If Tonya Harding’s hit on Nancy Kerrigan taught us anything, it’s that there is more to figure skating than sequins and leotards. Toronto-area Police broke up a fight between eight Skate Canada figure skaters at a hotel during the Canadian Figuring Skating Championships.
The governing body of figure skating, Skate Canada told the National Post a celebration “got out of hand,” and that “skaters didn’t hush up when hotel staff confronted them over a noise complaint.
According to the National Post, “Mike Slipchuk with Skate Canada says police sent those involved back to their rooms, adding that one man had his cheek cut in the melee but that the injury was minor and didn’t require medical attention.”
Fresh on the heels of a scandal, Hollywood movie studios are in a bidding war to win the rights to make a film based on Lance Armstrong’s downfall. Though in the early stages, Matt Damon is said to be the favorite to play the disgraced 7-time Tour de France winner.
The upcoming movie will be based on Armstrong’s former teammate Tyler Hamilton’s book “The Secret Race,” in which Hamilton details of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program” in all of sports.
An insider told The Sun, ”Most sports films end in an inspirational victory. It’s hard to work out what the ending would be.”
This would be the second Armstrong project Damon has been linked to. Damon was in line to play Armstrong in the now-dropped Sony adaptation of Armstrong’s memoir, It’s “Not About the Bike,” which was to be produced by Bourne franchise’s Frank Marshall.
Damon’s representatives denied the actor will narrate the upcoming Alex Gibney directed Armstrong documentary.
Is Lolo Jones making the transition to Winter Olympics? Jones competed in the women’s US bobsled push championships. Joining Jones were fellow Olympic runners Hyleas Fountain and Tianna Madison. The women were invited by US bobsled coach Todd Hays in an effort to “share their Olympics experiences with our athletes and to help boost team morale.”
The woman’s two-man bobsled team won bronze at the Vancouver Olympics, a feat Jones never accomplished in her two Lympic Games. Despite being the favorite in Beijing 2008, Jones hit 9/10 hurdle in the 100-M hurdles and finished fourth in London. At the bobsled push championship, Jones finished seventh.
Lance Armstrong has been banned from running the Chicago Marathon. Race director Carey Pinkowski said, “I have had no direct contact from Lance or anyone representing him. We had some indication from his charity (Livestrong) that Lance might have been interested in running.”
The disgraced cyclist was banned from the sport after her chose not to contest performance enhancing charges against him by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Under USA Track & Field rules, banned athletes in other sports are prohibited from running the Chicago, Boston and New York Marathon.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Pinkowski learned Armstrong was interested in running the Chicago or New York Marathon on Thursday at a charity operations meeting before deciding with New York and Boston race director that they would uphold the WADA rules.
Despite not being allowed to run the Chicago Marathon, Livestrong will continue its association with the race. “They are one of our strongest charities,” Pinkowski said. “They will have 250 participants this year. We will continue to support the charity and its efforts.”
