The threat of Zika at the Rio Olympics is on the mind of many athletes, but may be not more than&nbsp;China&#39;s former badminton world champion, Wang Yihan, who was attacked mercilessly by insects while competing in Indonesia last week. 
 
The svelte 28-year-old, who won silver in the women&#39;s singles at the London Games, was still smarting from red bites up and down her arms as she competed at the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;They&#39;re itchy,&quot; she told Reuters, lathered in sweat after a tough opening round win over Scotland&#39;s Kirsty Gilmour at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. 
 
&quot;And the sweat makes it worse.&quot; 
 
&quot;I&#39;m really not sure what kind of bugs they were. I don&#39;t think they were mosquitoes. Maybe it was on the bed that I was sleeping on. 
 
&quot;I bought some cream for them, but they&#39;re still itchy.&quot; 
 
A number of athletes have already pulled out of the Olympics citing health risks associated with the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and development problems in babies. 
 
Others are declining to bring family members and loved ones with them. Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford decided to freeze his sperm to safeguard future plans for extending his young family. 
 
However, the outbreak in Brazil will not stop China from unleashing its full artillery of badminton champions, who will attempt to defend their sweep of five titles at London. 
 
&quot;Yes, I think everyone&#39;s been thinking about (Zika),&quot; Wang said. &quot;But obviously we&#39;ve been told about how to be safe, wearing repellent and staying indoors and so on.&quot; 
 
Shanghai-born Wang is determined to go one better at Rio, having been upset in London&#39;s gold-medal decider by compatriot Li Xuerui, an unheralded player, before her Olympic triumph. 
 
Wang&#39;s anguish upon losing the final was written large on her face and she was still gloomy as she mounted the podium next to her beaming team mate. 
 
&quot;I did feel disappointed at the time, even though it was my team mate who won the gold,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;Of course it&#39;s great to get any medal but in the end, there&#39;s only one champion.&quot; 
 
World badminton has changed the Olympic rules so that nations can only enter two shuttlers into the singles events, which will make it harder for China to repeat their London domination. 
 
Wang is currently ranked third in the world, ahead of fourth-ranked Li, with the top two spots occupied by Spain&#39;s world number one Carolina Marin and Thai Ratchanok Intanon. 
 
China&#39;s women have traditionally dominated the singles rankings, so the variety at the top has been welcomed by badminton fans and raised hope of a more open tournament at Rio. 
 
Wang said any number of players could win her event but felt Chongqing-born Li would be hard to beat and perhaps the biggest threat to her own gold ambitions. 
 
&quot;I think Li&#39;s game is really complete overall,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve both got our different strengths. 
 
&quot;There are other players like Ratchanok, Marin and (Indian player) Saina Nehwal who all have a chance but I think Li is still at a higher level.&quot;

Citing health risks associated with Zika virus, many athletes have pulled out of Olympics, while others are unwilling to bring family

The threat of Zika at the Rio Olympics is on the mind of many athletes, but may be not more than China's former badminton world champion, Wang Yihan, who was attacked mercilessly by insects while competing in Indonesia last week. The svelte 28-year-old, who won silver in the women's singles at the London Games, was still smarting from red bites up and down her arms as she competed at the Australian Badminton Open in Sydney on Wednesday. "They're itchy," she told Reuters, lathered in sweat after a tough opening round win over Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. "And the sweat makes it worse." "I'm really not sure what kind of bugs they were. I don't think they were mosquitoes. Maybe it was on the bed that I was sleeping on. "I bought some cream for them, but they're still itchy." A number of athletes have already pulled out of the Olympics citing health risks associated with the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and development problems in babies. Others are declining to bring family members and loved ones with them. Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford decided to freeze his sperm to safeguard future plans for extending his young family. However, the outbreak in Brazil will not stop China from unleashing its full artillery of badminton champions, who will attempt to defend their sweep of five titles at London. "Yes, I think everyone's been thinking about (Zika)," Wang said. "But obviously we've been told about how to be safe, wearing repellent and staying indoors and so on." Shanghai-born Wang is determined to go one better at Rio, having been upset in London's gold-medal decider by compatriot Li Xuerui, an unheralded player, before her Olympic triumph. Wang's anguish upon losing the final was written large on her face and she was still gloomy as she mounted the podium next to her beaming team mate. "I did feel disappointed at the time, even though it was my team mate who won the gold," she said. "Of course it's great to get any medal but in the end, there's only one champion." World badminton has changed the Olympic rules so that nations can only enter two shuttlers into the singles events, which will make it harder for China to repeat their London domination. Wang is currently ranked third in the world, ahead of fourth-ranked Li, with the top two spots occupied by Spain's world number one Carolina Marin and Thai Ratchanok Intanon. China's women have traditionally dominated the singles rankings, so the variety at the top has been welcomed by badminton fans and raised hope of a more open tournament at Rio. Wang said any number of players could win her event but felt Chongqing-born Li would be hard to beat and perhaps the biggest threat to her own gold ambitions. "I think Li's game is really complete overall," she said. "We've both got our different strengths. "There are other players like Ratchanok, Marin and (Indian player) Saina Nehwal who all have a chance but I think Li is still at a higher level."

