Michael Phelps picked up his 19th gold medal on a second night of world records in the Olympic pool, with Katie Ledecky cruising to women&#39;s 400 metres freestyle victory and Britain&#39;s Adam Peaty running away with the men&#39;s 100 breaststroke. 
 
Sweden&#39;s Sarah Sjostrom extended Saturday&#39;s record spree in winning the 100m butterfly, and Peaty and Ledecky followed suit in the next two finals before the US men&#39;s team, with Phelps swimming second, took the 4x100 freestyle relay. 
 
Six swimming world records have now fallen in two days of competition, and the United States moved level with Australia on two gold medals each. 
 
Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, now has 19 golds, two silvers and two bronzes. For his relay team mates Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Held, it was their first Olympic medal. 
 
London Olympics 100 freestyle champion Nathan Adrian swam the final leg for the Americans, touching first ahead of France and Australia. 
 
&quot;On the block I thought my heart was going to explode, I was so hyped, so excited,&quot; said Phelps, competing in his fifth Olympics. 
 
Ledecky, the rising US swimming sensation, shaved 1.91 seconds off her own world record on the way to the 400m gold, the first stage of a rare treble she hopes to complete along with the 200m and 800m. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s pure happiness,&quot; the 19-year-old told reporters. 
 
&quot;I wanted the first 200 to hurt as little as possible and I really felt like I could build into it and really explode that last 50,&quot; she added after leading the race from start to finish. 
 
&#39;Where is everybody?&#39; 
 
Britain&#39;s Peaty set his second world record in consecutive days, and seemed surprised by the margin of his victory, 1.56 seconds, over defending champion Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa. 
 
&quot;I touched the wall and looked around and thought &#39;where is everybody?&#39;&quot; Peaty told reporters. 
 
The last British man to win an Olympic swimming gold was Adrian Moorhouse in the same event in 1988, six years before Peaty was born. On a big night for the British team, Jazz Carlin won a silver medal behind Ledecky. 
 
In the butterfly, Sjostrom became the first Swedish woman to win an Olympic gold medal, with Canada&#39;s 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak taking silver. American Dana Vollmer, the 2012 champion, clinched bronze. 
 
&quot;The feeling is totally crazy. I didn&#39;t realise it was a world record,&quot; Sjostrom said.&nbsp;&quot;I knew I was the big favourite. I was under pressure, so I tried to focus on no disasters. Before the start I said to myself: &#39;It&#39;s just a pool. It&#39;s nothing. I know what to do.&#39;&quot; 
 
In a reminder of the doping controversies that dogged the build-up to the Olympics, there were loud boos for Russian breaststroker Yulia Efimova and the men&#39;s relay team.&nbsp;Efimova, who has served two doping suspensions, succeeded in an appeal last week against being banned from Rio. 
 
She was one of a number of Russians who argued successfully that excluding them from the Olympics would be punishing them again for the same offence.&nbsp;She qualified second for Monday&#39;s 100 breaststroke final, 0.02 seconds behind Lilly King of the United States. 
 
(Reuters)

Katie Ledecky, the rising US swimming sensation, shaved 1.91 seconds off her own world record on the way to the 400m gold

Michael Phelps picked up his 19th gold medal on a second night of world records in the Olympic pool, with Katie Ledecky cruising to women's 400 metres freestyle victory and Britain's Adam Peaty running away with the men's 100 breaststroke. Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom extended Saturday's record spree in winning the 100m butterfly, and Peaty and Ledecky followed suit in the next two finals before the US men's team, with Phelps swimming second, took the 4x100 freestyle relay. Six swimming world records have now fallen in two days of competition, and the United States moved level with Australia on two gold medals each. Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, now has 19 golds, two silvers and two bronzes. For his relay team mates Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Held, it was their first Olympic medal. London Olympics 100 freestyle champion Nathan Adrian swam the final leg for the Americans, touching first ahead of France and Australia. "On the block I thought my heart was going to explode, I was so hyped, so excited," said Phelps, competing in his fifth Olympics. Ledecky, the rising US swimming sensation, shaved 1.91 seconds off her own world record on the way to the 400m gold, the first stage of a rare treble she hopes to complete along with the 200m and 800m. "It's pure happiness," the 19-year-old told reporters. "I wanted the first 200 to hurt as little as possible and I really felt like I could build into it and really explode that last 50," she added after leading the race from start to finish. 'Where is everybody?' Britain's Peaty set his second world record in consecutive days, and seemed surprised by the margin of his victory, 1.56 seconds, over defending champion Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa. "I touched the wall and looked around and thought 'where is everybody?'" Peaty told reporters. The last British man to win an Olympic swimming gold was Adrian Moorhouse in the same event in 1988, six years before Peaty was born. On a big night for the British team, Jazz Carlin won a silver medal behind Ledecky. In the butterfly, Sjostrom became the first Swedish woman to win an Olympic gold medal, with Canada's 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak taking silver. American Dana Vollmer, the 2012 champion, clinched bronze. "The feeling is totally crazy. I didn't realise it was a world record," Sjostrom said. "I knew I was the big favourite. I was under pressure, so I tried to focus on no disasters. Before the start I said to myself: 'It's just a pool. It's nothing. I know what to do.'" In a reminder of the doping controversies that dogged the build-up to the Olympics, there were loud boos for Russian breaststroker Yulia Efimova and the men's relay team. Efimova, who has served two doping suspensions, succeeded in an appeal last week against being banned from Rio. She was one of a number of Russians who argued successfully that excluding them from the Olympics would be punishing them again for the same offence. She qualified second for Monday's 100 breaststroke final, 0.02 seconds behind Lilly King of the United States. (Reuters)

Phelps wins 19th Olympic gold, breaks more swimming records

Australia were crowned the first ever Olympic rugby sevens champions after beating New Zealand 24-17 in the final of the women&#39;s tournament in Rio on Monday. 
 
The favourites outscored the Kiwis by four tries to three, two of them crucially coming either side of half-time when star New Zealand winger Portia Woodman was in the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on. 
 
The tournament marked the first time since 1924 that rugby has been played at the Olympics and the debut for sevens, the previous four incarnations featuring men&#39;s 15-a-side tournaments. 
 
New Zealand, who beat Britain 25-7 in the semi-final, opened the scoring through barn-storming centre Kayla McAlister, sister of Toulouse-based former All Black Luke. 
 
In a hard-hitting encounter, Kiwi sweeper Tyla Nathan-Wong tracked back superbly to drag down Australian flyer Emma Tonegato with the line beckoning. 
 
But Tonegato was on hand from a resulting penalty to scramble over in the corner to draw the scores level. 
 
Woodman was yellow carded on the stroke of half-time and Australia immediately capitalised, Evania Pelite sprinting down the left flank to take her side into a 10-5 lead. 
 
The final&nbsp;played out under the watchful eyes of World Rugby president Bill Beaumont and assorted rugby Illuminati, proved to be a compelling match featuring the two best sides by far in the competition, both having displayed fitness levels and skill sets largely superior to the 10 other teams. 
 
That was shown to startling effect three minutes into the second-half as the outstanding Charlotte Caslick combined with Emilee Cherry to put Ellia Green away for Australia&#39;s third try, with Chloe Dalton converting. 
 
Caslick, whose mazy running has made her one of the most dangerous players in the tournament, slid over for her own deserved try shortly after, Dalton again converting. 
 
McAlister grabbed her second with less than two minutes to play while Woodman, the all-time leading try-scorer in World Rugby Women&#39;s Sevens Series history having scored 119 tries over four seasons, took her tournament tally to a leading 10 with a consolation effort on the hooter. 
 
New Zealand left the field after an emotional post-match haka war dance during which some of their players were crying. 
 
(AFP)

Australia beat New Zealand 24-17 in the final of the women's tournament

Australia were crowned the first ever Olympic rugby sevens champions after beating New Zealand 24-17 in the final of the women's tournament in Rio on Monday. The favourites outscored the Kiwis by four tries to three, two of them crucially coming either side of half-time when star New Zealand winger Portia Woodman was in the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on. The tournament marked the first time since 1924 that rugby has been played at the Olympics and the debut for sevens, the previous four incarnations featuring men's 15-a-side tournaments. New Zealand, who beat Britain 25-7 in the semi-final, opened the scoring through barn-storming centre Kayla McAlister, sister of Toulouse-based former All Black Luke. In a hard-hitting encounter, Kiwi sweeper Tyla Nathan-Wong tracked back superbly to drag down Australian flyer Emma Tonegato with the line beckoning. But Tonegato was on hand from a resulting penalty to scramble over in the corner to draw the scores level. Woodman was yellow carded on the stroke of half-time and Australia immediately capitalised, Evania Pelite sprinting down the left flank to take her side into a 10-5 lead. The final played out under the watchful eyes of World Rugby president Bill Beaumont and assorted rugby Illuminati, proved to be a compelling match featuring the two best sides by far in the competition, both having displayed fitness levels and skill sets largely superior to the 10 other teams. That was shown to startling effect three minutes into the second-half as the outstanding Charlotte Caslick combined with Emilee Cherry to put Ellia Green away for Australia's third try, with Chloe Dalton converting. Caslick, whose mazy running has made her one of the most dangerous players in the tournament, slid over for her own deserved try shortly after, Dalton again converting. McAlister grabbed her second with less than two minutes to play while Woodman, the all-time leading try-scorer in World Rugby Women's Sevens Series history having scored 119 tries over four seasons, took her tournament tally to a leading 10 with a consolation effort on the hooter. New Zealand left the field after an emotional post-match haka war dance during which some of their players were crying. (AFP)

Australia crowned first Olympic women's rugby sevens champions

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

Kenya on Thursday was removed from the the World Anti-Doping Agency&#39;s (WADA) list of nations deemed &#39;non-compliant&#39; in their efforts to tackle doping after the Kenyan parliament introduced new legislation to punish drug cheats. 
 
