London 2012: Jenny Meadows a doubt for Olympic Games - The Guardian
Jenny Meadows's participation in the London 2012 Olympics is in doubt after she was ruled out of this weekend's trials in Birmingham. The 800m runner has not raced at all this year because of an achilles injury.
Meadows is still recovering from the problem and will now need to rely on the discretion of the selectors to be awarded the third and final place on the team for London. "I am gutted to be missing out on the trials, but we always knew it would be a race against time to be fit enough," she said. "Every day of my recovery is like a week so the extra few days ahead of [the European championships in] Helsinki will make a big difference to the injury and ensure I am able to go out and compete and demonstrate my fitness ahead of selection for London 2012."
Jeanette Kwakye, a 2008 Olympic finalist in the 100m, will also miss the trials due to an achilles and ankle injury. "I have been working with the UKA medical team at Lee Valley and on their advice and in consultation with my coach Michael Afilaka we have decided to miss the trials," said Kwakye, who has a best of 11.68sec this year and sits well down the British rankings. "We will reassess the injury on Monday in relation to the European championships.
"I am eligible for selection for the Games and am still determined to be fit and ready for competing in my own backyard in Stratford."
The pair's withdrawal is worrying news with the Games six weeks away and comes just a day after Hannah England, the world championships silver medallist over 1500m, announced she too would miss the trials after suffering a spike to her achilles in a race in Holland three weeks ago.
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London 2012 Olympics: Andy Murray selected for Team GB tennis squad - Daily Telegraph
The final takes place on August 5, and Murray will hope to still be in the competition, if only to keep up a rich tradition of success.
Team GB top the all-time Olympic tennis medals table, having accumulated 16 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals between 1896 and 1924.
The sport did not feature on the Olympic programme for the next 64 years, but Tim Henman and Neil Broad returned Team GB to the podium with a men’s doubles silver medal at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
“I can't wait for the Olympics to start, it's such an incredible event and for it to be in London is extra special," said Murray.
"I remember being part of the Olympic ceremony in Beijing, which was an unbelievable atmosphere and like nothing I'd experienced before.
"Winning a medal this summer for Team GB is one of my major goals.”
London politicians call for Munich '72 remembrance - YAHOO!
LONDON (Reuters) - London politicians urged the International Olympic Committee to show political courage and allow a minute's silence during the opening or closing ceremonies of the London Games to mark the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre.
Eleven Israeli team members died at the 1972 Olympics in Munich after being held hostage by Palestinian gunmen.
The London Assembly unanimously voted on Wednesday for a motion supporting a minute's silence for the athletes and coaches who died in the attack.
Andrew Dismore, who proposed the motion, said the deaths went beyond politics and nationality.
"The IOC say to have a minute's silence to commemorate these victims of terrorism would be a ‘political gesture', but surely not having a minute's silence is, in itself, the political gesture," he said in a statement.
"This is not about the nationality of the victims - they were Olympians."
Londoners have forked out about 10 percent of the 9.3 billion pound public bill to stage the Games, with the rest coming from central government and the national lottery.
Roger Evans, another lawmaker, who seconded the motion, said: "The IOC needs to show some political courage and allow the commemoration of a tragedy that affected their guests during their event in their venue 40 years ago.
"This important decision should not be dictated by a small number of their members."
The London organising committee (LOCOG), responsible for staging the Games, said it was a matter for the IOC.
The IOC was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Robert Woodward)
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