e All-Star Game is a great step, and hopefully its a sign of things to come from the league. They should be applauded for taking a stand, but frankly it was politica

GENEVA -- A two-time Wimbledon singles champion, two Tour de France winners and an Olympic discus gold medalist had the same answer Thursday to the latest leak by hackers of confidential medical information: so what?Petra Kvitova, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Robert Harting -- all Rio de Janeiro Olympians last month -- reacted with sarcasm and shrugs to the leak from the World Anti-Doping Agency database.The four athletes said their use of approved medications was already widely reported or they welcomed the openness resulting from an alleged Russian-led cyberattack that WADA believes is revenge for investigations into a state-backed doping program in Russia.To say that Petra Kvitova suffers from asthma and uses medication for treatment is the same revelation as saying shes won Wimbledon, a spokesman for the Czech tennis player, Karel Tejkal, said.German discus thrower Robert Harting, the 2012 Olympic champion, wrote on Twitter that We dont hide anything. go transparency!Ive openly discussed my TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions) with the media and have no issues with the leak which confirms my statements, three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome said.Kvitova, Harting and Froome were headline names among 25 athletes from eight countries -- including 10 from the United States -- whose confidential details of using authorized medications spilled into the public domain late Wednesday.All three competed at the Rio Olympics where Kvitova and Froome won bronze medals.Also leaked was detail of asthma medication used by Wiggins, another British winner of the Tour de France and winner of a fifth career Olympic gold in Rio.Theres nothing new here, a statement issued on behalf of Wiggins said. Everyone knows Brad suffers from asthma; his medical treatment is BC (British Cycling) and UCI (International Cycling Union) approved.WADA confirmed a second round of leaked data posted online, after medical records of gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams were among four American female Olympians whose data was revealed Tuesday.All 29 cases revealed records of Therapeutic Use Exemptions which allow athletes to use otherwise-banned substances because of a verified medical need. There is no suggestion any of the athletes broke any rules.The substances identified in the leaks are typically anti-inflammatory medications and treatments for asthma and allergies.Froomes use of strong anti-inflammatory medication, approved by the UCI for the 2014 Tour de Romandie race in Switzerland, was widely reported two years ago.In nine years as a professional Ive twice required a TUE for exacerbated asthma, the last time was in 2014, said Froome, who won his third Tour de France title in July. He took a bronze medal in the time trial at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last month.The latest round of leaks identified 10 American athletes, five from Germany, five from Britain, and one each from Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russia.I am furious that the hacking group is using such insolent and illegal methods, said Michael Ask, head of Anti-Doping Denmark.Danish swimmer Pernille Blume, who won gold in Rio de Janeiro in the 50-meter freestyle, had done nothing wrong, Ask told Denmark TV2 channel. She has followed the rules and gotten permission to use the asthma medication which she uses -- like many other athletes.Harting was revealed to have permission to use medications during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he finished fourth.The statement on behalf of Wiggins said the leak was an attempt to undermine the credibility of WADA and thats something for them to deal with.WADA said Wednesday that the Russian hacking group known as Fancy Bears had illegally gained access to its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System, or ADAMS, and said it included confidential medical data.To those athletes that have been impacted, we regret that criminals have attempted to smear your reputations in this way; and, assure you that we are receiving intelligence and advice from the highest level law enforcement and IT security agencies that we are putting into action, WADA director general Olivier Niggli said in a statement.Niggli said WADA had no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency, and the global anti-doping system, because of independent investigations that exposed state-sponsored doping in Russia.Russian officials have dismissed the claims as ridiculous.How can you prove that the hackers are Russian? Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said through a translator during a visit to Athens on Wednesday. You blame Russia for everything. It is very `in now.Last month, hackers obtained a database password for Russian runner Yuliya Stepanova, a whistleblower and key witness for the WADA investigations. She and her husband, a former official with the Russian national anti-doping agency, are now living at an undisclosed location in North America.The International Olympic Committee said after Tuesdays WADA statement that it strongly condemns such methods which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes.The hackers, who have set up their own website, have not responded to messages seeking comment. Their chosen name, Fancy Bears, appears to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of Russia-linked hackers that security researchers have blamed for a recent spate of attacks -- and which WADA holds responsible for the current breach.The group has proclaimed its allegiance to Anonymous, the loose-knit movement of online mischief-makers, and says it hacked WADA to show the world how Olympic medals are won.Well keep on telling the world about doping in elite sports, the group said Thursday. Stay tuned for new leaks.---Associated Press writer Raphael Satter in London and Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, and AP Sports Writers Dennis Passa in Sydney and Rob Harris in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report Iman Shumpert Jersey . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. DeMarcus Cousins Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.cheapsacramentokingsjerseys.com/ . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Zach Randolph Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Harry Giles Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. The NBA announced Thursday evening that the league has opted to move the NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, in response to ongoing criticism of North Carolinas HB2, a controversial law that most notably requires that people use bathrooms in publicly funded spaces that reflect the gender associated with the biological sex on their birth certificates.The decision has been lauded by LGBTQ advocates as a progressive step by the NBA, especially when organizations such as the NFL and NCAA each had similar opportunities to send messages through moving events, but opted not to.The NBA has exercised strong leadership when it comes to their values of diversity and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ people, said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Charlotte based LGBTQ advocacy organization Campus Pride, in a phone interview. The NBA gave fair warning that if North Carolina did not repeal the law, they would not bring their business. They gave them time to do it, and the responsibility really lies at the feet of the legislature.HB2 has come under fire specifically due to its aggressive stance towards discriminating toward transgender individuals, something that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory still refutes.The sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the liberal media have for months misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present, McCrory said in a statement.However, his statement demonstrates his lack of fundamental understanding about trans people. The continuing attacks on transgender identity, particularly trans women, are rooted in an irrational fear that men will dress as women to gain access to female spaces in the name of transgender inclusion. Not only is there no documented case of that happening anywhere in the country, but his misunderstanding of transgender identity opens up all gender non-conforming people to discrimination. The NBAs announcement is a direct condemnation of the climate created by this law, and a tacit tip of the cap to the transgender community -- something not unnoticed by trans athletes.A lot of organizations say that they value diversity and inclusion, but the NBA has taken a very impactful stance, Chris Mosier, transgender athlete and executive director of GO! Athletes, said via text message. Other organizations should consider following in the NBAs footsteps to protect their athletes and fans. Most notably, I think the NCAA should take a hard look at the future of championship games and events held in the state.Where the NBA decides to put the 2017 All-Star Game, however, is just as important as the decision to remove it from North Carolina. The requirement for being relatively LGBTQ friendly is messy and clearly hasnt been a historical consideration. The NBA has established a far from simple precedent: what is the threshold for discrimination that bars a city from hosting the All-Star Game?Since 2003, the NBA All-Star Game has been held in nine states and one Canadian province. Eight of these states -- Georgia (2003), Colorado (2005), Texas (2006, 2010, 2013), Nevada (2007), Louisianaa (2008, 2014), Arizona (2009), Florida (2012) and New York (2015) -- did not have statewide protections on the basis of gender identity and expression.dddddddddddd And of the cities that played host, only Los Angeles, Denver and New Orleans had local protections for trans people.As the news of this impending announcement from the NBA has been brewing, reports from ESPN and The Vertical indicate that New Orleans is a frontrunner to receive the game. While North Carolina is certainly unfriendly, Louisiana is not exactly a beacon of LGBTQ equality.Even though anti-sodomy laws -- which criminalized sexual activity between same-sex partners -- were declared unconstitutional in 2003 by the Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, Louisiana not only continues to have the statute on the books, but voted overwhelmingly in favor of keeping it there in 2014. Although New Orleans has an LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinance, Louisiana lacks protections for LGBTQ individuals through statewide legislation. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards enacted LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections through executive order in April, but those only apply to state contractors.Chicago and New York/Brooklyn have also been named as possibilities, and both Illinois and New York have anti-discrimination statutes that are inclusive of transgender people.The NBA reserves the right to change its mind, and the particular case of the anti-trans aggression within HB2 seemed to be the breaking point of the league. Even with this grandiose move, relocating the All-Star Game still rings a bit hollow when considering the fact that the NBA could do more.Another option for the NBA is to recognize that North Carolina needs help, Windmeyer said. If anything, the NBA could think about how could we help North Carolina get the education and visibility through organizations like Campus Pride and other local and statewide organizations that are living and breathing here?Giving credit where credit is due, the NBA and WNBA are the only two professional leagues to march in a Pride parade as they did in New York in June. The NBA also sold T-shirts for LGBTQ Pride Month, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The WNBA is the only professional sports league, men or women, with a league-wide LGBTQ Pride initiative, which began in 2014.More, however, still needs to be done. The NBA could require LGBTQ education for all of its coaches, clear down to its youth leagues. The league could also encourage stadiums to include gender-inclusive restrooms with arena renovations. Additionally, the league could enact a transgender inclusive policy for its youth leagues, and push for legislation within states that could make passing these discriminatory provisions more difficult.Moving the All-Star Game is a great step, and hopefully its a sign of things to come from the league. They should be applauded for taking a stand, but frankly it was politically expedient for them to do so. When the league moves beyond the symbolism and into the realm of actionable change, that will be a day to truly celebrate. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '