Accusing India&#39;s sports minister Vijay Goel for bringing disrepute to the nation at the Rio Olympics by flouting rules and codes of decency, the opposition party Congress today asserted that Goel could have done his job of taking care and cheering the Indian contingency by staying back in the country. 
 
Congress leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said it was &quot;unfortunate and disappointing&quot; that under the garb of cheering the Indian squad at the Olympics, the minister&#39;s team was busy in &quot;self glorification&quot;. 
 
&quot;We have seen how the sports minister has got a letter from the Olympic team saying that all his access will be denied if his contingent, the people he is travelling with him, continues to be rude and arrogant. How embarrassing as a nation is this for us,&quot; she said. 
 
Adding that while there are players openly complaining about uniforms not reaching on time and physios not being allotted, the Congress leader asserted that Goel was busy taking selfies and flouting every rule at Rio instead of tending to the needs of the athletes. 
 
&quot;This is a serious event, we are not there for self-glorification and are there to ensure that our players get the best of facilities, best of infrastructure and this is something that could`ve been achieved while staying back in India,&quot; she said. 
 
Taking a swipe at sports minister of &nbsp;northern Haryana, Anil Vij, for also joining Goel at Rio to take selfies, Chaturvedi stated that the purpose of his visit fell on the same grounds as the Indian sports minister, adding that it was going to be yet another disappointment for the nation. 
 
&quot;Besides seeking selfie and their own self-glorification and going on a trip at the tax payers&#39; expense, there is nothing really they do to cheer our team on. Having said that, what comes across is how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, the ruling party in the country) thinks only in terms of the state and region they belong to. It exposed the mindset when Mr Anil Vij who says that he is going there to only to cheer Haryana,&quot; she said. 
 
Further hitting out at Vij, the Congress leader added the minister has gone there under the Indian flag and that is who they should be representing, not their states. 
 
Earlier, after being pulled up by the Rio Olympic organisers Vijay Goel rubbished being part of any controversy in the ongoing prestigious quadrennial event saying that he has been following all the rules and regulations and is fully committed to the spirit of the Games.&nbsp; 
 
The Rio Olympic Organising Committee, in a scathing letter to India&#39;s chef-de-mission Rakesh Gupta, had threatened to cancel the accreditation of Goel for being &#39;aggressive and rude&#39; and trying to bring other non-accredited people at the accredited areas of the Games venues. 
 
Denying his involvement in any miff with the Summer Games organisers, the sports minister wrote on Twitter that there seems to be some misunderstanding. &quot;To my knowledge, we have been following all rules and regulations. We are committed to the spirit of Olympics and back our Indian players. There seems to be some misunderstanding as we have followed all protocols as advised by the organizers,&quot; Goel tweeted. 
 
The warning about Goel`s accreditation could be revoked reportedly came from Sarah Peterson, the continental manager for the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee. 
 
(ANI) 
&nbsp;

Vijay Goel's conduct has been dubbed by the opposition party in India as 'unfortunate and disappointing'

Accusing India's sports minister Vijay Goel for bringing disrepute to the nation at the Rio Olympics by flouting rules and codes of decency, the opposition party Congress today asserted that Goel could have done his job of taking care and cheering the Indian contingency by staying back in the country. Congress leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said it was "unfortunate and disappointing" that under the garb of cheering the Indian squad at the Olympics, the minister's team was busy in "self glorification". "We have seen how the sports minister has got a letter from the Olympic team saying that all his access will be denied if his contingent, the people he is travelling with him, continues to be rude and arrogant. How embarrassing as a nation is this for us," she said. Adding that while there are players openly complaining about uniforms not reaching on time and physios not being allotted, the Congress leader asserted that Goel was busy taking selfies and flouting every rule at Rio instead of tending to the needs of the athletes. "This is a serious event, we are not there for self-glorification and are there to ensure that our players get the best of facilities, best of infrastructure and this is something that could`ve been achieved while staying back in India," she said. Taking a swipe at sports minister of northern Haryana, Anil Vij, for also joining Goel at Rio to take selfies, Chaturvedi stated that the purpose of his visit fell on the same grounds as the Indian sports minister, adding that it was going to be yet another disappointment for the nation. "Besides seeking selfie and their own self-glorification and going on a trip at the tax payers' expense, there is nothing really they do to cheer our team on. Having said that, what comes across is how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, the ruling party in the country) thinks only in terms of the state and region they belong to. It exposed the mindset when Mr Anil Vij who says that he is going there to only to cheer Haryana," she said. Further hitting out at Vij, the Congress leader added the minister has gone there under the Indian flag and that is who they should be representing, not their states. Earlier, after being pulled up by the Rio Olympic organisers Vijay Goel rubbished being part of any controversy in the ongoing prestigious quadrennial event saying that he has been following all the rules and regulations and is fully committed to the spirit of the Games. The Rio Olympic Organising Committee, in a scathing letter to India's chef-de-mission Rakesh Gupta, had threatened to cancel the accreditation of Goel for being 'aggressive and rude' and trying to bring other non-accredited people at the accredited areas of the Games venues. Denying his involvement in any miff with the Summer Games organisers, the sports minister wrote on Twitter that there seems to be some misunderstanding. "To my knowledge, we have been following all rules and regulations. We are committed to the spirit of Olympics and back our Indian players. There seems to be some misunderstanding as we have followed all protocols as advised by the organizers," Goel tweeted. The warning about Goel`s accreditation could be revoked reportedly came from Sarah Peterson, the continental manager for the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee. (ANI)

Indian sports minister's 'selfie stunts' at Rio Games condemned by Congress

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt won his 100 metres heat after what he called a &quot;sluggish&quot; start today, but looked pained after the race as he prepared to fend off the challenge of American Jason Gatlin for the Olympic crown. 
 
Bolt, who turns 30 on the final day of the Games, is aiming high in what he has said will be his final Olympics, bidding to continue his streak of gold in the men&#39;s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, the unprecedented &quot;triple-triple.&quot; 
 
The superstar qualified in a leisurely 10.07 seconds, picking up the pace after lumbering from the blocks and looking stiff in his warm-up. 
 
&quot;It wasn&#39;t the best start, I feel kind of sluggish. I think it&#39;s the fact that it&#39;s the morning. I&#39;m not usually running this early in the morning,&quot; Bolt told reporters after the race that began at 12:42 pm local time in warm sunshine. &quot;Hopefully tomorrow I&#39;ll feel much better,&quot; he added of Sunday&#39;s action when the semis and final take place late in the evening. 
 
Gatlin, 34, turned in the fastest time of the morning, 10.01 as the 2004 champion seeks to become the oldest man to win a medal in the 100m and the first to do so after serving two doping bans. 
 
&quot;I felt good. I think I&#39;m going to have to run a bit faster (than my season&#39;s best of 9.80 seconds) to win this medal,&quot; Gatlin said. 
 
Ben Youssef Metie, 29, of the Ivory Coast, notched the morning&#39;s second-faster time of 10.03, edging US hopeful Trayvon Bromell&#39;s 10.13, which was still fast enough to quality. Canada&#39;s de Grasse, a 21-year-old who only took up running seriously three years ago after an early focus on basketball, ran a 10.04. 
 
(Reuters)

Bolt qualified in a leisurely 10.07 seconds as American Jason Gatlin turned in the fastest time of the morning - 10.01 seconds

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt won his 100 metres heat after what he called a "sluggish" start today, but looked pained after the race as he prepared to fend off the challenge of American Jason Gatlin for the Olympic crown. Bolt, who turns 30 on the final day of the Games, is aiming high in what he has said will be his final Olympics, bidding to continue his streak of gold in the men's 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, the unprecedented "triple-triple." The superstar qualified in a leisurely 10.07 seconds, picking up the pace after lumbering from the blocks and looking stiff in his warm-up. "It wasn't the best start, I feel kind of sluggish. I think it's the fact that it's the morning. I'm not usually running this early in the morning," Bolt told reporters after the race that began at 12:42 pm local time in warm sunshine. "Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel much better," he added of Sunday's action when the semis and final take place late in the evening. Gatlin, 34, turned in the fastest time of the morning, 10.01 as the 2004 champion seeks to become the oldest man to win a medal in the 100m and the first to do so after serving two doping bans. "I felt good. I think I'm going to have to run a bit faster (than my season's best of 9.80 seconds) to win this medal," Gatlin said. Ben Youssef Metie, 29, of the Ivory Coast, notched the morning's second-faster time of 10.03, edging US hopeful Trayvon Bromell's 10.13, which was still fast enough to quality. Canada's de Grasse, a 21-year-old who only took up running seriously three years ago after an early focus on basketball, ran a 10.04. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: 'Sluggish' Bolt does enough in 100m heats

Britain&#39;s Andy Murray advanced to the men&#39;s Olympic final with a straight sets victory over Japan&#39;s Kei Nishikori today, securing a chance to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back singles golds at the Games. 
 
In a commanding performance, the Wimbledon champion and number two ranked player broke Nishikori&#39;s serve early on, breezing through the first set 6-1. After another service break early in the second set, Murray closed out the match 6-1 6-4. 
 
Though Nishikori&#39;s speed allowed him to punch back against Murray&#39;s blazing ground strokes, the Japanese player was plagued by too many unforced errors and could not break Murray&#39;s serve. 
 
In Sunday&#39;s gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain&#39;s Rafa Nadal or Argentina&#39;s Juan Martin del Potro, who play later on Saturday. 
 
Murray won gold at the 2012 London Games where he defeated Switzerland&#39;s Roger Federer in the final. 
 
But the Briton will have his work cut out for him on Sunday. Del Potro, the bronze medallist in London, has drawn energy from boisterous crowds of fans from neighbouring Argentina at the Games. He pulled off an upset by defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the first round in Rio. 
 
Nadal, who has been beset by a wrist injury, also appears to have returned to form. He claimed a gold medal for Spain in men&#39;s doubles with partner Marc Lopez on Friday. 
 
If Nadal makes the final he will have a chance to become the first player since 1924 to win a gold medal in both men&#39;s singles and doubles at a Games. 
 
(Reuters)

In tomorrow's gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain's Rafa Nadal or Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro

Britain's Andy Murray advanced to the men's Olympic final with a straight sets victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori today, securing a chance to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back singles golds at the Games. In a commanding performance, the Wimbledon champion and number two ranked player broke Nishikori's serve early on, breezing through the first set 6-1. After another service break early in the second set, Murray closed out the match 6-1 6-4. Though Nishikori's speed allowed him to punch back against Murray's blazing ground strokes, the Japanese player was plagued by too many unforced errors and could not break Murray's serve. In Sunday's gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain's Rafa Nadal or Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who play later on Saturday. Murray won gold at the 2012 London Games where he defeated Switzerland's Roger Federer in the final. But the Briton will have his work cut out for him on Sunday. Del Potro, the bronze medallist in London, has drawn energy from boisterous crowds of fans from neighbouring Argentina at the Games. He pulled off an upset by defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the first round in Rio. Nadal, who has been beset by a wrist injury, also appears to have returned to form. He claimed a gold medal for Spain in men's doubles with partner Marc Lopez on Friday. If Nadal makes the final he will have a chance to become the first player since 1924 to win a gold medal in both men's singles and doubles at a Games. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Murray advances to final to defend London gold

Police arrested two people on Thursday suspected of supporting Islamic State in planning a possible attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Police had arrested 12 people before Thursday&#39;s operation, all suspected of collaboration with Islamic State militants. Brazil&#39;s federal police said three others have been interrogated and later released. The two arrested on Thursday were Brazilians, but police did not provide names or other details. 
 
Although Brazil has no history of conflict with known militant groups, the government has said the Games made the country a more likely target, particularly because of participation by countries fighting Islamic State. 
 
Its militants control parts of Iraq and Syria and a U.S.-led coalition has conducted air strikes against them. The group has supporters worldwide who have carried out shootings and bombings of civilians. 
 
(Reuters)

The police had earlier arrested 12 others for their alleged links to the Islamic State

Police arrested two people on Thursday suspected of supporting Islamic State in planning a possible attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Police had arrested 12 people before Thursday's operation, all suspected of collaboration with Islamic State militants. Brazil's federal police said three others have been interrogated and later released. The two arrested on Thursday were Brazilians, but police did not provide names or other details. Although Brazil has no history of conflict with known militant groups, the government has said the Games made the country a more likely target, particularly because of participation by countries fighting Islamic State. Its militants control parts of Iraq and Syria and a U.S.-led coalition has conducted air strikes against them. The group has supporters worldwide who have carried out shootings and bombings of civilians. (Reuters)

Two suspects arrested for planning IS-backed attack at Olympics

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand made the cut for the women&#39;s 100m at the Rio Olympics today, less than a year after she was cleared to race following the Court of Arbitration for Sport&#39;s (CAS) ruling on gender testing guidelines. 
 
The Lausanne-based court suspended the governing International Association of Athletics Federations&#39; (IAAF) regulations regarding hyperandrogenism, a condition which produces high testosterone levels, for two years. 
 
It cleared the way for Chand to compete again in both domestic and international events after she was forced to sit out about a year of competition. 
 
She clocked a national record 11.30 seconds in the 100m heats at the G. Kosanov Memorial Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to qualify for the Rio Games, the qualifying mark for which was set at 11.32. 
 
&quot;I am really happy at the moment,&quot; she said in a statement. &quot;It has been a tough year for me and I am so happy that my coach ... and my hard work has paid off.&nbsp;I would like to thank all the people in India who were praying for me to qualify. Your wishes have paid off.&quot; 
 
The daughter of weavers from Odisha, Chand was dropped from India&#39;s contingent for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Incheon after her naturally-occurring testosterone levels were found to be in breach of IAAF&#39;s guidelines. 
 
