When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan&#39;s conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year&#39;s upper house election. 
 
Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago. 
 
By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible. 
 
LGBT rights are not covered in Japan&#39;s Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws. 
 
But things are changing. 
 
Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies.&nbsp;On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke. 
 
Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation. 
 
&quot;The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren&#39;t a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far,&quot; said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister. 
 
&quot;But at the same time, society has developed ... There&#39;s a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps.&quot; 
 
Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added. 
 
Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists. 
 
&quot;The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there&#39;s the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas,&quot; said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University. 
 
&quot;In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don&#39;t clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination.&quot; 
 
Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don&#39;t want to break this system down,&quot; Ishizaka said. 
 
The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn&#39;t weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures. 
 
&#39;Spirit of diversity&#39; 
 
Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague. 
 
As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend. 
 
But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan&#39;s winning the Olympics. 
 
&quot;Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens.&quot; 
 
Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage. 
 
With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the &quot;pink yen&quot; in Japan&#39;s stagnant economy. 
 
&quot;There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing,&quot; said Morinaga. 
 
Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry,&quot; said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura. 
 
Politics might take a little longer to fall in line. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re aware that people say it&#39;s not enough, and that we aren&#39;t going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we&#39;ve really had to balance the opinions of many people,&quot; said lawmaker Hashimoto. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Homosexual sex has been legal in Japan since 1880, but stigma persists and LGBT rights are not covered under the Equal Opportunity Act

When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan's conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year's upper house election. Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago. By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible. LGBT rights are not covered in Japan's Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws. But things are changing. Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies. On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke. Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation. "The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren't a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far," said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister. "But at the same time, society has developed ... There's a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps." Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added. Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists. "The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there's the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas," said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University. "In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don't clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination." Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage. "There's the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don't want to break this system down," Ishizaka said. The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn't weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures. 'Spirit of diversity' Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague. As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend. But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan's winning the Olympics. "Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope," he added. "These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens." Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage. With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the "pink yen" in Japan's stagnant economy. "There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing," said Morinaga. Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent. "It's starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry," said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura. Politics might take a little longer to fall in line. "We're aware that people say it's not enough, and that we aren't going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we've really had to balance the opinions of many people," said lawmaker Hashimoto. (Reuters)

Japan woos LGBT community to revamp global image before hosting Olympics

China will carry out social stability risk assessments before approving major projects for the 2022 Winter Olympics, a senior official wrote on Monday, pledging an open and transparent programme of construction. 
 
Beijing, along with the nearby city of Zhangjiakou, won the right to host the 2022 Games last year. The only other city in the bid to host was Kazakhstan&#39;s Almaty, after other prospective cities dropped out citing costs and other worries.&nbsp; 
 
Governement pledges to draw &#39;red lines&#39; 
 
Building projects in China are frequently controversial, with complaints about a lack of compensation and consultation, and forced demolitions prompting protests which can turn violent. 
 
Writing in the Study Times, Zhangjiakou&#39;s top official, Communist Party chief Hou Liang, repeated the government&#39;s pledge to hold a clean and open games. 
 
There would be full oversight for every penny spent on the Olympics, and clear &quot;red lines&quot; drawn on financial management, Hou wrote in the newspaper, published twice a week by the Central Party School, which trains rising officials. 
 
&quot;Carry out social stability risk assessments before approval for large-scale construction projects, broadly accept oversight from society,&quot; Hou wrote, without giving details. 
 
The 2008 Beijing Olympics were overshadowed by allegations from rights groups of large-scale forced evictions, claims dismissed at the time by the government and organisers. 
 
It has not been smooth sailing for China&#39;s Winter Games plans either. 
 
A green Olympics&nbsp; 
 
The run-up to China&#39;s bid last year was overshadowed by corruption investigations into a deputy sports minister, who had sat on China&#39;s Olympics committee and the Communist Party boss of Hebei province, where Zhangjiakou is located, who had attended meetings of the bid committee. 
 
Hou pledged strict compliance with discipline rules, so that &quot;respect for discipline and upholding the law is always stretched taught as a bowstring&quot;. 
 
While Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Games to wide acclaim, its bid for the Winter Games had been dogged by concerns over a number of issues such as China&#39;s notorious smog problem, a lack of snow and the country&#39;s poor human rights record. 
 
Hou said they would host a green Olympics and enforce tough rules to ensure clean air. 
 
He made no mention of human rights or the lack of snow. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Top official vows full oversight for every penny spent and also carry out social stability risk assessments

China will carry out social stability risk assessments before approving major projects for the 2022 Winter Olympics, a senior official wrote on Monday, pledging an open and transparent programme of construction. Beijing, along with the nearby city of Zhangjiakou, won the right to host the 2022 Games last year. The only other city in the bid to host was Kazakhstan's Almaty, after other prospective cities dropped out citing costs and other worries. Governement pledges to draw 'red lines' Building projects in China are frequently controversial, with complaints about a lack of compensation and consultation, and forced demolitions prompting protests which can turn violent. Writing in the Study Times, Zhangjiakou's top official, Communist Party chief Hou Liang, repeated the government's pledge to hold a clean and open games. There would be full oversight for every penny spent on the Olympics, and clear "red lines" drawn on financial management, Hou wrote in the newspaper, published twice a week by the Central Party School, which trains rising officials. "Carry out social stability risk assessments before approval for large-scale construction projects, broadly accept oversight from society," Hou wrote, without giving details. The 2008 Beijing Olympics were overshadowed by allegations from rights groups of large-scale forced evictions, claims dismissed at the time by the government and organisers. It has not been smooth sailing for China's Winter Games plans either. A green Olympics The run-up to China's bid last year was overshadowed by corruption investigations into a deputy sports minister, who had sat on China's Olympics committee and the Communist Party boss of Hebei province, where Zhangjiakou is located, who had attended meetings of the bid committee. Hou pledged strict compliance with discipline rules, so that "respect for discipline and upholding the law is always stretched taught as a bowstring". While Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Games to wide acclaim, its bid for the Winter Games had been dogged by concerns over a number of issues such as China's notorious smog problem, a lack of snow and the country's poor human rights record. Hou said they would host a green Olympics and enforce tough rules to ensure clean air. He made no mention of human rights or the lack of snow. (Reuters)

China pledges to hold clean and open 2022 Winter Olympics

Athletics&#39; governing body the IAAF and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) have agreed to let the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rule on whether Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Games, CAS said on Monday. 
 
