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U.S. athletes in several different Olympic sports, frustrated by inaction and bureaucratic infighting about doping issues at the highest levels, are going public with their displeasure and pushing for action from specific reforms to potential event boycotts.Athletes attending USA Track & Fields annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, last weekend drafted a petition which calls for the World Anti-Doping Agency to become completely independent of the International Olympic Committee, and for the IOC to provide sufficient funding for WADA to do an effective job.The document, generated by USATFs athlete advisory committee (AAC), had been signed by more than 80 current and retired athletes as of Monday morning, including 2016 Olympic shot put champion Michelle Carter and 4x400-meter relay gold medalists Phyllis Francis and Natasha Hastings, along with past medalists Bernard Lagat (5,000 meters), Adam Nelson (shot put), Brigetta Barrett (high jump) and Terrence Trammell (110 meter hurdles).Newly elected AAC chair Jeff Porter, a two-time Olympian in the 110-meter hurdles, said athletes are deeply dissatisfied with what they view as slow, piecemeal responses by international authorities to the Russian doping scandal that has unfolded over the last two years. He said U.S. track and field athletes wanted to make a statement ahead of what they anticipate will be more evidence of corruption when law professor Richard McLaren releases Part II of his WADA-commissioned independent investigation on Friday.These systemic issues can no longer be tolerated, Porter told ESPN.com. He added that many athletes are galvanized to the point where they would contemplate more drastic actions, such as boycotting events. I am hopeful and optimistic that we wont need to, but if we need to, I think the athletes are prepared to, Porter said.The petition backs proposals made by a coalition of national anti-doping agencies last August in Copenhagen, the most pointed of which seeks to eliminate conflicts of interest by excluding international sports executives or policy makers from WADA executive positions. A number of IOC members sit on WADAs executive committee and Foundation Board, and current WADA president Craig Reedie, who was just re-elected to a second three-year term, is a longtime IOC member.We feel strongly that IOC and WADA governance should be separate, and that the IOC should invest the necessary funding in WADA for it to be effective, the petition states. These would be landmark steps toward protecting clean sport athletes globally, and restoring faith in Olympic Sport. We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to support the Copenhagen Reform Proposal.The upcoming conclusion to the McLaren report is looming large in the minds of athletes, who wonder if the fourth major set of investigative findings to be issued in the last 13 months will be enough to tip leaders into aggressive action. McLarens July findings regarding state-sponsored doping in Russia fed every conspiracy theory that athletes normally try to keep from distracting and deflating them, said recently retired U.S. distance runner Lauren Fleshman.We give up a lot of personal freedom and allow our privacy to be invaded for drug testing, and we do it on the assumption that its being done everywhere else, Fleshman, a two-time national champion in the 5,000-meter event, told ESPN.com.It should be [the IOCs] responsibility to pay for things that are going to keep their brand from public humiliation. Everyone tells us that athletes can make a difference. But weve never tested it.The petition drive took shape after athletes heard a presentation by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, who traveled to Orlando at the athletes request, Porter said. USADA was among the agencies that participated in the Copenhagen meeting.Lauryn Williams, one of a handful of athletes to have won medals at both the Summer (2012 gold, 4 x 100 meters) and Winter Games (2014 silver, two-woman bobsled), also signed the petition and said she is outraged that competitions are still being scheduled in Russia.They were passing [urine] samples through a hole in the wall and they expect athletes to go back there? she said, referring to revelations made by former Moscow laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov about drug-testing sabotage at the 2014 Sochi Games. Stop backing athletes into a corner. Move the competition and dont tell me its too expensive. Thats bullshit.The IOC executive board asked winter sports federations to freeze preparations to hold major events in Russia. However, the February 2017 world championships for bobsled and skeleton in Sochi are proceeding as planned, and the international biathlon federation recently awarded its 2021 worlds to Tyumen, Russia, a city in western Siberia.WADA has threatened the biathlon federation with an edict of non-compliance if it does not provide a satisfactory explanation.The New York Times reported Sunday that U.S. bobsled and skeleton athletes are considering a boycott of next years world championships. Reigning British skeleton gold medalist Lizzy Yarnold has previously said she would consider skipping the event.Athletes and officials in various ski disciplines are taking issue with remarks