She was advised to have surgery and take medication, but instead decided to challenge the guidelines at CAS, who asked the IAAF to present scientific evidence proving enhanced testosterone levels improved performance in hyperandrogenic athletes. 
 
South Africa&#39;s former world champion 800m runner Caster Semenya was also subjected to gender testing by the IAAF before being cleared to compete as a woman. 
 
The Rio Olympics take place from August 5-21. 
 
(Reuters)

Chand was dropped from Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Asian Games after her high testosterone levels were found

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand made the cut for the women's 100m at the Rio Olympics today, less than a year after she was cleared to race following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) ruling on gender testing guidelines. The Lausanne-based court suspended the governing International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) regulations regarding hyperandrogenism, a condition which produces high testosterone levels, for two years. It cleared the way for Chand to compete again in both domestic and international events after she was forced to sit out about a year of competition. She clocked a national record 11.30 seconds in the 100m heats at the G. Kosanov Memorial Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to qualify for the Rio Games, the qualifying mark for which was set at 11.32. "I am really happy at the moment," she said in a statement. "It has been a tough year for me and I am so happy that my coach ... and my hard work has paid off. I would like to thank all the people in India who were praying for me to qualify. Your wishes have paid off." The daughter of weavers from Odisha, Chand was dropped from India's contingent for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Incheon after her naturally-occurring testosterone levels were found to be in breach of IAAF's guidelines. She was advised to have surgery and take medication, but instead decided to challenge the guidelines at CAS, who asked the IAAF to present scientific evidence proving enhanced testosterone levels improved performance in hyperandrogenic athletes. South Africa's former world champion 800m runner Caster Semenya was also subjected to gender testing by the IAAF before being cleared to compete as a woman. The Rio Olympics take place from August 5-21. (Reuters)

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand qualifies for Rio Olympics following ruling on gender testing

World number three Jordan Spieth has pulled out of next month&#39;s Olympics because of fears over the Zika virus, officials said at a news conference held at the British Open today. 
 
American Spieth&#39;s withdrawal means the Olympic golf tournament will be without the world&#39;s top four players. 
 
Number one Jason Day, second-ranked Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy had all previously said they would not be competing in the event. 
 
&quot;It was out of concern at health issues we have been talking about (recently),&quot; International Golf Federation vice-president Ty Votaw told reporters at Royal Troon, referring to the reasons for Spieth&#39;s pull-out. 
 
Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar were also announced as the four players in the U.S. team for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Golf is returning to the Games in August following an absence of 112 years. 
 
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that the World Health Organisation says is spreading rapidly in the Americas. 
 
(Reuters)

Jordan Spieth withdrawal means the Olympic golf tournament will be without the world's top four players

World number three Jordan Spieth has pulled out of next month's Olympics because of fears over the Zika virus, officials said at a news conference held at the British Open today. American Spieth's withdrawal means the Olympic golf tournament will be without the world's top four players. Number one Jason Day, second-ranked Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy had all previously said they would not be competing in the event. "It was out of concern at health issues we have been talking about (recently)," International Golf Federation vice-president Ty Votaw told reporters at Royal Troon, referring to the reasons for Spieth's pull-out. Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar were also announced as the four players in the U.S. team for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Golf is returning to the Games in August following an absence of 112 years. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that the World Health Organisation says is spreading rapidly in the Americas. (Reuters)

Spieth pulls out of Olympics over Zika worries

Barely 10 days before the start of the Rio Olympics, India suffered a huge embarrassment as 74-kg freestyle wrestler Narsingh Yadav failed a dope test conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), a development which has cast doubt on his participation in Rio Games. 
 
National Anti-Doping director general Navin Agarwal confirmed that Narsingh&#39;s &#39;B&#39; sample also tested positive for a banned steroid and he appeared before a NADA disciplinary panel yesterday. 
 
&quot;Yes, he (Narsingh) tested positive for a banned steroid. His B sample was also found to be positive. Narsingh was personally present when his B sample was opened,&quot; Agarwal said today. 
 
&quot;He appeared before a disciplinary panel yesterday. The panel sought for more reports regarding the matter. We will proceed further and I am hoping that the panel will proceed quickly. Till then we will have to wait,&quot; he added. 
 
Asked if Narsingh will miss the Rio Olympics, Agarwal said, &quot;It is too early to comment in that regard. We will try to complete the whole thing quickly. I cannot speculate on that.&quot; 
 
Interestingly, Narsingh was selected for the Rio Olympics in controversial circumstances as double Olympic medallist Sushil Singh had also staked his claim to represent the country in 74-kg freestyle. 
 
But Narsingh was favoured as he had earned the Olympic quota in the World Championships last year. 
 
Narsingh had to fight a lengthy legal battle with two-time Olympics medallist Sushil, also in the same category, to get the chance to compete for India at the Olympics. 
 
(PTI)

Indian wrestler Narsingh appears before NADA disciplinary panel after his 'B' sample also tested positive for a banned steroid

Barely 10 days before the start of the Rio Olympics, India suffered a huge embarrassment as 74-kg freestyle wrestler Narsingh Yadav failed a dope test conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), a development which has cast doubt on his participation in Rio Games. National Anti-Doping director general Navin Agarwal confirmed that Narsingh's 'B' sample also tested positive for a banned steroid and he appeared before a NADA disciplinary panel yesterday. "Yes, he (Narsingh) tested positive for a banned steroid. His B sample was also found to be positive. Narsingh was personally present when his B sample was opened," Agarwal said today. "He appeared before a disciplinary panel yesterday. The panel sought for more reports regarding the matter. We will proceed further and I am hoping that the panel will proceed quickly. Till then we will have to wait," he added. Asked if Narsingh will miss the Rio Olympics, Agarwal said, "It is too early to comment in that regard. We will try to complete the whole thing quickly. I cannot speculate on that." Interestingly, Narsingh was selected for the Rio Olympics in controversial circumstances as double Olympic medallist Sushil Singh had also staked his claim to represent the country in 74-kg freestyle. But Narsingh was favoured as he had earned the Olympic quota in the World Championships last year. Narsingh had to fight a lengthy legal battle with two-time Olympics medallist Sushil, also in the same category, to get the chance to compete for India at the Olympics. (PTI)

India's Rio-bound wrestler Narsingh Yadav fails dope test

Rowing&#39;s international governing body FISA announced on yesterday that 22 of 28 Russian rowers have been banned from competing in the Rio Games, based on criteria fixed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over state-sponsored doping in Russia. 
 
With just six rowers still eligible, Russia can only compete with one boat in Brazil, a men&#39;s coxless four, FISA said, after the country had originally qualified five boats. 
 
This follows FISA&#39;s announcement on Monday that three Russian rowers - Ivan Balandin, Anastasia Karabelshchikova and Ivan Podshivalov - would be barred from competing in Rio. 
 
Podshivalov and Karabelshchikova are not eligible because of past doping offences for which they served suspensions in 2007 and 2008, FISA said. 
 
FISA said that Balandin was among the 11 rowers whose doping tests were manipulated by the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and the Russian deputy minister of sport, as had been outlined in a damning report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren published last week. 
 
The 19 rowers declared ineligible yesterday were because of non credible doping controls carried out in Moscow between 2012 and 2016. 
 
Russia&#39;s rowing federation said earlier Tuesday it would be appealing those three cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 
 
And Russian rowing federation president Veniamin But slammed the decision to allow just six rowers to compete as a &quot;humiliation&quot;. 
 
&quot;This is a humiliation. I was in contact with the president of the International Federation and I am in shock, but we won&#39;t stop the battle,&quot; But told the R-Sport agency. 
 
&quot;Our Olympic Committee is holding discussions with the IOC on our behalf.&nbsp;I&#39;m waiting for the outcome of talks between the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) and the IOC, we continue the battle. I think the final decision will be set out tomorrow.&quot; 
 
On Sunday the IOC ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide on Russian athletes&#39; eligibility. 
 
(AFP)

Russia can only compete with one boat in Brazil with just six rowers still eligible. The country had originally qualified for five boats

Rowing's international governing body FISA announced on yesterday that 22 of 28 Russian rowers have been banned from competing in the Rio Games, based on criteria fixed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over state-sponsored doping in Russia. With just six rowers still eligible, Russia can only compete with one boat in Brazil, a men's coxless four, FISA said, after the country had originally qualified five boats. This follows FISA's announcement on Monday that three Russian rowers - Ivan Balandin, Anastasia Karabelshchikova and Ivan Podshivalov - would be barred from competing in Rio. Podshivalov and Karabelshchikova are not eligible because of past doping offences for which they served suspensions in 2007 and 2008, FISA said. FISA said that Balandin was among the 11 rowers whose doping tests were manipulated by the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and the Russian deputy minister of sport, as had been outlined in a damning report by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren published last week. The 19 rowers declared ineligible yesterday were because of non credible doping controls carried out in Moscow between 2012 and 2016. Russia's rowing federation said earlier Tuesday it would be appealing those three cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). And Russian rowing federation president Veniamin But slammed the decision to allow just six rowers to compete as a "humiliation". "This is a humiliation. I was in contact with the president of the International Federation and I am in shock, but we won't stop the battle," But told the R-Sport agency. "Our Olympic Committee is holding discussions with the IOC on our behalf. I'm waiting for the outcome of talks between the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) and the IOC, we continue the battle. I think the final decision will be set out tomorrow." On Sunday the IOC ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide on Russian athletes' eligibility. (AFP)

22 Russian rowers banned from Rio Games

Worried about surviving a mugging during the Rio Olympics? Have a banknote ready in your pocket to keep your attacker happy.

That&#39;s the advice French visitors heading for the Games are getting from their government to minimize the risk of being hurt in the notoriously dangerous Brazilian city.

France&#39;s security advisory recommends that tourists walk Rio streets with no jewellery or valuables, and carry a spare 20-real or 50-real bill ($6 or $15) ready to give to a mugger.

&quot;The idea is that it&#39;s best not to resist an assault and always useful to have a 20- or 50-real bill to keep the robber happy,&quot; French embassy spokesman Thibaut Lespagnol said.

As many as half a million foreign tourists are expected to descend on Rio for the first Olympic Games to be held in South America Aug. 5-21, and Brazil is deploying 88,000 police and troops to protect them from terrorist threats and dissuade muggers.

Rio de Janeiro has a high incidence of crime, including pick-pocketing and armed robberies that can happen at any place and at any time, a US&nbsp;State Department advisory said. Credit card fraud and ATM scams are also endemic and visitors should check their accounts regularly for unexpected withdrawals, it said.

Rio&#39;s colourful hillside shanty towns, called favelas, are rife with drug trafficking and armed violence, despite a &quot;pacification&quot; programme that placed police stations in some of them, and can be dangerous for curious visitors.

&quot;Even pacified favelas can be unpredictable and dangerous. US&nbsp;visitors who visit favelas could be placing themselves at risk,&quot; the State Department advised 
 
(Reuters)

French embassy spokesman asked tourists heading for Rio Games to carry spare bills ready to give to a thief in case of a mugging

Worried about surviving a mugging during the Rio Olympics? Have a banknote ready in your pocket to keep your attacker happy. That's the advice French visitors heading for the Games are getting from their government to minimize the risk of being hurt in the notoriously dangerous Brazilian city. France's security advisory recommends that tourists walk Rio streets with no jewellery or valuables, and carry a spare 20-real or 50-real bill ($6 or $15) ready to give to a mugger. "The idea is that it's best not to resist an assault and always useful to have a 20- or 50-real bill to keep the robber happy," French embassy spokesman Thibaut Lespagnol said. As many as half a million foreign tourists are expected to descend on Rio for the first Olympic Games to be held in South America Aug. 5-21, and Brazil is deploying 88,000 police and troops to protect them from terrorist threats and dissuade muggers. Rio de Janeiro has a high incidence of crime, including pick-pocketing and armed robberies that can happen at any place and at any time, a US State Department advisory said. Credit card fraud and ATM scams are also endemic and visitors should check their accounts regularly for unexpected withdrawals, it said. Rio's colourful hillside shanty towns, called favelas, are rife with drug trafficking and armed violence, despite a "pacification" programme that placed police stations in some of them, and can be dangerous for curious visitors. "Even pacified favelas can be unpredictable and dangerous. US visitors who visit favelas could be placing themselves at risk," the State Department advised (Reuters)

A banknote a day, keeps the robber away

If bravery was an Olympic sport, the 10 athletes who make up the first-ever refugee team in Rio would be odds-on for a clean sweep of the gold medals. 
 
From Yusra Mardini, a teenage swimmer from Syria who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy, to Popole Misenga, who spent eight days hiding in a forest as a terrified child to flee bloody fighting, each of the refugee athletes have overcome daunting odds to maintain their Olympic dreams. 
 
Mardini, 18, spoke of her delight on Saturday at the prospect of participating in Rio, where she will compete in the 100 meters butterfly and 100m freestyle. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s absolutely an honor for me to be here,&quot; Mardini told a press conference on Saturday. 
 
Less than a year ago, Mardini was swimming for her life. During a perilous journey to Lesbos, the engine of their packed dinghy failed and the craft began taking on water. 
 
Mardini and her sister jumped into the water, grabbed a rope and and spent the next three-and-a half-hours in the choppy water towing the boat to safety. 
 
