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4:14 pm

Wed July 18, 2012

In Fairplay, Colo., Burro Racing Packs 'Em In

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Credit Megan Verlee for NPR

A skill in pack burro racing is convincing a donkey that it should run when it would rather walk. Racers may get behind the pack if they don't work with their animal.

Credit Megan Verlee for NPR

New pack burro racers in Idaho Springs, Colo., compete in this shorter course as they try their hand at the sport.

By KUNC-FM: Megan Verlee

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 8:08 am

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Sports

12:23 pm

Wed July 18, 2012

Baton Rouge balloon fest canceled

By The Associated Press

The Louisiana Ballooning Foundation has canceled the Louisiana Hot Air Balloon Championship and Festival that had been scheduled for the first weekend in August in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The Advocate reports ( http://bit.ly/NCr4B2) officials in neighboring Ascension Parish say they will hold a festival and balloon race in October, though it won't be affiliated with the Louisiana Ballooning Foundation.

Linda Wunstel, president of the foundation's board, said the East Baton Rouge event was canceled because of funding problems.

The Picture Show

11:03 am

Wed July 18, 2012

The Craziest Sports You've Never Seen

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Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Hog Wrassling, Viroqua, Wisc.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

The Dirty Dash, Midway, Utah

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Tough Guy competition, Wolverhampton, England

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Mutton busting, Vale, Ore.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

K-9 Keg Pull, Sandpoint, Idaho

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Live monster wrestling, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Bring Your Own Big Wheel race, San Francisco

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Mud pit belly flop, East Dublin, Ga.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Machine gun shoot, West Point, Ky.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Cardboard Tube Fighting League, Seattle

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Outhouse races, Conconully, Wash.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Cyclocross, Astoria, Ore.

Credit Courtesy of Sol Neelman

Hog wrestling, Viroqua, Wis.

By editor

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 8:07 am

With the Olympics right around the corner, there's a lot of attention focused on athletes. But events like mutton busting, Big Wheel racing and live monster wrestling won't be featured in London this year — and photographer Sol Neelman likes it that way.

London 2012: The Summer Olympics

6:18 am

Wed July 18, 2012

Indian Atheltes Want A Medal And A Government Job

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Credit AP

India's Sandeep Sejwal swims his way to gold in the 100-meter men's breaststroke at the 2006 South Asian Games in Sri Lanka. Sejwal, who competed in the Beijing Olympics two years later, has a government job with India's railway that accommodates his heavy training schedule.

Credit AP

India's Suma Shirur won bronze in women's 10m air rifle pairs at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. She says her part-time government job gave her the time and financial stability to train for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

By editor

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 7:18 pm

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For athletes anywhere, just qualifying for the Olympics can be a full-time job. But in India, training full-time is a luxury few can afford. That means many athletes work part-time government jobs. And for some, it can result in a job for life.

In return for putting in an appearance at the office, athletes like shooter Suma Shirur get a monthly salary and time to train.

London 2012: The Summer Olympics

2:03 am

Wed July 18, 2012

For Olympic Committee, Marketing Is No Game

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Credit via SubwayEatFresh365/YouTube

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps signed an endorsement deal with Subway in 2008, but because Subway is not an Olympic sponsor, Phelps isn't allowed to appear in a Subway ad from July 18 to Aug. 15 2012.

Credit Jeff Haynes / AFP/Getty Images

British sprinter Linford Christie skirted Olympic ad regulations by wearing Puma logo contact lenses to an Atlanta Olympics news conference in 1996.

By Elizabeth Blair

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 4:57 pm

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Sweetness And Light

9:03 pm

Tue July 17, 2012

Doping In Baseball: The Needle And The Damage Done

Credit AP

Marathon medal winners listen to the anthem from the victory stand during the presentation ceremony at the XXI Summer Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. From left, Frank Shorter, U.S.A., silver; Waldemar Cierpinski, East Germany, gold, Olympic record; and Karel Lismont, Belgium, bronze. Evidence of doping by the East Germans suggests that Shorter deserved the gold medal.

By Frank Deford

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 8:57 am

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The 2012 induction ceremony for the Baseball Hall of Fame takes place this weekend, so there's even more discussion about the 2013 election, because then both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will be on the ballot, along with several other players who are also suspected of having used performance-enhancing drugs.

I've been surprised to learn that some baseball writers have declared that they'll vote for Bonds and Clemens because they were the best players in an era when drug use was widespread — ergo if there's a lot of guilt going around, then nobody should be assigned guilt.

London 2012: The Summer Olympics

3:51 pm

Tue July 17, 2012

Olympic Security Firm Under Fire Days Before Games

By Philip Reeves

Originally published on Tue July 17, 2012 4:16 pm

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In London, the fight over the G4S security company and the Olympics is growing. More guards failed to show up for work on Tuesday. And the CEO of the massive security company is being grilled by the Home Affairs Committee.

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