Sports

CAIRO: Across the world, word that Saudi Arabia would send female athletes to the Olympics for the first time immediately rocketed to the top of websites and broadcasts. In Saudi Arabia’s official media? Not even a hint. The state-sponsored silent treatment was indicative of the deep sensitivities inside the kingdom about the measured steps the country makes from its ultraconservative …

DAMASCUS: A Syrian official says the country’s Olympic chief will not attend the London Games because the organizing committee did not invite him. Syrian Olympic Committee president Gen. Mowaffak Joumaa had previously insisted he would travel to London despite indications he would be denied entry by Britain because of his links to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. But on Tuesday, …

BERLIN: Without a cycling helmet, she would probably have been killed. Three years after surviving a horrific accident, German cyclist Kristina Vogel will arrive at the Olympics as the world team sprint champion and record holder. Her Melbourne world championship triumph was the 21-year-old’s first taste of glory on the world stage and she will be battling alongside Britain’s Victoria …

LONDON: IOC President Jacques Rogge says he can’t guarantee “100 percent” that female athletes from Saudi Arabia will compete at the London Olympics, although he remains optimistic the Gulf kingdom will send women to the games for the first time. Rogge tells The Associated Press in an interview that the International Olympic Committee is discussing the “operational details” with Saudi …

SYDNEY: Australia’s Olympic athletes will be banned from using sleeping pills, officials said Tuesday, after ex-swimming star Grant Hackett admitted to a heavy use of the sedatives while he was still competing. Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates said prescription medications such as the powerful sleeping pill Stilnox would be banned for the first time at London after Hackett said …

LONDON: The gleaming Westfield Stratford City mall poses an interesting question about human behavior: Is it possible to head off to a major international sports event and forget to go? Could a person be so distracted by 250 shops, 70 restaurants, 14 bowling lanes and a 24-hour casino that they don’t complete their journey to Olympic Park, just a few …

LONDON: It’ll be an all-Chinese final in women’s table tennis singles – as expected – between the two favorites Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia. Defending world champion Ding, who goes into Wednesday’s final as the favorite, defeated Feng Tianwei of Singapore 4-2. Feng was born in China and emigrated to Singapore. Li will be a decided underdog after defeating Kasumi …

LONDON: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has no regrets about embracing social media for what some are calling the first “Twitter Games”, despite two athletes having been expelled for tweets and others being abused online. Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella was sent home from the Olympics on Monday for an offensive tweet aimed at South Korea, while triple jumper Paraskevi …