The ROC, the International Association of Athletics Federations and 68 Russian athletes have reached &quot;a specific arbitration agreement&quot; which lets CAS decide whether the IAAF`s blanket ban of the entire Russian track and field team was valid, a CAS statement said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The parties have agreed to an expedited procedure which should conclude on 21 July 2016,&quot; it added.&nbsp; 
 
The IAAF ban followed revelations of massive, state-sponsored doping within Russia`s track and field programme.&nbsp; 
 
The International Olympic Committee gave full backing to the IAAF move, saying it was up to each sport`s governing body to decide who can compete in Rio de Janeiro.&nbsp; 
 
Last month, the IAAF said only individual Russian athletes who could definitively prove they were not tainted by the country&#39;s disgraced system would be cleared for the Games, which start on August 5. 
 
CAS spokeswoman Katy Hogg told AFP that the court will not be making a case by case review of each athlete`s record, but will be assessing the validity of the IAAF&#39;s decision to ban the entire federation.&nbsp; 
 
Russian athletes and political leaders have voiced outrage that the IAAF was seeking to ban track and field stars with no positive drug tests on their record.&nbsp; 
 
The ROC and the 68 athletes have specifically asked the Lausanne-based court to &quot;order that any Russian athlete who is not currently the subject of any period of ineligibility for the commission of an anti-doping rule violation may participate at the 2016 Olympic Games,&quot; assuming they otherwise qualified. 
 
(AFP)

Russian athletes have voiced outrage that the IAAF was looking to ban track and field athletes with no positive drug test

Athletics' governing body the IAAF and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) have agreed to let the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rule on whether Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Games, CAS said on Monday. The ROC, the International Association of Athletics Federations and 68 Russian athletes have reached "a specific arbitration agreement" which lets CAS decide whether the IAAF`s blanket ban of the entire Russian track and field team was valid, a CAS statement said. "The parties have agreed to an expedited procedure which should conclude on 21 July 2016," it added. The IAAF ban followed revelations of massive, state-sponsored doping within Russia`s track and field programme. The International Olympic Committee gave full backing to the IAAF move, saying it was up to each sport`s governing body to decide who can compete in Rio de Janeiro. Last month, the IAAF said only individual Russian athletes who could definitively prove they were not tainted by the country's disgraced system would be cleared for the Games, which start on August 5. CAS spokeswoman Katy Hogg told AFP that the court will not be making a case by case review of each athlete`s record, but will be assessing the validity of the IAAF's decision to ban the entire federation. Russian athletes and political leaders have voiced outrage that the IAAF was seeking to ban track and field stars with no positive drug tests on their record. The ROC and the 68 athletes have specifically asked the Lausanne-based court to "order that any Russian athlete who is not currently the subject of any period of ineligibility for the commission of an anti-doping rule violation may participate at the 2016 Olympic Games," assuming they otherwise qualified. (AFP)

Sports court to rule on Russian athletes competing at Rio by July 21

Usain Bolt confirmed suffering a grade one hamstring tear at Jamaica&#39;s Olympic trials on Friday but the star sprinter expects to secure his place at the Rio Games by proving his fitness at the London Anniversary Games later this month. 
 
Bolt withdrew from the final of the men&#39;s 100 metres after Friday night&#39;s semi-finals as Yohan Blake went on to win the trial in 9.95 seconds. 
 
&quot;After feeling discomfort in my hamstring after the first round last night (Thursday) and then again in the semi-final tonight (Friday) I was examined by the chief doctor of the national championships and diagnosed with a grade 1 tear,&quot; Bolt said on his official Facebook account. 
 
&quot;I have submitted a medical exemption to be excused from the 100m final and the remainder of the National Championships.&quot; 
 
&quot;I will seek treatment immediately and hope to be fit at the London Anniversary Games on July 22 to earn selection for the Olympic Games in Rio,&quot; the two-time 100m and 200m Olympic gold medallist added. 
 
Bolt had clocked 10.04 seconds to win the semi-final one after a poor start. 
 
His withdrawal does not mean he would miss the Rio Olympics, where Bolt is expected to defend his 100m and 200m titles. 
 
Unlike the United States, where the first three in the trials win Olympic berths, Jamaica&#39;s selection policy allows medical exemptions. 
 
His coach Glen Mills said that efforts were on since Thursday night to get Bolt ready for Friday&#39;s semi-final and final. 
 
&quot;Hamstring injuries are always serious. The fact that he couldn&#39;t run, showed it is serious, but we&#39;ll see what happens between now and (the Olympics),&quot; Mills said at the trackside after another of his charge, Blake, won the trial. 
 
Bolt also posted a photo of receiving treatment on his Instagram page. 
 
(Reuters)

He will be able to prove his fitness for the Rio games at the London Anniversary Games later this month

Usain Bolt confirmed suffering a grade one hamstring tear at Jamaica's Olympic trials on Friday but the star sprinter expects to secure his place at the Rio Games by proving his fitness at the London Anniversary Games later this month. Bolt withdrew from the final of the men's 100 metres after Friday night's semi-finals as Yohan Blake went on to win the trial in 9.95 seconds. "After feeling discomfort in my hamstring after the first round last night (Thursday) and then again in the semi-final tonight (Friday) I was examined by the chief doctor of the national championships and diagnosed with a grade 1 tear," Bolt said on his official Facebook account. "I have submitted a medical exemption to be excused from the 100m final and the remainder of the National Championships." "I will seek treatment immediately and hope to be fit at the London Anniversary Games on July 22 to earn selection for the Olympic Games in Rio," the two-time 100m and 200m Olympic gold medallist added. Bolt had clocked 10.04 seconds to win the semi-final one after a poor start. His withdrawal does not mean he would miss the Rio Olympics, where Bolt is expected to defend his 100m and 200m titles. Unlike the United States, where the first three in the trials win Olympic berths, Jamaica's selection policy allows medical exemptions. His coach Glen Mills said that efforts were on since Thursday night to get Bolt ready for Friday's semi-final and final. "Hamstring injuries are always serious. The fact that he couldn't run, showed it is serious, but we'll see what happens between now and (the Olympics)," Mills said at the trackside after another of his charge, Blake, won the trial. Bolt also posted a photo of receiving treatment on his Instagram page. (Reuters)

Bolt tears hamstring, drops out of final of Jamaica 100m Olympic trial

LeBron James reportedly joined an NBA All-Star lineup of talent Thursday that will not play for the United States at the Rio Olympics, while Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant will try to bring the Americans a third consecutive gold medal. 
 