Mardini, who has now settled in Germany with her family as a refugee, says she will proudly represent Syria, the Olympic movement and her recently adopted homeland when she competes in Brazil. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s for my country, for Germany and the Olympic Committee, because they gave me all the support to make it possible,&quot; Mardini said. Mardini is joined in the refugee ranks by another Syrian swimmer, Rami Anis. Anis fled Syria in 2011 to avoid being enlisted into the army, relocating to Belgium from Istanbul in October last year. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m very proud to be here,&quot; Rami said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;But I feel a bit of sadness that I&#39;m not participating as a Syrian. We are representing people who have lost their human rights and are facing injustices.&quot; 
 
The 25-year-old butterfly and freestyle swimmer described the refugee team as a group that &quot;does not despair.&quot; 
 
&quot;We have iron wills. We feel sad of course because of the wars in our countries,&quot; Anis said. 
 
For Congelese judoka Misenga, recalling the devastating toll that conflict has had on his family was too much. 
 
The 24-year-old broke down in tears when he was asked to comment on what message he hoped to send through his Olympic participation. 
 
Misenga was just nine years old when he fled fighting in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Separated from his family, he hid in the jungle for eight days before being rescued and taken to a centre for displaced children in Kinshasa. 
 
He later settled in Brazil, staying in the country after the 2013 World Championships. 
 
&quot;I have two brothers that I haven&#39;t seen for years. I don&#39;t remember their faces,&quot; Misenga said tearfully on Saturday. 
 
&quot;I want to send them hugs and kisses. I&#39;m here in Brazil participating so that one day I can bring them to live with me here in Brazil.&quot; 
 
Another refugee from war in the Congo, Yolande Mabika, followed Misenga&#39;s journey by settling in Brazil. 
 
&quot;This is not just a struggle for sport it&#39;s a struggle for life. Each one of us had our own personal stories to tell,&quot; she says. 
 
Coach Geraldo Bernades said the question of whether any of the refugee team can win a medal is immaterial. 
 
&quot;People ask if they can win a medal. I say they have already won their medals just by getting to Rio,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)

10 athletes from Syria, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo will make up the first-ever refugee team to participate in Olympics

If bravery was an Olympic sport, the 10 athletes who make up the first-ever refugee team in Rio would be odds-on for a clean sweep of the gold medals. From Yusra Mardini, a teenage swimmer from Syria who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy, to Popole Misenga, who spent eight days hiding in a forest as a terrified child to flee bloody fighting, each of the refugee athletes have overcome daunting odds to maintain their Olympic dreams. Mardini, 18, spoke of her delight on Saturday at the prospect of participating in Rio, where she will compete in the 100 meters butterfly and 100m freestyle. "It's absolutely an honor for me to be here," Mardini told a press conference on Saturday. Less than a year ago, Mardini was swimming for her life. During a perilous journey to Lesbos, the engine of their packed dinghy failed and the craft began taking on water. Mardini and her sister jumped into the water, grabbed a rope and and spent the next three-and-a half-hours in the choppy water towing the boat to safety. Mardini, who has now settled in Germany with her family as a refugee, says she will proudly represent Syria, the Olympic movement and her recently adopted homeland when she competes in Brazil. "It's for my country, for Germany and the Olympic Committee, because they gave me all the support to make it possible," Mardini said. Mardini is joined in the refugee ranks by another Syrian swimmer, Rami Anis. Anis fled Syria in 2011 to avoid being enlisted into the army, relocating to Belgium from Istanbul in October last year. "I'm very proud to be here," Rami said. "But I feel a bit of sadness that I'm not participating as a Syrian. We are representing people who have lost their human rights and are facing injustices." The 25-year-old butterfly and freestyle swimmer described the refugee team as a group that "does not despair." "We have iron wills. We feel sad of course because of the wars in our countries," Anis said. For Congelese judoka Misenga, recalling the devastating toll that conflict has had on his family was too much. The 24-year-old broke down in tears when he was asked to comment on what message he hoped to send through his Olympic participation. Misenga was just nine years old when he fled fighting in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Separated from his family, he hid in the jungle for eight days before being rescued and taken to a centre for displaced children in Kinshasa. He later settled in Brazil, staying in the country after the 2013 World Championships. "I have two brothers that I haven't seen for years. I don't remember their faces," Misenga said tearfully on Saturday. "I want to send them hugs and kisses. I'm here in Brazil participating so that one day I can bring them to live with me here in Brazil." Another refugee from war in the Congo, Yolande Mabika, followed Misenga's journey by settling in Brazil. "This is not just a struggle for sport it's a struggle for life. Each one of us had our own personal stories to tell," she says. Coach Geraldo Bernades said the question of whether any of the refugee team can win a medal is immaterial. "People ask if they can win a medal. I say they have already won their medals just by getting to Rio," he said. (AFP)

From horrors of war to Olympics, refugees are ready for Rio

The International Olympic Committee today barred Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko and other ministry officials from attending the Rio Games after the revelation of a state-run doping system. 
 
&quot;The IOC will not grant any accreditation to any official of the Russian Ministry of sport or any person implicated in the (independent) report for the Games of the Olympiad Rio 2016,&quot; said an IOC statement. 
 
An independent inquiry commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the Russian sports ministry organised a state-dictated failsafe system of cheating by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics and other major events hosted by Russia. 
Deputy sports minister Yury Nagornykh is among officials to have been suspended by the Kremlin since the report was released on Monday. 
 
The International Olympic Committee today also that said it will study &quot;legal options&quot; on banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games and also ordered a disciplinary commission to look into the role of Russian officials in a state-run doping system. 
 
The IOC executive held emergency telephone talks after a WADA commissioned report said there had been state-sanctioned doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events. 
 
The IOC &quot;will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice&quot;, said a statement. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on July 21 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

IOC will not grant any accreditation to any Russian sport ministry official or any person implicated in the WADA report

The International Olympic Committee today barred Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko and other ministry officials from attending the Rio Games after the revelation of a state-run doping system. "The IOC will not grant any accreditation to any official of the Russian Ministry of sport or any person implicated in the (independent) report for the Games of the Olympiad Rio 2016," said an IOC statement. An independent inquiry commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the Russian sports ministry organised a state-dictated failsafe system of cheating by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics and other major events hosted by Russia. Deputy sports minister Yury Nagornykh is among officials to have been suspended by the Kremlin since the report was released on Monday. The International Olympic Committee today also that said it will study "legal options" on banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games and also ordered a disciplinary commission to look into the role of Russian officials in a state-run doping system. The IOC executive held emergency telephone talks after a WADA commissioned report said there had been state-sanctioned doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events. The IOC "will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice", said a statement. "In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on July 21 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter." (AFP)

IOC bars Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko from Rio Olympics

Widespread doping and manipulation of tests by Russian athletes and officials at the Sochi Olympics, overseen by the ministry of sport, was confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) today, further fuelling calls for a complete ban on the country from the Rio Games. 
 
According to the WADA&#39;s independent commission report, which was led by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Richard McLaren and unveiled at a Toronto news conference, a Moscow laboratory protected Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. 
 
McLaren, who was a member of WADA&#39;s independent commission which last year exposed widespread doping and corruption in Russian athletics, leading to the ban on Russian track and field athletes from Rio, said the Russian ministry of sport oversaw the manipulation of athletes&#39; analytical results and sample swapping. 
 
The report addressed accusations made by former Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory head Grigory Rodchenkov, who two months ago told the New York Times dozens of Russians used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with approval from national sports authorities. 
 
Rodchenkov claimed that up to 15 Russian medal winners at the Sochi Winter Games were part of a programme in which tainted urine samples were switched for clean ones. 
 
According to McLaren, Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed were deemed credible and the personnel at the Moscow laboratory did not have a choice in whether to be involved in the state-directed system. 
 
Many organisations, including the United States Anti-Doping agency, have said that the Sochi revelations should lead to a blanket ban on Russia. 
 
However, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) indicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of those, or officials, from another. 
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin staked his reputation on the Sochi Games, which at about $50 billion was the most expensive in Olympic history. Russia topped the medal table with 13 gold medals and 33 overall. 
 
WADA appointed McLaren in May to lead the probe after some observers voiced concerns about a conflict of interest given that the allegations related to the Sochi Olympics and that WADA is funded by the International Olympic Committee. 
 
(Reuters)

McLaren, a member of the Agency, said the Russian sports ministry oversaw the manipulation of athletes' results and sample swapping

Widespread doping and manipulation of tests by Russian athletes and officials at the Sochi Olympics, overseen by the ministry of sport, was confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) today, further fuelling calls for a complete ban on the country from the Rio Games. According to the WADA's independent commission report, which was led by Canadian law professor and sports lawyer Richard McLaren and unveiled at a Toronto news conference, a Moscow laboratory protected Russian athletes during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. McLaren, who was a member of WADA's independent commission which last year exposed widespread doping and corruption in Russian athletics, leading to the ban on Russian track and field athletes from Rio, said the Russian ministry of sport oversaw the manipulation of athletes' analytical results and sample swapping. The report addressed accusations made by former Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory head Grigory Rodchenkov, who two months ago told the New York Times dozens of Russians used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with approval from national sports authorities. Rodchenkov claimed that up to 15 Russian medal winners at the Sochi Winter Games were part of a programme in which tainted urine samples were switched for clean ones. According to McLaren, Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed were deemed credible and the personnel at the Moscow laboratory did not have a choice in whether to be involved in the state-directed system. Many organisations, including the United States Anti-Doping agency, have said that the Sochi revelations should lead to a blanket ban on Russia. However, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) indicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of those, or officials, from another. Russian President Vladimir Putin staked his reputation on the Sochi Games, which at about $50 billion was the most expensive in Olympic history. Russia topped the medal table with 13 gold medals and 33 overall. WADA appointed McLaren in May to lead the probe after some observers voiced concerns about a conflict of interest given that the allegations related to the Sochi Olympics and that WADA is funded by the International Olympic Committee. (Reuters)

World Anti-Doping Agency: Moscow laboratory protected doped Russian athletes at Sochi Olympics

The Cuban men&#39;s volleyball team will compete in the Rio Olympics despite the detention of six of its players in Finland over a suspected aggravated rape, said an official at the National Sports Institute (INDER), according to website Cubadebate and other state-run news outlets on Wednesday. 
 
The island nation will be sending 120 athletes to the games in Rio de Janeiro to compete in 18 disciplines, said Jos? Antonio Miranda, INDER director of high performance sports, the media outlets reported. 
 
&quot;After not qualifying in volleyball for 16 years, we had 18 athletes in our preselection and we are going to be there with 12 in the Olympic games,&quot; Miranda was quoted as saying. 
 
Police detained eight players earlier this month in the Finnish city of Tampere, where the Cuban team was playing in a World League tournament. The suspected rape occurred at the hotel where the team was staying. 
 
Two of the men were then released and are no longer suspects. The other six will remain in custody while the investigation continues. 
 
&quot;Preliminary information suggests that (these players) are linked to acts completely unrelated to the discipline, sense of integrity and respect that govern our sport,&quot; Cuba&#39;s Volleyball Federation said in a statement. 
 
Cuba performed better than any other Latin American country at the 2012 Olympic games, earning sixteenth place in the medals table. 
 
(Reuters)

Police detained 8 players in Tampere over suspected aggravated rape. Two were released, 6 are in custody while the investigation continues

The Cuban men's volleyball team will compete in the Rio Olympics despite the detention of six of its players in Finland over a suspected aggravated rape, said an official at the National Sports Institute (INDER), according to website Cubadebate and other state-run news outlets on Wednesday. The island nation will be sending 120 athletes to the games in Rio de Janeiro to compete in 18 disciplines, said Jos? Antonio Miranda, INDER director of high performance sports, the media outlets reported. "After not qualifying in volleyball for 16 years, we had 18 athletes in our preselection and we are going to be there with 12 in the Olympic games," Miranda was quoted as saying. Police detained eight players earlier this month in the Finnish city of Tampere, where the Cuban team was playing in a World League tournament. The suspected rape occurred at the hotel where the team was staying. Two of the men were then released and are no longer suspects. The other six will remain in custody while the investigation continues. "Preliminary information suggests that (these players) are linked to acts completely unrelated to the discipline, sense of integrity and respect that govern our sport," Cuba's Volleyball Federation said in a statement. Cuba performed better than any other Latin American country at the 2012 Olympic games, earning sixteenth place in the medals table. (Reuters)

Cuba's volleyball team to compete at Olympics despite rape probe

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is aiming to drive her sabre through bigotry when she becomes the first American athlete to compete at the Olympics wearing a hijab. 
 
The articulate 30-year-old African-American Muslim was catapulted to prominence in January after clinching her place on the US Olympic team at the World Cup in Greece. 
 
Muhammad&#39;s participation in Rio comes in the midst of a US presidential election campaign marked by anti-Islamic rhetoric while incidents of threats and vandalism at mosques reached an all-time high last year. 
 
The ugly atmosphere is all-too familiar for Muhammad, who has faced discrimination since childhood, when her skin color and hijab would often draw stares or abuse. 
 
Indeed, part of the attraction of fencing was the fact that Muhammad could blend in more or less seamlessly. 
 
&quot;I played different sports growing up and my mum and I just happened to be driving past a high school and saw fencing from the car window,&quot; she recalled.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;She saw that the athletes had on long tops and long pants and she didn`t know what the sport was but she wanted me to try it because she thought it would be accommodating for my religious beliefs.&quot; 
 
Muhammad was unconvinced at first but persisted when she realized the sport could be a passport to a college education. 
 
&quot;I saw that the top 10 schools in the country all had fencing programs so I saw fencing as a way for me to get to school so that&#39;s why I stuck at it initially,&quot; said Muhammad, who graduated from prestigious Duke University in 2007 with a degree in International Relations and African Studies. 
 
