Pregame sex ‘has no effect on athlete’s performance’

November 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Sports Ministry has decided to pay $25 per day as out-of-pocket allowance to players representing India in international tournaments abroad. The decision was taken keeping in view the long standing demand of the sportspersons, Sports Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

October 8th, 2009 Triathletes blow off steam in their underpantsKAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — Two days before the Ironman World Championship, hundreds of athletes showed off some of their best stuff. The Underpants Run started as a way to poke fun at European triathletes strolling around town in their Speedos.

September 19th, 2009 USA Swimming votes to ban high-tech suitsCHICAGO — USA Swimming voted to ban high-tech swim suits three months before the sport's world governing body is expected to do the same. More than 400 delegates representing swim clubs from all 50 states voted overwhelmingly Saturday for early implementation of a ban on the suits at USA Swimming's annual convention in Chicago.

August 25th, 2009 4 Ethiopian athletes missing in ScotlandFALKIRK, Scotland — Two runners and two hurdlers from Ethiopia were reported missing Tuesday after leaving their hotel before a track and field meet in Scotland. The four are Betelhem Shewatatek (women's 200 meters), Feleke Bekele (women's 400 hurdles), Hagos Tadesse (men's 400) and Tirehas Haileselassie (men's hurdles).

August 10th, 2009 5 Jamaican athletes cleared of dopingKINGSTON, Jamaica —Five Jamaican athletes were cleared Monday of doping at their national championships two months ago after the country's anti-doping panel failed to determine whether the banned substance was on the prohibited list. The athletes reportedly tested positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine.

August 7th, 2009 3 Brazilian athletes suspended for 2 yearsSAO PAULO — Three Brazilian track and field athletes have been suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned endurance-booster EPO. The country's federation says Bruno Lins Tenorio de Barros, Jorge Celio da Rocha Sena and Lucimara Silvestre waived their rights to have their backup samples examined.

August 1st, 2009 Pope meets swimming worlds athletesVATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday met athletes participating in the swimming world championships in Rome and urged them to act as role models for fellow youths "in sports and in life." Benedict blessed and shook hands with athletes in the courtyard of his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome, and praised their "exciting performance." He playfully put on sports hats the athletes gave him and triumphantly raised a plush green frog — the mascot of the Rome championships. Among those handing the gifts to Benedict were fellow German Paul Biedermann, who beat American Michael Phelps in the 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday, and Italy's double gold medallist Federica Pellegrini.

July 25th, 2009 HAMBURG - Yohan Blake, a training partner of triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt, is one of the five athletes who have tested for a banned substance, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported Saturday. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has confirmed that five athletes had failed dope tests but refused to reveal names.

July 24th, 2009 Mum's the word on swimsuits for British teamROME — Hoping to avoid any distractions caused by high-tech suits, the British team barred media from asking its swimmers about the issue after arriving for the world championships. Michael Scott, the national performance director, said on Friday that the focus should be on the swimmers' accomplishments during the eight days of competition.

July 23rd, 2009 General Mills works with athletes on new WheatiesMINNEAPOLIS — Cereal maker General Mills is launching a new version of Wheaties it says is designed for athletes, with input from athletes such as NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and NBA star Kevin Garnett. The Golden Valley, Minn.-based company says it is testing three types of the new version of Wheaties with athletes and some readers of Men's Health magazine.

July 14th, 2009 Jewish athletes converge on Israel for MaccabiahRAMAT GAN, Israel — Thousands of athletes paraded through a packed Israeli stadium Monday at the opening ceremony of the 18th Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish Olympics, which bring together Jewish sportsmen from around the world. Organizers say these games are the largest ever, with 5,300 international athletes taking part alongside some 2,000 from Israel.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian athletes kept up their fine performance as they won two more golds to take their tally to 10 medals at the Asian Youth Games in Singapore Friday. On the last day of the track and field competition, Ravi Kumar won the gold in the 800 metres while Namita Kabat was the champion in the women's event.

June 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian athletes won three medals on the first day of the inaugural Asian Youth Games in Singapore. Delhi lad Arjun Kumar won the first gold medal of the event with an effort of 58.72 metres in discus throw.

June 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Feeding mice on a diet high in sunflower oil improves their running abilities by about 6.3 percent, which is equivalent to the 0.6-second improvement in the men's 100m sprint that has been achieved between the 1932 and 2008 Olympic Games. This is the finding reported by researchers at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology in Austria at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting on Monday.

June 2nd, 2009 USA Track to help athletes track supplementsUSA Track and Field entered a partnership Tuesday with a company that helps athletes find out if supplements they're thinking about taking are free of banned substances. USATF chief executive Doug Logan announced the deal with the National Center for Drug Free Sport, saying it was a way for athletes "to navigate the confounding labyrinth that is the multi-zillion dollar industry of 'legal' supplements." Earlier this year, Logan delivered a rebuke of supplement makers, saying they've been complicit in helping ruin a sport filled with doping scandals over the years.