Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Sunday, October 04, 2026

Pre-exercise caffeine enhances repeated sprint performance for at least 3.5 hours

Coffee is a miracle drink! Here is more evidence! 😊

"In the study, 12 healthy young adults consumed either caffeine (5.5 mg per kilogram of body mass) or a placebo 60 minutes before exercise. Participants then completed repeated cycling sprint tests over 3.5 hours. Physiological measurements included plasma caffeine and noradrenaline concentrations, cardiovascular and respiratory responses, cerebral blood flow, and ratings of perceptual responses. Caffeine enhanced both mean and peak sprint power output, with noticeable performance benefits for at least 3.5 hours after ingestion. ..."

From the abstract:
"Introduction:
Caffeine is well recognized to acutely enhance repeated sprint performance during intermittent exercise involving brief, repeated efforts. However, it remains unclear whether a single pre-exercise dose improves repeated sprint performance, and whether it alters noradrenergic, cardiorespiratory, and perceptual responses over several hours.

Methods:
12 healthy young adults (4 females) completed two randomized, double-blind trials ingesting caffeine (5.5 mg·kg⁻¹) or placebo. Approximately 60 min after ingestion, participants performed three repeated sprint sets over a 3.5 h protocol. Each set consisted of 5 min of moderate-intensity cycling followed by 6 × 5 s sprints.
Plasma samples were collected for caffeine and noradrenaline concentration analysis. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), leg muscle pain, respiratory variables, and heart rate were recorded. Middle cerebral artery mean blood velocity (MCAVmean), an index of cerebral blood flow, was measured using transcranial Doppler, and carotid artery blood flow was assessed using ultrasound.

Results:
Caffeine increased mean sprint power across repeated sprint sets compared with placebo (P < 0.05), with modest but consistent effects sustained up to 3.5 h post-ingestion (0.5-2.4%). Peak power was also enhanced in the second and third sets, with increases of up to 3.7% (P < 0.05).
These effects were accompanied by higher plasma noradrenaline concentrations (P < 0.05) and lower RPE and leg muscle pain (P < 0.05).
Caffeine also reduced partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 and MCAVmean, and increased heart rate (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:
A single pre-exercise dose of caffeine (5.5 mg·kg⁻¹) sustains ergogenic effects across multiple repeated sprint bouts over 3.5 h post-ingestion. These improvements were observed alongside increased noradrenergic activity, reduced perceptual strain, and concomitant cardiorespiratory responses."

Pre-exercise caffeine enhances repeated sprint performance for at least 3.5 hours

Pre-Exercise Caffeine Enhances Repeated Sprint Performance for at Least 3.5 Hours (original news release) "Researchers at University of Tsukuba have reported that consuming caffeine before exercise enhances performance during repeated cycling sprints and that these benefits persist for at least 3.5 hours thereafter. These findings suggest that a single pre-exercise caffeine dose may help athletes maintain performance during prolonged competitions and tournament-style events."

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

An 11-year-old British girl is now the youngest woman grandmaster in chess history. Really!

Makes me wonder how many adults are still playing chess?

"... She earned the title at the Olympiad in Uzbekistan last week, beating a record held by two 12-year-olds"

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 - Join The Flyover



Bodhana Sivanandan started playing chess when she came across a board during the COVID pandemic


Monday, August 24, 2026

World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing 2026 (only the second games ever since 2025)

Very impressive results so far! There were also some other interesting results reported from these games.

"A humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra ran the 100-meter dash in 9.39 seconds Saturday at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, beating Usain Bolt’s human world record of 9.58 seconds, set in 2009. ...

Another X-Humanoid machine cleared 2.88 meters in the high jump, well above the 2.45-meter human record. More than 2,000 robots from 16 countries are competing in 51 events, including soccer, boxing, and tug of war ..."

Monday, August 24, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Thursday, August 06, 2026

French Trans female basketball player dominating French women's league responds to calls to play in the US WNBA

The French people allowed this to happen! What went wrong with cherchez la femme? Mon dieu! Mon amour! Ne me quitte pas! J'accuse!

Why did the French female players not boycott or protest biological male? No vive la résistance! C'est dommage!

This transgender women is not even tall!

Should I ever be sentenced to jail, I will become a woman too! I wonder how many other sentenced guys would follow me? Just kidding!

"He's only been a woman for five years, but he's ready to bring his hard-nosed style of play to the WNBA.