Muhammad hopes that her Olympic journey may play a small role in shifting the kinds of attitudes that have surfaced during the US election campaign. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a tough political environment that we&#39;re in right now, it&#39;s not easy,&quot; Muhammad said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Muslims are under the microscope and I&#39;m hoping to change the image that people may have of Muslim women. 
 
&quot;I know that Muslim women are very, very diverse, especially here in the United States. We come in all different shapes, colors and sizes and we come from different backgrounds and are productive members of society. I want people to see that.&quot; 
 
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been accused of fueling anti-Islamic sentiment, pointedly calling for Muslims to be prevented from entering the United States in December last year. 
 
Muhammad diplomatically declined to speculate on what life for American Muslims might be like if Trump is elected to the White House in November. 
 
&quot;I hate to talk about what ifs,&quot; she said. &quot;I&#39;m hoping we can change direction a little bit and see Muslims in more of a positive light and try to combat the negative imagery that we are shown every day. Can I influence the debate? I don&#39;t know. I&#39;m just trying to do well in Rio&#39;&#39;. 
 
The toxic climate has brought practical concerns. After several stories involving Muslims being barred from boarding planes, Muhammad revealed she had harbored fears of suffering a similar fate during qualifiers for Rio. 
 
&quot;When Muslims were being kicked off flights in the middle of Olympic qualifiers that was a real worry, am I going to be allowed to board my flight to make it to my Olympic qualifier?&quot; 
 
The fact that she is expected to speak about weighty issues relating to her race, religion and gender rather than merely her sport does sometimes take its toll, Muhammad acknowledged. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s something I struggle with every day. But ultimately I feel incredibly blessed to have been given this platform. And when I think of my predecessors and people who have spoken out against bigotry and hate, I feel like I owe it not just to myself but to my community to try to fight it,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;You have to not just think about yourself, but everyone. And there are people in America right now who don&#39;t feel safe going to work every day, who don&#39;t feel safe in their community. That&#39;s a problem. 
 
&quot;I remember being a kid and people telling me I didn&#39;t belong in my sport because of my skin color, because I was Muslim. So if I can be a source of change for other minorities I feel fortunate to be able to do that.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad participation in Rio comes in the midst of a US presidential election campaign marked by anti-Islamic rhetoric

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is aiming to drive her sabre through bigotry when she becomes the first American athlete to compete at the Olympics wearing a hijab. The articulate 30-year-old African-American Muslim was catapulted to prominence in January after clinching her place on the US Olympic team at the World Cup in Greece. Muhammad's participation in Rio comes in the midst of a US presidential election campaign marked by anti-Islamic rhetoric while incidents of threats and vandalism at mosques reached an all-time high last year. The ugly atmosphere is all-too familiar for Muhammad, who has faced discrimination since childhood, when her skin color and hijab would often draw stares or abuse. Indeed, part of the attraction of fencing was the fact that Muhammad could blend in more or less seamlessly. "I played different sports growing up and my mum and I just happened to be driving past a high school and saw fencing from the car window," she recalled. "She saw that the athletes had on long tops and long pants and she didn`t know what the sport was but she wanted me to try it because she thought it would be accommodating for my religious beliefs." Muhammad was unconvinced at first but persisted when she realized the sport could be a passport to a college education. "I saw that the top 10 schools in the country all had fencing programs so I saw fencing as a way for me to get to school so that's why I stuck at it initially," said Muhammad, who graduated from prestigious Duke University in 2007 with a degree in International Relations and African Studies. Muhammad hopes that her Olympic journey may play a small role in shifting the kinds of attitudes that have surfaced during the US election campaign. "It's a tough political environment that we're in right now, it's not easy," Muhammad said. "Muslims are under the microscope and I'm hoping to change the image that people may have of Muslim women. "I know that Muslim women are very, very diverse, especially here in the United States. We come in all different shapes, colors and sizes and we come from different backgrounds and are productive members of society. I want people to see that." Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been accused of fueling anti-Islamic sentiment, pointedly calling for Muslims to be prevented from entering the United States in December last year. Muhammad diplomatically declined to speculate on what life for American Muslims might be like if Trump is elected to the White House in November. "I hate to talk about what ifs," she said. "I'm hoping we can change direction a little bit and see Muslims in more of a positive light and try to combat the negative imagery that we are shown every day. Can I influence the debate? I don't know. I'm just trying to do well in Rio''. The toxic climate has brought practical concerns. After several stories involving Muslims being barred from boarding planes, Muhammad revealed she had harbored fears of suffering a similar fate during qualifiers for Rio. "When Muslims were being kicked off flights in the middle of Olympic qualifiers that was a real worry, am I going to be allowed to board my flight to make it to my Olympic qualifier?" The fact that she is expected to speak about weighty issues relating to her race, religion and gender rather than merely her sport does sometimes take its toll, Muhammad acknowledged. "It's something I struggle with every day. But ultimately I feel incredibly blessed to have been given this platform. And when I think of my predecessors and people who have spoken out against bigotry and hate, I feel like I owe it not just to myself but to my community to try to fight it," she said. "You have to not just think about yourself, but everyone. And there are people in America right now who don't feel safe going to work every day, who don't feel safe in their community. That's a problem. "I remember being a kid and people telling me I didn't belong in my sport because of my skin color, because I was Muslim. So if I can be a source of change for other minorities I feel fortunate to be able to do that." (AFP)

American athlete to compete at the Olympics wearing a hijab

Adjusting quickly to the Olympic atmosphere and its unfamiliar environment will be key for Andy Murray as he bids to defend the title he won in London four years ago, the world number two has said. 
 
The Scot, who beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer en route to gold in 2012, is representing Britain in the men&#39;s singles in Rio and will also partner his brother Jamie in the men&#39;s doubles. 
 
&quot;Here it&#39;s totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I&#39;ll try and treat it like any other tournament and prepare as best I can,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
&quot;I remember when I was in Beijing (in 2008), the whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different because you&#39;re around loads of the best athletes in the world. 
 
&quot;It was just nice being surrounded by the best athletes from your country, seeing them coming back with medals, it feels a lot more like a team environment.&quot; 
 
Half of the men&#39;s top 10 will miss this month&#39;s Olympics. World number four Stan Wawrinka pulled out with an injury on Tuesday, joining his Switzerland team mate Federer in sitting out the Games. 
 
Other notable absentees include Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Republic&#39;s Tomas Berdych, who withdrew citing concerns over the Zika virus, and Austrian Dominic Thiem, who has decided to focus on the ATP Tour. 
 
Murray, however, said the competition would still be fierce. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s still a pretty strong field, a lot of the top-20 players are here even if unfortunately there&#39;s a few of the top 10 missing,&quot; the 29-year-old added. 
 
The tennis competition at the Rio Games takes place from Aug. 6-14. 
 
(Reuters)

'Here it's totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I'll try and treat it like any other tournament'

Adjusting quickly to the Olympic atmosphere and its unfamiliar environment will be key for Andy Murray as he bids to defend the title he won in London four years ago, the world number two has said. The Scot, who beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer en route to gold in 2012, is representing Britain in the men's singles in Rio and will also partner his brother Jamie in the men's doubles. "Here it's totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I'll try and treat it like any other tournament and prepare as best I can," he told reporters. "I remember when I was in Beijing (in 2008), the whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different because you're around loads of the best athletes in the world. "It was just nice being surrounded by the best athletes from your country, seeing them coming back with medals, it feels a lot more like a team environment." Half of the men's top 10 will miss this month's Olympics. World number four Stan Wawrinka pulled out with an injury on Tuesday, joining his Switzerland team mate Federer in sitting out the Games. Other notable absentees include Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, who withdrew citing concerns over the Zika virus, and Austrian Dominic Thiem, who has decided to focus on the ATP Tour. Murray, however, said the competition would still be fierce. "It's still a pretty strong field, a lot of the top-20 players are here even if unfortunately there's a few of the top 10 missing," the 29-year-old added. The tennis competition at the Rio Games takes place from Aug. 6-14. (Reuters)

Rio 2016: Andy Murray bids to defend title he won in London four years ago

Security at Rio&#39;s Olympic Village was handed a further blow on Wednesday when Danish athletes revealed they have had items stolen while organisers issued a public apology to competitors who have fallen victim to crime. 
 
Denmark&#39;s chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing. 
 
&quot;In connection with the many extra workers, cleaners and housekeepers who have been squeezed into the Olympic village because of our requirements and requests, we have been subjected to a series of thefts,&quot; he said, adding that he himself had his iPad stolen. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s everything from phones, iPads and clothes to something as trivial as bed sheets.&quot; 
 
Since July 18 the Danish delegation has lodged around 150 complaints over problems in its 36 apartments in the Olympic village. 
 
&quot;The buildings are simply not in order,&quot; Ulrik Wilbek, sports director of the Danish Handball Federation, told TV 2. 
 
The news follows the theft of a laptop and team shirts from the Australian delegation during a fire evacuation on Friday. 
 
Australia chef de mission Kitty Chiller said during the evacuation she had noticed three fire marshals apparently stealing the Australia team shirts. 
 
&quot;When I arrived, which was halfway through the evacuation, I saw three fire marshals -- I don&#39;t know who they were -- walking out with team shirts,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;I thought maybe they have helped evacuate people and we&#39;ve given them a shirt. It doesn&#39;t seem to be what happened. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t know how many team shirts were taken and, yes, that&#39;s concerning.&quot; 
 
After the fire, Chiller said Rio 2016 organizers had increased security throughout the Olympic village. 
 
Rio&#39;s crime rate has been one of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics. 
 
China revealed on Friday members of its Olympic delegation had already fallen victim to theft. 
 
Mario Andrada, spokesman of Rio 2016, apologised to the tourists and athletes who have been victims. 
 
&quot;They are our guests in Brazil. We feel very sorry. I hope they understand that we are very sorry about this,&quot; he told China&#39;s Xinhua news agency. 
 
&quot;We will communicate with the security to make sure we find quickly an answer about why they were robbed, where they were robbed and by whom to see if something could be recovered.&quot; 
 
Rio Olympics overall security personnel is around 88,000 - the figure is more than double that used for the the London Olympics in 2012. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t count money in the street. If you have a nice camera, put it into a bag and only use when you have to take pictures,&quot; advised Andrada. 
 
&quot;If you are alert, if you are looking around and paying attention, your chance of being a victim will be decreased. The bad guys usually look for people who are not paying attention.&quot; 
 
Chiller said the vast size of the Olympic Village, which houses thousands of athletes and support staff, theft was &quot;inevitable&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

Denmark's chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing

Security at Rio's Olympic Village was handed a further blow on Wednesday when Danish athletes revealed they have had items stolen while organisers issued a public apology to competitors who have fallen victim to crime. Denmark's chef de mission Morten Rodtwitt told broadcaster TV 2 that mobile phones, clothing and an iPad had gone missing. "In connection with the many extra workers, cleaners and housekeepers who have been squeezed into the Olympic village because of our requirements and requests, we have been subjected to a series of thefts," he said, adding that he himself had his iPad stolen. "It's everything from phones, iPads and clothes to something as trivial as bed sheets." Since July 18 the Danish delegation has lodged around 150 complaints over problems in its 36 apartments in the Olympic village. "The buildings are simply not in order," Ulrik Wilbek, sports director of the Danish Handball Federation, told TV 2. The news follows the theft of a laptop and team shirts from the Australian delegation during a fire evacuation on Friday. Australia chef de mission Kitty Chiller said during the evacuation she had noticed three fire marshals apparently stealing the Australia team shirts. "When I arrived, which was halfway through the evacuation, I saw three fire marshals -- I don't know who they were -- walking out with team shirts," she said. "I thought maybe they have helped evacuate people and we've given them a shirt. It doesn't seem to be what happened. "We don't know how many team shirts were taken and, yes, that's concerning." After the fire, Chiller said Rio 2016 organizers had increased security throughout the Olympic village. Rio's crime rate has been one of the biggest concerns heading into the Olympics. China revealed on Friday members of its Olympic delegation had already fallen victim to theft. Mario Andrada, spokesman of Rio 2016, apologised to the tourists and athletes who have been victims. "They are our guests in Brazil. We feel very sorry. I hope they understand that we are very sorry about this," he told China's Xinhua news agency. "We will communicate with the security to make sure we find quickly an answer about why they were robbed, where they were robbed and by whom to see if something could be recovered." Rio Olympics overall security personnel is around 88,000 - the figure is more than double that used for the the London Olympics in 2012. "Don't count money in the street. If you have a nice camera, put it into a bag and only use when you have to take pictures," advised Andrada. "If you are alert, if you are looking around and paying attention, your chance of being a victim will be decreased. The bad guys usually look for people who are not paying attention." Chiller said the vast size of the Olympic Village, which houses thousands of athletes and support staff, theft was "inevitable". (AFP)

Olympics: Rio sorry as Village suffers new theft

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will display Brazilian creativity to the world, the ceremony&#39;s executive producer Marco Balich said on Thursday, just one day before the official opening of the Games. 
 
Balich said that although its organizers come from around the globe, the curtain-raiser and its creative elements will show the world a wonderful Brazil from various aspects. 
 
&quot;There was no problem between a strong international team supporting and all Brazilian creativity. So what you are going to see is all Brazilian, pure, beautiful creativity from Brazil that will touch the heart,&quot; the Italian producer said at a press conference. 
 
The opening ceremony has three themes: the garden, diversity and joy, according to organizers. 
 
The limited space in the opening ceremony&#39;s venue, Maracana Stadium, meant organizers had to overcome many challenges to ensure they could present a wonderful event. 
 