Kenya&#39;s reputation has been tarnished by more than 40 doping cases in the last four years and at one point the East African nation&#39;s participation at the Rio Olympics, which start on Friday, was deemed to be in jeopardy. 
 
WADA in May put Kenya on its non-compliant list as an anti-doping law passed by the Kenyan parliament was not in line with WADA&#39;s own code. The government later amended the bill. 
 
&quot;Kenya has drafted and adopted anti-doping legislation now deemed to be in line with the Code,&quot; WADA said in a statement. 
 
It added that it had &quot;removed the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) from the list of signatories previously deemed non-compliant&quot;. 
 
Among the Kenyan athletes who failed drug tests are former Boston City Marathon and Chicago Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo, and twice world cross-country champion Emily Chebet. 
 
(Reuters)

Kenya's reputation has been tarnished by more than 40 doping cases in last four years. It's Rio Olympics participation was also in jeopardy

Kenya on Thursday was removed from the the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of nations deemed 'non-compliant' in their efforts to tackle doping after the Kenyan parliament introduced new legislation to punish drug cheats. Kenya's reputation has been tarnished by more than 40 doping cases in the last four years and at one point the East African nation's participation at the Rio Olympics, which start on Friday, was deemed to be in jeopardy. WADA in May put Kenya on its non-compliant list as an anti-doping law passed by the Kenyan parliament was not in line with WADA's own code. The government later amended the bill. "Kenya has drafted and adopted anti-doping legislation now deemed to be in line with the Code," WADA said in a statement. It added that it had "removed the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) from the list of signatories previously deemed non-compliant". Among the Kenyan athletes who failed drug tests are former Boston City Marathon and Chicago Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo, and twice world cross-country champion Emily Chebet. (Reuters)

Rio 2016: WADA removes Kenya from list of 'non-compliant' nations

Russia vowed to win a hatful of medals, and hit out at the expulsion of some of their top athletes on Thursday, as they announced their smallest Olympic team in 104 years after a major doping scandal. 
 
Despite drugs investigations which have deprived Russia of nearly a third of its original team, the mood in the camp was bullish on the eve of the Rio Games&#39; gala opening. Russian Olympic gold medal-winners said the team had been galvanised by the fall-out of revelations of state-orchestrated doping on a grand scale. 
 
The ensuing crackdown on Russia&#39;s team has slashed numbers from 389 to 271, the fewest since the pre-World War I Olympics of 1912 when they competed as the Russian Empire. But Elena Zamolodchikova, a two-time gymnastics gold medallist, said Russia was determined to finish top-10 on the medals table, a position they have occupied since the 1950s. 
 
&quot;Yes, sure,&quot; Zamolodchikova told AFP at the Russia House team base at Rio&#39;s Copacabana, when asked if they would stay in the top 10. &quot;We&#39;ll do our best and I&#39;m sure we&#39;ll be in the top 10. Knowing the Russian character, we will compete.&quot; 
 
Former pistol champion Mikhail Nestruyev said Russia expected to win &quot;many&quot; medals, adding that the troubled build-up had given them added incentive to do well. &quot;We&#39;re a small team but we have strong sportspeople,&quot; he said. &quot;I think this tense atmosphere has done us some good. Now all athletes are much stronger.&quot; 
 
Russia entered 389 athletes but many competitors implicated in last month&#39;s bombshell World Anti-Doping Agency report, which uncovered state-backed drug cheating, have been eliminated by sports federations. 
 
A three-member International Olympic Committee panel reviewed the list submitted by the federations and announced a final figure of 271 on Thursday. Russia&#39;s track and field team had already been suspended in separate action by the sport&#39;s governing body, the IAAF, following similar revelations of state-backed doping last year.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov took a swipe at the track and field ban, which affects top stars like pole vault world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva and 110m hurdles world champion Sergey Shubenkov. Zhukov said it was &quot;unfair&quot; that athletes from other countries who have previously served drugs bans, such as American sprinter Justin Gatlin, will compete in Rio. 
 
&quot;We think it&#39;s unfair that some Russian athletes like Yelena Isinbayeva and Shubenkov, who have never been accused of doping, are not allowed to compete this time,&quot; Zhukov told a press conference. &quot;However in contrast some other athletes, like the American runner Gatlin, have been admitted to the Games.&quot; 
 
Russian swimming great Alexander Popov also hit out at the track and field ban and levelled a personal attack on Britain&#39;s Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF. &quot;I hope that he will not regret his decision about Russian athletes, because as you can say, what goes around comes around,&quot; Popov said of Coe earlier. &quot;I hope that he will sleep well at night,&quot; the four-time gold-medallist added, in comments after an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Rio. 
 
Among 31 swimmers cleared by the investigation are Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, who were initially banned. While all Russian weightlifters have been banned, all of the country&#39;s boxers have been allowed to compete. 
 
World Sailing has also let a competitor initially banned back into the contest. &quot;The Russian team may have experienced the toughest checks of the Olympics, because they had to go through multiple tests and checked,&quot; Zhukov said. &quot;On top of all that, Russian athletes are going through additional testing which is taking place at the Olympic village. So as of now, the Russian team is probably the cleanest in Rio.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

We're a small team but we have strong sportspeople: Mikhail Nestruyev, former pistol champion

Russia vowed to win a hatful of medals, and hit out at the expulsion of some of their top athletes on Thursday, as they announced their smallest Olympic team in 104 years after a major doping scandal. Despite drugs investigations which have deprived Russia of nearly a third of its original team, the mood in the camp was bullish on the eve of the Rio Games' gala opening. Russian Olympic gold medal-winners said the team had been galvanised by the fall-out of revelations of state-orchestrated doping on a grand scale. The ensuing crackdown on Russia's team has slashed numbers from 389 to 271, the fewest since the pre-World War I Olympics of 1912 when they competed as the Russian Empire. But Elena Zamolodchikova, a two-time gymnastics gold medallist, said Russia was determined to finish top-10 on the medals table, a position they have occupied since the 1950s. "Yes, sure," Zamolodchikova told AFP at the Russia House team base at Rio's Copacabana, when asked if they would stay in the top 10. "We'll do our best and I'm sure we'll be in the top 10. Knowing the Russian character, we will compete." Former pistol champion Mikhail Nestruyev said Russia expected to win "many" medals, adding that the troubled build-up had given them added incentive to do well. "We're a small team but we have strong sportspeople," he said. "I think this tense atmosphere has done us some good. Now all athletes are much stronger." Russia entered 389 athletes but many competitors implicated in last month's bombshell World Anti-Doping Agency report, which uncovered state-backed drug cheating, have been eliminated by sports federations. A three-member International Olympic Committee panel reviewed the list submitted by the federations and announced a final figure of 271 on Thursday. Russia's track and field team had already been suspended in separate action by the sport's governing body, the IAAF, following similar revelations of state-backed doping last year. Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov took a swipe at the track and field ban, which affects top stars like pole vault world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva and 110m hurdles world champion Sergey Shubenkov. Zhukov said it was "unfair" that athletes from other countries who have previously served drugs bans, such as American sprinter Justin Gatlin, will compete in Rio. "We think it's unfair that some Russian athletes like Yelena Isinbayeva and Shubenkov, who have never been accused of doping, are not allowed to compete this time," Zhukov told a press conference. "However in contrast some other athletes, like the American runner Gatlin, have been admitted to the Games." Russian swimming great Alexander Popov also hit out at the track and field ban and levelled a personal attack on Britain's Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF. "I hope that he will not regret his decision about Russian athletes, because as you can say, what goes around comes around," Popov said of Coe earlier. "I hope that he will sleep well at night," the four-time gold-medallist added, in comments after an International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Rio. Among 31 swimmers cleared by the investigation are Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, who were initially banned. While all Russian weightlifters have been banned, all of the country's boxers have been allowed to compete. World Sailing has also let a competitor initially banned back into the contest. "The Russian team may have experienced the toughest checks of the Olympics, because they had to go through multiple tests and checked," Zhukov said. "On top of all that, Russian athletes are going through additional testing which is taking place at the Olympic village. So as of now, the Russian team is probably the cleanest in Rio." (AFP)

Russia optimistic as team slashed to smallest in 104 years

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

Twenty-year-old sprinter Kimia Yousofi is heading to Rio de Janeiro as Afghanistan&#39;s flag bearer and her country&#39;s only female athlete competing in this year&#39;s Olympics. 
 