Zika threat bugging Chinese shuttler Wang

The path to the Olympics is paved with potholes for many athletes but few can claim to have overcome hardship like &nbsp;Indian-origin wrestler Vinod Kumar, who was thrown off a speeding train by a rival&#39;s family in India before landing on his feet in Australia. 
 
Melbourne-based Kumar will compete for his adopted country in the 66 kg-class of Greco-Roman wrestling at the Rio de Janeiro Games, six years after landing Down Under, a colloquialism for Australia, with a suitcase in hand and a head full of troubled childhood memories. 
 
Winning the Olympic ticket was karma, according to Kumar, and a reward for forgiving the people who all but killed him when he was a teenager competing on India&#39;s wrestling circuit. 
 
&quot;Wrestling is big in India,&quot; the 31-year-old Kumar told Reuters in an interview at his Melbourne home. &quot;Fathers all want their sons to win... I forgave them because I believe in karma and I believe in God.&quot; 
 
Born in a small village near the Indian capital &nbsp;of New Delhi and raised in a family of wrestlers, Kumar competed at junior national tournaments across the country from a young age. 
 
In 2001, he boarded a long-haul train to an event in southern India with other young wrestlers but never arrived. 
 
BROKEN BONES 
 
As the train coursed through coastal forests in southern Indian state of &nbsp;Karnataka, Kumar was handed a spiked soft-drink and immediately felt dizzy after taking a mouthful. 
 
He went groggily to the carriage&#39;s doorway to get some air and two men, one the father of a rival wrestler, hurled him from the train before it sped into a tunnel. 
 
Bones were broken in his arms and legs as his body careened off the tracks to settle by a body of water. 
 
&quot;The train was going very fast. Maybe 100-130 kilometres (per hour/ 81 mph),&quot; the shaven-headed wrestler said in halting English. 
 
&quot;My clothes were all torn, like I was just wearing my underwear.&quot; 
 
Fifteen years later, Kumar lifts up his shirt and trouser leg to show deep scars along his chest and knee but can now chuckle about the absurdity of what happened. 
 
He was conscious and in searing pain, unable to move as mosquitoes bit him and flies buzzed around his wounds. 
 
Kumar believes he would have died if he had not been discovered by rail workers in the morning, putting him on another train bound for a hospital that could treat him. 
 
&quot;No one knew where I was for 15 days, everybody thought I was dead,&quot; he laughed. 
 
When he returned to his family, police arrested five of the men who were on the carriage. 
 
DIRT WRESTLER 
 
His family took legal action as Kumar lay bed-ridden for a year. One of his brothers refused a compensation payment from the rival wrestler&#39;s father. 
 
Kumar eventually returned to competition and although he appeared in court &quot;two or three times&quot;, the case dragged on for years and he told his family to drop the lawsuit. 
 
His forgiveness was not shared by his family, however, and caused a rift so deep that Kumar left home for good. 
 
He then spent years roaming the country, competing for cash prizes in towns and villages in conventional freestyle events and in &#39;pehlwani&#39;, India&#39;s traditional dirt wrestling. 
 
