The twitterverse reacts to the Canada-U.S soccer semi

Andy Murray's gone to the dogs

Maggie May has 11,731 followers on Twitter and an Olympic gold medal.

Maggie is a dog, but she's British Oympic tennis star Andy Murray's dog so one day after Murray posed proudly wearing his gold and silver, his pair of pooches got their turns. Rusty, who doesn't have a Twitter account, got to wear the silver.

Maggie wrote: “Here we go folks… Just checking to make sure Rusty definitely has the silver, obviously.”

Murray's longtime girlfriend Kim Sears is reportedly the author of the dog tweets, although she gets enough attention on her own with posts about what she's wearing and whether her hairstyle is better than Kate Middleton's.

Murray has 3 million followers on Twitter. One of them is Maggy May.

Rusty, left, and Maggie May are Andy Murray's dogs.

Andy Murray before the dogs got to him.

 

Say Yes to the Games

An unexpected Olympic tribute has just turned up from former Yes singer Jon Anderson.

Working with the  "Chariots of Fire" theme song by Vangelis, Anderson has created "Race to the End," a moody montage of great Olympic moments.

The song has been released on YouTube but will have its live debut tomorrow in London, when Anderson performs a special concert at the Sadler's Wells Theatre with popular Slovakian singer Miro Zbirka and the Slovak Symphonic Orchestra.

Anderson promises to perform "some classic songs I wrote with Yes and Vangelis, plus some new songs in a concert for Earth and Peace at the 2012 Olympic Games."

 

 

 

Beware Olympic malware

There isn't always an app for that.

An Internet security firm is warning that some Olympic apps for Android mobile devices are really just fronts for malicious software interested in information mining.

People are turning to downloadable applications to help them follow particular sports at the Olympics or to compile the results they're interested in. The security firm Webroot is warning caution, though.

For example, Webroot checked out one app called "London Olympics Widget" (which appears to have been purged from Google Play and the Amazon App Store for Android already.)

"It appears intended to show the user aggregated 2012 Olympics news. What it really does however is harvest your contact list, device id(IMEI), and reads your SMS messages," reported Webroot's Joe McManus.

Amazon and Google don't screen Android apps beforehand but will investigate reports of malware, McManus said.

He offers these guidelines to police your own security:

"When installing apps look at who the author/author company is. If the author is listed, search the name and see if it is a reputable or related company."

 

Not a word on your sponsors, athletes told

London2012 official picture

This is Xiaoxiang Dai of China celebrating his bronze medal win in men's individual archery. Why the yellow tape on his hat? According to Brand Channel, which has been watching the sponsorship war at the London Games, it's because black stitching on his black cap said "Chicago Bears." And the Bears aren't an official sponsor at the Games.

Athletes, particularly U.S. track and field competitors, are rising up against what they consider the draconian International Olympic Committee rules to gag mention of anything not sanctioned. A petition at Change.org has a few hundred signatures. American stars such as Nick Symmonds and Sanya Richards-Ross are coordinating a Twitter campaign with the hashtags #Rule40 and #wedemandchange to protest being forbidden from mentioning their sponsors. Symmonds has had to cover a shoulder tattoo for sponsors Milwaukee ad agency Hanson Dodge Creative.

"They've paid for my bills, my travel, my coaching, put food on my table," said of his sponsors which include non-official running shoe Nike. "I can't give them any return on their investment."

"We must be free to tweet," American gold medallist Richards-Ross said at the news conference after her win.

U.K. athletes have been told to stop wearing Beats headphones before competition because they're not official sponsors, the Associated Press reports.

U.S. track star Nick Symmonds with his $11,000 sponsorship tattoo.

 

 

You too can be an Olympic hurdler

The average desk-jockey can now try their hand at Olympic hurdling. Well, sort of.

Tuesday's Google doodle, the latest in their London 2012-inspired series, allows searchers to live out their Olympic dreams via a hurdling game.

To play, click to activate the game, then use the left and right arrow keys to pick up the runner's pace. A tap on the space bar will help the athlete clear the obstacles. At the end of the quick race, players are awarded a time and a medal.

Competition heated up on the Star's Olympics web desk, with Aneurin Bosley clocking the gold medal-worthy time of 13.8 seconds. Jennifer Wilson narrowly beat Spencer Walsh for the silver, making it to the finish line in 17.7 seconds to his 17.8. And Elizabeth Haggarty just missed the podium with her 22.5 second sprint.

Their results:

The fastest footballer on earth

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is taking the world's fastest man up on his idea of turning his feet to soccer.

"If you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I'll speak to the boss!! Well done in 100m, waiting for you to smash the 200m now!" Ferdinand told Usain Bolt via Twitter.

The Jamaican world record holder had told the British tabloid The Sun: "People think I am joking, but if Alex Ferguson called me up and said: 'OK, let’s do this, come and have a trial,' it would be impossible for me to say no.

"I would be the fastest player in the team, but I can play as well."

Bolt is in London at least through Thursday, when he will race for his second straight Olympic gold in the 200-metre final to go with the two 100-meter golds he now has.