For Yousofi, an Afghan refugee born in Iran, the road to the grand stage in Rio was a tortuous one. Her family fled their home country during the Taliban reign. Growing up in a foreign land, she was never given the chance to fully embrace the sport she loved. 
 
&quot;When I was little, in Iran, there were some restrictions against Afghan women participating in running. Though I did some training, I was never allowed to compete with Iranian athletes. As much as I love running, I rarely got the chance to compete,&rdquo; said Yousofi. 
 
The turning point came when she was 17. She stood out in a competition held by the Afghan government in an effort to discover female athletes. She was then contacted by the Afghan Athletics Federation who provided her with professional training. The following three years she trained from dawn to dusk while balancing her school work. 
 
&quot;It was very hard at the beginning of the training, even running feels difficult. When I slowly made some accomplishments, then the confidence gradually took effect. It was then I realised I am closer and closer to my dreams,&quot; said Yousofi. 
 
Yousofi made the national track and field team in late 2015 and competed in the South Asian Games held in India earlier this year. Though she did not bring home a medal, her performance impressed the Afghan Olympic organising committee, which led to a decision on her representing the country at the Olympics. 
 
&quot;There will be many champions from various nations at the Olympics, so I do not expect to win a medal. In the past two years, I have put in my best efforts in training. I hope I can achieve my best performance. Though my country still has many issues, I will prove to the world that we are striving,&rdquo; said Yousofi. 
 
When learning she was named the flag bearer for the opening ceremony by the Afghan Olympic organising committee, Yousofi was excited to find a sense of belonging. 
 
&quot;Though I started out training in Iran, I have always been an Afghan athlete. Therefore ultimately I need to go back to my own country, representing Afghanistan to compete and wave the Afghan flag at the Olympics,&quot; said Yousofi. 
 
(Reuters)

Kimia Yousofi, 20, is heading to Rio as Afghanistan's flag bearer and her country's only female athlete competing in this year's Olympics

Twenty-year-old sprinter Kimia Yousofi is heading to Rio de Janeiro as Afghanistan's flag bearer and her country's only female athlete competing in this year's Olympics. For Yousofi, an Afghan refugee born in Iran, the road to the grand stage in Rio was a tortuous one. Her family fled their home country during the Taliban reign. Growing up in a foreign land, she was never given the chance to fully embrace the sport she loved. "When I was little, in Iran, there were some restrictions against Afghan women participating in running. Though I did some training, I was never allowed to compete with Iranian athletes. As much as I love running, I rarely got the chance to compete,” said Yousofi. The turning point came when she was 17. She stood out in a competition held by the Afghan government in an effort to discover female athletes. She was then contacted by the Afghan Athletics Federation who provided her with professional training. The following three years she trained from dawn to dusk while balancing her school work. "It was very hard at the beginning of the training, even running feels difficult. When I slowly made some accomplishments, then the confidence gradually took effect. It was then I realised I am closer and closer to my dreams," said Yousofi. Yousofi made the national track and field team in late 2015 and competed in the South Asian Games held in India earlier this year. Though she did not bring home a medal, her performance impressed the Afghan Olympic organising committee, which led to a decision on her representing the country at the Olympics. "There will be many champions from various nations at the Olympics, so I do not expect to win a medal. In the past two years, I have put in my best efforts in training. I hope I can achieve my best performance. Though my country still has many issues, I will prove to the world that we are striving,” said Yousofi. When learning she was named the flag bearer for the opening ceremony by the Afghan Olympic organising committee, Yousofi was excited to find a sense of belonging. "Though I started out training in Iran, I have always been an Afghan athlete. Therefore ultimately I need to go back to my own country, representing Afghanistan to compete and wave the Afghan flag at the Olympics," said Yousofi. (Reuters)

Afghan refugee Kimia Yousofi overcomes gender hurdles to realise her Olympic dream

&nbsp;Americans Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles team in men&#39;s tennis history, have pulled out of the defence of their title at the Rio Games saying their family&#39;s health is their top priority. 
 
&quot;After countless hours of deliberation Mike and I have decided to forego the Rio Olympics,&quot; the pair wrote on their Facebook page on Saturday. 
 
&quot;Though we&#39;d love to compete again, as husbands and fathers, our family&#39;s health is now our top priority.&quot; 
 
Many athletes have withdrawn from the Olympics over concerns about the mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to birth defects in newborn babies and possible neurological problems in adults. 
 
The Bryan brothers are both married and Bob has three children. The pair won Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games and own 112 titles together, including 16 grand slams. 
 
&quot;Representing Team USA is one of our proudest tennis moments to date and winning Gold in 2012 will always remain the pinnacle of our career,&quot; the brothers added. 
 
&quot;The Olympics means so much to us for so many reasons and the memories we have wearing the Stars and Stripes will burn brightly forever. 
 
&quot;Thank you to the USTA (United States Tennis Association) for the nomination and to our fans for their unwavering support.&quot; 
 
Amiable off court, a well-oiled machine on it, the Bryans have carried men&#39;s doubles for more than a decade. 
 
Ten times they have ended a year as top dogs and have held the number one ranking together for close to 450 weeks in total. 
 
They were looking forward to representing their country at a fourth Olympics, having also won bronze in Beijing in 2008, and had planned to play with gold-painted rackets. 
 
Bob described their London triumph as the pair&#39;s &quot;greatest moment&quot;, while Mike said missing out in Athens on their Olympic debut in 2004, when they were expected to medal, was a low. 
 
In an interview with Reuters at this year&#39;s Wimbledon championships Bob also stressed the importance of the Games. 
 
&quot;We know Rio will be our last Olympics, I can safely say that. It&#39;s been a huge priority. When we sat down to plan the year in December we said peaking for Rio was the goal. Winning in Rio would mean everything,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Many athletes have withdrawn from Olympics over concerns about the mosquito-borne Zika virus which has been linked to defects in newborns

Americans Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles team in men's tennis history, have pulled out of the defence of their title at the Rio Games saying their family's health is their top priority. "After countless hours of deliberation Mike and I have decided to forego the Rio Olympics," the pair wrote on their Facebook page on Saturday. "Though we'd love to compete again, as husbands and fathers, our family's health is now our top priority." Many athletes have withdrawn from the Olympics over concerns about the mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to birth defects in newborn babies and possible neurological problems in adults. The Bryan brothers are both married and Bob has three children. The pair won Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games and own 112 titles together, including 16 grand slams. "Representing Team USA is one of our proudest tennis moments to date and winning Gold in 2012 will always remain the pinnacle of our career," the brothers added. "The Olympics means so much to us for so many reasons and the memories we have wearing the Stars and Stripes will burn brightly forever. "Thank you to the USTA (United States Tennis Association) for the nomination and to our fans for their unwavering support." Amiable off court, a well-oiled machine on it, the Bryans have carried men's doubles for more than a decade. Ten times they have ended a year as top dogs and have held the number one ranking together for close to 450 weeks in total. They were looking forward to representing their country at a fourth Olympics, having also won bronze in Beijing in 2008, and had planned to play with gold-painted rackets. Bob described their London triumph as the pair's "greatest moment", while Mike said missing out in Athens on their Olympic debut in 2004, when they were expected to medal, was a low. In an interview with Reuters at this year's Wimbledon championships Bob also stressed the importance of the Games. "We know Rio will be our last Olympics, I can safely say that. It's been a huge priority. When we sat down to plan the year in December we said peaking for Rio was the goal. Winning in Rio would mean everything," he said. (Reuters)

Bryan brothers pull out of Rio Games citing health concerns

Canoeing&#39;s governing body has banned five Russians, including a gold medallist and a five-times world champion, from next month&#39;s Rio Olympics after an explosive independent report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport. 
 
&quot;We are clear that if you step out of line you won`t make the start line,&quot; International Canoe Federation secretary general Simon Toulson said, as canoeing became the latest sport to bar Russians from the Games in the fall-out over the roiling doping controversy. 
 
Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday when the International Olympic Committee decided not to issue a blanket ban on all Russian competitors, instead leaving it up to each sport to decide what to do. 
 
&quot;The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has taken swift action to remove five Russian canoe sprint athletes from the Rio Olympic Games following the release of additional information naming those implicated by the McLaren report,&quot; the ICF said. 
 
&quot;In each case the ICF will impose an immediate suspension pending further investigation making the offending athletes ineligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.&quot; 
 
The five were named as Elena Aniushina, Natalia Podolskaya, Alexander Dyachenko, Andrey Kraitor and Alexey Korovashkov. 
 
Korovashkov, a five-times world champion, won a bronze medal in London four years ago and Dyachenko won gold in a doubles kayak sprint. 
 
The Olympics begin on August 5. 
 