Julie Tétart is not just one of the best players in a league in France; the center absolutely dominated the 2025-2026 season in every relevant category.

'It's a childhood dream just like for any female basketball player.'

The Monaco player, who stands at 6'2"-6'3" depending on the source, ran through France's Ligue 2 opponents last season ..."

Trans basketball player dominating French women's league responds to calls to play in WNBA | Blaze Media




Saturday, July 25, 2026

Protecting Women’s Sports in the US, Including competitive Dancing!

Food for thought!

"... Since 2023, the world’s largest Irish dance organization, An Coimisiún le Rinci Gaelacha (CLRG), together with the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA), has permitted a young man who identifies as female to compete in girls’ competitions. He now participates in the Girls Under 17 category at the regional, North American, and world levels. ...

Even after President Donald Trump’s executive order banned men from women’s sports, CLRG, as an Irish organization, claimed immunity from American law. As a woman who competed up to the World Championship level in Irish dance, one of the authors of this piece has personally witnessed, and taken part in, the widespread response against this injustice. ..."

Protecting All Women's Sports

Monday, July 20, 2026

Obesity: How Big Soda Leveraged the World Cup Spotlight. Really!

The hottest take on the FIFA Club World Cup 2026?

"Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup allowed the company to use branded replay and clip videos and social media campaigns that vastly expanded the company’s reach beyond live matches—including to children ...

By aligning its brand with athletic excellence, Coca-Cola perpetuates a false sense of health and legitimacy that directly contradicts what sport represents,” ..."

Global Health NOW: As Aid Cuts Deepen, Countries Rush to Adapt; and How Big Soda Leveraged the World Cup Spotlight

Saturday, July 18, 2026

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) releases guidelines to avoid 'sexualization' of female athletes on camera

Is this part of the Islamization of Europe? Just kidding!

"... The European Broadcasting Union put out a 23-page report recently that demanded broadcasters cease using camera angles that they say contribute to the "sexualization" of women. ..."

"... With a focus on raising editorial standards, the publication features clear, visual examples of camera work and broadcast direction that demonstrate how to prioritize technical skill while upholding the professionalism and dignity of women in sport. ..."

Europe bans 'sexualization' of female athletes on camera, but viewers are stating the obvious | Blaze Media "European broadcasters demand that networks stop using certain camera angles."







Friday, July 10, 2026

NFL players are 4X more likely to die of neurodegenerative diseases

Maybe the NFL should try unprotected again like British rugby!

Have British rugby players ever been compared to NFL players in this respect?

At least many former NFL players can afford the best doctors and treatments available! Pardon my facetious comment!

"NFL players are 4X more likely to die of neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, dementia, and Parkinson’s than the general population, finds a study of ~20,000 NFL players; the study, which was published in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, is the largest of its kind to date to examine mortality in pro football players."

From the abstract:
"Background
Empirical research demonstrates elevated neurodegenerative mortality among individuals with repetitive head impact (RHI) exposure, including National Football League (NFL) players. This investigation addressed prior methodological limitations, including selection bias, subjective diagnoses, and retrospective reporting, by analyzing the relationship between RHI exposure and neurodegenerative mortality in a fully enumerated, 5.8-fold larger cohort of NFL players.

Methods
A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted comprising all current and former NFL athletes who debuted between 1960 and 2019 and played at least one regular or postseason NFL game, with National Death Index records (1979–2023) matched to Sports Reference, LLC data. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health data compared to an age-, sex-, race-, and calendar-year-standardized general population. Sensitivity analysis assessed whether the observed excess neurodegenerative mortality could be attributed to competing risks using a cause-specific hazard simulation.

Findings
A total of 19,824 athletes had a cumulative 518,833 person-years (mean = 26.2 years, SD = 16.2), with 1994 decedents.
NFL players exhibited lower all-cause mortality (SMR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.67–0.74) but higher neurodegenerative mortality (SMR = 3.94; 95% CI: 3.38–4.56), including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SMR = 4.55; 95% CI = 3.13–6.38), 
all-cause dementia (SMR = 3.80; 95% CI = 3.11–4.60), and
Parkinson's disease (SMR = 3.88; 95% CI: 2.76–5.30).
Cause-specific hazard simulation indicated that competing risks alone would inflate the expected NDD SMR by a factor of 1.30, yielding a residual neurodegenerative SMR of 3.04 (95% CI: 2.63–3.50).

