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SYDNEY -- Greyhound racing will be shut down in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 2017 after a state parliamentary inquiry found overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty.The inquirys report, released Thursday, found between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds were killed in the state in the past 12 years because they were deemed uncompetitive.It also found up to 20 percent of trainers had engaged in live baiting -- feeding live animals to the dogs -- and that on average 180 greyhounds a year suffered critical injuries during races.The inquiry was launched last year following reports of live baiting and mass killings in the greyhound industry.State Premier Mike Baird said in response to widespread illegal and unconscionable activity ... I can today announce an end to greyhound racing.Baird said his government, the first state administration to ban greyhound racing in the country, would announce detailed plans for the shutdown later this year following consultation with the industry and animal welfare organizations.He said the move would include a welfare plan for existing greyhounds, including opportunities for re-homing, a transition arrangement for existing Greyhound Racing NSW assets, including race tracks to ensure they are used as open public space.Baird said the state would be following many jurisdictions across the United States and the world which have banned greyhound racing to protect animal welfare.Greyhound trainer Bob Whitelaw, from the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, said he was devastated by the news.I can assure you that the industry will fight this to the finish. I have got no doubt, he said.But Baird said his government was left with no acceptable course of action except to close this industry down.In Queensland, animal welfare groups immediately called for a similar ban in that state.Greyhound racing is also banned in 38 U.S. states, and in South Africa and Italy, according to Australias Fairfax Media. Bruins Jerseys China . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Stitched Bruins Jerseys . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Bruins Jerseys 2019 . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Boston Bruins Gear .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Shortly after the 2012 London Olympics, U.S. BMX racer Connor Fields returned to his hometown of Las Vegas, bought a house and immediately set to work decorating. As a kid, hed adorned a wall in the family garage by writing a promise to himself to one day become a national champion, a world champ and an Olympic champ. A two-time Olympian and three-time World Cup winner, Fields has made good on most of those goals. But one still eludes him.So on the wall of his new home in Vegas, he placed another reminder. Among the pieces of art he purchased to commemorate the countries hed visited while competing around the world -- New Zealand, South Africa, France, Australia -- he placed a 6-foot wide panorama of the Rio de Janeiro skyline behind its famed Christ the Redeemer statue. It was an image of a city hed yet to visit, but held his aspirations for the next four years.Im not going to lie, says Fields, 23. There are days when you dont want to get up and go to work. Its nice to have a reminder of why youre getting off the couch, strapping on the helmet and going down an 8-meter-tall starting hill with seven dudes trying to kill you.After a strong start in the early rounds in London, Fields finished off the podium in seventh. It was a respectable showing for the youngest rider in the race (he was 19 at the time), but one that left him dissatisfied and wanting more. I was happy with my performance until finals, says Fields, who missed the latter half of the 2016 season with a broken hand but returned to competition in time to be granted a coachs selection for Rio. I had one bad start. But thats BMX racing. You could run the Olympic race 10 times and get 10 different winners. Thats what makes it so exciting for spectators. The fastest guy doesnt always win. But Im going to be more prepared this time for that bigger moment at the end.The same could be said for all five members of the U.S. team. Four of the five -- Fields, Nic Long, Alise Post and Brooke Crain -- competed in London. Corben Sharrah, who rounds out the Rio team and won the U.S. Olympic trials race in July, traveled to London as an alternate.In Beijing, the Americans won three medals in BMX cyclings Olympic debut, including a team-best silver by Mike Day. Each rider in London hoped to be the first to bring a gold medal back to the States, the birthplace of the sport. But Post crashed in her semifinal heat. Crain, a last-minute replacement when Arielle Martin was injured, finished last in the final, and Long was eliminated in quarterfinals.Being successful at the Olympics is about handling the pressure and remembering why you are where you are and not worrying about the little things, Post says. Staying focused so you dont build up this race to be something sppecial, where everyones eyes are on you.dddddddddddd In London, people kept telling me how I would feel, and I expected to feel overwhelmed. So by the end of it, I was.All five members of the U.S. team have the potential to medal or win in Rio. But in the years since the sport made its Olympic debut, that task has become tougher as the rest of the worlds riders have caught up with their American peers. Some countries, such as Australia and France, have well-funded, well-developed Olympic programs. Others such as Colombia, which produced 2012 womens champ Mariana Pajon, have passionate, hungry athletes who perform well in big moments.After Beijing, many countries invested in their programs and built tracks, which took away the advantage the U.S. had pre-2008, when the Olympic replica track in Chula Vista, California, was the only one like it in the world. (Well, except for the Olympic track in Beijing.) Most countries now have open-door policies at their facilities, including the U.S. In the weeks leading up to the Rio Games, the U.S. riders remained in Chula Vista to train, but top riders from several countries lined up in the start gate alongside them, as well. Thats a big change from pre-2012, and one USA Cycling BMX director Jamie Staff believes will be invaluable to his riders.I saw value in allowing our competitors to train here, he says. The advantage of having the only track in the world is gone. I wanted to expose our athletes to the stresses of competition on a more frequent basis. If they are on the gate with the best in the world more often, they will be uncomfortable more often. Theyll know where they stand, and it keeps the pressure on them. Besides, where would you rather have your competition? Next to you where I can film them and time them or on the other side of the world?In those late-July practices, Staff saw greatness in his riders and believes they match up well no matter who is in the start gate next to them come Fridays finals. For their part, his riders hope all their hard work adds up to the first BMX Olympic gold medal for the U.S.It was disappointing to not have hardware from anyone on the team in London considering we were so successful in Beijing, Post says. We were a young team, and now were back with experience. To get a gold medal and be the first U.S. rider to win would be amazing. This is our sport, and to bring it back to our country would mean a lot. Its hard for a sport to stand out in the U.S. without a gold medal. Itd be cool to be the person to bring it home.If its Fields who does so, its likely he already knows precisely where the medal will hang in his home. ' ' '