(AFP)

Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday after IOC decided not to issue blanket ban

Canoeing's governing body has banned five Russians, including a gold medallist and a five-times world champion, from next month's Rio Olympics after an explosive independent report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport. "We are clear that if you step out of line you won`t make the start line," International Canoe Federation secretary general Simon Toulson said, as canoeing became the latest sport to bar Russians from the Games in the fall-out over the roiling doping controversy. Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday when the International Olympic Committee decided not to issue a blanket ban on all Russian competitors, instead leaving it up to each sport to decide what to do. "The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has taken swift action to remove five Russian canoe sprint athletes from the Rio Olympic Games following the release of additional information naming those implicated by the McLaren report," the ICF said. "In each case the ICF will impose an immediate suspension pending further investigation making the offending athletes ineligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games." The five were named as Elena Aniushina, Natalia Podolskaya, Alexander Dyachenko, Andrey Kraitor and Alexey Korovashkov. Korovashkov, a five-times world champion, won a bronze medal in London four years ago and Dyachenko won gold in a doubles kayak sprint. The Olympics begin on August 5. (AFP)

Five Russian canoers, including five-times world champion Korovashkov, banned from Rio

Golf&#39;s return to the Olympics after 112 years may not be as triumphant as many in the sport hoped. 
 
The top four players in the men&#39;s game - Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy - have controversially opted to skip the competition. 
 
Three of them cited fears of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus spreading rapidly in the Americas, while Spieth blamed more general health concerns. 
 
Some critics, including the great Gary Player who is South Africa&#39;s Olympic captain, have suggested the absence of the top four and several others may have more to do with the lack of prize money in the Games event. 
 
The no-shows represent another blow to the business of golf that has suffered since the global economic downturn and from the nosedive in form and injury struggles of 14-times major winner Tiger Woods. 
 
The sport is struggling to grow as youngsters gravitate towards other pastimes such as soccer, with sales of golf apparel and equipment having fallen for several years. 
 
The US &#39;golf economy&#39; declined 9.4 per cent from $75.6 billion to $68.8 billion from 2005 to 2011, according to a report prepared by research institute SRI International. 
 
Flagging sales have led companies such as Adidas AG to scale back golf investments. 
 
Adidas said in May it would jettison its golf equipment brands including TaylorMade, Adams and Ashworth. The company toiled in its bid to sell these brands, Reuters has previously reported. 
 
A global event like the Olympics might have been expected to give the industry a much-needed boost. 
 
Many in the sport have fought tooth and nail for decades to mobilise a worldwide effort to get golf back into the Games, Player said in April. 
 
&quot;Players today make so much (money) and should be giving back,&quot; he added. 
 
Many of the top golfers who dropped out are in contention to win the FedExCup Series that pays out $10 million to the season-long champion of the US PGA Tour. 
 
A US champion in Rio, by contrast, can expect to receive $25,000 from the national Olympic committee. Other national organisations are offering similar token bonuses. 
 
International attention 
 
The absence of top golfers could, however, present an opening for lesser-known players to capture international attention for themselves, their countries and sponsors. 
 
&quot;Emerging markets for golf, such as China, southeast Asia, central Europe and South America, have just begun to realise their potential,&quot; said Tom Stine, a partner at market research firm Golf Datatech. 
 
If nothing else the sport will now have a bigger presence in the Olympic host country of Brazil, said Andrea Sartori, global head of sport for the professional service company KPMG. 
 
The nation has 123 golf courses, less than half of the 319 layouts in Argentina, a much smaller country, according to a 2015 report by the the R&amp;A, organisers of the British Open. 
 
The US, by comparision, has 15,373 courses. 
 
The Olympic golf course, built from scratch in the Barra da Tijuca district, will become a public facility following the Olympics. 
 
Golf Datatech estimates the global equipment market generated $8.7 billion in sales in 2014, with more than 70 per cent coming from the US, Japan and South Korea. 
 
About 2.3 per cent of sales come from China while less than one per cent of the market comes from South America (excluding Argentina) and countries such as Thailand and Singapore, itsreport found. 
 
Steve Mona, chief executive of the World Golf Foundation, one of the groups that lobbied to get the sport back into the Olympics, said the Games could help companies expand their international reach. 
 
Golf is guaranteed to be in the Olympics for at least one more Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s why we are so vested in this,&quot; Mona said. &quot;Not only from the standpoint of people participating in the game but also becoming consumers in the game.&quot; 
 
Callaway Golf&#39;s senior vice president of marketing and brand management Harry Arnett said the Olympics will give the industry a boost despite the big-name no-shows &quot;particularly in less golf-mature markets&quot;. 
 
Paul Swinand, analyst for the investment research and management firm Morningstar who covers stocks such as Adidas and Nike, expects the worldwide Olympic television audience to attract fresh viewers to the sport. 
 
&quot;Golf in the Olympics will be able to draw in new people who wouldn&#39;t necessarily tune into the US Masters,&quot; Swinand said.

The absence of top golfers could help lesser-known players to capture international attention for themselves, their countries and sponsors

Golf's return to the Olympics after 112 years may not be as triumphant as many in the sport hoped. The top four players in the men's game - Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy - have controversially opted to skip the competition. Three of them cited fears of Zika, the mosquito-borne virus spreading rapidly in the Americas, while Spieth blamed more general health concerns. Some critics, including the great Gary Player who is South Africa's Olympic captain, have suggested the absence of the top four and several others may have more to do with the lack of prize money in the Games event. The no-shows represent another blow to the business of golf that has suffered since the global economic downturn and from the nosedive in form and injury struggles of 14-times major winner Tiger Woods. The sport is struggling to grow as youngsters gravitate towards other pastimes such as soccer, with sales of golf apparel and equipment having fallen for several years. The US 'golf economy' declined 9.4 per cent from $75.6 billion to $68.8 billion from 2005 to 2011, according to a report prepared by research institute SRI International. Flagging sales have led companies such as Adidas AG to scale back golf investments. Adidas said in May it would jettison its golf equipment brands including TaylorMade, Adams and Ashworth. The company toiled in its bid to sell these brands, Reuters has previously reported. A global event like the Olympics might have been expected to give the industry a much-needed boost. Many in the sport have fought tooth and nail for decades to mobilise a worldwide effort to get golf back into the Games, Player said in April. "Players today make so much (money) and should be giving back," he added. Many of the top golfers who dropped out are in contention to win the FedExCup Series that pays out $10 million to the season-long champion of the US PGA Tour. A US champion in Rio, by contrast, can expect to receive $25,000 from the national Olympic committee. Other national organisations are offering similar token bonuses. International attention The absence of top golfers could, however, present an opening for lesser-known players to capture international attention for themselves, their countries and sponsors. "Emerging markets for golf, such as China, southeast Asia, central Europe and South America, have just begun to realise their potential," said Tom Stine, a partner at market research firm Golf Datatech. If nothing else the sport will now have a bigger presence in the Olympic host country of Brazil, said Andrea Sartori, global head of sport for the professional service company KPMG. The nation has 123 golf courses, less than half of the 319 layouts in Argentina, a much smaller country, according to a 2015 report by the the R&A, organisers of the British Open. The US, by comparision, has 15,373 courses. The Olympic golf course, built from scratch in the Barra da Tijuca district, will become a public facility following the Olympics. Golf Datatech estimates the global equipment market generated $8.7 billion in sales in 2014, with more than 70 per cent coming from the US, Japan and South Korea. About 2.3 per cent of sales come from China while less than one per cent of the market comes from South America (excluding Argentina) and countries such as Thailand and Singapore, itsreport found. Steve Mona, chief executive of the World Golf Foundation, one of the groups that lobbied to get the sport back into the Olympics, said the Games could help companies expand their international reach. Golf is guaranteed to be in the Olympics for at least one more Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. "That's why we are so vested in this," Mona said. "Not only from the standpoint of people participating in the game but also becoming consumers in the game." Callaway Golf's senior vice president of marketing and brand management Harry Arnett said the Olympics will give the industry a boost despite the big-name no-shows "particularly in less golf-mature markets". Paul Swinand, analyst for the investment research and management firm Morningstar who covers stocks such as Adidas and Nike, expects the worldwide Olympic television audience to attract fresh viewers to the sport. "Golf in the Olympics will be able to draw in new people who wouldn't necessarily tune into the US Masters," Swinand said.

Facing Rio Olympics no-shows, golf looks to emerging market growth

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt brushed aside concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of next month&#39;s Rio Olympics as he cruised to victory in the 200 metres at the London Anniversary Games. 
 
The six-time Olympic gold medallist showed no signs of rust, winning the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury, the Mirror reported. 
 
The world&#39;s fastest man will aim to become the first person to win the 100 metre and 200 metre double at three consecutive Games when he will feature in the Rio Olympics.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)

Usain Bolt, the six-time Olympic gold medallist, won the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt brushed aside concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of next month's Rio Olympics as he cruised to victory in the 200 metres at the London Anniversary Games. The six-time Olympic gold medallist showed no signs of rust, winning the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury, the Mirror reported. The world's fastest man will aim to become the first person to win the 100 metre and 200 metre double at three consecutive Games when he will feature in the Rio Olympics. (ANI)

Bolt quashes fitness concerns, cruises to 200m victory in London

To those who dip into swimming only when the Olympic Games come around, it may seem odd to hear a pool described as &#39;fast&#39; when it looks much like any other large rectangle filled with water.