&quot;The entrance of the Maracana Stadium is less than two meters high. The stadium is a football stadium, not a track and field stadium, and there is no track in it. So the stadium is relatively small and the stage is also small. Our budget is less than what we expected, but we are used to such things. It is important to be flexible,&quot; said Daniela Thomas, a director of the opening ceremony. 
 
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will be held today.Some 21 million US dollars have been spent on the show, about half of London&#39;s outlay four years ago. 
 
(Reuters)

According to organisers, the opening ceremony has three themes, the garden, diversity and joy

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will display Brazilian creativity to the world, the ceremony's executive producer Marco Balich said on Thursday, just one day before the official opening of the Games. Balich said that although its organizers come from around the globe, the curtain-raiser and its creative elements will show the world a wonderful Brazil from various aspects. "There was no problem between a strong international team supporting and all Brazilian creativity. So what you are going to see is all Brazilian, pure, beautiful creativity from Brazil that will touch the heart," the Italian producer said at a press conference. The opening ceremony has three themes: the garden, diversity and joy, according to organizers. The limited space in the opening ceremony's venue, Maracana Stadium, meant organizers had to overcome many challenges to ensure they could present a wonderful event. "The entrance of the Maracana Stadium is less than two meters high. The stadium is a football stadium, not a track and field stadium, and there is no track in it. So the stadium is relatively small and the stage is also small. Our budget is less than what we expected, but we are used to such things. It is important to be flexible," said Daniela Thomas, a director of the opening ceremony. The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will be held today.Some 21 million US dollars have been spent on the show, about half of London's outlay four years ago. (Reuters)

Rio set for 'all Brazilian' Olympic opening ceremony: Organisers

South&nbsp;Korea&#39;s stranglehold on Olympic archery showed little sign of easing yesterday as men&#39;s number one Kim Woo-jin fired a 72-arrow&nbsp;world&nbsp;record&nbsp;and the nation&#39;s women dominated the ranking rounds at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

The tournament&#39;s first shoot-off on a glorious day at the Sambodromo began with a bang as world&nbsp;champion Kim racked up 700 points out of a maximum 720, beating the 699 his compatriot Im Dong-hyun compiled in the preliminary round in London four years ago.

The day ended with all three of&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea&#39;s women at the top of the standings, led by 20-year-old Choi Mi-sun, who flirted with teammate Kim Bo-bae&#39;s&nbsp;world&nbsp;record&nbsp;before the wind picked up in the afternoon.

South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;took three of the four golds in London, with only the bronze medal-winning men&#39;s team missing out, but the Rio contingent appear determined to make a clean sweep this time round.

Such is the&nbsp;Koreans&#39; unwavering focus that 24-year-old Kim barely acknowledged his&nbsp;record, preferring to talk only about the men&#39;s team event on Saturday.

&quot;It&#39;s just the ranking round. I want to focus on tomorrow, so today&#39;s not really big happy,&quot; he said through a translator before being mobbed by&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korean reporters.

Kim sealed the&nbsp;record&nbsp;with riveting theatre, needing to find the innermost gold circle for a maximum 10 points with his final arrow and duly sending it flush into the middle.

His face broke into a smile as he turned back to his camp, having captured the top seeding and drawn a first-round match-up with 64th and last-ranked archer Gavin Ben Sutherland, a Zimbabwean who finished 134 points adrift of the&nbsp;Korean.

Kim will link up with Lee Seung-yun and Ku Bon-chan&nbsp;today to try to restore the nation&#39;s reign over the men&#39;s team event.

The United States ended their run of three successive Olympic titles from 2000-08 in a nail-biting semi-final in London.&nbsp;A powerful American team drew confidence from an outstanding 690 from former&nbsp;world champion Brady Ellison, who took second seeding behind Kim.

Ellison and his teammates Jake Kaminski and Zach Garrett scored 2,024 points in total to be second behind&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;(2,057). Italy, surprise winners in London, took the third seed.

The&nbsp;Korean women, unbeaten in the team event since its debut at the 1988 Seoul Games, finished top with 1,998 points, a gaping 60 ahead of Russia, with London silver medallists China ranked third.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Koreans appear in good shape to extend their winning streak when the women&#39;s team event is decided on Sunday. 
 
(Reuters)

Men's number one Kim Woo-Jin fired a 72-arrow world record and the nation's women lead the ranking rounds

South Korea's stranglehold on Olympic archery showed little sign of easing yesterday as men's number one Kim Woo-jin fired a 72-arrow world record and the nation's women dominated the ranking rounds at the Rio de Janeiro Games. The tournament's first shoot-off on a glorious day at the Sambodromo began with a bang as world champion Kim racked up 700 points out of a maximum 720, beating the 699 his compatriot Im Dong-hyun compiled in the preliminary round in London four years ago. The day ended with all three of South Korea's women at the top of the standings, led by 20-year-old Choi Mi-sun, who flirted with teammate Kim Bo-bae's world record before the wind picked up in the afternoon. South Korea took three of the four golds in London, with only the bronze medal-winning men's team missing out, but the Rio contingent appear determined to make a clean sweep this time round. Such is the Koreans' unwavering focus that 24-year-old Kim barely acknowledged his record, preferring to talk only about the men's team event on Saturday. "It's just the ranking round. I want to focus on tomorrow, so today's not really big happy," he said through a translator before being mobbed by South Korean reporters. Kim sealed the record with riveting theatre, needing to find the innermost gold circle for a maximum 10 points with his final arrow and duly sending it flush into the middle. His face broke into a smile as he turned back to his camp, having captured the top seeding and drawn a first-round match-up with 64th and last-ranked archer Gavin Ben Sutherland, a Zimbabwean who finished 134 points adrift of the Korean. Kim will link up with Lee Seung-yun and Ku Bon-chan today to try to restore the nation's reign over the men's team event. The United States ended their run of three successive Olympic titles from 2000-08 in a nail-biting semi-final in London. A powerful American team drew confidence from an outstanding 690 from former world champion Brady Ellison, who took second seeding behind Kim. Ellison and his teammates Jake Kaminski and Zach Garrett scored 2,024 points in total to be second behind South Korea (2,057). Italy, surprise winners in London, took the third seed. The Korean women, unbeaten in the team event since its debut at the 1988 Seoul Games, finished top with 1,998 points, a gaping 60 ahead of Russia, with London silver medallists China ranked third. The Koreans appear in good shape to extend their winning streak when the women's team event is decided on Sunday. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics: South Korea dominates archery

Indian women&#39;s hockey team dished out a disappointing performance to suffer a 1-6 thrashing at the hands of a rampaging Australia in their third fixture at the Rio Olympics today. 
 
The Indians, who were playing in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years, were simply outplayed by the higher-ranked Australians who exposed the defensive frailties of their opponents with a comprehensive win in a lop-sided match. Jodie Kenny struck twice (43rd and 46th minute) while Kathryn Slattery (5th), Georgina Morgan (9th), Jane Claxton (35th), Georgina Parker (36th) scored once each to route the Indians. 
 
For India, Thokchom Anuradha scored the lone goal with just 8.3 seconds left on the clock.&nbsp;The Australians, who were the 2014 World Cup losing finalists, laid seize of the Indian 25-yard with waves of attacking runs and forced seven penalty corners from which they scored four times. 
 
India, on the other hand, got just one penalty corner which they failed to convert. They could barely string a goal-bound attack in the whole match as they suffered their second consecutive match.&nbsp;The Indian forwards could not make any opening and Rani Rampal was fielded for very less time. The margin of loss would have been bigger for India had goalkeeper Savita Punia not come up with some fine saves in the match. 
 
With today&#39;s loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B with just one point which they earned from the drawn match against Japan in their opening match. They had lost to Great Britain 0-3 in their previous match. 
 
India has two matches to play in the six-team Pool B, against higher ranked Argentina and United States. Only the top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. 
 
Australia took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter of 15 minutes before the Indians denied them any goal in the second quarter. They scored three goals in the third quarter before pumping in another one in the final quarter to win the one-sided match. The Hockeyroos went into the attacking mode as soon as the match began and with better trapping and faster movement, they surged ahead in the fifth minute itself with Kathryan sounding the board from the first penalty corner they got. 
 
Two minutes later, Preeti Dubey earned the only penalty corner for India in the match. However, her deflected shot from a penalty corner variation went wide. 
 
Australia scored their second goal in the ninth minute with Georgina Morgan sounding the board from the second penalty corner they earned. Indian goalkeeper could have saved that low shot to her right, but she failed to do that. 
 
In the 20th minute, Anuradha got a rare chance to shoot at the Australian goal but her effort went over the bar. Next minute, Australia got a penalty corner but the Indian was up to the task. The Indians put up a better performance in the second quarter and denied them a goal. 
 
The Indian resistance in the second quarter did not last long as Australia scored in the fifth minute of the third quarter with Jane Claxton scoring a field goal. Georgina Parker than scored another field goal barely one minute later to make it 4-0 for Australia. 
 
Jodie Kenny struck her double late into the match, one from a penalty stroke after Indian captain Sushila Chanu was hit on her foot just in front of the goal following a penalty corner. 
 
In the final quarter, Kenny got the sixth goal for Australia from the penalty corner to complete the route. 
 
India scored the consolation goal through Anuradha with barely nine second left in the match as she volleyed a high ball into the Australian goal. 
 
(PTI)

With today's loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B and has two matches to play against higher ranked Argentina and US

Indian women's hockey team dished out a disappointing performance to suffer a 1-6 thrashing at the hands of a rampaging Australia in their third fixture at the Rio Olympics today. The Indians, who were playing in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years, were simply outplayed by the higher-ranked Australians who exposed the defensive frailties of their opponents with a comprehensive win in a lop-sided match. Jodie Kenny struck twice (43rd and 46th minute) while Kathryn Slattery (5th), Georgina Morgan (9th), Jane Claxton (35th), Georgina Parker (36th) scored once each to route the Indians. For India, Thokchom Anuradha scored the lone goal with just 8.3 seconds left on the clock. The Australians, who were the 2014 World Cup losing finalists, laid seize of the Indian 25-yard with waves of attacking runs and forced seven penalty corners from which they scored four times. India, on the other hand, got just one penalty corner which they failed to convert. They could barely string a goal-bound attack in the whole match as they suffered their second consecutive match. The Indian forwards could not make any opening and Rani Rampal was fielded for very less time. The margin of loss would have been bigger for India had goalkeeper Savita Punia not come up with some fine saves in the match. With today's loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B with just one point which they earned from the drawn match against Japan in their opening match. They had lost to Great Britain 0-3 in their previous match. India has two matches to play in the six-team Pool B, against higher ranked Argentina and United States. Only the top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. Australia took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter of 15 minutes before the Indians denied them any goal in the second quarter. They scored three goals in the third quarter before pumping in another one in the final quarter to win the one-sided match. The Hockeyroos went into the attacking mode as soon as the match began and with better trapping and faster movement, they surged ahead in the fifth minute itself with Kathryan sounding the board from the first penalty corner they got. Two minutes later, Preeti Dubey earned the only penalty corner for India in the match. However, her deflected shot from a penalty corner variation went wide. Australia scored their second goal in the ninth minute with Georgina Morgan sounding the board from the second penalty corner they earned. Indian goalkeeper could have saved that low shot to her right, but she failed to do that. In the 20th minute, Anuradha got a rare chance to shoot at the Australian goal but her effort went over the bar. Next minute, Australia got a penalty corner but the Indian was up to the task. The Indians put up a better performance in the second quarter and denied them a goal. The Indian resistance in the second quarter did not last long as Australia scored in the fifth minute of the third quarter with Jane Claxton scoring a field goal. Georgina Parker than scored another field goal barely one minute later to make it 4-0 for Australia. Jodie Kenny struck her double late into the match, one from a penalty stroke after Indian captain Sushila Chanu was hit on her foot just in front of the goal following a penalty corner. In the final quarter, Kenny got the sixth goal for Australia from the penalty corner to complete the route. India scored the consolation goal through Anuradha with barely nine second left in the match as she volleyed a high ball into the Australian goal. (PTI)

Rio Olympics 2016: Indian women's hockey team lose 1-6 to Australia

American&nbsp;teenager Virginia&nbsp;Thrasher&nbsp;won the&nbsp;first&nbsp;gold&nbsp;medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic&nbsp;Games today, holding her nerve against two Chinese Olympic champions to clinch the women&#39;s 10m air rifle event.

The 19-year-old&nbsp;American&nbsp;edged out China&#39;s Du Li,&nbsp;gold&nbsp;in Athens in 2004, with an Olympic-record score of 208. Defending Olympic champion Yi Siling, also of China, took the bronze medal.

Thrasher&nbsp;was awarded the&nbsp;first&nbsp;gold&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Games&nbsp;by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

Competing in her&nbsp;first&nbsp;Olympics,&nbsp;Thrasher&nbsp;established an early lead after battling with the Russian shooter Daria Vdovina, who stumbled midway through the competition and finished fifth. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

American Thrasher edged out China's Du Li with an Olympic-record score of 208

American teenager Virginia Thrasher won the first gold medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games today, holding her nerve against two Chinese Olympic champions to clinch the women's 10m air rifle event. The 19-year-old American edged out China's Du Li, gold in Athens in 2004, with an Olympic-record score of 208. Defending Olympic champion Yi Siling, also of China, took the bronze medal. Thrasher was awarded the first gold of the Games by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. Competing in her first Olympics, Thrasher established an early lead after battling with the Russian shooter Daria Vdovina, who stumbled midway through the competition and finished fifth. (Reuters)

Virginia Thrasher wins first gold of Games

Brazilian riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a small protest near the Maracana stadium that will host Friday&#39;s opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, television images showed.

