Ringling Bros. Circus on Monday settled a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Inspectors from the agency found that the circus had forced elephants to perform while sick, regularly fed big cats meat tainted with feces, and held animals in rusted or splintering enclosures. At $270,000, the settlement is the largest ever under the Animal Welfare Act. Animal-rights groups have agitated against the treatment of animals in cir... Read More
Spain will allow drug testers wider access to Spanish athletes, bringing the country into compliance with World Anti-Doping regulations as it prepares to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. The ruling will allow testers to collect out of competition samples between 6 A.M. and 11 P.M. A 2009 ruling limited the out-of-competition window to between 8 A.M. and 11 P.M. Authorities believe that athletes can pass drug screens within hours of injection if they take microdoses of certain drugs, including E... Read More
Australian BMX rider Dane Searls died on Friday from injuries sustained in an accident at a nightclub. Searls, 23, suffered severe head and spine injuries on November 20 after attempting to jump into a pool from the balcony of a nightclub in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. Considered one of BMX's best dirt jumpers, Searls was the driving force behind the Giants of Dirt project, a super-sized BMX course constructed west of Brisbane. Searls reportedly managed to ride the entire set of jumps, which... Read More
Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal won the first World Cup super-G of the season in Alberta, Canada on Sunday, edging out Didier Cuche of Switzerland by 0.23 seconds. Cuche, who will look to defend his 2010-2011 overall World Cup title, also took first in Saturday's downhill. In Aspen, Colorado, Austrian Marlies Schild beat Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden by 1.19 seconds to win the women's slalom. American Lindsey Vonn withdrew from the race moments before the start with back pain. Sixteen-year-old... Read More
Former world champion mountain biker Missy Giove was sentenced on Wednesday for her part in a 2009 scheme to transport 350 pounds of marijuana across the United States. Giove, who pleaded guilty shortly after her arrest in 2009, was credited for time served and sentenced to six months of house arrest and five years of probation. Giove retired from mountain biking in 2003. She won 11 world cups races and was crowned world downhill champion in 1994.
Read more at the Albany Times Union