And while coaches hammer into their young charges that fast swimmers make fast pools, like swimmers, some pools are faster than others, and even Michael Phelps goes quicker with the application of science.

In 2013, after British swimmers had flopped at the London Games and that year&#39;s world championships, head coach Bill Furniss suggested Sheffield&#39;s Ponds Forge Olympic standard pool was hampering their development because it was too fast.&nbsp;Cue jokey headlines suggesting swimmers were training in the &quot;wrong kind of water&quot; -&nbsp;an echo of the &quot;wrong kind of snow/rain/sunshine&quot; excuses familiar to downtrodden commuters when Britain&#39;s weather halts the trains.

At the international level, however, the biggest waves are the ones given by the swimmers to the crowd as they climb out.&nbsp;Rio&#39;s new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari among functional family runabouts.

The technology in such a pool, from energy-absorbing lane dividers and wave-swallowing drainage to the depth and temperature, is all designed to help the world&#39;s best swimmers go faster than ever.

&quot;Years and years ago, when pools had gutters on the side and walls, if you were on the outside lane then the waves were splashing back and hitting you,&quot; Britain&#39;s 4x100 mixed medley world gold medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn told Reuters at an Adidas event.

&quot;That was what I perceived as a slow pool back then.&nbsp;Everything we race in now, it (the water) runs off the edge into a drain so you are at no more disadvantage being in lane eight than you are in lane four, other than not being in the middle of the race.&quot;

Beijing&#39;s &#39;Water Cube&#39; was dubbed the fastest pool in the world, when 25 world records were broken at the 2008 Olympics and various factors contributed to that.

 
The now-banned drag-reducing high-tech suits, with Phelps using Speedo&#39;s LZR bodysuit to win eight golds, were a huge factor, but the pool was also wider and significantly deeper than the one used in Athens in 2004.&nbsp;Unlike Athens, it was also indoors.

That uniform three metre depth, now recommended by world body FINA and considered the norm since Beijing, makes the water more buoyant and less turbulent.&nbsp;The temperature of the water,&nbsp;all 3.7 million litres of it,&nbsp;is kept between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. Too warm, and the body can over-relax, Too cold, and muscles may tighten.

 
The Rio Aquatics Stadium, a temporary structure, has had 15,000 strategically positioned holes drilled into it as part of a natural ventilation system.&nbsp;The lighting, the crowd, the acoustics also all help create an atmosphere that crackles with anticipation and plays into the mental side. In Rio, the front-row seats will be just 10 metres from the action.

British swimmer Adam Peaty, who set a 100 metres breaststroke world record of 57.92 seconds in London last year, said the psychological factor of swimmers going fast because they know the pool is state-of-the-art was not to be underestimated.

&quot;It&#39;s more of an idea than a thing; The idea of performing at an Olympics and being one of the best in the world, and that pool is the idea,&quot; Peaty said after this year&#39;s European championships.&nbsp;&quot;It sounds very metaphorical, but every time I see that (London) pool I just want to be the best in the world.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Rio's new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari

To those who dip into swimming only when the Olympic Games come around, it may seem odd to hear a pool described as 'fast' when it looks much like any other large rectangle filled with water. And while coaches hammer into their young charges that fast swimmers make fast pools, like swimmers, some pools are faster than others, and even Michael Phelps goes quicker with the application of science. In 2013, after British swimmers had flopped at the London Games and that year's world championships, head coach Bill Furniss suggested Sheffield's Ponds Forge Olympic standard pool was hampering their development because it was too fast. Cue jokey headlines suggesting swimmers were training in the "wrong kind of water" - an echo of the "wrong kind of snow/rain/sunshine" excuses familiar to downtrodden commuters when Britain's weather halts the trains. At the international level, however, the biggest waves are the ones given by the swimmers to the crowd as they climb out. Rio's new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari among functional family runabouts. The technology in such a pool, from energy-absorbing lane dividers and wave-swallowing drainage to the depth and temperature, is all designed to help the world's best swimmers go faster than ever. "Years and years ago, when pools had gutters on the side and walls, if you were on the outside lane then the waves were splashing back and hitting you," Britain's 4x100 mixed medley world gold medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn told Reuters at an Adidas event. "That was what I perceived as a slow pool back then. Everything we race in now, it (the water) runs off the edge into a drain so you are at no more disadvantage being in lane eight than you are in lane four, other than not being in the middle of the race." Beijing's 'Water Cube' was dubbed the fastest pool in the world, when 25 world records were broken at the 2008 Olympics and various factors contributed to that. The now-banned drag-reducing high-tech suits, with Phelps using Speedo's LZR bodysuit to win eight golds, were a huge factor, but the pool was also wider and significantly deeper than the one used in Athens in 2004. Unlike Athens, it was also indoors. That uniform three metre depth, now recommended by world body FINA and considered the norm since Beijing, makes the water more buoyant and less turbulent. The temperature of the water, all 3.7 million litres of it, is kept between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. Too warm, and the body can over-relax, Too cold, and muscles may tighten. The Rio Aquatics Stadium, a temporary structure, has had 15,000 strategically positioned holes drilled into it as part of a natural ventilation system. The lighting, the crowd, the acoustics also all help create an atmosphere that crackles with anticipation and plays into the mental side. In Rio, the front-row seats will be just 10 metres from the action. British swimmer Adam Peaty, who set a 100 metres breaststroke world record of 57.92 seconds in London last year, said the psychological factor of swimmers going fast because they know the pool is state-of-the-art was not to be underestimated. "It's more of an idea than a thing; The idea of performing at an Olympics and being one of the best in the world, and that pool is the idea," Peaty said after this year's European championships. "It sounds very metaphorical, but every time I see that (London) pool I just want to be the best in the world." (Reuters)

Technology in pools makes Olympic athletes swim faster

Russia insisted today that it expects to avoid a blanket ban from the IOC on its competitors at the Rio Olympics despite its track and field squad losing an appeal over a suspension for state-sponsored doping. 
 
&quot;All sportsmen who have not been convicted or are not under suspicion of doping should have the right to compete. That is the decision we are counting on,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 
 
The International Olympic Committee&#39;s executive board are to hold a conference call on Sunday to discuss banning Russia from the Rio Games starting on August 5. 
 
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday ruled against Russia&#39;s athletes in a decision seen as a key indicator as the IOC debates whether to kick out the whole Russian team. 
 
The IOC is facing international pressure to act tough on Russia and ban the entire team over bombshell revelations of a state-run doping system that has seen the country cheat its way to victory. 
 
Fourteen national anti-doping agencies including the United States, Canada and Germany sent a joint letter to IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday urging him to ban Russia from Rio. 
 
Officials in Moscow have slammed the decision by CAS to reject its appeal against a ban from the world athletics body IAAF, calling it part of a broader political campaign by the West against Russia. 
 
The suspension of the track and field team already means that star athletes like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and hurdler Sergey Shubenkov will not be in Rio. 
 
Isinbayeva who has threatened to call time on her career over the ban slammed the CAS ruling as a &quot;funeral for athletics.&quot; 
 
Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko who has clung on despite the scandal said Moscow now hopes the IOC will defer to individual international sporting federations to decide whether other Russian squads can compete. 
 
Cold War 
 
The CAS ruling has been the focus of Olympic attention since an independent WADA report this week said Russia ran a &quot;state-dictated failsafe system&quot; of drug cheating in 30 sports at the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events. 
 
But Russia has found support from some international sports bodies, with the International Judo Federation (IJF) insisting all clean athletes should be allowed to take part in Rio. 
 
&quot;We hope that by allowing participation of Russian athletes in Rio 2016, we will send out a positive message to all the young people who deserve to be given examples of friendship instead of examples of Cold War,&quot; said IJF president Marius Vizer. 
 
Individual Russian federations said they were now looking nervously ahead for the IOC to make its next move. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re all in suspense waiting for the IOC decision,&quot; wrestling federation president Mikhail Mamiashvili told AFP. 
 
&quot;I hope that the common sense and personal responsibility of those who will take the decision will prevail.&quot; 
 
The IAAF banned all of the Russian track and field team over allegations of state-sponsored doping but said athletes who prove they were not tainted by their country&#39;s corrupt system could be cleared. 
 
The IAAF has only gave permission for one Russian team member to compete as a neutral is US-based long jumper Darya Klishina to compete in Rio. 
 
The IOC has appeared to back the principle that international sporting federations could clear individual athletes in case of a blanket ban but with just two weeks to go until Rio time is slipping away. 
 
The Russian press had widely predicted that CAS would decide against Moscow and reaction was a mixture of soul-searching and criticism over systemic failings. 
 