Interpretation
Neurodegenerative mortality was nearly four times higher in NFL players compared to the general population and remained threefold higher after accounting for competing risks. Together, these findings strengthen the evidence for RHI exposure-related neurodegenerative mortality in NFL players that cannot be explained by differential survivorship."

Global Health NOW: Cancer Outcomes Shaped by Income; and How the EMA’s Steffen Thirstrup Is ‘Standing Up for Science’

NFL Players Four Times More Likely to Die of Diseases Like ALS, Dementia, and Parkinson’s, BU Study Finds (original news release) "Analysis of nearly 20,000 current and former pro football players connects longer careers to increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases"

Monday, July 06, 2026

President Trump Asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to Review 'Bogus' Folarin Balogun Red Card

Highly unusual, but maybe not for President Trump!

What is wrong with one president calling another president? Just kidding!

Was it an accident or a foul?

Caveat: I am not familiar with the details of the incident that triggered the red card.

If the allegations against this referee are true, then why is he officiating at the 2026 World Cup?

"... “That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other,” Trump said.

“These were two great athletes who got tangled and this referee who is a little bit suspect if you check his past,” he added. “He made a call that nobody could believe.” ...

It turns out that Raphael Claus, a FIFA referee of Brazilian descent, was accused of match fixing in his native country in February 2023. ..."

Trump Asked FIFA to Review 'Bogus' Folarin Balogun Red Card






Sunday, April 26, 2026

London Marathon 2026 results: Sabastian Sawe makes history with first competitive sub-two-hour marathon

Wow! Very impressive!

"... The 31-year-old Kenyan crossed the line to win in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, more than one minute faster than the late [Kenyan] Kelvin Kiptum's previous record of 2:00:35, set in 2023. ..."

London Marathon 2026 results: Sabastian Sawe makes history with first competitive sub-two-hour marathon - BBC Sport



Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Autonomous, chinese made humanoid Robot beats human world record at Beijing half-marathon

Amazing stuff!

"The winning runner at a Beijing half-marathon for humanoid robots finished the race today in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — significantly faster than the human world record of 57 minutes recently set by Jacob Kiplimo. ...

this year’s winner was built by Chinese smartphone maker Honor.  ... the 50:26 robot was autonomous and won due to weighted scoring. ...

About 40% of participating robots competed autonomously, while the remaining 60% were remote controlled ..."

Robots beat human records at Beijing half-marathon | TechCrunch

Humanoid robot sprints to victory in Beijing, beating human half-marathon record "A humanoid robot has won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing, running faster than the human record"






Saturday, April 18, 2026

Over 300 humanoid robots will race a half-marathon in Beijing

Good news! I hope these robots will be well lubricated with machine oil! 😊

More than 70 teams are said to participate in this race.

This is the second such race in Beijing.

"Over 100 humanoid robots will race a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday, as teams test endurance, autonomy, and reliability under real-world conditions. "

"Summary
  • More than 300 humanoid robots to take part in 21 km event
  • The robots will face more challenging terrain in test of their technical advances
  • Nearly 40% of robots expected to navigate the course autonomously
  • In the 2025 race, every robot was remotely controlled
...

China dominates global humanoid robot installations, accounting for more than 80% of the 16,000 units installed worldwide in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.
The top U.S. vendor, Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab, only accounted for 5% of global humanoid installations, the ‌report said. ..."

Saturday, April 18, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Friday, March 27, 2026

Olympics Bar Biological Males from Women’s Events

Good news! Bravo! When common sense prevails!

What about biological females? I smell gender discrimination here! 😊

Why not let transgender individuals compete with each other?

"The International Olympic Committee on Thursday banned biological males from competing in women’s events at the Olympics, starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

This reverses a policy first adopted in 2004 that allowed transgender women to compete after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. ..."

Friday, March 27, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Sunday, February 22, 2026

US men and women teams beat Canada in ice hockey for gold at the Winter Olympics in Italy, gold for first time since 1980

It is a total shame that the US women's team win is has been so underreported in by the news media!

What a match up! Back at the Winter Olympics of 1980 in Lake Placid, the US won over the heavily favored team from the former Soviet Union!

Putin the Terrible must be fuming now! However, the Russian ice hockey teams (men/women) were excluded due to international sanctions!

Jack Hughes scores in overtime as US beats Canada for gold at the Olympics


Ice and gold! (source)