Swimmer Katie Hoff has left the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and joined the Fullerton, Calif., training center to prepare for the 2012 Games in London. The Olympic hopeful, a native of Towson, Md., won a silver and two bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and her coach, Bob Bowman, has backed her decision to train in Fullerton. My main concern is that Katie is happy and successful, Bowman told the Baltimore Sun this week.

The Switzerland-based international governing body for the professional swimming world, FINA, says it will ban polyurethane suits starting Jan.

The patent for a new technology that prohibits particular fans from having the ability to view local games online has been won by Major League Baseball, and it could potentially pave the way for the U.S. sports league to earn residuals by awarding licenses to media companies.

U.S.

Trying to keep the Michael Phelps glow, NBC has agreed to televise next year's World Swimming Championships from Rome, along with the 2009, 2010 and 2011 national championships. The deal, announced Thursday, is NBC's latest attempt to ride the wake of the Olympic golden boy's race to history.