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Archive for April 14th, 2008

In this section of the list of 50 hottest women of sports, we move into the bottom half. Starting at 30 and going down to 21, we feature some of most beautiful stars of volleyball, soccer and swimming.

30. Gabrielle Reece

Gabrielle Reece female volleyball player

Gabrielle took a quite unusual career path. First she became a model, and then she started playing volleyball professionally. Well, we are fine with that, since it probably helped to make her body the statue it is today.

29. Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie golfer

I wonder if one should spell her surname like the Nintendo console. Anyway, this is the youngest entry of our list. She was born in 1989 (make the maths lazy ass) in Hawaii. Back in 2005 she became a professional golfer, and now she takes part in the LPGA.

28. Victoria Adams

Victoria Adams Beckham

Before people start bitching, the list covers “hot girls from the sports world,” which goes beyond athletes. Victoria is married to famous soccer player David Beckham, so we figured she is qualified to appear here. Actually, take a look at the picture and let me know if these curves are not enough credentials.

27. Heather Mitts

Heather Mitts soccer

When I see soccer players like this, I wonder why men and women are not allowed to play together. Heather plays in the U.S. National Soccer Team (she is a defender in the case you were wondering). In 2004 she was also elected the “Hottest Female Athlete” by ESPN. No kidding!

26. Misty May

Misty May volleyball beauty

Misty May is a professional beach volleyball player. Born in California, her highest achievement was the gold medal on the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the age of 30, she is definitely still on top of her game!

25. Milene Domingues

Milene Domingues soccer

Milene is the ex-wife of soccer legend Ronando. That alone would be enough to enter on our list, but to top it off she is also one of the best female soccer players in the world, and pretty damn hot. They had a child as well, and I wonder if they kid will inherit their talent.

24. Laure Manaudou

Laure Manaudou swimmer

Laure is a lovely French girl of 22 years old. She is also incredibly talented, being the current holder of the world swimming records for the 400m and 200m freestyle. A couple of months ago she became very popular thanks to some nude pictures of herself that leaked on the web (Google is your friend if you want to find them).

23. Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler

Put together a mix of German and American hot stuff, and the result is Stacy. Stacy was a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens and professional wrestler and manager for the World Wrestling Entertainment. Currently she is trying a career as an actress, and has appearances on several TV shows.

22. Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic tennis player

One of the youngest (and hottest) entries on our list, at twenty years old. Born in Serbia, she is a professional tennis player, and currently the number two at the WTA world ranking. You go girl!

21. Ashley Tappin

Ashley Tappin swimming

We have a weakness for a cute brunettes, and Ashley Tappin is definitely one. She won three Olympic gold medals, and after retiring from competitive swimming in 2001 she started a couching career.

Swedish currency

It is recognised as one of the oldest central banks in the world.

Yet it seems that Sweden’s Riksbank could even teach America’s Federal Reserve a thing or two about recovering from the current debt crisis.

As the IMF becomes the latest body to call on governments for concerted global action to calm troubled markets, policymakers are studying how Sweden managed to rescue four of its biggest banks when its own credit boom turned to bust in the early 1990s.

House prices had slumped, the currency was out of control, and unemployment and bankruptcies were rising rapidly.

Rescue plan

If the Riksbank had failed to act rapidly and chosen not to inject capital into its major banks, the entire financial system of the country may well have collapsed.

You do have to act swiftly. You can’t say this is a banks’ problem, because it is also your problem

Lars Heikensten, former governor, Swedish Riksbank

At a cost of some $11bn (£5.5bn), Sweden guaranteed repayment of depositors and creditors at all of its stricken banks.

But the state aid was skilfully targeted, so none of the cash went to the bank’s shareholders.

Indeed, most of the money was regained by the Swedish government as the national economy recovered.

Moral hazard

Sweden's affluent economy could have been threatened

Sweden’s affluent economy could have been threatened

Perhaps without even fully realising it at the time, the Swedes had identified what was to become known as ‘moral hazard’ – the risk that the state might bail out private investors who risked their money on the stock market.

One man with a ringside seat at the time of the Swedish crisis was the Riksbank’s Lars Heikensten, who subsequently served a term as central bank governor.

“One of the questions we had to ask was quite simple. Will this bank be solvent or not?

“If the government was to step in with taxpayers money to deal with solvency problems, it was made clear that the owners would have to give up all their rights. That was important for political reasons – and for moral hazard reasons.”

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