made by the longtime president of their international federation last month, which they view as symptomatic of a greater problem. Gian-Franco Kasper, reacting to a slew of retested samples that came back positive from the Beijing and London Games -- most of which disqualified athletes from Russia and former Soviet republics -- told The New York Times, We need to stop pretending sport is clean. Its a noble principle, but in practice? Its entertainment. Its drama.The comments by Kasper, a senior Swiss official who is also an IOC member and sits on WADAs Foundation Board, prompted 2010 Nordic combined gold medalist Bill Demong to post a response on his Facebook page that included this:Any success we have had is in spite of doping and an attitude like that just perpetuates the narcissistic attitude required to cheat. Vince Carter Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Grant Hill Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.cheapmagicjerseyschina.com/bismack-biyombo-jersey/ . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Aaron Gordon Jersey . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Magic Jerseys Outlet . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- John Elway summoned Von Miller to his office on the eve of training camp with three blank boxes left on his offseason to-do list:1. Patch up the pairs relationship frayed by their financial fracas .I wanted to make sure we were on the same page, Denvers general manager said.2. Warn him about higher hopes that accompany mega-deals like his , a $114.5 million contract that includes $70 million guaranteed, a record for a nonquarterback.All of a sudden standards and expectations are going to go way up, Elway said.3. Admonish Miller to treat quarterbacks in the regular season just like he did in the playoffs .The first five years hes done a tremendous job, Elway said, but I really believe that hes just touched the surface and has a chance to get even better.Check, check, check.Miller has an NFL-best four sacks through two weeks, including a sack-strip of Andrew Luck that sealed Denvers 34-20 win over the Colts that was reminiscent of his mammoth hits in the Super Bowl when he snatched both the football and the Lombardi Trophy from Cam Newtons grasp.He also dumped Newton in this years opener, giving right tackle Mike Remmers a painful reminder of that night when Millers two forced fumbles led to 15 points in Denvers 24-10 Super Bowl win.Right now he has to be at the top, said coach Marvin Lewis, whose Bengals (1-1) host the Broncos (2-0) on Sunday. I think hes playing exceptional again. ... Theres not many like him around.Miller was named the AFCs Defensive Player of the Week for his monster game against Indianapolis, when he collected seven tackles and three quarterback hits to go with his trio of sacks and a forced fumble.Miller said its a matter of focusing on his craft after an offseason in which he made 48 television appearances, including Dancing with the Stars, and logged enough air miles to circle the globe almost three times during his contract stalemate.Miller said Thursday that all the hours he spent learning dance moves from his partner, Whitney Carson, helped him get off to his great start this football season.I definitely think some of the practice I had with Whitney is paying off. Ive never put six hours into one thingg every single day, Miller said.dddddddddddd Not even football. We practice for two hours. Six hours every single day, it made me consistent. It made me have to come to work every single day and be consistent and work on something that I wasnt really good at.So, hes applied that same work ethic to something hes great at -- football.Ive already had agility and flexibility, but I just think the consistent part, Miller said. Im not tackling guys on the dance floor, but the work that you put in to be a great dancer has a direct correlation to the work you have to put in to be a great football player.Although hes still on TV aplenty as the NFLs latest premier pitchman , the only dancing moves hes flashing are the celebration shimmies and shuffles after his sacks.I just made the windows smaller. I just made my views smaller, Miller said. I dont really spend too much time focusing on anything other than my teammates and my scheme. I spend a lot of time with my teammates. I spend a lot of time with Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward. Its like college here for me. I watch film all day, getting extra workouts in, and its all football now. Its not really anything outside of that.Quarterbacks are paying the price.You have to know where hes at because he is a guy who can really change the course of the game with how good he is, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said.In his last four games, counting the playoffs, Miller has 21 tackles, including four behind the line of scrimmage, nine sacks, 10 quarterback hits (which dont include his sacks), three forced fumbles, an interception and two pass breakups.And this has come against Tom Brady, Newton twice and Luck.Its very amazing just to see the moves he makes at the line, teammate Bradley Roby said. Its very exciting. I know its intimidating for the other offense to watch because its just like, `How do you stop that?---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ' ' '