The protest, which grouped a few hundred people, was against corruption and overspending on the Olympic Games, which are taking place during Brazil&#39;s worst economic downturn in decades. 
 
(Reuters)

The protest was against corruption and overspending on the Olympic Games which are taking place during Brazil's worst economic downturn

Brazilian riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse a small protest near the Maracana stadium that will host Friday's opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, television images showed. The protest, which grouped a few hundred people, was against corruption and overspending on the Olympic Games, which are taking place during Brazil's worst economic downturn in decades. (Reuters)

Brazil police use tear gas, stun grenades at Rio protest

Brazil&#39;s athletes were not subject to dope tests for almost a month before the Rio Olympics, the country&#39;s sports ministry has said while refuting allegations it was a political decision to ensure the games were not plunged further into crisis. 
 
Brazil&#39;s sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspension on a drug testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, The Times reported today. 
 
WADA said it was &quot;concerned&quot; and has sent a letter to Brazil&#39;s sports minister asking why the tests had been stopped. 
 
&quot;We sent a letter to the minister of sport and the executive director of the Brazilian national anti-doping agency, pressing our concerns and demanding to know why testing had been stopped in Brazil,&quot; WADA deputy director Rob Koehler told the newspaper. 
 
&quot;The response was not satisfactory... the explanation that it had come about due to the changing of the guard in the ministry and the agency was not acceptable to us. 
 
&quot;We informed the pre-Games task force and we told them to ramp up increased tests. It was unacceptable that it stopped. That was not a good move... the fact no testing was happening was a concern.&quot; 
 
South America&#39;s first Olympics have been mired in a drugs scandal with Russia&#39;s track-and-field athletes and weightlifters barred from the Rio Games over doping offences. 
 
The European country narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating. 
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. 
 
Faced pressure from ministry, alleges Horta&nbsp; 
 
Luis Horta, the former head of Portugal&#39;s anti-doping agency who was given a role as an adviser to Brazil, alleged he faced pressure from the country&#39;s sports ministry and Olympic committee to reduce testing. 
 
A statement from Brazil&#39;s sports ministry refuted the allegations, while adding that three overseas laboratories were approached but were unable to help with the testing of samples. 
 
&quot;The Ministry of Sport and the Brazilian Doping Control Authority strongly refute the accusations made by Mr Horta,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;With the suspension imposed by WADA to the laboratory on June 22, the tests planned for the period between 1 and 24 July were compromised (the suspension was only lifted on July 20), as analyses could not be submitted. 
 
&quot;Therefore, the planned tests ended up not being done in that period.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

'Brazil's sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a WADA suspension on drug testing lab'

Brazil's athletes were not subject to dope tests for almost a month before the Rio Olympics, the country's sports ministry has said while refuting allegations it was a political decision to ensure the games were not plunged further into crisis. Brazil's sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspension on a drug testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, The Times reported today. WADA said it was "concerned" and has sent a letter to Brazil's sports minister asking why the tests had been stopped. "We sent a letter to the minister of sport and the executive director of the Brazilian national anti-doping agency, pressing our concerns and demanding to know why testing had been stopped in Brazil," WADA deputy director Rob Koehler told the newspaper. "The response was not satisfactory... the explanation that it had come about due to the changing of the guard in the ministry and the agency was not acceptable to us. "We informed the pre-Games task force and we told them to ramp up increased tests. It was unacceptable that it stopped. That was not a good move... the fact no testing was happening was a concern." South America's first Olympics have been mired in a drugs scandal with Russia's track-and-field athletes and weightlifters barred from the Rio Games over doping offences. The European country narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. Faced pressure from ministry, alleges Horta Luis Horta, the former head of Portugal's anti-doping agency who was given a role as an adviser to Brazil, alleged he faced pressure from the country's sports ministry and Olympic committee to reduce testing. A statement from Brazil's sports ministry refuted the allegations, while adding that three overseas laboratories were approached but were unable to help with the testing of samples. "The Ministry of Sport and the Brazilian Doping Control Authority strongly refute the accusations made by Mr Horta," it said. "With the suspension imposed by WADA to the laboratory on June 22, the tests planned for the period between 1 and 24 July were compromised (the suspension was only lifted on July 20), as analyses could not be submitted. "Therefore, the planned tests ended up not being done in that period." (Reuters)

WADA questions why athletes were not dope-tested ahead of Rio 2016

Brazil&#39;s Olympic coach Rogerio Micale called up midfielder Douglas Costa and goalkeeper Fernando Prass on Wednesday to join striker Neymar as the three players over the age of 23 to play with Brazil as they try to win Olympic gold at home at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 
 
Neymar, who was already named to the Olympic squad in a deal reached with Barcelona, is the biggest name on the list of 18 players Micale announced at the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Micale said he would not hesitate to reach out to Brazil&#39;s new head coach for the national team, Tite, as he steers his team through the Olympics. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s an honour, a joy to have &#39;Professor Tite&#39; on my side. I&#39;m not going to feel any kind of embarrassment leaning on his wisdom, all the soccer experiences he has seen, the victories he&#39;s had all this time. I want to be very close (to him), because whatever can be added right now will be good for my career,&quot; Micale said. 
 
Brazil are thirsty for a gold medal on their home turf after taking silver to Mexico at the London 2012 Games. 
 
Micale said he was forced to leave players he had hoped to count on out of the line-up after their clubs would not free them up for the Olympics, which are not part of the FIFA calendar for national teams. 
 
Micale said most the players on the squad are leaders at their clubs, both domestically and abroad, and that he is confident in his young team adding that they could take some pressure off of Neymar. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s a player with a different kind of profile, an indisputable quality, one of the best players in the world. I think any coach from any national team in the world would like to be able to count on a player with a profile like his. But on the national team we try to add other leaders, we do have them, yes. I don&#39;t think we can put it all on one player even if he has all the qualities he represents in soccer throughout the world. And my expectations are that he will respond. I know how badly he wants a medal, just like the rest of us,&quot; Micale added. 
 
The 2016 Olympics will be Brazil&#39;s first official competition in Brazil since their failed 2014 World Cup in which they lost 7 to 1 to Germany in the semi-finals and then again to the Netherlands 3 to 0 in the third place match. 
 
Brazil will open their campaign in Group A against South Africa (Aug. 8, Brasilia), Iraq (Aug. 7, Brasilia) and Denmark (Aug. 10, Salvador). 
 
(Reuters)

2016 Olympics will be Brazil's first official competition in Brazil since their failed 2014 World Cup in which they lost 7 to 1 to Germany

Brazil's Olympic coach Rogerio Micale called up midfielder Douglas Costa and goalkeeper Fernando Prass on Wednesday to join striker Neymar as the three players over the age of 23 to play with Brazil as they try to win Olympic gold at home at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Neymar, who was already named to the Olympic squad in a deal reached with Barcelona, is the biggest name on the list of 18 players Micale announced at the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Micale said he would not hesitate to reach out to Brazil's new head coach for the national team, Tite, as he steers his team through the Olympics. "It's an honour, a joy to have 'Professor Tite' on my side. I'm not going to feel any kind of embarrassment leaning on his wisdom, all the soccer experiences he has seen, the victories he's had all this time. I want to be very close (to him), because whatever can be added right now will be good for my career," Micale said. Brazil are thirsty for a gold medal on their home turf after taking silver to Mexico at the London 2012 Games. Micale said he was forced to leave players he had hoped to count on out of the line-up after their clubs would not free them up for the Olympics, which are not part of the FIFA calendar for national teams. Micale said most the players on the squad are leaders at their clubs, both domestically and abroad, and that he is confident in his young team adding that they could take some pressure off of Neymar. "He's a player with a different kind of profile, an indisputable quality, one of the best players in the world. I think any coach from any national team in the world would like to be able to count on a player with a profile like his. But on the national team we try to add other leaders, we do have them, yes. I don't think we can put it all on one player even if he has all the qualities he represents in soccer throughout the world. And my expectations are that he will respond. I know how badly he wants a medal, just like the rest of us," Micale added. The 2016 Olympics will be Brazil's first official competition in Brazil since their failed 2014 World Cup in which they lost 7 to 1 to Germany in the semi-finals and then again to the Netherlands 3 to 0 in the third place match. Brazil will open their campaign in Group A against South Africa (Aug. 8, Brasilia), Iraq (Aug. 7, Brasilia) and Denmark (Aug. 10, Salvador). (Reuters)

Neymar, Douglas Costa named in Brazil's Olympic squad

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed 29 Russian swimmers to take part in the Rio Olympic Games, R-Sport news agency cited swimming&#39;s world governing body FINA as saying today. 
 
Swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, as well as female swimmer Yulia Efimova are not on the list, however, the agency reported. 
 
Lobintsev and US-based Morozov were part of Russia&#39;s bronze-medal winning 4x100m freestyle team at the London 2012 Games, while Lobintsev also won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Beijing 2008. Efimova is a four-times breaststroke world champion. 
 
The IOC has allowed the whole Russian synchronised swimming team and the Russian female water polo team to take part in the Olympics, R-Sport said. 
 
(Reuters)

Swimmers Vladimir Morozov, Nikita Lobintsev and female swimmer, Yulia Efimova, are not on the list

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed 29 Russian swimmers to take part in the Rio Olympic Games, R-Sport news agency cited swimming's world governing body FINA as saying today. Swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, as well as female swimmer Yulia Efimova are not on the list, however, the agency reported. Lobintsev and US-based Morozov were part of Russia's bronze-medal winning 4x100m freestyle team at the London 2012 Games, while Lobintsev also won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Beijing 2008. Efimova is a four-times breaststroke world champion. The IOC has allowed the whole Russian synchronised swimming team and the Russian female water polo team to take part in the Olympics, R-Sport said. (Reuters)

IOC clears 29 Russian swimmers to compete in Rio, says news agency

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 18 gold medals among his career haul of 22, will carry the US flag in Friday&#39;s opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. 
 
The US Olympic Committee said today that Phelps, who will be the first American male swimmer to compete at five Games, had been chosen in a vote of fellow team members to lead the delegation into the Maracana stadium. 
 
Phelps, who won eight of his golds in Beijing in 2008, is set to add to his haul in Rio with three individual events as well as relays. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m honoured to be chosen, proud to represent the US, and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for,&quot; said Phelps. 
 
&quot;For Sydney (in 2000), I just wanted to make the team. For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country. For Beijing, I wanted to do something nobody else had done. In London, I wanted to make history. 
 
&quot;And now, I want to walk in the Opening Ceremony, take it all in, represent America in the best possible way and make my family proud. This time around, it&#39;s about so much more than medals.&quot; 
 
Taking part in the opening ceremony will mean a late night for Phelps on Friday, with the stadium at least an hour away from the Athletes Village in Barra, and plenty of standing around as well. 
 
The 31-year-old will not be in action on the opening Saturday, however, with his first event likely to be the men&#39;s 4x100 freestyle relay on Sunday. 
 
The US team have not announced their lineup for that event and Phelps is unlikely to take part in the afternoon heats, meaning he will make his competitive entry in the pool late in the evening if selected. 
 
(Reuters)

Phelps, who won eight of his golds in Beijing in 2008, is set to add to his haul in Rio with three individual events as well as relays

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 18 gold medals among his career haul of 22, will carry the US flag in Friday's opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. The US Olympic Committee said today that Phelps, who will be the first American male swimmer to compete at five Games, had been chosen in a vote of fellow team members to lead the delegation into the Maracana stadium. Phelps, who won eight of his golds in Beijing in 2008, is set to add to his haul in Rio with three individual events as well as relays. "I'm honoured to be chosen, proud to represent the US, and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for," said Phelps. "For Sydney (in 2000), I just wanted to make the team. For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country. For Beijing, I wanted to do something nobody else had done. In London, I wanted to make history. "And now, I want to walk in the Opening Ceremony, take it all in, represent America in the best possible way and make my family proud. This time around, it's about so much more than medals." Taking part in the opening ceremony will mean a late night for Phelps on Friday, with the stadium at least an hour away from the Athletes Village in Barra, and plenty of standing around as well. The 31-year-old will not be in action on the opening Saturday, however, with his first event likely to be the men's 4x100 freestyle relay on Sunday. The US team have not announced their lineup for that event and Phelps is unlikely to take part in the afternoon heats, meaning he will make his competitive entry in the pool late in the evening if selected. (Reuters)

Rio 2016: Michael Phelps chosen as US team flag bearer

Want an Olympic license plate, or a hand-embroidered Olympic handkerchief? 
 
How about Olympic cocaine? 
 
These and other products are among those being seized by Brazilian police in a crackdown on less-than-approved use of the five rings, mascots and other Olympic symbols ahead of the Games, which start in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. 
 
In a country where pirate versions of just about any product are as common as tropical fruit, Olympic organisers are battling a tide of bootleg goods sold and produced by those seeking to profit from the hype around the first-ever Games held in South America. 
 
&quot;These are opportunists,&quot; says Valeria Arag?o, a police inspector in charge of a 20-member counterfeit squad that in recent weeks has conducted raids across the city, confiscating all manner of ersatz Olympic goods.&nbsp;During one recent sting, she caught an elderly merchant, who had just embroidered &quot;Olympics 2016&quot; on a series of handkerchiefs, hanging one in her shop window. 
 
Narcotics police, meanwhile, in recent busts have even seized bricks of pressed marijuana and packets of cocaine that traffickers adorned with the Olympic rings. 
 
&quot;There are all sorts of people out there trading on something that has little to do with the spirit of sport or Olympic values,&quot; says Sylmara Multini, the director of licensing and retail for Rio 2016, as the organising committee is known. 
 