&quot;They accused us of setting up a system in the country based on doping and we didn&#39;t react at all to these accusations,&quot; wrote daily Sovietsky Sport. &quot;That&#39;s why they&#39;re banning us.&quot; 
 
&quot;Alas, everything that is happening with our sports is the fruit of our own errors,&quot; a column in usually pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda said, citing years of mismanagement. 
 
&quot;It is far from certain that even the current apocalyptic storm will force us to change our sport. Maybe only if the IOC buries our team on Sunday.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

International Olympic Committee's executive board are to hold a conference call on Sunday to discuss banning Russia from the Rio Games

Russia insisted today that it expects to avoid a blanket ban from the IOC on its competitors at the Rio Olympics despite its track and field squad losing an appeal over a suspension for state-sponsored doping. "All sportsmen who have not been convicted or are not under suspicion of doping should have the right to compete. That is the decision we are counting on," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The International Olympic Committee's executive board are to hold a conference call on Sunday to discuss banning Russia from the Rio Games starting on August 5. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday ruled against Russia's athletes in a decision seen as a key indicator as the IOC debates whether to kick out the whole Russian team. The IOC is facing international pressure to act tough on Russia and ban the entire team over bombshell revelations of a state-run doping system that has seen the country cheat its way to victory. Fourteen national anti-doping agencies including the United States, Canada and Germany sent a joint letter to IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday urging him to ban Russia from Rio. Officials in Moscow have slammed the decision by CAS to reject its appeal against a ban from the world athletics body IAAF, calling it part of a broader political campaign by the West against Russia. The suspension of the track and field team already means that star athletes like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and hurdler Sergey Shubenkov will not be in Rio. Isinbayeva who has threatened to call time on her career over the ban slammed the CAS ruling as a "funeral for athletics." Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko who has clung on despite the scandal said Moscow now hopes the IOC will defer to individual international sporting federations to decide whether other Russian squads can compete. Cold War The CAS ruling has been the focus of Olympic attention since an independent WADA report this week said Russia ran a "state-dictated failsafe system" of drug cheating in 30 sports at the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events. But Russia has found support from some international sports bodies, with the International Judo Federation (IJF) insisting all clean athletes should be allowed to take part in Rio. "We hope that by allowing participation of Russian athletes in Rio 2016, we will send out a positive message to all the young people who deserve to be given examples of friendship instead of examples of Cold War," said IJF president Marius Vizer. Individual Russian federations said they were now looking nervously ahead for the IOC to make its next move. "We're all in suspense waiting for the IOC decision," wrestling federation president Mikhail Mamiashvili told AFP. "I hope that the common sense and personal responsibility of those who will take the decision will prevail." The IAAF banned all of the Russian track and field team over allegations of state-sponsored doping but said athletes who prove they were not tainted by their country's corrupt system could be cleared. The IAAF has only gave permission for one Russian team member to compete as a neutral is US-based long jumper Darya Klishina to compete in Rio. The IOC has appeared to back the principle that international sporting federations could clear individual athletes in case of a blanket ban but with just two weeks to go until Rio time is slipping away. The Russian press had widely predicted that CAS would decide against Moscow and reaction was a mixture of soul-searching and criticism over systemic failings. "They accused us of setting up a system in the country based on doping and we didn't react at all to these accusations," wrote daily Sovietsky Sport. "That's why they're banning us." "Alas, everything that is happening with our sports is the fruit of our own errors," a column in usually pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda said, citing years of mismanagement. "It is far from certain that even the current apocalyptic storm will force us to change our sport. Maybe only if the IOC buries our team on Sunday." (AFP)

Russia braces for IOC ruling after CAS bans athletics squad

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. 
 
The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. 
 
Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. 
 
The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. 
 
Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. 
 
&quot;The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well,&quot; said Ramachandran. 
 
Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. 
 
&quot;Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here,&quot; said Karmakar. 
 
The Indian contingent for Rio is the country&#39;s biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. 
 
The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

121 athletes have qualified for Rio 2016, nearly a third more than the number that qualified for the last Games

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. "The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well," said Ramachandran. Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. "Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here," said Karmakar. The Indian contingent for Rio is the country's biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. (Reuters)

India?s Rio contingent given rousing send-off in Delhi

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called on FIFA to investigate Russia&#39;s sports minister Vitaly Mutko, a member of the football world body&#39;s executive, over drug failures in football. 
 
A bombshell report on &quot;state-dictated&quot; doping in Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, said the manipulation of tainted Russian samples was controlled by Mutko&#39;s ministry. 
 
The investigation by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, released on Monday, did not provide evidence of a detailed implication by Mutko in decisions to protect drug-cheat athletes. 
 
But it said Mutko, president of the Russian football federation and chief organiser of the 2018 World Cup, took the decision to hide the doping case of a foreign player in the Russian football league. 
 
McLaren quoted Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov as saying it was &quot;inconceivable&quot; that Mutko did not know about the whole doping system. 
 
WADA called on FIFA to act on Mutko, a 57-year-old ally of President Vladimir Putin and sports minister since 2008. 
 
&quot;Another notable finding within the (McLaren) report is the role that one of FIFA&#39;s executive committee members, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, played within the system,&quot; said a WADA statement. 
 
&quot;Accordingly, WADA urges the FIFA ethics committee to look into the allegations concerning football and the role played by this member.&quot; 
 
The McLaren report said deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh had almost a daily responsibility for deciding which athletes would get a &quot;SAVE&quot; order and have failed tests manipulated or be put under &quot;QUARANTINE&quot;. 
 
The report added however that McLaren &quot;is aware of at least one foreign footballer playing in the Russian league who had that benefit of a SAVE order.&quot; 
 
&quot;That SAVE decision was made by Minister Mutko and not Deputy Minister Nagornykh.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
It said 11 footballers in all had drug cases covered up. 
 
It quoted email evidence as saying that &quot;the SAVE decision for the football players was the final decision of &#39;VL&#39;. 
 
&quot;VL is the first name and patronymic name initials of the Minister of Sport Vitaly Leontiyevich Mutko, who is also the president of the Russian football federation.&quot; 
 
FIFA acknowledged the WADA call but said its ethics committee is independent &quot;and only it can decide what actions to take in respect to this issue. 
 
&quot;For its part, FIFA will request from WADA all details concerning the individual cases of doping in Russian football that are referenced in the McLaren report. Once FIFA receives this information from WADA, it will take the appropriate next steps.&quot; 
 
Mutko is due to stand for re-election to FIFA in March.&nbsp; 
 
The Kremlin said officials &quot;directly&quot; implicated by the report would be suspended but did not name them and attacked what it called the &quot;dangerous&quot; new &quot;interference of politics in sport.&quot; 
 
WADA president Craig Reedie demanded that the Russian government sack all sports ministry officials &quot;implicated&quot; by the McLaren report, but did not name any individuals. 
 
Much of the McLaren report is based on evidence provided by Rodchenkov, former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory now in hiding in the United States. 
 
Rodchenkov told the inquiry that in meetings with deputy minister Nagornykh on the doping cover-up, &quot;Nagornykh told him that Minister of Sport Mutko was aware of everything that they were discussing. 
 
&quot;Dr Rodchenkov`s evidence is that it is inconceivable that Minister Mutko was not aware of the doping cover-up scheme.&quot; 
 
The Kremlin has slammed Rodchenkov as &quot;a person with a scandalous reputation.&quot; 
&nbsp; 
Rodchenkov is now under criminal investigation by Russian authorities. 
&nbsp; 
The McLaren report said however that there were &quot;several documents which tend to corroborate Dr Rodechenkov&#39;s conclusion.&quot; 
 
Rodchenkov said he discussed a response to a German television documentary last year on doping in Russian athletics with Mutko. 
 
The whistleblower added that he met with Mutko before the Sochi Olympics. &quot;Dr Rodchenkov`s evidence is that the doping cover up plan for Sochi was discussed at those meetings.&quot; 
 
Rodchenkov also testified that Mutko knew about bribes allegedly paid to former International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack to cover up doping failures by race walkers. 
 
&quot;Dr Rodchenkov&#39;s evidence is that in September 2012 he met with Minister Mutko to discuss the IAAF&#39;s extorsion demand. 
 
&quot;At that meeting, Minister Mutko asked Dr Rodchenkov whether the situation was really so bad he needed to pay all of that money, thereby exposing his knowledge of the doping problem in Russian athletics.&quot; 
 
McLaren made clear the power of the sports ministry, refered to as the MofS, over the Moscow and Sochi doping laboratories during the Winter Olympics and other events. 
 