Australia promised a fresh start but it has been tough since landing in 2010 with little English and no skills. 
 
With no professional wrestling to speak of in Australia, Kumar has worked as a courier and a bouncer at nightclubs to earn money and says he owes friends up to $10,800. 
 
Both &nbsp;parents have died since he left India, his mother of a heart attack only two weeks before his interview with Reuters. 
 
&quot;Sometimes I&#39;m feeling very upset, thinking I am here and I have no money, nothing here,&quot; said Kumar, sitting on his bed with a clutch of medals hanging by the wall. 
 
&quot;I feel it&#39;s too hard here and I want to quit... Then I go to the club (to train) and have a better feeling.&quot; 
 
After earning his ticket to Rio in April at a qualifying tournament in Algeria, Kumar feels the grind has been worth it. 
 
Melbourne&#39;s prominent Indian community have rallied to his cause and he will head to Brazil hoping to become Australia&#39;s first wrestling medallist in more than 60 years. 
 
He said the rival wrestler&#39;s father who threw him from the train is dead and that the man&#39;s wife had hanged herself. Their son has not succeeded in wrestling. 
 
&quot;Now he&#39;s nothing and I&#39;m an Olympian,&quot; Kumar said. &quot;This is karma.&quot; 
 
&nbsp;

Vinod Kumar has endured broken bones, legal battles against his attackers and loss of family to finally achieve his dream of wrestling in the Olympics

The path to the Olympics is paved with potholes for many athletes but few can claim to have overcome hardship like Indian-origin wrestler Vinod Kumar, who was thrown off a speeding train by a rival's family in India before landing on his feet in Australia. Melbourne-based Kumar will compete for his adopted country in the 66 kg-class of Greco-Roman wrestling at the Rio de Janeiro Games, six years after landing Down Under, a colloquialism for Australia, with a suitcase in hand and a head full of troubled childhood memories. Winning the Olympic ticket was karma, according to Kumar, and a reward for forgiving the people who all but killed him when he was a teenager competing on India's wrestling circuit. "Wrestling is big in India," the 31-year-old Kumar told Reuters in an interview at his Melbourne home. "Fathers all want their sons to win... I forgave them because I believe in karma and I believe in God." Born in a small village near the Indian capital of New Delhi and raised in a family of wrestlers, Kumar competed at junior national tournaments across the country from a young age. In 2001, he boarded a long-haul train to an event in southern India with other young wrestlers but never arrived. BROKEN BONES As the train coursed through coastal forests in southern Indian state of Karnataka, Kumar was handed a spiked soft-drink and immediately felt dizzy after taking a mouthful. He went groggily to the carriage's doorway to get some air and two men, one the father of a rival wrestler, hurled him from the train before it sped into a tunnel. Bones were broken in his arms and legs as his body careened off the tracks to settle by a body of water. "The train was going very fast. Maybe 100-130 kilometres (per hour/ 81 mph)," the shaven-headed wrestler said in halting English. "My clothes were all torn, like I was just wearing my underwear." Fifteen years later, Kumar lifts up his shirt and trouser leg to show deep scars along his chest and knee but can now chuckle about the absurdity of what happened. He was conscious and in searing pain, unable to move as mosquitoes bit him and flies buzzed around his wounds. Kumar believes he would have died if he had not been discovered by rail workers in the morning, putting him on another train bound for a hospital that could treat him. "No one knew where I was for 15 days, everybody thought I was dead," he laughed. When he returned to his family, police arrested five of the men who were on the carriage. DIRT WRESTLER His family took legal action as Kumar lay bed-ridden for a year. One of his brothers refused a compensation payment from the rival wrestler's father. Kumar eventually returned to competition and although he appeared in court "two or three times", the case dragged on for years and he told his family to drop the lawsuit. His forgiveness was not shared by his family, however, and caused a rift so deep that Kumar left home for good. He then spent years roaming the country, competing for cash prizes in towns and villages in conventional freestyle events and in 'pehlwani', India's traditional dirt wrestling. Australia promised a fresh start but it has been tough since landing in 2010 with little English and no skills. With no professional wrestling to speak of in Australia, Kumar has worked as a courier and a bouncer at nightclubs to earn money and says he owes friends up to $10,800. Both parents have died since he left India, his mother of a heart attack only two weeks before his interview with Reuters. "Sometimes I'm feeling very upset, thinking I am here and I have no money, nothing here," said Kumar, sitting on his bed with a clutch of medals hanging by the wall. "I feel it's too hard here and I want to quit... Then I go to the club (to train) and have a better feeling." After earning his ticket to Rio in April at a qualifying tournament in Algeria, Kumar feels the grind has been worth it. Melbourne's prominent Indian community have rallied to his cause and he will head to Brazil hoping to become Australia's first wrestling medallist in more than 60 years. He said the rival wrestler's father who threw him from the train is dead and that the man's wife had hanged herself. Their son has not succeeded in wrestling. "Now he's nothing and I'm an Olympian," Kumar said. "This is karma."