Money and sports 
 
The Olympics, of course, are as much about money as they are about sports. 
 
Officially, those who are supposed to get in on the action are sponsors and local partners that at present include major multinationals like Coca-Cola Co, McDonald&#39;s Corp and Banco Bradesco SA, a big Brazilian bank. 
 
Then there are licensees, who manufacture and sell the roughly 5,000 official trinkets, garments and souvenirs hawked by Rio 2016.&nbsp;Combined, revenues from those sources for Rio 2016 are expected to total almost $1 billion. 
 
But in Brazil, the black market is big business. Sales of pirate and counterfeit goods each year exceed well over $30 billion, according to estimates by various industries. 
 
It is not the first time Olympic authorities have wrestled with the problem. Officials in China, home to many black-market manufacturers, also fought counterfeiters before the 2008 Games in Beijing. 
 
Over the past week, the squad led by Arag?o raided souvenir stands at well-known tourist markets in the popular beachfront neighbourhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema. They seized over 2,300 items, ranging from pens and key chains to T-shirts and beach towels. 
 
&quot;People want to take advantage of an event like this, whether they know it&#39;s illegal or not,&quot; Arag?o says.&nbsp;Some of those caught in the dragnet are left scratching their heads. 
 
&quot;Rio 2016? How is that protected? It&#39;s just a word and a year,&quot; says Washington Valderrama, a vendor of souvenir license plates in Copacabana, who lost about $600 in revenue when the cops took 75 of them during a sting last week. 
 
&#39;Come back later&#39; 
 
A law passed in May of this year, complementing existing copyright legislation, specifically spells out protection for terms, in any language, including &quot;Rio 2016,&quot; &quot;Olympic Games,&quot; &quot;Rio Olympiad,&quot; and &quot;any other abbreviation or variation that could be created&quot;. 
 
In a giant white tent on the sands of Copacabana beach, the main drag for Rio tourism, Rio 2016 recently set up what they are calling a &quot;megastore&quot;. 
 
There, they peddle official merchandise including Olympic bikinis ($85), miniature metal replicas of the official torch ($170) and polyester ties peppered with green and yellow Olympic golf logos ($66). 
 
&quot;It&#39;s kind of pricey,&quot; says Cristian Krummenauer, a 38-year old visitor, eyeing a $40 red wine with an Olympic sailing logo bottled by a vintner near his hometown in southern Brazil. &quot;It&#39;s cheaper where I live, but it wouldn&#39;t have this nice label.&quot; 
 
A two minute walk up the shoreline, past a phony Spiderman posing for pictures and an Olympic-themed castle crafted by one of Copacabana&#39;s well-known sand sculptors, a street vendor touts garments folded across a large blanket. 
 
He offers one, a white polyester T-shirt emblazoned with Olympic rings, for about $9; one-third of the price of the official cotton version sold back at the &quot;megastore&quot;. 
 
As he launched into a pitch offering two for just $15, another peddler runs over and points: municipal guards, well-known to them as part of the crackdown, are headed their way. 
 
&quot;I gotta go,&quot; the vendor yelled, grabbing his blanket by the corners, snatching it into a bundle, and running off into the crowded beachfront. &quot;But come back later.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Olympic organisers battle a tide of bootleg goods sold and produced by those seeking to profit from the first-ever Games in South America

Want an Olympic license plate, or a hand-embroidered Olympic handkerchief? How about Olympic cocaine? These and other products are among those being seized by Brazilian police in a crackdown on less-than-approved use of the five rings, mascots and other Olympic symbols ahead of the Games, which start in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. In a country where pirate versions of just about any product are as common as tropical fruit, Olympic organisers are battling a tide of bootleg goods sold and produced by those seeking to profit from the hype around the first-ever Games held in South America. "These are opportunists," says Valeria Arag?o, a police inspector in charge of a 20-member counterfeit squad that in recent weeks has conducted raids across the city, confiscating all manner of ersatz Olympic goods. During one recent sting, she caught an elderly merchant, who had just embroidered "Olympics 2016" on a series of handkerchiefs, hanging one in her shop window. Narcotics police, meanwhile, in recent busts have even seized bricks of pressed marijuana and packets of cocaine that traffickers adorned with the Olympic rings. "There are all sorts of people out there trading on something that has little to do with the spirit of sport or Olympic values," says Sylmara Multini, the director of licensing and retail for Rio 2016, as the organising committee is known. Money and sports The Olympics, of course, are as much about money as they are about sports. Officially, those who are supposed to get in on the action are sponsors and local partners that at present include major multinationals like Coca-Cola Co, McDonald's Corp and Banco Bradesco SA, a big Brazilian bank. Then there are licensees, who manufacture and sell the roughly 5,000 official trinkets, garments and souvenirs hawked by Rio 2016. Combined, revenues from those sources for Rio 2016 are expected to total almost $1 billion. But in Brazil, the black market is big business. Sales of pirate and counterfeit goods each year exceed well over $30 billion, according to estimates by various industries. It is not the first time Olympic authorities have wrestled with the problem. Officials in China, home to many black-market manufacturers, also fought counterfeiters before the 2008 Games in Beijing. Over the past week, the squad led by Arag?o raided souvenir stands at well-known tourist markets in the popular beachfront neighbourhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema. They seized over 2,300 items, ranging from pens and key chains to T-shirts and beach towels. "People want to take advantage of an event like this, whether they know it's illegal or not," Arag?o says. Some of those caught in the dragnet are left scratching their heads. "Rio 2016? How is that protected? It's just a word and a year," says Washington Valderrama, a vendor of souvenir license plates in Copacabana, who lost about $600 in revenue when the cops took 75 of them during a sting last week. 'Come back later' A law passed in May of this year, complementing existing copyright legislation, specifically spells out protection for terms, in any language, including "Rio 2016," "Olympic Games," "Rio Olympiad," and "any other abbreviation or variation that could be created". In a giant white tent on the sands of Copacabana beach, the main drag for Rio tourism, Rio 2016 recently set up what they are calling a "megastore". There, they peddle official merchandise including Olympic bikinis ($85), miniature metal replicas of the official torch ($170) and polyester ties peppered with green and yellow Olympic golf logos ($66). "It's kind of pricey," says Cristian Krummenauer, a 38-year old visitor, eyeing a $40 red wine with an Olympic sailing logo bottled by a vintner near his hometown in southern Brazil. "It's cheaper where I live, but it wouldn't have this nice label." A two minute walk up the shoreline, past a phony Spiderman posing for pictures and an Olympic-themed castle crafted by one of Copacabana's well-known sand sculptors, a street vendor touts garments folded across a large blanket. He offers one, a white polyester T-shirt emblazoned with Olympic rings, for about $9; one-third of the price of the official cotton version sold back at the "megastore". As he launched into a pitch offering two for just $15, another peddler runs over and points: municipal guards, well-known to them as part of the crackdown, are headed their way. "I gotta go," the vendor yelled, grabbing his blanket by the corners, snatching it into a bundle, and running off into the crowded beachfront. "But come back later." (Reuters)

Brazil police crackdown on unlicensed Rio merchandise

Russia&#39;s Olympic Games weightlifting team was banned from the Rio Games on Friday in the latest doping-related blow to the sporting powerhouse. 
 
&quot;The integrity of the weightlifting sport has been seriously damaged on multiple times and levels by the Russians, therefore an appropriate sanction was applied in order to preserve the status of the sport,&quot; said a statement by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). 
 
There are now 117 Russian competitors banned from the Games - including 67 track and field athletes - from the 387 initially nominated by the Russian Olympic Committee. 
 
The eight weightlifters originally selected were Oleg Chen, Adam Maligov, Ruslan Albegov, David Bedzhanyan and Artem Okulov in the men`s competition and Tatiana Kashirina, Tima Turieva and Anastasia Romanova in the women&#39;s. 
 
Okulov is a world champion while at the London Games in 2012, Albegov claimed a bronze medal and Kashirina took home a silver. 
Kashirina and Romanova both had their nominations withdrawn by the Russian Olympic Committee due to prior anti-doping rule violations, added the IWF statement. 
 
Four others were listed in the bombshell McLaren report which exposed widespread state-sponsored doping in Russia. 
 
In the aftermath of that report, the International Olympic Committee resisted huge pressure to impose a blanket ban on Russia from the Olympics which get underway on August 5. 
 
Instead, they asked individual federations to make the call on who should be cleared for the Games. 
 
&quot;Under these exceptional circumstances, Russian athletes in any of the 28 Olympic summer sports have to assume the consequences of what amounts to a collective responsibility in order to protect the credibility of the Olympic competitions, and the `presumption of innocence` cannot be applied to them,&quot; added the IWF. 
 
&quot;On the other hand, according to the rules of natural justice, individual justice, to which every human being is entitled, has to be applied. This means that each affected athlete must be given the opportunity to rebut the applicability of collective responsibility in his or her individual case.&quot; 
 
The IWF in highlighting &quot;the extremely shocking and disappointing statistics regarding the Russian weightlifters&quot; added that seven dope tests being re-examined from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics have returned positive results. 
 
The McLaren report found that the Moscow laboratory at the centre of Russia&#39;s state-sponsored doping programme hid 117 positive weightlifting tests over a four-year period -- a figure second only to track and field. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The International Weightlifting Federation said some of the athletes had been named in a report which exposed state-backed doping in Russia

Russia's Olympic Games weightlifting team was banned from the Rio Games on Friday in the latest doping-related blow to the sporting powerhouse. "The integrity of the weightlifting sport has been seriously damaged on multiple times and levels by the Russians, therefore an appropriate sanction was applied in order to preserve the status of the sport," said a statement by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). There are now 117 Russian competitors banned from the Games - including 67 track and field athletes - from the 387 initially nominated by the Russian Olympic Committee. The eight weightlifters originally selected were Oleg Chen, Adam Maligov, Ruslan Albegov, David Bedzhanyan and Artem Okulov in the men`s competition and Tatiana Kashirina, Tima Turieva and Anastasia Romanova in the women's. Okulov is a world champion while at the London Games in 2012, Albegov claimed a bronze medal and Kashirina took home a silver. Kashirina and Romanova both had their nominations withdrawn by the Russian Olympic Committee due to prior anti-doping rule violations, added the IWF statement. Four others were listed in the bombshell McLaren report which exposed widespread state-sponsored doping in Russia. In the aftermath of that report, the International Olympic Committee resisted huge pressure to impose a blanket ban on Russia from the Olympics which get underway on August 5. Instead, they asked individual federations to make the call on who should be cleared for the Games. "Under these exceptional circumstances, Russian athletes in any of the 28 Olympic summer sports have to assume the consequences of what amounts to a collective responsibility in order to protect the credibility of the Olympic competitions, and the `presumption of innocence` cannot be applied to them," added the IWF. "On the other hand, according to the rules of natural justice, individual justice, to which every human being is entitled, has to be applied. This means that each affected athlete must be given the opportunity to rebut the applicability of collective responsibility in his or her individual case." The IWF in highlighting "the extremely shocking and disappointing statistics regarding the Russian weightlifters" added that seven dope tests being re-examined from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics have returned positive results. The McLaren report found that the Moscow laboratory at the centre of Russia's state-sponsored doping programme hid 117 positive weightlifting tests over a four-year period -- a figure second only to track and field. (AFP)

Russian weightlifting team barred from Rio Games

Less than a week before the opening of the Olympics, International Olympic Committee leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro this weekend to review the final preparations for the games and deal with the fallout from the doping scandal that has led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes. 
 
The IOC&#39;s ruling executive board opens a two-day meeting today, its last formal gathering before next Friday night&#39;s opening ceremony at the Maracana stadium. 
 
The meeting comes less than a week after the IOC board decided not to ban Russia&#39;s entire team from the games because of state-sponsored doping. Rejecting calls by more than a dozen anti-doping agencies for a complete ban on Russia, the IOC left it to individual sports federations to vet which athletes could compete or not. 
 
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said on Friday that, so far, 272 of the country&#39;s athletes had been cleared by international federations, out of an original team of 387. 
 
More than 100, however, have been barred, including the track and field team banned by the IAAF and more than 30 other athletes rejected under new IOC eligibility criteria. 
 
The IOC has been roundly criticised by anti-doping bodies, athletes groups and western media for not imposing a total ban on Russia. 
 
Pressure for the full sanction followed a World Anti-Doping Agency report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that accused Russia&#39;s sports ministry of overseeing a vast doping conspiracy involving the country&#39;s summer and winter sports athletes. 
 
IOC president Thomas Bach has defended the decision as protecting individual athletes from collective punishment. 
 
&quot;This is a decision we just had the opportunity to discuss with some athletes,&quot; Bach said in Rio. &quot;I think the general feeling is that it is appreciated that, on the one hand, we are sanctioning a (doping) system, but on the other hand we have given athletes who were not part of the system the opportunity to demonstrate this and then to be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games.&quot; 
 
Rio&#39;s preparations, meanwhile, remain clouded on several fronts, including budget cuts, raw sewage that pollutes the sites of rowing, sailing, canoeing, open water swimming and triathlon, slow ticket sales, and concerns over crime and the Zika virus. 
 
The games come with the president awaiting an impeachment trial and the country gripped by a severe recession. 
 
The Australians and at least eight other Olympic teams complained this week about their accommodations in the athletes&#39; village, citing plumbing leaks, electrical faults and dirty conditions. 
 
On Friday, Australian athletes and staff had to be evacuated from their building after a small fire broke out in the basement. They returned safely after about 20 minutes. 
 