If the Man U manager  needs to see what he's like on the pitch, Bolt has posted a video of himself  playing pick-up soccer in Jamaica right before the Olympics. Bolt posted videos earlier of him meeting Man U players and of him kicking around a soccer ball with his coach.

The morning after Canada's soccer nightmare

It looked a little harsh, Wall Street Journal sportswriter Joe Melvin said in his live blog of the Canada-U.S. soccer match penalty call.

Very rarely called, said Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.

Harsh, very harsh on Canada, wrote the BBC's Paul  Fletcher.

The decision was shocking, declared The New York Times.

And from actor and prolific Olympic tweeter Samuel L. Jackson: "Lemme say though, those Canuck Ladies brought da noise! They came to WIN! Ehhh?!!"

The sports world consensus after the heart-stopping, heartbreaking Canadian 4-3 loss to the U.S. Monday night was that it was one of the great games of soccer laced with one of the more head-shaking referee foul calls against Canada's Erin McLeod for a six-second violation.

"Even the U.S. players said they were surprised by the call," the NY Times reported. "Goalkeeper Hope Solo said she couldn’t recall an instance when a call was made without a warning. Coach Pia Sundhage said flatly, “I haven’t seen that before.”

What wasn't in dispute was the game played by Canada's Christine Sinclair.

"Spare a thought for Canadian skipper Christine Sinclair," said Britain's Daily Telegraph. "She struck a hat-trick worthy of a commemorative plaque on the walls of Old Trafford."

From Sports Illustrated's Wahl:

"The U.S. isn’t used to giving up three goals, and the Americans had gone 26 games and 11 years since their last defeat to Canada. Sinclair put the Canadians ahead three separate times."

"This semi-final showdown is a clash of two of women’s soccer’s greatest ever forwards," said the Wall Street Journal's Joe Melvin.

And from that other women's soccer forward, the U.S.'s Abby Wambach: "Christine Sinclair couldn’t have had a better game. Credit to Canada. They're a great team."

 

 

 

Chinese star Liu Xiang hops out of the Games

AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza

Liu Xiang is out of the London Games — and he had to leave on one foot.

The 2004 Olympic champion crashed on the first hurdle of his 100-meter heat. He grabbed his lower right leg and hopped toward the closest exit. Officials, however, directed him to the other end of Olympic Stadium. Liu then hopped the entire stretch of the track on his left foot, even pausing near the end for a break.

- Associated Press

Olympics Tuesday: Here’s what we’re watching

Canada is one of a handful of countries to line up a trio of racers at the start of the men’s triathlon, and all are legitimate shots at the podium (6:30 a.m.). Two-time medallist and flag bearer Simon Whitfield, who delighted the country with his surprise gold in Sydney and silver in Beijing, will be joined by friends and frequent Victoria running mates Kyle Jones and Brent McMahon.

Canada faces the U.S. in women’s basketball (9 a.m.) after qualifying for the quarter-finals for the first time. The Americans have won 38 straight Olympic games and the last four gold medals.

Cyclist Tara Whitten sits fourth heading into the final day of women’s omnium (three events, 6 a.m. start).

Diver Alex Despatie of Laval, Que., is in the men's three-metre springboard semifinal (5 a.m., final at 2 p.m.). Despatie qualified ninth, Francois Imbeau-Dulac of St-Lazare, Que., 12th.

Canadian synchronized swimmers Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon and Elise Marcotte are fourth heading into the duet final (10 a.m.).

Canadians Derek Drouin and Michael Mason are in the men's high jump final (2 p.m.).

Canada’s Jessica Zelinka, Phylicia George and Nikkita Holder are in the women’s 100-metre hurdles semis (10:05 a.m.).

Custio Clayton of Dartmouth, N.S., is up against home-country favourite Freddie Evans in a welterweight boxing quarter-final (4:45 p.m.).

The women's basketball team takes on defending Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, the world-record holder and defending champion in the men’s 200 metres, begins his quest for a repeat (6:50 a.m.).

CTV Morning: Men’s springboard diving semis (4 a.m.), men’s triathlon (7:45 a.m.*), gymnastics (9 a.m.*). Afternoon: Beach volleyball (12:05 p.m.), athletics (1:45 p.m.*), women’s volleyball (4:30 p.m.).

TSN Morning: Men’s triathlon (6:30 a.m.*), women’s basketball (9 a.m.), track cycling and men’s soccer (11 a.m.). Afternoon: Diving (2 p.m.).

SN Morning: Track cycling (6 a.m.), canoe/kayak sprint (7 a.m.), women’s volleyball (8 a.m.), synchronized swimming (10 a.m.*). Afternoon: Men’s soccer, men’s diving (12 p.m.).

OLN Morning: Equestrian (5 a.m.*), women’s volleyball (11 a.m.). Afternoon: women’s volleyball (2 p.m.).

Key:

*denotes medal events

SN: Sportsnet

All times are EDT

TV times subject to change

-Star staff

Simon Whitfield, Reuters photo