminate against the great athletesof Kenya and Ethiopia but they are being discussed to rescue some of thedying events. For example, only one Diamond League meeting, the PreFontaine Classic in Eugene has the 10,000m," Coe told Mail reporter,Olof Rapil on Wednesday.

"From having 123 nations in 1999, the World Cross had only 70 countriesin Guiyang, China last year despite being biennial and competed in anodd year to prevent colliding with major events such as FIFA World Cupand IOC Olympics.

"The commercial market for sport is shrinking worldwide and we areseeing fewer companies and cities interested in bidding for and tosponsor these events. We have seen Poland host the World Cross twice inthree years (2010 and 13) in recent times which is not a good sign for awonderful collection of distance runners you will ever get in a singleevent.

"To be honest, a Kenyan or Ethiopian can easily gobble up the distanceand beat any other runner in long races. We witnessed an amazing thingin Wales last weekend when Geoffrey Kipsang fell flat-faced at thestart, injured his knees and picked himself to hammer the field,including our own Mo Farah to the gold!

Read more here.

Southampton Football Updates its Crest

Southampton Football Club is pleased to announce plans for a new club crest from the 2016/17 Premier League campaign onwards.

The current badge has been in place for over 20 years, other than for a 125th year anniversary crest for the duration of the 2010/11 campaign.

After meeting with focus groups on a number of occasions over the last 12 months, the club has created a more modernized crest that continues to symbolize the city and its surrounding areas, while acknowledging more modern trends.

The biggest change sees the football replaced by the Saint emoji, with the thinking being that over recent years the club has become much more than just a football club, with its work in the community and its forward-thinking approach.

Read more here.

Famous Football Clubs to Diversify

The exhilarating thud of leather on willow...at the football cathedrals of the Bernabéu and the Camp Nou. Attracted by huge global audiences for cricket, club bosses at Real Madrid and Barcelona are planning to launch professional cricket teams "in the near future", according to a source close to AS, though they are yet to decide in which competition their XIs would play.

The idea of Real Madrid clashing with Barcelona in Cricket Clásicos, or Cricketos as they will be marketed, is seen as a way to massively increase the global appeal of both clubs, with the summer sport having the second biggest worldwide audience after football itself.

In a bid to prepare their local fans for this new venture, with most Spaniards having little idea about the game, the clubs are planning to play two exhibition matches against each other at the Bernabéu and the Camp Nou this summer. And in order to ensure the games are attractive to home fans bosses have decided it will be the players who make up the current first team squads who line up to take part in the matches.

Read more here.

Wayne Rooney Considering Career Change

Rooney is currently recovering from a knee injury which has kept him out of action for United since February 13.

But ahead of Wrestlemania 32 on Sunday in Texas, Rooney has made the shock revelation that he is set to quit football to become a wrestler.

The England captain has admitted he will be swapping Carrington for his home gym where he has already built a ring in which to practise.

Read more here.

Twickenham Going Back to its Roots

The hallowed turf at Twickenham has been transformed into its original state - a cabbage patch.

In advance of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series finale on 21- 22 May 2016 – which will see a festival of rugby and food transform Twickenham - event organisers have gone back to the roots of the world famous stadium and prepped the ground ready to plant cabbages.

The reconstruction was proposed to celebrate the new-look series' climax, HSBC London Sevens 'Feast of Rugby'.

"We are absolutely delighted to honour the ground's triumphant parentage," said head groundsman Keith Kent.

"The turf has been meticulously cultivated and now we are able to offer the same rigorous attention to Twickenham's initial produce in preparation for the Feast of Rugby at the HSBC London Sevens in May. It is a heartfelt tribute to the journey from field to glorious cathedral of rugby."

Kent and his team have been hard at work ploughing the pitch but new turf will be laid before the tournament finale in May.

Read more here.

College Swimmer Barred from Competition for "Unfair Advantage"

No one was more excited to hear about the new swim team at Loyola University New Orleans than chemistry senior Rachel Dufour, '16. That is, until the National Association of Athletics, or NAA, the governing body of collegiate competition, barred her from competing.

"Complaints have been lodged that the Loyola University New Orleans swim team has an unfair advantage," the NAA statement reads.

That advantage is Dufour’s four-year experience as an amateur mermaid. A staple of the Loyola community, the Loyola senior can be spotted at campus events, at local parties, and in the pool at the University Sports Complex absolutely destroying people in Sharks and Minnows.

According to a rival team’s coach, who requested anonymity for this interview, it’s not just the speed that the fish-phenom possesses that's been called into question -- but whether she is eligible for collegiate competition at all.

"It’s been rumored that she received payment for things like birthday parties, which calls into question her eligibility," the source said. "That would make her a professional mermaid, not an amateur."

Read more here.

Electricity Takes the Work Out of Rowing

Touted as "the best thing to ever happen to canoeing- or maybe the worst," a group of Ely canoe enthusiasts are set to introduce the electric paddle today.

The invention dodges the ban on motorized watercraft in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

With the help of a small, but powerful, nearly silent battery-powered trolling motor attached the blade of a canoe paddle this revolutionary new product takes all the work out of canoeing. Instead of working up a sweat, you can now sit back and read a book or grab a nap.

"This might be the best thing to happen to Ely since our failed bid to secure the 2016 Summer Olympics," said Ginny Nelson, President of the Ely Area Tourism Bureau.

The electric paddle, such as it is, is set to be unveiled today at the Northwest Sportshow in Minneapolis but will only be sold in Ely, officials said.

Read more here.

Mascot Aims for Rio 2016 Qualification

The trials for the Summer 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are just around the corner, and one Red Hawk from Montclair State is hoping to fly south for the summer, achieving his dream of becoming an Olympian after years of training.

Rocky the Red Hawk, best known as the beloved school mascot of Montclair State University, has qualified for the Olympic trials in many sports, including basketball, boxing, table tennis and competitive tic-tac-toe.

Most athletes dream of competing in the Olympics from a young age, and Rocky was no different. Even before he flew the nest, the hawk could be seen touching his talons, flapping his wings and, of course, practicing his pose for the champion’s circle and the inevitable birdseed endorsements which he would undoubtedly gain as an Olympic gold medalist.

However, turning a dream into a reality was not as easy as Rocky thought. After a lackluster performance at the trials for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the hawk decided to turn his underbird story around, undergoing an intense fitness and nutrition regimen in order to prepare for his performance in the upcoming trials.

Rocky’s training so far has mainly taken place at the Student Recreation Center, although he sometimes can be found in the Panzer Athletic Center swimming laps in the facility’s pool or practicing free throws with the women’s basketball team.

Read more here.

Nauru Touts Potential Olympic Bid

The small island country of Nauru said on Twitter it could make a run at hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Exciting news!! Nauru Parliament today passed resolution to bid for 2024 Olympics. Will make frigatebird catching exhibition sport #Olympics

Check out the Nauru Republic Twitter page for reactions to the news.

Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.

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