&quot;In the end you will see a fantastic Olympic Village and great games,&quot; Bach said. &quot;The Brazilians will overwhelm all of us with their passion, with their joy of life, their great hospitality, and with their energy.&quot; 
 
The &nbsp;IOC will hold a three-day session next week, starting Tuesday. A top item on the agenda is Wednesday&#39;s vote on a recommendation to add five sports to the program of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- baseball/softball, surfing, karate, skate boarding and sport climbing. 
 
The proposed sports - backed by the executive board and to be voted on as a package - would add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. 
 
An IOC program commission report released on Friday said the five sports are a blend of the traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, and all have international and local appeal. 
 
(PTI)

Rio's preparations remain clouded on several fronts, including budget cuts, raw sewage, concerns over crime and Zika virus

Less than a week before the opening of the Olympics, International Olympic Committee leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro this weekend to review the final preparations for the games and deal with the fallout from the doping scandal that has led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes. The IOC's ruling executive board opens a two-day meeting today, its last formal gathering before next Friday night's opening ceremony at the Maracana stadium. The meeting comes less than a week after the IOC board decided not to ban Russia's entire team from the games because of state-sponsored doping. Rejecting calls by more than a dozen anti-doping agencies for a complete ban on Russia, the IOC left it to individual sports federations to vet which athletes could compete or not. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said on Friday that, so far, 272 of the country's athletes had been cleared by international federations, out of an original team of 387. More than 100, however, have been barred, including the track and field team banned by the IAAF and more than 30 other athletes rejected under new IOC eligibility criteria. The IOC has been roundly criticised by anti-doping bodies, athletes groups and western media for not imposing a total ban on Russia. Pressure for the full sanction followed a World Anti-Doping Agency report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that accused Russia's sports ministry of overseeing a vast doping conspiracy involving the country's summer and winter sports athletes. IOC president Thomas Bach has defended the decision as protecting individual athletes from collective punishment. "This is a decision we just had the opportunity to discuss with some athletes," Bach said in Rio. "I think the general feeling is that it is appreciated that, on the one hand, we are sanctioning a (doping) system, but on the other hand we have given athletes who were not part of the system the opportunity to demonstrate this and then to be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games." Rio's preparations, meanwhile, remain clouded on several fronts, including budget cuts, raw sewage that pollutes the sites of rowing, sailing, canoeing, open water swimming and triathlon, slow ticket sales, and concerns over crime and the Zika virus. The games come with the president awaiting an impeachment trial and the country gripped by a severe recession. The Australians and at least eight other Olympic teams complained this week about their accommodations in the athletes' village, citing plumbing leaks, electrical faults and dirty conditions. On Friday, Australian athletes and staff had to be evacuated from their building after a small fire broke out in the basement. They returned safely after about 20 minutes. "In the end you will see a fantastic Olympic Village and great games," Bach said. "The Brazilians will overwhelm all of us with their passion, with their joy of life, their great hospitality, and with their energy." The IOC will hold a three-day session next week, starting Tuesday. A top item on the agenda is Wednesday's vote on a recommendation to add five sports to the program of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- baseball/softball, surfing, karate, skate boarding and sport climbing. The proposed sports - backed by the executive board and to be voted on as a package - would add 18 events and 474 athletes to the program. An IOC program commission report released on Friday said the five sports are a blend of the traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, and all have international and local appeal. (PTI)

IOC executive board to review final preparations for Rio Games

Lydia Ko says she is &quot;super excited&quot; at the prospect of competing in her first Olympics next month although the women&#39;s world number one has decided against living at the Games village in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Golf is returning to the Games for the first time since 1904 but the 19-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander wants to keep things as normal as possible for the 72-hole strokeplay competition in Brazil. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve been excited about the Olympics since they announced it,&quot; Ko told Reuters in an interview after a rousing three-under-par 69 sent her sprinting through the field in the third round of the Ricoh Women&#39;s British Open today. 
 
&quot;Now that it&#39;s around the corner in a couple of weeks my heart is pounding. 
 
&quot;I was always going to stay outside of the village. I&#39;d love to stay in the village and get to meet other New Zealand athletes, but no, I&#39;ve decided to stay out so I can keep similar routines to when I play these kind of events (at Woburn).&quot; 
 
Double major winner, Ko, will be living at a hotel with her family, coach and New Zealand golf officials. 
 
The teenager loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her to maintain the same sort of lifestyle she has during regular tour events. 
 
&quot;I feel like I should try and not change my routines that much,&quot; said Ko. &quot;I&#39;m staying with my sisters so I should be in a similar atmosphere off the course. I feel that would be a good way to go. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t want to change my routines that much even though it&#39;s the Olympics.&quot; 
 
Ko&#39;s agent Michael Yim told Reuters: &quot;She always travels with her family and if she stays in the village she has to stay alone. 
 
More Flexibility 
 
&quot;Staying at a hotel she has a little more flexibility to go out if she wants to go out. Not that you can&#39;t in the village but it&#39;s kind of like constrained. 
 
&quot;I think she just wanted a bit more comfort. That was always the decision from the get-go ... she&#39;ll have support for anything she needs,&quot; added Yim. 
 
Ko believes the Rio Games will boost knowledge and awareness of women&#39;s golf and provide the sport with a huge lift. 
 
&quot;Golf is quite an individual game,&quot; she said. &quot;Obviously we need a team around us but at the Olympics you are not just representing yourself and your team but your country as well. 
 
&quot;I think this could make a big difference in the game of golf especially women&#39;s golf.&quot; 
 
There was certainly a big difference in Ko&#39;s game today compared to the opening two rounds at the fourth and penultimate women&#39;s major of the season. 
 
The teenager went on an inspired run, firing six birdies in nine holes to the 16th. 
 
A lot of Ko&#39;s work was undone, though, when she lost her ball off the tee at the 18th and slipped to a closing double-bogey six. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s tough to finish on that but it&#39;s the best score I&#39;ve had during this tournament,&quot; she said after finishing with a three-under total of 213. 
 
&quot;The best cure for a double-bogey is a toffee, or sugar, any type of sugar; I love my chocolate,&quot; laughed Ko. 
 
(Reuters)

The Golfer loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her maintain the same lifestyle

Lydia Ko says she is "super excited" at the prospect of competing in her first Olympics next month although the women's world number one has decided against living at the Games village in Rio de Janeiro. Golf is returning to the Games for the first time since 1904 but the 19-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander wants to keep things as normal as possible for the 72-hole strokeplay competition in Brazil. "I've been excited about the Olympics since they announced it," Ko told Reuters in an interview after a rousing three-under-par 69 sent her sprinting through the field in the third round of the Ricoh Women's British Open today. "Now that it's around the corner in a couple of weeks my heart is pounding. "I was always going to stay outside of the village. I'd love to stay in the village and get to meet other New Zealand athletes, but no, I've decided to stay out so I can keep similar routines to when I play these kind of events (at Woburn)." Double major winner, Ko, will be living at a hotel with her family, coach and New Zealand golf officials. The teenager loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her to maintain the same sort of lifestyle she has during regular tour events. "I feel like I should try and not change my routines that much," said Ko. "I'm staying with my sisters so I should be in a similar atmosphere off the course. I feel that would be a good way to go. "I don't want to change my routines that much even though it's the Olympics." Ko's agent Michael Yim told Reuters: "She always travels with her family and if she stays in the village she has to stay alone. More Flexibility "Staying at a hotel she has a little more flexibility to go out if she wants to go out. Not that you can't in the village but it's kind of like constrained. "I think she just wanted a bit more comfort. That was always the decision from the get-go ... she'll have support for anything she needs," added Yim. Ko believes the Rio Games will boost knowledge and awareness of women's golf and provide the sport with a huge lift. "Golf is quite an individual game," she said. "Obviously we need a team around us but at the Olympics you are not just representing yourself and your team but your country as well. "I think this could make a big difference in the game of golf especially women's golf." There was certainly a big difference in Ko's game today compared to the opening two rounds at the fourth and penultimate women's major of the season. The teenager went on an inspired run, firing six birdies in nine holes to the 16th. A lot of Ko's work was undone, though, when she lost her ball off the tee at the 18th and slipped to a closing double-bogey six. "It's tough to finish on that but it's the best score I've had during this tournament," she said after finishing with a three-under total of 213. "The best cure for a double-bogey is a toffee, or sugar, any type of sugar; I love my chocolate," laughed Ko. (Reuters)

World number 1 Ko will not stay at Olympic Village

Australian athletes briefly had to evacuate their apartments yesterday after a small fire in the troubled Rio Olympics Village. 
 
The Australian delegation, preparing to compete in the Games that start August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, went into the street until given the all clear. No one was hurt and there was no serious damage. 
 
&quot;There has been a small fire in the basement of the team building in the Olympic Village. All athletes and staff were evacuated and are fine,&quot; the team said in a Tweet. 
 
Team spokesman Mike Tancred told AFP &quot;there was a lot of smoke and we had to evacuate. The fire fighters came, it was controlled and we returned.&quot; 
 
&quot;There was no big drama,&quot; he said. 
 
Tancred did not know the cause of the fire. The Australian team initially refused to move into its Village accommodations last weekend, citing shoddy conditions, including blocked toilets and dangerous wiring. 
 
Workers have been fixing the defects all week and the Australian team chief, Kitty Chiller, has said the site is now in good shape. 
 
(AFP)

There was no serious damage and no one was hurt in the incident. The cause of fire was unknown

Australian athletes briefly had to evacuate their apartments yesterday after a small fire in the troubled Rio Olympics Village. The Australian delegation, preparing to compete in the Games that start August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, went into the street until given the all clear. No one was hurt and there was no serious damage. "There has been a small fire in the basement of the team building in the Olympic Village. All athletes and staff were evacuated and are fine," the team said in a Tweet. Team spokesman Mike Tancred told AFP "there was a lot of smoke and we had to evacuate. The fire fighters came, it was controlled and we returned." "There was no big drama," he said. Tancred did not know the cause of the fire. The Australian team initially refused to move into its Village accommodations last weekend, citing shoddy conditions, including blocked toilets and dangerous wiring. Workers have been fixing the defects all week and the Australian team chief, Kitty Chiller, has said the site is now in good shape. (AFP)

Small Olympic Village fire forces Australia evacuation

Russian drug cheats will be competing at next month&#39;s Rio Olympics, the whistleblowers who helped uncover the country&#39;s doping scandal have told the BBC. 
 
Vitaly Stepanov, who worked for Russia&#39;s anti-doping agency, and his wife, former drugs cheat Yulia Stepanova, helped lift the lid on Russian doping in a series of documentaries by German broadcaster ARD. 
 
Their evidence led to a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which uncovered widespread doping in Russian athletics, and was followed by the McLaren report. 
 
The latter found Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping tests in many sports ahead of the Sochi Games. 
 
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to impose a blanket ban on Russia competing in Rio. 
 
The Stepanovs said yesterday that the IOC&#39;s stance of leaving governing bodies to decide whether Russians could take part in the Games meant there would be Russian athletes in Rio whose cheating had previously been covered up. 
 
&quot;Others that have been covered up over the past years by the Russian sports authorities, they will compete as supposedly clean athletes,&quot; the pair said in a joint BBC interview. 
 
&quot;As the report said it involved 20 summer Olympic sports, this system of cover ups, so yes there will be athletes who have used doping from Russia in Rio.&quot; 
 
The couple have fled Russia and are living in hiding at an undisclosed location in North America, after they provided evidence of doping. 
 
The IOC decided on Sunday not to impose a total ban on Russian competitors despite the country&#39;s doping history. 
 
They asked sports federations, however, to stop Russian athletes from competing in Rio who were implicated in the McLaren report, or had been previously sanctioned. 
 
This dashed Stepanova&#39;s hopes of running at the Games as an independent athlete, which Vitaly said was unfair. 
 
&quot;You didn&#39;t really have a choice if you wanted to be a member of the national team,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;She has served her ban, fully served her ban, she thinks that she should not be punished a second time for something that she did in the past.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The verdict against blanket ban on Russia means there will be athletes in Rio Games whose cheating had been covered up, the couple said

Russian drug cheats will be competing at next month's Rio Olympics, the whistleblowers who helped uncover the country's doping scandal have told the BBC. Vitaly Stepanov, who worked for Russia's anti-doping agency, and his wife, former drugs cheat Yulia Stepanova, helped lift the lid on Russian doping in a series of documentaries by German broadcaster ARD. Their evidence led to a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which uncovered widespread doping in Russian athletics, and was followed by the McLaren report. The latter found Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping tests in many sports ahead of the Sochi Games. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to impose a blanket ban on Russia competing in Rio. The Stepanovs said yesterday that the IOC's stance of leaving governing bodies to decide whether Russians could take part in the Games meant there would be Russian athletes in Rio whose cheating had previously been covered up. "Others that have been covered up over the past years by the Russian sports authorities, they will compete as supposedly clean athletes," the pair said in a joint BBC interview. "As the report said it involved 20 summer Olympic sports, this system of cover ups, so yes there will be athletes who have used doping from Russia in Rio." The couple have fled Russia and are living in hiding at an undisclosed location in North America, after they provided evidence of doping. The IOC decided on Sunday not to impose a total ban on Russian competitors despite the country's doping history. They asked sports federations, however, to stop Russian athletes from competing in Rio who were implicated in the McLaren report, or had been previously sanctioned. This dashed Stepanova's hopes of running at the Games as an independent athlete, which Vitaly said was unfair. "You didn't really have a choice if you wanted to be a member of the national team," he said. "She has served her ban, fully served her ban, she thinks that she should not be punished a second time for something that she did in the past." (Reuters)

Russian whistleblowers: Drug cheats will compete in Rio

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