&quot;The Moscow laboratory was effectively caught up in the jaws of a vice. It was a key player in the successful operation of a state imposed and rigorously imposed programme which was overall managed and dictated by the MofS.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The investigation by lawyer Richard McLaren revealed that the manipulation of samples was controlled by Vitaly Mutko's ministry

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called on FIFA to investigate Russia's sports minister Vitaly Mutko, a member of the football world body's executive, over drug failures in football. A bombshell report on "state-dictated" doping in Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, said the manipulation of tainted Russian samples was controlled by Mutko's ministry. The investigation by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, released on Monday, did not provide evidence of a detailed implication by Mutko in decisions to protect drug-cheat athletes. But it said Mutko, president of the Russian football federation and chief organiser of the 2018 World Cup, took the decision to hide the doping case of a foreign player in the Russian football league. McLaren quoted Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov as saying it was "inconceivable" that Mutko did not know about the whole doping system. WADA called on FIFA to act on Mutko, a 57-year-old ally of President Vladimir Putin and sports minister since 2008. "Another notable finding within the (McLaren) report is the role that one of FIFA's executive committee members, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, played within the system," said a WADA statement. "Accordingly, WADA urges the FIFA ethics committee to look into the allegations concerning football and the role played by this member." The McLaren report said deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh had almost a daily responsibility for deciding which athletes would get a "SAVE" order and have failed tests manipulated or be put under "QUARANTINE". The report added however that McLaren "is aware of at least one foreign footballer playing in the Russian league who had that benefit of a SAVE order." "That SAVE decision was made by Minister Mutko and not Deputy Minister Nagornykh." It said 11 footballers in all had drug cases covered up. It quoted email evidence as saying that "the SAVE decision for the football players was the final decision of 'VL'. "VL is the first name and patronymic name initials of the Minister of Sport Vitaly Leontiyevich Mutko, who is also the president of the Russian football federation." FIFA acknowledged the WADA call but said its ethics committee is independent "and only it can decide what actions to take in respect to this issue. "For its part, FIFA will request from WADA all details concerning the individual cases of doping in Russian football that are referenced in the McLaren report. Once FIFA receives this information from WADA, it will take the appropriate next steps." Mutko is due to stand for re-election to FIFA in March. The Kremlin said officials "directly" implicated by the report would be suspended but did not name them and attacked what it called the "dangerous" new "interference of politics in sport." WADA president Craig Reedie demanded that the Russian government sack all sports ministry officials "implicated" by the McLaren report, but did not name any individuals. Much of the McLaren report is based on evidence provided by Rodchenkov, former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory now in hiding in the United States. Rodchenkov told the inquiry that in meetings with deputy minister Nagornykh on the doping cover-up, "Nagornykh told him that Minister of Sport Mutko was aware of everything that they were discussing. "Dr Rodchenkov`s evidence is that it is inconceivable that Minister Mutko was not aware of the doping cover-up scheme." The Kremlin has slammed Rodchenkov as "a person with a scandalous reputation." Rodchenkov is now under criminal investigation by Russian authorities. The McLaren report said however that there were "several documents which tend to corroborate Dr Rodechenkov's conclusion." Rodchenkov said he discussed a response to a German television documentary last year on doping in Russian athletics with Mutko. The whistleblower added that he met with Mutko before the Sochi Olympics. "Dr Rodchenkov`s evidence is that the doping cover up plan for Sochi was discussed at those meetings." Rodchenkov also testified that Mutko knew about bribes allegedly paid to former International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack to cover up doping failures by race walkers. "Dr Rodchenkov's evidence is that in September 2012 he met with Minister Mutko to discuss the IAAF's extorsion demand. "At that meeting, Minister Mutko asked Dr Rodchenkov whether the situation was really so bad he needed to pay all of that money, thereby exposing his knowledge of the doping problem in Russian athletics." McLaren made clear the power of the sports ministry, refered to as the MofS, over the Moscow and Sochi doping laboratories during the Winter Olympics and other events. "The Moscow laboratory was effectively caught up in the jaws of a vice. It was a key player in the successful operation of a state imposed and rigorously imposed programme which was overall managed and dictated by the MofS." (AFP)

Russian sports minister Mutko in doping controversy spotlight

Australian top seed Samantha Stosur, defending Washington Open champion Sloane Stephens and German teen star Alexander Zverev are setting aside Zika virus fears to compete at the Rio Olympics. 
 
But Sam Querrey, who upset world number one Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, isn&#39;t going to Brazil because it just isn&#39;t that big a deal to him. 
 
Differing views over the mosquito-carried Zika virus and the rash of recent tennis withdrawals from Rio came out Monday on day one of the ATP and WTA event, the first hardcourt stop on the path to the US Open. 
 
&quot;It`s not something you want to take lightly,&quot; Stosur said after beating Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-0. 
 
&quot;Other people say there are going to be far worse things going on than Zika. It`s about being smart, following all the guidelines. I`ve had all the vaccinations. It certainly has entered my mind this time around.&quot; 
 
Several top NBA players, more than 20 men&#39;s golfers and several top tennis players have withdrawn from Rio, many but not all citing the potential for contracting Zika, which causes severe illness and has been linked to birth defects. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m kind of scared but I`m not having any kids any time soon so I should be OK,&quot; said Stephens, a 23-year-old American set to make her Olympic debut. 
 
&quot;Some people are way more sensitive and some people aren`t. It just depends on the person.&quot; 
 
Canada&#39;s seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, who lost the Wimbledon men&#39;s final to Britain&#39;s Andy Murray earlier in July, eighth-ranked Czech Tomas Berdych and Austria&#39;s ninth-rated Dominic Thiem all said no to Rio. 
 
So did 16th-ranked John Isner, the Washington men&#39;s top seed, and Querrey, who doesn&#39;t see tennis or golf as true Olympic sports. 
 
&quot;For tennis and golf, the Olympics isn&#39;t a top priority,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We have four other Grand Slams. Those are the main focus. 
 
&quot;Some sports in the Olympics, (tennis) and golf, I feel like maybe shouldn`t be in there. It just wasn&#39;t a priority of mine at all.&quot; 
 
That&#39;s a stark contrast to 19-year-old Zverev, who at 27th in the world has become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006. 
 
And Zverev has even suffered severe illness after a bug bite. 
 
&quot;I was at the US Open and something bit me,&quot; Zverev said. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m going to be very careful because of that. I only won one match the rest of the year. My leg got a lot swollen. I was really sick with fever, lost a lot of weight, couldn`t eat. 
 
&quot;You think about it, that&#39;s quite a serious thing. You don&#39;t want to get something but the Olympics is a very big event. 
 
&quot;I`m a little bit worried about the Zika virus. A lot of people have pulled out. But it&#39;s going to be a lot of fun.&quot; 
 
Isner has a first-round bye and a round-two date with Australian qualifier James Duckworth, who ousted American Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-1. 
 
Aussie John Millman, Rio bound as well after Olympic pullouts by Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, advanced to a second-round match with Cypriot Marcus Bagjdatis by downing American Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-0. 
 
(AFP)

Alexander Zverev as become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006

Australian top seed Samantha Stosur, defending Washington Open champion Sloane Stephens and German teen star Alexander Zverev are setting aside Zika virus fears to compete at the Rio Olympics. But Sam Querrey, who upset world number one Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, isn't going to Brazil because it just isn't that big a deal to him. Differing views over the mosquito-carried Zika virus and the rash of recent tennis withdrawals from Rio came out Monday on day one of the ATP and WTA event, the first hardcourt stop on the path to the US Open. "It`s not something you want to take lightly," Stosur said after beating Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-0. "Other people say there are going to be far worse things going on than Zika. It`s about being smart, following all the guidelines. I`ve had all the vaccinations. It certainly has entered my mind this time around." Several top NBA players, more than 20 men's golfers and several top tennis players have withdrawn from Rio, many but not all citing the potential for contracting Zika, which causes severe illness and has been linked to birth defects. "I'm kind of scared but I`m not having any kids any time soon so I should be OK," said Stephens, a 23-year-old American set to make her Olympic debut. "Some people are way more sensitive and some people aren`t. It just depends on the person." Canada's seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, who lost the Wimbledon men's final to Britain's Andy Murray earlier in July, eighth-ranked Czech Tomas Berdych and Austria's ninth-rated Dominic Thiem all said no to Rio. So did 16th-ranked John Isner, the Washington men's top seed, and Querrey, who doesn't see tennis or golf as true Olympic sports. "For tennis and golf, the Olympics isn't a top priority," he said. "We have four other Grand Slams. Those are the main focus. "Some sports in the Olympics, (tennis) and golf, I feel like maybe shouldn`t be in there. It just wasn't a priority of mine at all." That's a stark contrast to 19-year-old Zverev, who at 27th in the world has become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006. And Zverev has even suffered severe illness after a bug bite. "I was at the US Open and something bit me," Zverev said. "I'm going to be very careful because of that. I only won one match the rest of the year. My leg got a lot swollen. I was really sick with fever, lost a lot of weight, couldn`t eat. "You think about it, that's quite a serious thing. You don't want to get something but the Olympics is a very big event. "I`m a little bit worried about the Zika virus. A lot of people have pulled out. But it's going to be a lot of fun." Isner has a first-round bye and a round-two date with Australian qualifier James Duckworth, who ousted American Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-1. Aussie John Millman, Rio bound as well after Olympic pullouts by Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, advanced to a second-round match with Cypriot Marcus Bagjdatis by downing American Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-0. (AFP)

No Zika bite fright for Rio-bound Stosur, Zverev

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month&#39;s Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. 
 