Thrown out of a moving train, Indian-origin Australian wrestler gets back on track for Olympics

Rio de Janeiro police said on Monday that&nbsp;they were&nbsp;certain a 16-year-old girl was gang raped earlier this month, but added that it will be hard to prove&nbsp;that she was assaulted by more than 30 men, as alleged by her.

Two suspects in the case, which came to light after a video of the May 21 incident was posted to Twitter almost a week ago, shocking Brazilians, were placed in custody on Monday, authorities said. Arrest warrants are pending for four others.

In the clip, the semi-conscious naked girl is seen on a bed as men hurl insults and boast that 30 people had raped her. At one point, a man is seen touching her genitals.

&quot;I am convinced there was a rape, it&#39;s right there in the video, when the guy touched the girl,&quot; lead investigator Cristiana Bento said in a news conference.

&quot;The rape is proven,&quot; Bento said. &quot;What I want to do now is verify the extent of this rape and how many people took part.&quot;

Her remark was the first time police have definitively stated the girl, who has not been identified, was raped. Previously, they had said there were all indications that a rape had occurred but that they needed more proof.

Authorities said a medical exam of the victim was only performed five days after the incident, hindering their ability to gather physical evidence that would lead to additional suspects and arrests.

&nbsp;

DRUG GANG

The case has sparked a debate over sexism and violence in Brazil and raised security concerns ahead of Rio&#39;s hosting of the Summer Olympics in August. Crime has fallen in recent years in Rio, though there has been a recent increase in homicides.

The video, which was posted by one of the suspects, was widely shared across social media, prompting widespread outrage and igniting protests in several cities that continued Monday.

Some people, however, have focused their blame on the girl, with Bento noting that &quot;she is being victimized by people judging her because she may have dressed in a certain way.&quot;

Protesters chanted &quot;there was no rape&quot; and held placards stating the same thing during a small demonstration at a bus stop near the western Rio slum where the girl said the gang rape occurred.

Police scattered the crowd with pepper spray.

The O Globo newspaper posted on its website an audio sent via the Whatsapp messaging service in which an alleged member of the drug gang that controls the slum is heard ordering residents to attend the demonstration.

Bento, the investigator, said she is certain drug gang members were involved in raping the girl. She noted that police have an arrest warrant for Sergio Silva, the local head of the Red Command gang in the slum.

One suspect, 22-year-old Rai Souza, turned himself into police on Monday, authorities said. A second, 20-year-old local professional soccer player Lucas Perdomo, was arrested.

The girl at the center of the case is now under state protection. She&nbsp;and her family intend to leave Rio, officials said.

Brazil&#39;s Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes, visiting Rio for a meeting about Olympic security, said he would put the girl and her family in the federal government&#39;s witness protection program, should they want it.

