Nothing sounds like a better plan to prepare for a track and field competition than pounding down a few vodka and Red Bull’s to get yourself loose for the competition.  At least that’s what Russian high jumper Ivan Ukhov must have been thinking this past week when he entered the Athletissima meet and prepared himself by downing a few of those bad boys.

Ukhov is now being called in by track and field’s rulling body (which is apparently so lame they don’t even have initials) to explain his actions.  Maybe Ukhov was stupid enough to fall into the Red Bull marketing slogan and hoped that he would get wings and be able to fly over the bar.  Unfortuantely that didn’t work out, and as any (intelligent) person would be able to predict, Ukhov was unable to clear the bar on any of his attempts, and was then asked by organizers to leave.

Luckily for Ukhov, drunking is not technically banned in athletic competition, and neither is stupidity so he should get off relatively lightly.  Although the major concern here should not be why he was drinking before the meet, or how he should be punished, the msot important thing here is why the hell was he mixing the vodka.  He is Russian and not to stereotype, they’re supposed to be able to handle vodka like champs.  Hell I can take shots of vodka straight and I’m not even of Russian descent.  This serves as an official notice to Russia, stop worrying about invading Georgia and start worrying about making sure your athletes don’t embarrass you by having to mix your national drink.

With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just hours away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group D Matches:
June 10th: vs. Spain (Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck)
June 14th: vs. Greece (Wals Siezenheim Stadium, Salzburg)
June 18th: vs. Sweden (Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck)

Can Guus’ Magic Give EURO a Red Scare?
After failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Russia needed a change. So, they thought to themselves: What better coach to rebuild our national team than Guus Hiddink, a man who has made a living off of it? After hugely successful stints with the Netherlands, South Korea and Australia, Hiddink’s goal was simple: Get Russia back into relevance. By qualifying ahead of England, he’s done just that. Read the rest of this entry »