A flurry of reports ahead of next week&#39;s announcement of the final US roster for Brazil was topped when Cleveland.com said James has told USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski that he will not play in August. 
 
&quot;I could use the rest,&quot; James told the website. 
 
James, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the greatest-ever NBA Finals comeback to dethrone the Golden State Warriors, cited the grind of having logged so much court time through six consecutive trips to the finals. 
 
NBA Most Valuable Player and scoring leader Stephen Curry of Golden State said during the finals that he would not play in Rio. 
 
Star guards Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and James Harden of Houston also have backed out of consideration, as have San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Washington forward John Wall, Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis of New Orleans. 
 
Joining that group Thursday were Portland&#39;s Damian Lillard, who wants to rehabilitate a plantar fascitis injury; Utah forward Gordon Hayward and San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard. 
 
The pullout brings back memories of 2004, when security worries were a concern in the Athens run-up and many top names withdrew. Those who played could only muster bronze. 
 
The roster to be named next week by USA Basketball is expected to include Oklahoma City star Durant and New York playmaker Anthony plus Indiana&#39;s Paul George, Golden State&#39;s Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Sacramento&#39;s DeMarcus Cousins, Chicagos Jimmy Butler, the Clippers&#39; DeAndre Jordan, and Toronto&#39;s Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Two other available spots could include Cleveland star guard Kyrie Irving, who played a key role alongside James in bringing the first sports title to Cleveland since 1964. 
 
A source told the website a desire to rest his body from the title run to better prepare his bid to defend the crown was his only reason for not playing in Rio, the Zika virus not playing a role in his decision. 
 
James, 31, sparked the US squad of NBA stars to gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. He is the US team&#39;s all-time scoring leader with 273 points and second in total rebounds with 95. 
 
He was also a reserve on the 2004 US team that settled for bronze at Athens and on the US team that finished third at the 2010 world championships in Japan. 
 
&quot;King&quot; James is one of three men to play on three Olympic basketball teams and in 2012, he became one of the select few to win an NBA crown and Olympic gold in the same year. 
 
(AFP)

Cleveland.com said James has told USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski that he will not play in August

LeBron James reportedly joined an NBA All-Star lineup of talent Thursday that will not play for the United States at the Rio Olympics, while Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant will try to bring the Americans a third consecutive gold medal. A flurry of reports ahead of next week's announcement of the final US roster for Brazil was topped when Cleveland.com said James has told USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski that he will not play in August. "I could use the rest," James told the website. James, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the greatest-ever NBA Finals comeback to dethrone the Golden State Warriors, cited the grind of having logged so much court time through six consecutive trips to the finals. NBA Most Valuable Player and scoring leader Stephen Curry of Golden State said during the finals that he would not play in Rio. Star guards Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and James Harden of Houston also have backed out of consideration, as have San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Washington forward John Wall, Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis of New Orleans. Joining that group Thursday were Portland's Damian Lillard, who wants to rehabilitate a plantar fascitis injury; Utah forward Gordon Hayward and San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard. The pullout brings back memories of 2004, when security worries were a concern in the Athens run-up and many top names withdrew. Those who played could only muster bronze. The roster to be named next week by USA Basketball is expected to include Oklahoma City star Durant and New York playmaker Anthony plus Indiana's Paul George, Golden State's Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, Chicagos Jimmy Butler, the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan, and Toronto's Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Two other available spots could include Cleveland star guard Kyrie Irving, who played a key role alongside James in bringing the first sports title to Cleveland since 1964. A source told the website a desire to rest his body from the title run to better prepare his bid to defend the crown was his only reason for not playing in Rio, the Zika virus not playing a role in his decision. James, 31, sparked the US squad of NBA stars to gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. He is the US team's all-time scoring leader with 273 points and second in total rebounds with 95. He was also a reserve on the 2004 US team that settled for bronze at Athens and on the US team that finished third at the 2010 world championships in Japan. "King" James is one of three men to play on three Olympic basketball teams and in 2012, he became one of the select few to win an NBA crown and Olympic gold in the same year. (AFP)

LeBron out, Carmelo in for US team at Rio Olympics

Cameron McEvoy has that rare ability to bend water to his will and the sprinter could help Australia to a bumper haul of swimming medals at the Rio Games, five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has told Reuters. 
 
McEvoy posted a time of 47.04 seconds in the 100 metres freestyle at Australia&#39;s Olympic trials in April, the fastest recorded since synthetic suits were banned at the end of 2009. 
 
That put the 22-year-old among the favourites for Rio&#39;s blue riband sprint in August and to Thorpe was evidence that being a champion swimmer is about more than just physique. 
 
&quot;He is one of the most exciting swimmers I have seen,&quot; Thorpe, who won five gold, three silver and a bronze medal at the Sydney and Athens Olympics, told Reuters in an interview. 
 
While McEvoy, at 1.85m, is still towered over by many of his rivals, Thorpe said his technique and afinity with the water set him apart. 
 
&quot;I think people who are very successful in swimming are those that can capture the water, they learn how the water moves and how you can move within it,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;A lot of people look to physical characteristics to explain people&#39;s brilliance and it really has very little to do with this. 
 
&quot;And with someone like Cameron McEvoy&#39;s stature, it shows those people &#39;I want to master the water.&#39;&quot; 
 
Thorpe, who will act as a panellist for India&#39;s Star Sports during the Olympics, also has high hopes for the Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, in Rio and said their sibbling rivalry can only bode well for the country&#39;s medal prospects. 
 
At the April trials, sprint queen Cate set the second fastest 50m freestyle of all time in 23.84 seconds, just 0.11 seconds shy of Britta Steffen&#39;s 2009 world record set in a synthetic swim-suit. 
 
She also set the year&#39;s fastest time of 52.38 seconds in the 100 freestyle, edging her sister and world champion Bronte, who was a runner-up despite carrying a shoulder injury. 
 
The sisters are set to clash in the 50 and 100 freestyle in Rio while teaming up in the women&#39;s 4x100m relay and 4x100m medley relays. 
 
&quot;I think the match-up between the Campbell sisters is very interesting,&quot; said Thorpe. &quot;Those two girls have swam so well and they are the best of friends. And number one and two in the world, which looks very good for our relay ...&quot; 
 
Australia has long relied on its swimmers to provide a bulk of medals at Olympics but won only a single relay title in London four years ago. 
 
The worst medal haul in 20 years led to a series of reviews that found evidence of bullying, drunkenness and the abuse of prescription drugs by some team members. 
 
Thorpe said the swim team would be out to redeem themselves at Rio. 
 
&quot;Australia has a very strong team. It&#39;s the best team that we have fielded for a decade I think when it comes to swimming,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I feel we will win a number of gold medals. I am hesitant to say an exact number but I think it will be between four and six gold medals. 
 
&quot;We have more people that are ranked world number one than we did going into the London and we are very strong in a number of events .We will win some of the higher profile Olympic gold medals.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

McEvoy posted a time of 47.04 seconds in the 100 metres freestyle at Australia's Olympic trials in April

Cameron McEvoy has that rare ability to bend water to his will and the sprinter could help Australia to a bumper haul of swimming medals at the Rio Games, five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has told Reuters. McEvoy posted a time of 47.04 seconds in the 100 metres freestyle at Australia's Olympic trials in April, the fastest recorded since synthetic suits were banned at the end of 2009. That put the 22-year-old among the favourites for Rio's blue riband sprint in August and to Thorpe was evidence that being a champion swimmer is about more than just physique. "He is one of the most exciting swimmers I have seen," Thorpe, who won five gold, three silver and a bronze medal at the Sydney and Athens Olympics, told Reuters in an interview. While McEvoy, at 1.85m, is still towered over by many of his rivals, Thorpe said his technique and afinity with the water set him apart. "I think people who are very successful in swimming are those that can capture the water, they learn how the water moves and how you can move within it," he added. "A lot of people look to physical characteristics to explain people's brilliance and it really has very little to do with this. "And with someone like Cameron McEvoy's stature, it shows those people 'I want to master the water.'" Thorpe, who will act as a panellist for India's Star Sports during the Olympics, also has high hopes for the Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, in Rio and said their sibbling rivalry can only bode well for the country's medal prospects. At the April trials, sprint queen Cate set the second fastest 50m freestyle of all time in 23.84 seconds, just 0.11 seconds shy of Britta Steffen's 2009 world record set in a synthetic swim-suit. She also set the year's fastest time of 52.38 seconds in the 100 freestyle, edging her sister and world champion Bronte, who was a runner-up despite carrying a shoulder injury. The sisters are set to clash in the 50 and 100 freestyle in Rio while teaming up in the women's 4x100m relay and 4x100m medley relays. "I think the match-up between the Campbell sisters is very interesting," said Thorpe. "Those two girls have swam so well and they are the best of friends. And number one and two in the world, which looks very good for our relay ..." Australia has long relied on its swimmers to provide a bulk of medals at Olympics but won only a single relay title in London four years ago. The worst medal haul in 20 years led to a series of reviews that found evidence of bullying, drunkenness and the abuse of prescription drugs by some team members. Thorpe said the swim team would be out to redeem themselves at Rio. "Australia has a very strong team. It's the best team that we have fielded for a decade I think when it comes to swimming," he said. "I feel we will win a number of gold medals. I am hesitant to say an exact number but I think it will be between four and six gold medals. "We have more people that are ranked world number one than we did going into the London and we are very strong in a number of events .We will win some of the higher profile Olympic gold medals." (Reuters)

Water whisperer McEvoy will lead Australia charge: Thorpe

Kuwait has filed suit in a Swiss court seeking $1 billion in damages from the International Olympic Committee over its suspension from competition, its youth and information minister said. 
 
The IOC and world football governing body FIFA suspended Kuwait in October over laws that allow government interference in sports. 
 
Sheikh Salman al-Humoud Al-Sabah said that the suspension, which threatens to exclude Kuwaiti athletes from the Olympics in Rio in August, was &quot;unjustifiable&quot; and imposed without proper investigation. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s totally unacceptable that Kuwait is treated in this unfair way and barred from international sports activities without any appropriate probe being conducted,&quot; the official KUNA news agency quoted the minister as saying late on Wednesday. 
 
The minister did not give further details of the lawsuit but the IOC is headquartered in the Swiss city of Lausanne. 
 
Apart from the IOC and FIFA, 16 other international sporting federations have also blacklisted Kuwait. 
 
In January, the Kuwaiti government filed suit in a domestic court seeking damages of $1.3 billion from 15 Kuwaiti sports officials it alleged had actively sought the suspensions. 
 
They included Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, who heads the Olympic Council of Asia and is a top IOC official as well as a member of the FIFA executive committee. 
 
The youth minister renewed those allegations on Wednesday, charging that officials who were supposed to represent Kuwait had been &quot;happy&quot; about the country&#39;s suspension. 
 
The Kuwaiti parliament approved sweeping changes to sports laws on Monday but MPs said the amendments did not go far enough to end the country&#39;s suspension. 
 
It is the third time since 2007 that FIFA and the IOC have suspended Kuwait for alleged government interference. 
 
(AFP)

It is the third time since 2007 that FIFA and the IOC have suspended Kuwait for alleged government interference

Kuwait has filed suit in a Swiss court seeking $1 billion in damages from the International Olympic Committee over its suspension from competition, its youth and information minister said. The IOC and world football governing body FIFA suspended Kuwait in October over laws that allow government interference in sports. Sheikh Salman al-Humoud Al-Sabah said that the suspension, which threatens to exclude Kuwaiti athletes from the Olympics in Rio in August, was "unjustifiable" and imposed without proper investigation. "It's totally unacceptable that Kuwait is treated in this unfair way and barred from international sports activities without any appropriate probe being conducted," the official KUNA news agency quoted the minister as saying late on Wednesday. The minister did not give further details of the lawsuit but the IOC is headquartered in the Swiss city of Lausanne. Apart from the IOC and FIFA, 16 other international sporting federations have also blacklisted Kuwait. In January, the Kuwaiti government filed suit in a domestic court seeking damages of $1.3 billion from 15 Kuwaiti sports officials it alleged had actively sought the suspensions. They included Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, who heads the Olympic Council of Asia and is a top IOC official as well as a member of the FIFA executive committee. The youth minister renewed those allegations on Wednesday, charging that officials who were supposed to represent Kuwait had been "happy" about the country's suspension. The Kuwaiti parliament approved sweeping changes to sports laws on Monday but MPs said the amendments did not go far enough to end the country's suspension. It is the third time since 2007 that FIFA and the IOC have suspended Kuwait for alleged government interference. (AFP)

Olympics: Suspended Kuwait seeks $1 billion in damages from IOC

Russia&#39;s weightlifters face being banned from the Rio Olympics, subject to confirmation by the International Olympic Committee, in another collective doping punishment to hit the country. 
 
Five days after its track and field team&#39;s suspension from the 2016 Games was upheld, Russia&#39;s weightlifters are now also set to be suspended from the 2016 Olympics. 
 
Belarus and weightlifting superpower Kazakhstan were also banned over failed retests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics on Wednesday by the sport&#39;s governing body, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), which also punished other nations by reducing the number of available athlete slots in Rio. 
 
Retrospective doping tests carried out by the IOC have led to 17 positives from 2008 and 2012, said the IWF. The governing body added there may be more cases to come. 
 
The IWF is awaiting confirmation of those failures and a final tally from the IOC, who were not immediately available when contacted late on Wednesday by Reuters. 
 
Earlier this week the IOC supported the IAAF&#39;s decision to continue its ban on all Russian track and field athletes as a collective punishment for the country&#39;s systematic doping problems, saying that such a decision was for each sport&#39;s federation. 
 
Because of those results, and an unprecedented 24 positives at the weightlifting world championships in Houston, Texas, last November, a special meeting was called for this week in Tbilisi, host of this weekend&#39;s youth world championships. 
 
The IWF, stressing its &ldquo;zero tolerance&rdquo; towards dopers, said it had taken 11 places away from teams who had committed four or more doping offences in 2015. Two of those teams were Russia and Kazakhstan, so the sanctions could yet be overtaken by a team ban. The others were Azerbaijan, North Korea and Moldova (two places each) and Belarus (one). 
 
As for the banning of entire teams, the IWF said in a statement: &ldquo;The IWF Executive Board has decided that national federations confirmed to have produced three or more anti-doping rule violations in the combined re-analysis process of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games shall be suspended for one year.&nbsp;Countries thus subject to suspension are Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.&quot; 
 
Because the tests were not carried out by the IWF, the sport&#39;s administrators are seeking formal confirmation from the IOC that the positives are not subject to appeal or amendment. 
 
The executive board also castigated the European Weightlifting Federation for its recent appointment of Sergey Systsov, president of the Russian Federation, as chair of its anti-doping commission. 
 
&quot;Given the current environment, the IWF Executive Board strongly suggests that Mr Syrtsov and the European Weightlifting Federation reconsiders the appointment,&rdquo; said a statement. 
 
The IWF has set up an independent commission to investigate the nations who returned three or more positives from the retesting of 2008 and 2012 samples, which was carried out after advances in science enabled better detection of prohibited substances. 
 
The worst offender was Kazakhstan. Ilya Ilyin, the world&rsquo;s most popular weightlifter, is expected to lose his gold medals from Beijing and London, while three Kazakh women who won in 2012 also tested positive. 
 
The IWF also vowed to toughen its anti-doping policy in future, threatening to ban nations who had the worst doping record during an Olympic qualifying period. It also said it would set up a task force and aimed to test every athlete, before the Games, who will be competing in Rio. 
 
The situation as of now indicates that four nations will not be allowed to compete in Rio. Bulgaria had been excluded last year, after 11 lifters at a training camp tested positive. Romania and Uzbekistan had already lost one quota place each. 
 
(Reuters)

Five days after its track and field team's suspension was upheld, Russia's weightlifters are now also set to be suspended from the Games

Russia's weightlifters face being banned from the Rio Olympics, subject to confirmation by the International Olympic Committee, in another collective doping punishment to hit the country. Five days after its track and field team's suspension from the 2016 Games was upheld, Russia's weightlifters are now also set to be suspended from the 2016 Olympics. Belarus and weightlifting superpower Kazakhstan were also banned over failed retests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics on Wednesday by the sport's governing body, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), which also punished other nations by reducing the number of available athlete slots in Rio. Retrospective doping tests carried out by the IOC have led to 17 positives from 2008 and 2012, said the IWF. The governing body added there may be more cases to come. The IWF is awaiting confirmation of those failures and a final tally from the IOC, who were not immediately available when contacted late on Wednesday by Reuters. Earlier this week the IOC supported the IAAF's decision to continue its ban on all Russian track and field athletes as a collective punishment for the country's systematic doping problems, saying that such a decision was for each sport's federation. Because of those results, and an unprecedented 24 positives at the weightlifting world championships in Houston, Texas, last November, a special meeting was called for this week in Tbilisi, host of this weekend's youth world championships. The IWF, stressing its “zero tolerance” towards dopers, said it had taken 11 places away from teams who had committed four or more doping offences in 2015. Two of those teams were Russia and Kazakhstan, so the sanctions could yet be overtaken by a team ban. The others were Azerbaijan, North Korea and Moldova (two places each) and Belarus (one). As for the banning of entire teams, the IWF said in a statement: “The IWF Executive Board has decided that national federations confirmed to have produced three or more anti-doping rule violations in the combined re-analysis process of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games shall be suspended for one year. Countries thus subject to suspension are Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus." Because the tests were not carried out by the IWF, the sport's administrators are seeking formal confirmation from the IOC that the positives are not subject to appeal or amendment. The executive board also castigated the European Weightlifting Federation for its recent appointment of Sergey Systsov, president of the Russian Federation, as chair of its anti-doping commission. "Given the current environment, the IWF Executive Board strongly suggests that Mr Syrtsov and the European Weightlifting Federation reconsiders the appointment,” said a statement. The IWF has set up an independent commission to investigate the nations who returned three or more positives from the retesting of 2008 and 2012 samples, which was carried out after advances in science enabled better detection of prohibited substances. The worst offender was Kazakhstan. Ilya Ilyin, the world’s most popular weightlifter, is expected to lose his gold medals from Beijing and London, while three Kazakh women who won in 2012 also tested positive. The IWF also vowed to toughen its anti-doping policy in future, threatening to ban nations who had the worst doping record during an Olympic qualifying period. It also said it would set up a task force and aimed to test every athlete, before the Games, who will be competing in Rio. The situation as of now indicates that four nations will not be allowed to compete in Rio. Bulgaria had been excluded last year, after 11 lifters at a training camp tested positive. Romania and Uzbekistan had already lost one quota place each. (Reuters)

Russia faces another Rio ban over dope tests

World athletics federation IAAF has&nbsp;come closer to destroying sport in Russia than helping it develop by suspending the country&#39;s track and field team over doping offences, the Russian sport minister said. 
 
First imposed in November, the IAAF ban was extended on Friday and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday. 
 
&quot;I have written an open letter to (the IAAF)... If you are an organisation whose aim is to develop athletics then you have done everything to destroy it,&quot; Vitaly Mutko told Reuters in an interview. 
 
Russian track and field athletes had not participated in international competitions in January. 
 
&quot;I, on behalf of the state, cannot finance the country&#39;s national team. That means all this is falling apart. Next, I cannot finance the training centre, all these are closing down. The young athletes do not have any motivation,&quot; Mutko said. 
 
Individual Russian track and field athletes assessed as clean will be able to compete for their country in Brazil, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday, diluting the IAAF&#39;s ban. 
 
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also said all competitors from both Russia and Kenya would, given their countries&#39; recent history of doping, have to be screened individually before being allowed to participate in the Games. 
 
He did not elaborate on what the evaluation would include. 
 
The Russian track and field team remains suspended from Rio de Janeiro after the IOC supported the ban, for systemic doping, which world athletics federation IAAF had extended on Friday. 
 
But Bach, speaking at the end of a summit on doping, offered a limited number of Russian athletes the chance to race under their flag. 
 
In a decision welcomed by the sports ministry in Moscow, he said those cleared by the IAAF or the Court of Arbitration for Sport as clean and eligible would be able to compete in Brazil. 
 
The unsatisfactory record of anti-doping bodies in Russia, as well as Kenya, had put &quot;very serious doubts on the presumption of innocence&quot; of their athletes, Bach said. 
 
But they had the right of appeal and &quot;if there are (Russian) athletes qualified then they will compete as members of the Russian Olympic Committee team,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
The IAAF had said on Friday that any Russian athlete would have to compete under a neutral flag, a recommendation it reiterated on Tuesday following Bach&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;This decision has been unequivocally supported across sport and the IOC Summit today unanimously agreed to fully respect the IAAF decision,&quot; the federation said in a statement. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

However, Russia's sports minister has said that the suspensions are destroying sport in the country

World athletics federation IAAF has come closer to destroying sport in Russia than helping it develop by suspending the country's track and field team over doping offences, the Russian sport minister said. First imposed in November, the IAAF ban was extended on Friday and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday. "I have written an open letter to (the IAAF)... If you are an organisation whose aim is to develop athletics then you have done everything to destroy it," Vitaly Mutko told Reuters in an interview. Russian track and field athletes had not participated in international competitions in January. "I, on behalf of the state, cannot finance the country's national team. That means all this is falling apart. Next, I cannot finance the training centre, all these are closing down. The young athletes do not have any motivation," Mutko said. Individual Russian track and field athletes assessed as clean will be able to compete for their country in Brazil, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday, diluting the IAAF's ban. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also said all competitors from both Russia and Kenya would, given their countries' recent history of doping, have to be screened individually before being allowed to participate in the Games. He did not elaborate on what the evaluation would include. The Russian track and field team remains suspended from Rio de Janeiro after the IOC supported the ban, for systemic doping, which world athletics federation IAAF had extended on Friday. But Bach, speaking at the end of a summit on doping, offered a limited number of Russian athletes the chance to race under their flag. In a decision welcomed by the sports ministry in Moscow, he said those cleared by the IAAF or the Court of Arbitration for Sport as clean and eligible would be able to compete in Brazil. The unsatisfactory record of anti-doping bodies in Russia, as well as Kenya, had put "very serious doubts on the presumption of innocence" of their athletes, Bach said. But they had the right of appeal and "if there are (Russian) athletes qualified then they will compete as members of the Russian Olympic Committee team," he told reporters. The IAAF had said on Friday that any Russian athlete would have to compete under a neutral flag, a recommendation it reiterated on Tuesday following Bach's comments. "This decision has been unequivocally supported across sport and the IOC Summit today unanimously agreed to fully respect the IAAF decision," the federation said in a statement. (Reuters)

IOC offers Rio lifeline to Russian track and field athletes

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal eschews the &quot;natural talent&quot; tag thrust upon her by the media in her country. Nehwal, who won an Olympic bronze medal four years ago in London, feels that it&#39;s her hard work and grit that&#39;s allowed for her to be seen as a serious contender for gold at the Rio games later this year.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Whatever I am today, it&#39;s because of my coaches,&quot; Nehwal told Reuters in an email interview following her victory at the Australian Open last week. &quot;They taught me smash, dribble and net game in copybook style and I trained five to six hours daily to master them.&quot; 
 
&quot;I am a worker and my coaches know how to get the best out of me,&quot; added the 26-year-old, who became the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal in 2012. 
 
While winning a medal in London was celebrated back home in success-starved India, her rise to the top of the world singles rankings in April last year was no less significant. 
 
It marked the first time a non-Chinese shuttler sat atop the women&#39;s singles rankings since Denmark&#39;s Tine Baun in late 2010. 
 
Nehwal, who will be 30 by the time the 2020 Olympics come around in Tokyo, believes Rio is her best chance to win gold. 
 
&quot;For 2020?, it depends on my progress and health conditions. Rio is an ideal place to showcase my game,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;You can&#39;t predict results. You need hard work and God&#39;s blessing, apart from support from the fraternity,&quot; the world number six said. 
 
Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time. 
 
Her second Australian Open title saw her beat world champions Ratchanok Intanon (2013) and Wang Yihan (2011) before overpowering China&rsquo;s Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. 
 
&quot;It is wonderful to win Australian Open prior to the Olympics. It is very satisfying to beat two world champions and a junior world champion (Malaysian Goh Jin Wei) in one tournament,&quot; she said. 
 
It was a welcome win for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. 
 
&quot;The injury was a big jolt to me ... I missed South Asian Games, Indian Grand Prix and the (badminton) Asian team championship. 
 
&quot;It was mid-May when I felt I was good enough to play tournament. It was a horror, looking at my condition those three months.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal eschews the "natural talent" tag thrust upon her by the media in her country. Nehwal, who won an Olympic bronze medal four years ago in London, feels that it's her hard work and grit that's allowed for her to be seen as a serious contender for gold at the Rio games later this year. "Whatever I am today, it's because of my coaches," Nehwal told Reuters in an email interview following her victory at the Australian Open last week. "They taught me smash, dribble and net game in copybook style and I trained five to six hours daily to master them." "I am a worker and my coaches know how to get the best out of me," added the 26-year-old, who became the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal in 2012. While winning a medal in London was celebrated back home in success-starved India, her rise to the top of the world singles rankings in April last year was no less significant. It marked the first time a non-Chinese shuttler sat atop the women's singles rankings since Denmark's Tine Baun in late 2010. Nehwal, who will be 30 by the time the 2020 Olympics come around in Tokyo, believes Rio is her best chance to win gold. "For 2020?, it depends on my progress and health conditions. Rio is an ideal place to showcase my game," she said. "You can't predict results. You need hard work and God's blessing, apart from support from the fraternity," the world number six said. Rio will mark a third Olympics for Nehwal, who is hitting a rich vein of form at exactly the right time. Her second Australian Open title saw her beat world champions Ratchanok Intanon (2013) and Wang Yihan (2011) before overpowering China’s Sun Yu in the final in Sydney. "It is wonderful to win Australian Open prior to the Olympics. It is very satisfying to beat two world champions and a junior world champion (Malaysian Goh Jin Wei) in one tournament," she said. It was a welcome win for Nehwal, who had failed to reach a World Superseries final since last November in China and was returning from an Achilles injury she sustained at the end of last year. "The injury was a big jolt to me ... I missed South Asian Games, Indian Grand Prix and the (badminton) Asian team championship. "It was mid-May when I felt I was good enough to play tournament. It was a horror, looking at my condition those three months." (Reuters)

Hard-working Nehwal senses golden Rio opportunity

Malaysia&#39;s badminton association (BAM) has pulled world number one Lee Chong Wei out of this month&#39;s Taiwan Open to let him recover from a leg injury and regain full fitness ahead of this summer&#39;s Rio Olympics. 
 
The 33-year-old suffered the injury on the way to claiming his sixth Indonesian Open title earlier this month and later pulled out of the Australian Open. 
 
&quot;We pulled him out because we&#39;re not completely sure if he&#39;s ready to play after his injury in Australia,&quot; BAM technical director Morten Frost said. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s getting on with the training programme and that&#39;s a good sign for us. We&#39;re also having a nice relaxed atmosphere in our preparations for the Olympics. It certainly helps Chong Wei in his mental preparation.&quot; 
 
Lee, who lost the last two Olympic singles finals to China&#39;s Lin Dan, returned to action in May last year after a backdated eight-month doping ban for testing positive for dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at the 2014 world championships. 
 
The 2016 Olympics take place from August 5 to 21 in Brazil. 
 
(Reuters)

The world number one decides to recover from a leg injury ahead of the Rio Olympics

Malaysia's badminton association (BAM) has pulled world number one Lee Chong Wei out of this month's Taiwan Open to let him recover from a leg injury and regain full fitness ahead of this summer's Rio Olympics. The 33-year-old suffered the injury on the way to claiming his sixth Indonesian Open title earlier this month and later pulled out of the Australian Open. "We pulled him out because we're not completely sure if he's ready to play after his injury in Australia," BAM technical director Morten Frost said. "He's getting on with the training programme and that's a good sign for us. We're also having a nice relaxed atmosphere in our preparations for the Olympics. It certainly helps Chong Wei in his mental preparation." Lee, who lost the last two Olympic singles finals to China's Lin Dan, returned to action in May last year after a backdated eight-month doping ban for testing positive for dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at the 2014 world championships. The 2016 Olympics take place from August 5 to 21 in Brazil. (Reuters)

Malaysia's Lee ruled out of Taiwan Open badminton tournament

The Australian Olympic Committee has demanded Rio de Janeiro immediately ramps up security in the city after a Paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend while training for the Games. 
 
Australia&#39;s Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the incident was a &quot;light warning&quot; and that she had written to the Rio organising committee and mayor demanding action. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re demanding that the level of security forces, which number about 100,000, is reviewed and also we are also asking that they are deployed earlier prior to Games time, especially around training and competition venues,&quot; she told reporters in Sydney. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not an isolated incident,&quot; she added. &quot;It&#39;s got to a point now that steps and measures are taken to ensure that all our team members who go to Rio for the Olympic Games next month are safe.&quot; 
 
Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. 
 
Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then shoved her to the ground. 
 
&quot;It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we&#39;re both okay,&quot; said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. 
 
Chiller said the &quot;extremely concerning and disturbing&quot; incident was all the more worrying because it took place in broad daylight close to the training venue. 
 
The AOC, Chiller said, had decided to engage a private security firm in Rio and were considering extending their existing ban on athletes entering favelas to other areas of the city. 
 
Olympic organisers plan to deploy in excess of 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. 
 
&quot;It doesn&#39;t seem that 100,000 is enough,&quot; said Chiller. &quot;It&#39;s a lot more than we had in London, but Rio is not London and in my opinion we need to make sure all the competition and training venues are safe. If we take 750 people over in that team, we want 750 people to come back safe and secure.&quot; 
 
Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. 
 
Emergency measures are needed to avoid &quot;a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management,&quot; a decree in the state&#39;s Official Gazette said. 
 
The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state&#39;s security budget, just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. 
 
The September 7-18 Paralympics follow the Aug. 5-21 Olympic Games. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend

The Australian Olympic Committee has demanded Rio de Janeiro immediately ramps up security in the city after a Paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend while training for the Games. Australia's Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the incident was a "light warning" and that she had written to the Rio organising committee and mayor demanding action. "We're demanding that the level of security forces, which number about 100,000, is reviewed and also we are also asking that they are deployed earlier prior to Games time, especially around training and competition venues," she told reporters in Sydney. "It's not an isolated incident," she added. "It's got to a point now that steps and measures are taken to ensure that all our team members who go to Rio for the Olympic Games next month are safe." Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then shoved her to the ground. "It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we're both okay," said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. Chiller said the "extremely concerning and disturbing" incident was all the more worrying because it took place in broad daylight close to the training venue. The AOC, Chiller said, had decided to engage a private security firm in Rio and were considering extending their existing ban on athletes entering favelas to other areas of the city. Olympic organisers plan to deploy in excess of 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. "It doesn't seem that 100,000 is enough," said Chiller. "It's a lot more than we had in London, but Rio is not London and in my opinion we need to make sure all the competition and training venues are safe. If we take 750 people over in that team, we want 750 people to come back safe and secure." Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. Emergency measures are needed to avoid "a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management," a decree in the state's Official Gazette said. The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state's security budget, just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. The September 7-18 Paralympics follow the Aug. 5-21 Olympic Games. (Reuters)

Australia demands extra Rio security after armed robbery

Park In-Bee&#39;s chances of playing at the Rio Olympics golf tournament dimmed further on Tuesday after the South Korean world number three pulled out of an international team event due to a lingering thumb problem. 
 
The seven-times major champion, who was inducted into the LPGA&#39;s Hall of Fame earlier this month, has been plagued by injury this season and is without a victory in 10 starts. 
 
She has missed two cuts, withdrawn after the first round in three events, and posted her worst ever score as a professional, 12-over-par 84, in the first round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in May. 
 