Two suspects, who had come to light after the May 21 video was released on twitter, have been arrested. However, the allegation that the girl was raped by 30 men still needs to be testified

Rio de Janeiro police said on Monday that they were certain a 16-year-old girl was gang raped earlier this month, but added that it will be hard to prove that she was assaulted by more than 30 men, as alleged by her. Two suspects in the case, which came to light after a video of the May 21 incident was posted to Twitter almost a week ago, shocking Brazilians, were placed in custody on Monday, authorities said. Arrest warrants are pending for four others. In the clip, the semi-conscious naked girl is seen on a bed as men hurl insults and boast that 30 people had raped her. At one point, a man is seen touching her genitals. "I am convinced there was a rape, it's right there in the video, when the guy touched the girl," lead investigator Cristiana Bento said in a news conference. "The rape is proven," Bento said. "What I want to do now is verify the extent of this rape and how many people took part." Her remark was the first time police have definitively stated the girl, who has not been identified, was raped. Previously, they had said there were all indications that a rape had occurred but that they needed more proof. Authorities said a medical exam of the victim was only performed five days after the incident, hindering their ability to gather physical evidence that would lead to additional suspects and arrests. DRUG GANG The case has sparked a debate over sexism and violence in Brazil and raised security concerns ahead of Rio's hosting of the Summer Olympics in August. Crime has fallen in recent years in Rio, though there has been a recent increase in homicides. The video, which was posted by one of the suspects, was widely shared across social media, prompting widespread outrage and igniting protests in several cities that continued Monday. Some people, however, have focused their blame on the girl, with Bento noting that "she is being victimized by people judging her because she may have dressed in a certain way." Protesters chanted "there was no rape" and held placards stating the same thing during a small demonstration at a bus stop near the western Rio slum where the girl said the gang rape occurred. Police scattered the crowd with pepper spray. The O Globo newspaper posted on its website an audio sent via the Whatsapp messaging service in which an alleged member of the drug gang that controls the slum is heard ordering residents to attend the demonstration. Bento, the investigator, said she is certain drug gang members were involved in raping the girl. She noted that police have an arrest warrant for Sergio Silva, the local head of the Red Command gang in the slum. One suspect, 22-year-old Rai Souza, turned himself into police on Monday, authorities said. A second, 20-year-old local professional soccer player Lucas Perdomo, was arrested. The girl at the center of the case is now under state protection. She and her family intend to leave Rio, officials said. Brazil's Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes, visiting Rio for a meeting about Olympic security, said he would put the girl and her family in the federal government's witness protection program, should they want it.

Rio de Janeiro police arrest two men in gang rape case

Rio de Janeiro police swarmed two slums on Sunday searching for suspects in the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old Brazilian girl who siad more than 30 men assaulted her, a case that shocked the nation set to host the Olympics in August. 
 
More than 70&nbsp;Officers&nbsp;&nbsp;used helicoptors,armored vehicles and dogs to enter the slums,&nbsp;but there was no&nbsp;word if the suspects had&nbsp;been captured in the operation.&nbsp; 
 
In the five days since&nbsp;a video of the rape was posted by an alleged perpetrator on Twitter and set&nbsp;off a wave of outrage, police have brought in five people for questioning and made no arrests.&nbsp; 
 
Police said there are indications the gang rape occured on May 21, but they could not confirm how&nbsp;many took part. 
 
Over the weekend, women and men&nbsp;marched in several cities to demand justice and&nbsp;decry sexism in Brazilian culture. A woman who sits on the Supreme Court lashed out at a pervasive macho culture that permits such&nbsp;barbaric acts. 
 
&quot;&nbsp;Each and every woman is a victim,&quot; Justice Carmen Lucia said in a written statement.&quot; Our bodies are tormented, our souls are trashed. That is what these criminals think and do, and they must be quickly held accountable.&quot; 
 
The case added to the concerns about security in Rio and the political breakdown in Brazil as the city and the country prepare for South America&#39;s first Olympics starting August 5. 
 
?rime has fallen in recent years, but&nbsp;there has been an increase in homicides in recent months as Rio&#39;s police department had its budget slashed during an economic downturn.&nbsp; 
 
The country&#39;s elected President, Dilma Rousseff, has been suspended on allegations she broke budget laws, and her impeachment trials in the Senate will likely play out as the&nbsp;Games are held.&nbsp; 
 
Brazil&#39;s worst economic crisis since the 1930s&nbsp; has compounded political chaos. 
 
In addition, an outbreak of the Zika virus has prompted health warnings and led top&nbsp;global health experts to advise the Games be postponed or moved. 
 
