Agence France-Presse

CLOVIS–Police on Wednesday said they have recovered a one-of-a-kind bicycle swiped from Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong at a northern California racing venue.

A person brought the purloined Trek training bicycle to a police station in the city of Sacramento, where it was stolen during the weekend.

The person’s name was not released by police, who said the investigation of the theft is ongoing. Police said they returned the bicycle to Armstrong, who competed Wednesday in the Tour of California.

The seven-time Tour de France champion had used the bicycle Saturday at a rain-pelted, wind-pounded opening of the 750-mile race that continues through the week.

Armstrong’s bicycle was one of several stolen from an Astana team truck parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. A lock on the truck was clipped to get inside, according to police.

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Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines –More than 600 intellectually disabled athletes will gather in Lingayen, Pangasinan next month for the four-day national Special Olympics.

This year’s games serves as a prelude to the next World Special Olympics to be held in Athens, Greece.

Special Olympics Philippines (SOP), a non-profit organization that started in 1978, conducts these national games every two years.

In the most recent Special Olympics held in Shanghai, China in 2007 or a year before the Beijing Summer Olympics, a team of 40 athletes represented the country and won a total 52 medals, nine of them gold.

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By Esther Misa Chavez

Oakland– Thousands of Filipinos from the Bay Area showed up to give their support to the second Filipino Heritage Night during the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers game at the Oracle Arena.

Some Filipinos bought special tickets and wore their dark blue commemorative, while some well-heeled Pinoys shelled out $150 to be at the VIP lounge. Portions of the revenue benefited Filipino American non-profit organizations.

Filipino heritage was showcased before and during the ball game, starting with a martial arts performance from the Kamatuuran School of Kalijin under Joseph Arriola. Philippine flags and Filipino sports and martial arts memorabilia were also on display and for sale.

A quartet called “Pinay” composed of UC Berkeley alumnae sang the American anthem accapela and dancers from the Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble under Herna Cruz, were on center court during one of the time-outs dancing the Tinikling while the Warriors and Trail Blazers huddled around their respective coaches for the next game play.

Needless to say, the Warriors led most of the game and won 105-98 over Trail Blazers.

Franco Finn, the official Warriors “hype man” kept the crowds entertained with constant announcements of freebies and contests, as he tied the whole Pinoy Heritage Night into one great fun experience.

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Agence France-Presse

COLORADO SPRINGS–USA Swimming suspended Olympic superstar Michael Phelps for three months on Thursday, a “reprimand” after a published photograph showed him apparently smoking marijuana.

The national governing body of the sport stressed that the punishment was not for a doping violation, but said they wanted to send a “strong message” to Phelps about his status as a role model for young people.

“USA Swimming has reprimanded Michael Phelps uner its Code of Conduct by withdrawing financial support and the eligibility to compete for a period of three months effective today, February 5,” a statement from USA Swimming said.

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THE Golden State Warriors are holding Filipino Heritage Night #2 on Thursday, February 12 against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Oracle Arena , which will start at 7:30 p.m., the team has announced.

The first Filipino Heritage Night, which drew over 2,500 fans and created the demand for the upcoming event, was held last November 21 against the Chicago Bulls.

As part of the evening, Filipino cultural elements will be on display, including a Filipino cultural performance on-court prior to the game.

Fans can purchase a special discounted Filipino Heritage Night ticket for $30 (with additional savings available for groups of 20-or-more), which includes a seat in the Filipino Heritage Night section and a limited edition Filipino Heritage Night t-shirt.

A portion of each ticket sold as part of the Filipino Heritage Night package will be donated to Bay Area Filipino non-profit organizations.

For more information on the Golden State Warriors, log on to www.warriors.com.

UPDATE: After 13 rounds, Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So emerges as the champion in the Group C of the Corus Chess tournament in the Netherlands.

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After 12 rounds, Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So finishes on top of Group C of the Corus Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.

According to the Corus Chess website, So has earned a total of 9 points, making him the number one contender in Group C.

This Filipino teen sensation has been competing in the Corus Chess tournament, which started January 16 and ended on February 1.

Based on the Corus Chess website, the standings are as follows: So with 9 points; Anish Giri with 8; Tiger Hillarp Persson with 7½; David Howell with 7; Abhijeet Gupta with 6½; Frank Holzke with 6; Frisco Nijboer, Dronavalli Harika, Manuel Bosboom, and Roeland Pruijssers all with 5½; Manuel Leon Hoyos with 5; Eduardo Iturrizaga and Ali Bitalzadeh with 4½; and finally Oleg Romanishin with 4.

You can watch the games here.

Thanks to readers Bobby Echeverria and Patrick So for the heads up.