Her management company said on Tuesday she would skip the July 22-24 International Crown event, which pits eight countries against each other at Merit Club, Illinois. 
 
&quot;Park In-bee notified the LPGA that she will be unable to attend the International Crown due to her left thumb injury,&quot; her management company, Galaxia SM, told Reuters. 
 
The 27-year-old, who has raked in almost $13 million in career earnings on the LPGA Tour, said before the Women&#39;s PGA Championship this month that she would not go to Rio if she was not fully recovered from the injury. 
 
&quot;At the Olympics, you play for your country, not for individual honour. If I&#39;m not in top condition, I&#39;d rather give the opportunity to another player,&quot; she said. 
 
Park missed the cut at the event, carding an 8-over 79 in the second round. 
 
The top 15 players in the world rankings as of July 11 qualify automatically for the Rio Games, where golf is making its return to the Olympic programme after a 112-year absence. Each country can send a maximum of four players. 
 
Currently, Kim Sei-Young, Chun In-Gee and Amy Young make up the other three places, but there are five more South Koreans in the top 20 battling for Olympic spots. 
 
(Reuters)

The 27-year-old said before the Women's PGA Championship this month that she would pull out of Rio if she hadn't recovered from injury

Park In-Bee's chances of playing at the Rio Olympics golf tournament dimmed further on Tuesday after the South Korean world number three pulled out of an international team event due to a lingering thumb problem. The seven-times major champion, who was inducted into the LPGA's Hall of Fame earlier this month, has been plagued by injury this season and is without a victory in 10 starts. She has missed two cuts, withdrawn after the first round in three events, and posted her worst ever score as a professional, 12-over-par 84, in the first round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in May. Her management company said on Tuesday she would skip the July 22-24 International Crown event, which pits eight countries against each other at Merit Club, Illinois. "Park In-bee notified the LPGA that she will be unable to attend the International Crown due to her left thumb injury," her management company, Galaxia SM, told Reuters. The 27-year-old, who has raked in almost $13 million in career earnings on the LPGA Tour, said before the Women's PGA Championship this month that she would not go to Rio if she was not fully recovered from the injury. "At the Olympics, you play for your country, not for individual honour. If I'm not in top condition, I'd rather give the opportunity to another player," she said. Park missed the cut at the event, carding an 8-over 79 in the second round. The top 15 players in the world rankings as of July 11 qualify automatically for the Rio Games, where golf is making its return to the Olympic programme after a 112-year absence. Each country can send a maximum of four players. Currently, Kim Sei-Young, Chun In-Gee and Amy Young make up the other three places, but there are five more South Koreans in the top 20 battling for Olympic spots. (Reuters)

Thumbs down for South Korean golfer Park's Rio dream

The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) has turned down Park Tae-hwan&#39;s appeal to overturn a controversial doping suspension, leaving the swimmer&#39;s hopes of competing at the Rio Games in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 
 
The former Olympic champion has already served an 18-month ban imposed by the swimming&#39;s world governing body FINA. However, he is fighting to repeal a KOC regulation that imposed an additional three-year suspension, effectively ruling him out of Rio. 
 
The 26-year-old South Korean lodged a case with CAS but had hoped the KOC might re-consider its hard-line position before going to trial. 
 
The KOC poured cold water on such hopes on Thursday, saying the rule would remain in force. 
 
&quot;The regulation for the selection of national team representatives was made with the aim of demanding a high level of morality of our national team athletes and considering the dignity required of a public figure,&quot; the KOC said in a statement carried on South Korean television. &quot;Doping is against the fair play spirit, a basic requirement of athletes, and we decided that a rigorous response was needed for educational purposes to young athletes.&quot; 
 
Park, who won gold in the 400 metres freestyle and silver in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Games, was expected to respond to the KOC&#39;s ruling at a media conference later on Thursday. The first Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal, Park&#39;s breakthrough in the Beijing pool made him a huge celebrity at home and a magnet for corporate sponsors. 
 
He finished runner-up in both the 200 and 400 at the London Games four years ago but his reputation was shattered when he tested positive for testosterone ahead of the 2014 Asian Games. Park attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic, where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint. 
 
Despite the KOC ban, Park entered national swimming trials in April and won all four of his races in times quick enough for Olympic qualification. 
 
Critics of the KOC&#39;s anti-doping regulation say it punishes an athlete twice for the same offence. CAS has previously struck down double-barrelled punishments for athletes banned for doping-related offences. 
 
In 2011, the Swiss-based tribunal ruled that the International Olympic Committee&#39;s &#39;Osaka Rule&#39;, which banned athletes serving suspensions of at least six months from competing at the next Games, violated its own statutes. 
(Reuters)

He enjoys celebrity status at home and has a number of corporate sponsorships

The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) has turned down Park Tae-hwan's appeal to overturn a controversial doping suspension, leaving the swimmer's hopes of competing at the Rio Games in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The former Olympic champion has already served an 18-month ban imposed by the swimming's world governing body FINA. However, he is fighting to repeal a KOC regulation that imposed an additional three-year suspension, effectively ruling him out of Rio. The 26-year-old South Korean lodged a case with CAS but had hoped the KOC might re-consider its hard-line position before going to trial. The KOC poured cold water on such hopes on Thursday, saying the rule would remain in force. "The regulation for the selection of national team representatives was made with the aim of demanding a high level of morality of our national team athletes and considering the dignity required of a public figure," the KOC said in a statement carried on South Korean television. "Doping is against the fair play spirit, a basic requirement of athletes, and we decided that a rigorous response was needed for educational purposes to young athletes." Park, who won gold in the 400 metres freestyle and silver in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Games, was expected to respond to the KOC's ruling at a media conference later on Thursday. The first Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal, Park's breakthrough in the Beijing pool made him a huge celebrity at home and a magnet for corporate sponsors. He finished runner-up in both the 200 and 400 at the London Games four years ago but his reputation was shattered when he tested positive for testosterone ahead of the 2014 Asian Games. Park attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic, where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint. Despite the KOC ban, Park entered national swimming trials in April and won all four of his races in times quick enough for Olympic qualification. Critics of the KOC's anti-doping regulation say it punishes an athlete twice for the same offence. CAS has previously struck down double-barrelled punishments for athletes banned for doping-related offences. In 2011, the Swiss-based tribunal ruled that the International Olympic Committee's 'Osaka Rule', which banned athletes serving suspensions of at least six months from competing at the next Games, violated its own statutes. (Reuters)

Korea's Olympic Committee turns down banned Park's Rio appeal

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