The reported&nbsp;rape came to light in&nbsp;a video of the nude, semi-conscious youth, with a few men brazenly insulting the girl, showing their faces and, one man heard saying:&quot; More than&nbsp; 30 impregnated her!&quot; The Twitter account where the video had been posted has been suspended. 
 
Both,&nbsp;Rousseff, the first woman to be elected President in&nbsp;Brazil and interim President Michel temer condemned the act.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH&#39;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
In an interview with Rio&#39;s O&nbsp;Globo newspaper, the alleged victim said she&nbsp;wanted&nbsp; to &nbsp;see justice done so that&nbsp;no other person would have to go through the brutal assault like the one she said she suffered. 
 
&quot; Today, I feel like a piece of trash, she told the newspaper.&quot; I hope that no other person ever feels this way.&quot; 
 
Late on Sunday, the police siad in an emailed statement tehy removed the original lead investigator fromt he case. 
 
That was in response to a formal request made by the alleged victim&#39;s lawyer, Eloisa Samy, to have investigator Alessandro Thiers taken off the case because she said he made the girl feel uncomfortable during questioning. 
 
Samy told TV Globo in an interview that Thiers asked the girl if she participated in group sex parties. 
 
Samy was not immidiately available to provide further details. 
 
&nbsp;

 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Police brought in five people for questioning but no arrests made.

Rio de Janeiro police swarmed two slums on Sunday searching for suspects in the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old Brazilian girl who siad more than 30 men assaulted her, a case that shocked the nation set to host the Olympics in August. More than 70 Officers used helicoptors,armored vehicles and dogs to enter the slums, but there was no word if the suspects had been captured in the operation. In the five days since a video of the rape was posted by an alleged perpetrator on Twitter and set off a wave of outrage, police have brought in five people for questioning and made no arrests. Police said there are indications the gang rape occured on May 21, but they could not confirm how many took part. Over the weekend, women and men marched in several cities to demand justice and decry sexism in Brazilian culture. A woman who sits on the Supreme Court lashed out at a pervasive macho culture that permits such barbaric acts. " Each and every woman is a victim," Justice Carmen Lucia said in a written statement." Our bodies are tormented, our souls are trashed. That is what these criminals think and do, and they must be quickly held accountable." The case added to the concerns about security in Rio and the political breakdown in Brazil as the city and the country prepare for South America's first Olympics starting August 5. ?rime has fallen in recent years, but there has been an increase in homicides in recent months as Rio's police department had its budget slashed during an economic downturn. The country's elected President, Dilma Rousseff, has been suspended on allegations she broke budget laws, and her impeachment trials in the Senate will likely play out as the Games are held. Brazil's worst economic crisis since the 1930s has compounded political chaos. In addition, an outbreak of the Zika virus has prompted health warnings and led top global health experts to advise the Games be postponed or moved. The reported rape came to light in a video of the nude, semi-conscious youth, with a few men brazenly insulting the girl, showing their faces and, one man heard saying:" More than 30 impregnated her!" The Twitter account where the video had been posted has been suspended. Both, Rousseff, the first woman to be elected President in Brazil and interim President Michel temer condemned the act. 'FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH' In an interview with Rio's O Globo newspaper, the alleged victim said she wanted to see justice done so that no other person would have to go through the brutal assault like the one she said she suffered. " Today, I feel like a piece of trash, she told the newspaper." I hope that no other person ever feels this way." Late on Sunday, the police siad in an emailed statement tehy removed the original lead investigator fromt he case. That was in response to a formal request made by the alleged victim's lawyer, Eloisa Samy, to have investigator Alessandro Thiers taken off the case because she said he made the girl feel uncomfortable during questioning. Samy told TV Globo in an interview that Thiers asked the girl if she participated in group sex parties. Samy was not immidiately available to provide further details.

Rio de Janeiro police search slums for gang rape suspects

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Zika threat bugging Chinese shuttler Wang

Thrown out of a moving train, Indian-origin Australian wrestler gets back on track for Olympics

Rio de Janeiro police arrest two men in gang rape case

Rio de Janeiro police search slums for gang rape suspects