Olympics

Shelby Houlihan -- arguably the USA's best female runner -- is insisting she is NOT a cheater despite a recent positive steroid test ... claiming it's all a mixup caused by a pork burrito.

The 28-year-old Olympian spelled it all out in a social media post Monday ... explaining she believes she's been wrongfully hit with a 4-year suspension due to a trip to an "authentic Mexican food truck" in Oregon several months ago.

Shelby says back on Jan. 14, the Athletics Integrity Unit informed her a sample she submitted on Dec. 15, 2020 had contained the banned substance Nandrolone.

The anabolic steroid is considered a performance enhancer, and Shelby says she was immediately suspended for having it in her system.

But, Houlihan says after she did her research ... she found the substance can wrongfully show up in tests if the person consumes pork products prior to giving out their sample.

And, Houlihan says just 10 hours before she gave her December sample ... she had gotten a pork burrito from a local stand near her house in Beaverton.

The problem for Shelby? She says despite a mountain of evidence proving the Mexican food feast was the reason for the positive test -- the World Anti-Doping Agency denied her appeal and formally hit her with a 4-year ban from competitive running last Friday.

Of course, that means Houlihan -- who owns U.S. records in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs -- will now be barred from competing in this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

"I feel completely devastated, lost, broken, angry, confused and betrayed by the very sport that I've loved and poured myself into just to see how good I was," Houlihan said.

"I want to be very clear. I have never taken any performance enhancing substances. And that includes that of which I am being accused," Houlihan wrote. "I believe in the sport and pushing your body to the limit just to see where the limit is. I'm not interested in cheating. I don't do this for the accolades, money, or for people to know my name. I do this because I love it. I have so much fun doing it and it's always the best part of my day."

Australian silver medalist swimmer Maddie Groves is making a powerful statement and pulling out of the Olympic trials ... ripping the "misogynistic perverts in the sport" in the process.

26-year-old Groves -- who finished second in the 200m butterfly and 4x100 medley at the 2016 Games -- has been calling out the swimming community for months ... claiming men have made her feel uncomfortable by staring at her swimsuit or making "creepy" comments.

Now, Groves says she's fed up -- going OFF as she explained her decision to sit out the trials in Adelaide.

"Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers," Groves said on Twitter Wednesday.

"You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus."

"Time’s UP."

Groves previously tweeted in November 2020 about an experience she had when she was 20 ... saying, "Just remembering the time a well known coach (not mine) asked me about [university] and I told him one of my subjects was ‘Love, Relationships and Sex’ and he said in this creepy af voice 'oh, you’d know allllllll about that.'"

She added the man later apologized, but believes it was because he was ordered to do so by the team psychologist.

Groves also shared in December she previously made a complaint about "a person that works at swimming" staring at her swimsuit.

Swimming Australia released a statement on Groves' claims ... saying it reached out to her for more information, but she declined.

"All allegations concerning child abuse or sexual misconduct are taken seriously by Swimming Australia" the org. said in a statement.

"We consider the welfare, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as paramount, and we have a duty to make inquiries to uphold the standards of our sport."

Another major blow for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics ... nearly 10,000 volunteers have QUIT over COVID fears just 50 days before the Games are set to begin.

The number of people who just opted out represents 1/8th of the 80,000 unpaid volunteers who signed up to work the event, which is still set to kick off on July 23.

As we previously reported, there is serious backlash in Japan about hosting the Olympics -- considering only about 2 to 3% of the population is vaccinated ... and the country reported a surge in cases in May.

In fact, officials extended a State of Emergency in Japan to June 20 because hospitals and other medical care facilities in major cities are being pushed to the brink.

There have been protests in the streets of Tokyo recently from people concerned the Games will serve as a superspreader event.

There are also reports out of Japan showing 80% of Japanese citizens are AGAINST the Olympics beginning on July 23, as currently scheduled.

Still, Olympics officials have reiterated the Games WILL go on as planned.

Simone Biles is undoubtedly one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, but she may have just taken top spot with what is considered the hardest vault in women's gymnastics ... EVER.

Simone was competing at the 2021 GK U.S. Classic when she attempted what's called a Yurchenko double pike.

You see the intensity in her face as she prepares, and then races to the vaulting table and hurls herself in the air. You just gotta see it. Amazing!!!

The judges assigned a difficulty value of 6.6 and she scored a 9.5 for her execution.

Simone was happy though subdued, saying, “To finally just put it out in a competition was quite nice, I know it’s not the correct value that we want, but I can still do it, so why not show off my ability and athleticism.”

She goes on to the U.S. Olympic team trials at the end of June, and we're guessing it's almost a foregone conclusion she'll be competing in Tokyo in July.

Simone Biles is not a human being!!!

The 24-year-old USA gymnastics superstar just nailed the damn near impossible Yurchenko double pike not once, but TWICE during a practice session for Saturday's U.S. Classic.

... and now the big question -- will she pull it off this weekend and become the first woman to ever land the move in an official competition!?!?!?

For those who don't know, the Yurchenko double pike is both incredibly challenging and dangerous -- and no female gymnast has ever completed the move during competition.

The move -- named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko -- is when a gymnast starts with a roundoff back-handspring approach to the vault, which leads to a double flip while the athlete maintains a straight-legged position.

But, Biles had no issue tackling the move Friday during podium training ahead of the U.S. Classic this weekend ... perfecting what she's been teasing since February 2020.

In fact, Biles opened up about her plans to use the move back in March during a conversation with Texas Monthly ... saying she was making real progress during training sessions and her confidence was growing.

"So far, we’ve been training it pretty consistently and there haven’t been too many times where I was like, 'Oh, that was really scary. Maybe we shouldn’t do that.'" Biles said.

"It’s actually been like, 'Wow, this is feasible, we can do this.' And that’s kind of the scary part, me testing my limits, proving myself wrong, and being like, 'Dang, Simone you can do this. That’s insane.' Honestly, at this age, I feel like I would kind of start going down, but I’m still going up."

Clearly, she wasn't kidding ... 'cause Biles made it look easy on Friday!!!

Team USA gymnastics legend Nastia Liukin was so impressed by the video, she tweeted, "YOU. ARE. INSANE."

Now, we wait to see if Biles busts out the move on Saturday -- her first time competing in 587 days!

Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright says she's "sad" to see the hate her handstand breastfeeding picture has received ... but she's vowing to not let it get her down.

The 34-year-old -- who's a snowboarding legend in Australia -- posted a series of photos on Mother's Day, including one of her breastfeeding topless while upside down.

The photo was pretty cool -- it's an impressive feat!!! -- but it was met with backlash on social media ... with people calling her a bad mother and an attention-seeker.

Bright, though, fired back on her social media page this week ... defending the picture and calling out all the trolls on Instagram.

"Reading some of these comments made me sad," Bright wrote in her now-expired IG story.

"In my world, mothers should be each other’s cheer leaders (it's hard enough). Embrace our quirkiness and finding the joy in every s****y thing that is motherhood."

She continued, "We all do it differently. It is not wrong or right. Motherhood is pure. I only now consider myself a Wonder Woman because I have joined the sacred MOTHERS club with you. Nothing but respect to all mothers."

The opposition continues ...

With the 2020 Olympic Games set to begin in less than 3 months, the movement to cancel the event is still strong .. as evidenced by a protest in the streets of Tokyo on Monday.

People held signs reading, "Extinguish the Olympic Torch" and "Cancel the Tokyo Olympics."

The photos show a police presence during the demonstration -- but it doesn't appear things got out of hand.

The protest comes in the wake of a new poll conducted in Japan which reportedly says 80% of Japanese citizens are AGAINST the Olympics beginning on July 23, as currently scheduled.

The poll, conducted by Asahi Shimbun -- one of Japan's largest news outlets -- said of those surveyed, 43% want the Games canceled while 40% would prefer another postponement.

As we previously reported, there has been a recent surge in COVID cases in major Japanese cities, including Tokyo -- which led to the government extending a state of emergency from May 11 to May 31.

The country is currently experiencing a 4th wave of the infection which reportedly contains a variant that is spreading very fast and impacting a relatively large number of young people.

So far, Japanese officials are pushing forward with the plans to host the Games -- insisting there are measures in place to prevent a major outbreak.

Welp, this is bad ...

The COVID pandemic is hitting Japan so hard, IOC president Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to the country ... leaving many wondering if the Olympic Games will actually happen in July as planned.

After a surge in cases in major cities, including Tokyo, the Japanese government extended a state of emergency from May 11 to May 31 ... which leaves less than 2 months before the Games are scheduled to begin on July 23.

Health officials in Japan are concerned the current 4th wave of the infection contains a variant that is spreading very fast and impacting a relatively large number of young people.

Officials say hospitals are overwhelmed and the health care system throughout the country is being pushed to the brink.

IOC President Bach was supposed to be traveling all over Japan next week to meet up with the Olympic torch -- but now, those plans have been postponed until Japanese officials end the state of emergency.

