The Women’s Sports Foundation chose Olympic Gymnast, Nastia Liukin as their individual Sportswoman of the Year at their annual banquet on Tuesday. The 18-year-old Liukin won five medals at the Beijing Games, including the Gold Medal in the women’s all-around competition.

US Women’s Softball player, Jessica Mendoza was awarded the Team Sportswoman of the Year award.

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Tim Montgomery set a world record in the 100m and was awarded a Gold Medal in the 400m relay in the 2000 Games and a Silver Medal in the same event four years later. Since then, his life has been one big set of mistakes and missed opportunites. His track and field achievements were erased in the doping scandal that also included his former companion (and fellow Olympian), Marian Jones. Last year, Montgomery pled guilty to helping his former coach (and Olympic champion), Steve Riddick in a $1.7 million forged check scheme in New York.

This year, Montgomery, 33, was videotaped selling heroin to a DEA informant in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He pled guilty to the charges and Friday, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the offense. He will begin serving that term after he completes his 46-month sentence in New York for the check-kiting conviction.

Riddick is currently serving a five-year sentence. Jones, with whom Montgomery has a child, was just released from prison after serving a six-month sentence.

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New Zealand’s Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, the Gold Medalists in the women’s double sculling event in both the Beijing and the Athens games, announced their retirement from the sport on Friday (New Zealand time), which happens to be their 30th birthday. The rowing twins are one of just a handful of New Zealand athletes to earn back-to-back Gold Medals. They gave no indication of what their next ventures will be, although the pair is active on the New Zealand and international speaking circuit.

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Canadian residents can request tickets for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games from now until November 7, 2008 by visiting the Vancouver 2010 Web site. Residents of the United States can get information on tickets via Cosport, the official hospitality provider for the Vancouver Olympic Games, beginning October 10. Residents of other countries are advised to inquire of their national Olympic committee Web site.

The Vancouver Olympic Games will be held February 12 - 28, 2010

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With Misty May-Treanor injured, that leaves just one Olympian to vie for the mirror ball trophy on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”–sprinter, Maurice Greene. Appropriately, the two-time Olympian and dance partner, Cheryl Burke stepped up their game last night with the jive, danced to “Rockin’ round the Clock.” The judges rewarded them with a score of 25, putting them in a tie for second place. I’ll post the video of their dance when it becomes available.

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Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (in beach volleyball) Misty May-Treanor injured her Achilles tendon on Friday when training for the ABC show, “Dancing with the Stars.” The 31-year-old champion will undergo surgery today to repair the injury. She and dance partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy have withdrawn from the competition. Too bad for Treanor, who was doing well on the show. We wish her a speedy recovery.

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It’s been quite a year for rookie Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker. She was the #1 player in the WNBA draft this season, helped lead the US women’s baskeball team to the Gold Medal in Beijing, and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. As of Friday, she can add the league’s MVP Award to her collection.

The 22-year-old, 6″4′ Parker is the first player to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same year.

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Ueberroth will continue his service to the USOC as President in an honorary capacity–a non-voting, non-Board member position that will last for two years. His new role will also focus primarily on the USOC’s partnership with Chicago 2016 and bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States.

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The other Olympian competing on the show, Maurice Greene was a little less polished, but he should be safe through at least this week’s elimination. Greene and his dance partner, Cheryl Burke danced the rumba. He was a little jerky and seemed to be leering at Cheryl much of the time. Best to keep your mind on the music, Maurice. Their routine is below:

We’ll see if the Olympic duo is safe on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” results show tonight at 9pm (EDT).

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Ethopia’s Haile Gebrselassie sucessfully defended his Berlin Marathon title yesterday, September 28, 2008. He set a new world marathon record of 2:03:59. Gebrselassie, 35, won Olympic Gold in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta and the 2000 Sydney Games. He made the Beijing team, but withdrew from the marathon. Gebrselassie, an asthma sufferer, was concerned about the city’s air pollution adversely affecting his health.

