2012 » nnova requesting the right to compete as a neutral athlete at th

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was livid in her postgame news conference following her teams loss in the decisive Game 5 on Thursday night to Los Angeles.After congratulating the Sparks for winning the WNBA championship with a 77-76 victory over the Lynx, Reeve lit into the officiating.Its really unfortunate that players continually put themselves out there, playing and competing at a really high level. Whether it was the 8-second call in LA or the game today, doesnt matter, OK? The game today, its not fair to the players, Reeve said. Its not enough just to apologize or send out a memo that they got something wrong, OK? These players are so invested and something must be done about the officiating in this league because its not fair to these great players we have.Reeves remarks came after the officials didnt review a shot by Nneka Ogwumike with 1:12 left in the game that appeared on replays to have come after the shot clock had expired. The officials never reviewed the play, which gave Los Angeles a 73-71 lead.By WNBA rules, in the final 2 minutes of a game, plays are only reviewable immediately. Earlier in the game, time can elapse off the clock and they can still be reviewed.It was reviewable at the time when she shot it, Reeve said. The referees at that point didnt think anything was wrong. They didnt understand it was the end of the clock. They didnt hear the shot clock. When they put the ball in play, the play is no longer reviewable.This wasnt the first missed call in this series. In Game 4, the Lynx benefited when the officials didnt call an 8-second violation late in that game. The WNBA admitted the next day that its officials had missed that call.Last season, in the Western Conference finals, the Lynx were aided by a foul with 1.5 seconds left in a tie game against Phoenix. The league said that foul should not have been called.Its unfortunate were having this discussion, Reeve said. The number of people that have contacted us and said this shot was no good, its unfortunate. I mean, I dont know what happens from there. Maybe they still win. I dont know. Thats why I dont want to take anything away from LA.Lynx star Maya Moore didnt realize the controversy until asked about it afterward in a sullen losing locker room.OK, that doesnt make me feel any better, Moore said.She said she thought she saw one of the officials signal for a review and was surprised to hear that didnt occur, the details of the final minutes clearly lost in the haze of defeat.Well, it doesnt mean anything now, Moore said.Cheap Puma Shoes NZ .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Puma Shoes NZ Online . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. 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The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city.LONDON -- In a shift in position, the IOC opened the door on Thursday to the possibility of Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova competing as a neutral athlete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.The IOC said it has asked its ethics commission for advice on the issue and will then decide whether Stepanovas participation as an independent athlete merits an exception to the rules of the Olympic Charter.Until now, the International Olympic Committee had said Stepanova would be represented by the Russian flag if deemed eligible to compete in the Games by track and fields world governing body.Stepanova, an 800-meter runner who served a two-year doping ban, helped expose the widespread cheating in Russia that led the IAAF to ban the countrys track and field athletes from global competition, including the Olympics.Last month, the IAAF granted Stepanova exceptional eligibility to compete as a neutral athlete, but not under the Russian flag. It praised her for having made a truly exceptional contribution to the anti-doping fight.IOC president Thomas Bach said last month that the IAAF had no say in the terms of Stepanovas participation in the Olympics. Under IOC rules, she would have to be entered by the Russian Olympic Committee and compete under the national flag, Bach said.The IAAF has since acknowledged that Stepanovas participation in Rio must be approved by the IOC, which says the issue is subject to the Olympic Charter, the rulebook for the Games.The IOC said Thursday it received a letter dated July 5 from Stepannova requesting the right to compete as a neutral athlete at the Games.dddddddddddd.Stepanova, who has been living and training at an undisclosed location in the United States, competed as a neutral athlete Wednesday at the European championships in Amsterdam. However, she tore a ligament in her right foot and finished last in her 800-meter heat. Its unclear whether the injury could rule her out of the Olympics.The IOC said Stepanovas Olympic participation involves important ethical aspects and that its ruling executive board decided to ask the ethics panel for advice.The IOC said the ethics commission could ask Stepanova to attend a hearing on the case.As soon as the advice of the IOC ethics commission is available, the IOC [executive board] will then take all of the circumstances of the case into consideration and decide whether it merits an exception to the rules of the Olympic Charter, the statement said.Stepanovas case is separate from those of other Russian athletes.Russia has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on behalf of 68 athletes, challenging the IAAFs blanket ban and contending that athletes without any doping violations should be allowed to compete at the Games. CAS said it will issue a ruling by July 21.Russia was suspended by the IAAF in November after a World Anti-Doping Agency report detailed widespread doping allegedly supported by the Russian state. ' ' '