As for the numbers in Japan, there are more than 600,000 reported COVID cases and roughly 11,000 deaths.

One of the biggest issues at the moment is the fact only 2% of the 126 million people living in Japan have received at least one vaccine dose according to Reuters.

Pfizer is pledging to donate thousands of doses of its COVID vaccine to inoculate Olympic athletes in the hopes of saving the Games ... this, in the wake of a new movement in Japan to call the whole thing off.

The pharmaceutical company -- along with its German partner, BioNTech SE -- announced Thursday its plan to get the vaccine to all athletes participating in the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

Vaccinations would begin ASAP in the hopes all athletes would receive their 2nd of 2 doses BEFORE they arrived in Tokyo for the Games, which are set to kick off on July 23.

FYI, the CDC website suggests a 21-day interval between the 1st and 2nd doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The issue ... the AP reports a new petition picking up steam in Japan calling for the games to be canceled out of fear of an outbreak,

The petition, which sports the headline, "Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to Protect Our Lives," reportedly already picked up tens of thousands of signatures in just a few short days.

The concern, obviously, is people flying in from all parts of the world could turn the Games into a super-spreader event and lead to a spike in COVID infections and deaths.

The Pfizer vaccine effort -- if effective -- should help ease those concerns ... but it all boils down to the athletes actually taking the shot.

IOC President Thomas Bach commented on the Pfizer donation -- saying it's "another tool in our toolbox of measures to help make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all participants."

Tokyo Olympics athletes will NOT be allowed to wear "Black Lives Matter" apparel at Games ceremonies this summer ... officials have confirmed that's part of the ban on protests and political messages.

The IOC revealed its broad policy two weeks ago on no demonstrations on the field of play, during an official ceremony or at the podium ... but the Associated Press reported this week officials have now confirmed "BLM" apparel is included in that ban.

Officials, though, say "BLM" slogans will be allowed during at least some parts of the Games -- such as at press conferences, during interviews and at team meetings.

But, they stressed if the messaging comes during official ceremonies, at the podium or during competition ... athletes could be subject to punishment.

The IOC has said the ban on protesting was put in place after a "majority" of 3,500 athletes it polled were in favor of strict rules against demonstrations.

"A very clear majority of athletes said that they think it's not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium," IOC Athletes' Commission chief Kirsty Coventry said.

"So our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such."

Caitlyn Jenner's first political ad in her attempt to recall and replace California Governor Gavin Newsom is heavy on her Olympic glory, but completely ignores her reality TV fame and her Kardashian daughters.

Candidate Caitlyn brands herself a "dreamer" and a "compassionate disruptor," in the 3-minute video in a clear attempt to distance herself from "career politicians" ... but also seems to distance herself from her own family.

Not only is there no mention of the TV show that made Caitlyn a household name for the younger generation of California voters, but she also chose to omit the name Jenner along with Kardashian ... her slogan is simply, "Caitlyn for California."

As we first reported, Caitlyn's kids aren't thrilled with her candidacy and her daughters are making it clear they won't campaign on her behalf -- so, using 'KUWTK' clips would have been awkward.

Of course, the ad is also chock full of typical political mudslinging despite her attempt to be viewed as a non-politician. Caitlyn includes the notorious clips of Rep. Nancy Pelosi at the hairdresser, and the shot of Newsom -- who she dubs an "elitist" -- at a French Laundry dinner party ... both events happening during pandemic lockdowns.

The ban against protests at the Tokyo 2020 games is complete B.S. -- so says Olympic legend Sanya Richards-Ross who can't wait for an athlete to violate the "unfair" policy.

"I'm outraged," Richards-Ross said Thursday on "TMZ Live" while explaining why it's ridiculous for the IOC to expect athletes to separate sports and politics, especially at the Olympics.

"I understand that people think of sports as a place to escape. They want to get away from the politics and all of the things happening in life ... but the truth is, minorities, black people, marginalized people don't get to escape their reality. They don't get to escape their Blackness."

As we previously reported, the International Olympic Committee -- which oversees the Olympic games -- announced its policy this week forbidding athletes to demonstrate during competition, at the podium or at an official Olympics ceremony. Anyone who violates the rule will face disciplinary action.

Richards-Ross -- one of the greatest sprinters of all time (she's got 4 gold medals from 3 different Olympics!) -- believes the threats of severe punishment will NOT deter all of the athletes who are hoping to use the Games to send a message to the world.

"I think that the athletes that feel compelled will do it regardless," Richards-Ross told the guys on "TMZ Live" ... "Good luck with people paying fines for being able to express themselves."