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Michael Phelps returned to the University of Michigan over the weekend, the school he attended between 2004 and 2008 and where he trained leading up to the Beijing Olympics. Phelps was honored with other Michigan Olympians during halftime at the Michigan-Wisconsin Game on Saturday.

Phelps was also named the USA’s Swimming Athlete of the Year this weekend, to the surprise of few people, if any. Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman won the swimming coach of the year award earlier in the month.

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The City of London hoisted the Olympic and Paralympic flags outside of City Hall on Friday as part of a ceremony getting ready for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be held in the city. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson was joined by a collection of Olympians from the 1948 London Games. The flags with fly daily with the British Union Jack until the end of the Games.

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The controversy surrounding the ages of the Gold-Medal-winning Chinese womens gymnastic team is continuing. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) are examining whether He Kexin and Yang Yilin were truly the required 16 years required to compete at the Olympics. They have also expanded their inquiry to include the Chinese competitors at the 2000 Sydney Games, where China won a Bronze Medal. They are examining whether Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao on that squad were old enough to compete.

A spokeswoman for the FIG, Emmanuelle Moreau told the Associated Press on Wednesday at the inquiry “is a work in progress. Until the work is completed, there is nothing we can say.” The minimum age for gymnasts was raised to 16 years in 1997.

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Bolt won three Gold Medals at the Beijing Olympic Games this summer in the 100m, 200m, and 4×100m events.

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As you know the 2010 Winter Games are being held in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. To help you plan your trip or to just get you into the spirit of the site, British Columbia is offering a free set of travel guides. To request your online or print copy, visit the British Columbia tourism Web site and complete the short form. The Vancouver Winter Games are going to be here before we know it.

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France, who has hosted the Winter Olympic Games three times, announced today that they are putting together a bid for the 2018 Games. Under consideration are the cities of Annecy, Nice, and Grenoble. The 1924 Winter Games were held in Chamonix, the 1968 Games in Grenoble, and the 1992 Games in Albertville (pictured above).

France intends to announce their candidate city in early 2009. They have at least one rival. Munich Germany has already announced her plans to bid for the 2018 Games.

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“Dancing with the Stars” continues today at 9pm with another dance from each contestant (except the low scorer from night one). Another contestant will be eliminated on Wednesday night. I think Greene and Treanor are safe for this week.

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The United States dressage team was stripped of its fourth place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on September 7 after one team member’s horse, Courtney King’s “Mythilus,” tested positive for a banned substance used as a pain killer and anti-inflammatory. King also loses her 13th place individual finish at the Games. King was given a one-month suspension, which she has already served since she was suspended at the Beijing Games.

King’s dressage team mates are Steffen Peters (on Ravel) and Debbie McDonald (on Brentina). Germany won the event with the Netherlands and Denmark taking the Silver and Bronze Medals, respectively.

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Season seven of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” debuts this evening at 8pm with the first night of the three-night premiere. This season’s contestants include two Olympians: Misty May-Treanor, who won her season beach volleyball Gold Medal in Beijing, and Maurice Greene (pictured above), a sprinter who won two Gold Medals in Sydney in 2000. Treanor is paired with DWTS hearthrob, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Greene will be dancing with two-time DWTS champion, Cheryl Burke.

Olympians have traditionally done very well on the show. Speed skater, Apolo Anton Ohno won the contest in the fourth season and figure skater, Kristi Yamaguchi won the sixth season.

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Liu Xiang, China’s star 110m hurdler who had to withdraw from the Beijing event due to an Achille’s heel injury, stated yesterday that he will be traveling to the United States to seek treatment for his heel. Liu Xiang has previously preferred holistic medicine and massage rather than surgery, but says that he is reviewing all options.

Liu Xiang, a world champion, won the Gold Medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

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Serena Williams, who just won the womens singles title at the US Open and who, with her sister Venus, won the Olympic pairs Gold Medal in Beijing this summer, has announced that she will be writing her memoir (at the very old age of 26!). The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing–an imprint of Hachette Book Group, is scheduled to be released in mid-2009. The contract was reported to be worth more than $1 to Williams.

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