So, what is the IOC afraid of?

Sanya says she always hears officials talk about protests being a "distraction from the performances" ... but she begs to differ.

"I think that it adds to the competition. I think that it shows what people are passionate about. It gives you more depth of what the athletes are feeling.

Athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics are NOT allowed to participate in any protests or demonstrations on the field of play, during an official ceremony or at the podium ... and those who do will be punished.

The International Olympic Committee revealed its policy for the Summer Games on Wednesday -- saying it spent 11 months consulting with various experts and athletes before drawing up its plan.

The main takeaway ... the IOC says after polling more than 3,500 elite athletes and Olympians ranging in age from 16 to 55+, it became obvious the "majority" are in favor of strict rules against demonstrations.

"A very clear majority of athletes said that they think it's not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium," IOC Athletes' Commission chief Kirsty Coventry said.

"So our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such."

What happens if an athlete violates the rule?

The IOC is currently working with the Legal Affairs Commission to "come out with a range of different sanctions so everyone knows what everyone can and cannot do."

In other words, they're still figuring out what the punishments will be.

The IOC announcement comes weeks after the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee decided it will NOT punish athletes who take a knee -- or engage in any other sort of peaceful protest -- at the Olympic trials.

However, the USOPC acknowledged it cannot prevent a "third party" -- like the IOC -- from taking action.

How's this for an epic summer pool party?!?!

Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel -- two of the best swimmers on the planet -- needed a pool so badly to train for the Olympics during the early goings of the pandemic in 2020 ... they straight-up went to a man's backyard for help!!

The story is pretty wild ... Ledecky and Manuel, who normally get their laps in at Stanford's facilities, found themselves pool-less in March '20 after the school closed due to coronavirus.

The two REALLY needed water, their coach, Greg Meehan, told Yahoo Sports this week ... 'cause the Tokyo Olympics had yet to be postponed, and trials were just weeks away.

"We were scrambling to find any water because the reality was the trials were going to be in about 12, 13, weeks,” said Meehan, who also coaches the Stanford women’s swim team.

"If we get stuck without being in water for a month or six weeks or something, it’s just not going to go well. I had thought a lot about what happens if we don’t find water. I was trying connections everywhere."

Enter Tod Spieker -- a swim legend who was an All-American at UCLA and a backstroker at the 1968 Olympic Trials -- who just so happened to have a great pool to offer up.

Meehan contacted Spieker -- who he knew through mutual friends -- about using the water ... and Tod told him no problem.

So, everyone rolled up to Spieker's house ... and stayed training there for months!

Meehan said the setup was incredible, given the circumstances -- it was equipped with clocks, starting blocks and backstroke flags -- and the two Olympians put in WORK there until their regular facilities opened back up in June.

"It wasn’t three months of the greatest training of their life," Meehan said, "but it was enough to keep the engine running."

Sakura Kokumai was minding her own business while training in a park when she was accosted by a stranger ... in the latest disturbing example of anti-Asian sentiment in America.

The U.S Olympic karate athlete says she was at a park in Orange, CA last week when the angry man began yelling at her out of nowhere ... so she recorded it.

The man makes several threats and hurls insults at Sakura before finally getting in his car to leave, but not before she says she heard him drop some racial slurs as well.

She describes the incident as horrible, adding ... "I don’t know which was worse, a stranger yelling and threatening to hurt me for no reason or people around me who witnessed everything and not doing a thing."

Sakura says toward the end of his rant, a woman finally did ask if she was okay.

The Olympic athlete says she decided to share her experience as a reminder this is happening all over the country ... and we need to take better care of each other.

She also told reporters ... "I was aware about the anti-Asian hate that was going on. You see it almost every day on the news. But, I didn’t think it would happen to me at a park I usually go to train."

North Korea's Olympic dreams are dead -- the country has pulled out of the Tokyo Games claiming the threat of COVID is simply too dangerous for its athletes.

Officials broke the news on a state-run website ... explaining the decision to bail on the Games was made during a March 25 conference call involving leaders of the country's Olympic Committee.

Here's the statement (translated by Google):

"The Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games on the proposal of the members to protect our athletes from the global public health crisis caused by the vicious virus infectious disease."

North Korea still has to file the formal paperwork -- the International Olympic Committee says it hasn't received an "official" notice of withdrawal from the games.

Unclear how many athletes will be affected by the decision -- but North Korea only sent 22 competitors to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

As for Tokyo, city officials have repeatedly said they're implementing all sorts of COVID protocols to ensure the highest levels of safety at the event, which is scheduled to begin in July.