Brazil&#39;s interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. 
 
As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. 
 
Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. 
 
Heightened fears, heightened security 
 
Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had &quot;gone up a notch&quot; &nbsp;after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re trading a little comfort for a lot more security,&quot; he told a press conference at the presidential offices. 
 
Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. 
 
Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed &quot;worries&quot; over the Nice attack. 
 
&quot;This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place,&quot; he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. 
 
Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event&#39;s international intelligence center. 
 
&quot;As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. 
 
In June, Brazil&#39;s intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. 
 
An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the &quot;next target.&quot; 
 
Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. 
 
&quot;The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment,&quot; Jungmann said. 
 
Simulation exercises&nbsp; 
 
Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. 
 
Another exercise on &quot;confronting external threats&quot; is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. 
 
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The country had already planned to deploy 85,000 cops, soldiers, double the number used in 2012 London Games

Brazil said on Friday that it will bolster security for next month's Olympics in Rio following the truck attack in the French city of Nice. Brazil's interim president Michel Temer held an emergency meeting with his intelligence chief and members of his cabinet late Friday to weigh the next steps after the Nice attack, which killed at least 84 people. As he left the meeting, intelligence chief Sergio Etchegoyen said new security measures would include extra checkpoints, barricades and traffic restrictions. Brazil had already planned to deploy 85,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Olympics, running August 5-21, which is double the number used in the 2012 London Games. Heightened fears, heightened security Etchegoyen said fears over security at the Rio Games had "gone up a notch" after the attack in Nice, where a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne white truck into a huge crowd gathered to watch the annual Bastille Day fireworks display on Thursday, leaving a gruesome trail of bodies in his wake. "We're trading a little comfort for a lot more security," he told a press conference at the presidential offices. Brazilian intelligence officials met with French counterparts for a briefing on the Nice attack, he said. Defense Minister Raul Jungmann expressed "worries" over the Nice attack. "This worry will translate to more checkpoints, security, staff and procedures being put in place," he told reporters at an air force base near the Rio international airport. Jungmann said Brazil is corresponding with all 106 countries sending representatives to the event's international intelligence center. "As of now, none of these countries have informed us of a potential or concrete threat of a terrorist attack in Brazil," Jungmann said. Brazil is already on alert after the French military intelligence chief said France had been informed of a planned terror attack on its team at the Rio Olympics. In June, Brazil's intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. An even more explicit warning came after bloody attacks in Paris in November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the "next target." Jungmann said officials will supervise the Olympic delegations based on the security threat they face, with countries including the United States and France labeled as high-risk. "The dozen or so countries in that group will have special accompaniment," Jungmann said. Simulation exercises Security services staged simulation exercises in Rio to test counterterrorism response plans. Another exercise on "confronting external threats" is planned for today at the railway station in Deodoro, one of four Olympic zones in Rio along with Maracana, Copacabana and Barra da Tijuca. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Olympic organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman met with federal and regional government officials to assess plans, notably discussing a potential increase in street blockades. (AFP)

Brazil to bolster Olympics security to quell concerns after Nice attack

Amid increasing speculation surrounding his participation at the Rio Olympics, the Spanish Olympic Committee chief has confirmed that 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will represent his nation at the global spectacle. 
 
The 30-year-old, who is chosen as Spain&#39;s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony in Rio on August 5, still awaits the nod from the International Tennis Federation after he failed to meet qualifying criteria. 
 
Alejandro Blanco stated that he had no doubts over Nadal&#39;s participation while insisting that the Spanish maestro was training regularly to secure a medal in Rio, Sport24 reported. 
 
Nadal won the Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but missed the London Games with a knee injury four years later. 
 
The Spaniard&#39;s participation at the Rio Games was thrown into turmoil when he suffered a wrist injury which forced him to pull out of the French Open prematurely and ruled him out of the Wimbledon. 
 
He is due to play singles and also the mixed doubles with French Open champion Garbine Muguruza at Rio. 
 
(ANI)

Rafael Nadal awaits the nod from the International Tennis Federation after he failed to meet the qualifying criteria

Amid increasing speculation surrounding his participation at the Rio Olympics, the Spanish Olympic Committee chief has confirmed that 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will represent his nation at the global spectacle. The 30-year-old, who is chosen as Spain's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony in Rio on August 5, still awaits the nod from the International Tennis Federation after he failed to meet qualifying criteria. Alejandro Blanco stated that he had no doubts over Nadal's participation while insisting that the Spanish maestro was training regularly to secure a medal in Rio, Sport24 reported. Nadal won the Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but missed the London Games with a knee injury four years later. The Spaniard's participation at the Rio Games was thrown into turmoil when he suffered a wrist injury which forced him to pull out of the French Open prematurely and ruled him out of the Wimbledon. He is due to play singles and also the mixed doubles with French Open champion Garbine Muguruza at Rio. (ANI)

Nadal will be ready for Rio, insists Spanish Olympic chief

The crackdown on athletes caught up in recent doping scandals is a step in the right direction for the sport, Allyson Felix says, but the American sprinter is still worried it will not be a level playing field at next month&#39;s Rio Olympics. 
 
The 30-year-old qualified for her fourth Olympics earlier this month but will not be gunning for a 200-400 metres double after finishing fourth over the shorter distance at the US trials in Oregon. 
 
Athletics has been under the spotlight due to a doping scandal that saw Russia banned from competing in the sport at the Rio Games after a World Anti-Doping Agency report uncovered systematic abuse in the country. 
 
Kenya&#39;s team were also in danger of missing Rio before their government passed legislation that complied with anti-doping codes. 
 
&quot;The number of scandals we see now just shows the real issues that are there in sports,&quot; Felix told reporters in Beverley Hills. &quot;I would say that my confidence isn&#39;t high to think that there are not real issues.&nbsp;I would hope that the playing field is more level (but) it is very hard to deal with as a clean athlete.&nbsp;You are going to the biggest race of your life and you hope that that is a clean race. But can you say that you are a 100 per cent that you are sure?&nbsp;I don&#39;t think that you can say that.&quot; 
 
Felix said athletics was working hard to clean up the sport. 
 
&quot;It is hard ... but I hope we are moving in the right direction,&quot; she added. &quot;I think that exposing athletes that are happening now is I think is a step in the right direction.&quot; 
 
Felix, who won the 200 at the London Games in 2012, had been attempting to do a 200-400 double at Rio but battled an ankle injury in the leadup to the trials in Oregon.&nbsp;The injury had affected her conditioning and she failed to qualify for the 200 by 0.01 seconds. 
 
&quot;I think that what happened to me was just unfortunate. I think injuries are a part of sport and it is something that you just have to deal with,&quot; she added.&nbsp;&quot;For me I feel so grateful to have made this team at all as two months ago I was not walking at all.&nbsp;So it&#39;s pretty amazing to me that I&#39;m still going to Rio and while it doesn&#39;t look exactly how I hoped it would. But I&#39;m still going after it with everything I have.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

'...My confidence isn't high to think that there are not real issues...it is very hard to deal with as a clean athlete'--Allyson Felix

The crackdown on athletes caught up in recent doping scandals is a step in the right direction for the sport, Allyson Felix says, but the American sprinter is still worried it will not be a level playing field at next month's Rio Olympics. The 30-year-old qualified for her fourth Olympics earlier this month but will not be gunning for a 200-400 metres double after finishing fourth over the shorter distance at the US trials in Oregon. Athletics has been under the spotlight due to a doping scandal that saw Russia banned from competing in the sport at the Rio Games after a World Anti-Doping Agency report uncovered systematic abuse in the country. Kenya's team were also in danger of missing Rio before their government passed legislation that complied with anti-doping codes. "The number of scandals we see now just shows the real issues that are there in sports," Felix told reporters in Beverley Hills. "I would say that my confidence isn't high to think that there are not real issues. I would hope that the playing field is more level (but) it is very hard to deal with as a clean athlete. You are going to the biggest race of your life and you hope that that is a clean race. But can you say that you are a 100 per cent that you are sure? I don't think that you can say that." Felix said athletics was working hard to clean up the sport. "It is hard ... but I hope we are moving in the right direction," she added. "I think that exposing athletes that are happening now is I think is a step in the right direction." Felix, who won the 200 at the London Games in 2012, had been attempting to do a 200-400 double at Rio but battled an ankle injury in the leadup to the trials in Oregon. The injury had affected her conditioning and she failed to qualify for the 200 by 0.01 seconds. "I think that what happened to me was just unfortunate. I think injuries are a part of sport and it is something that you just have to deal with," she added. "For me I feel so grateful to have made this team at all as two months ago I was not walking at all. So it's pretty amazing to me that I'm still going to Rio and while it doesn't look exactly how I hoped it would. But I'm still going after it with everything I have." (Reuters)

American sprinter doubts Olympic competitors are clean

Ex-supermodel Gisele Bundchen will strut her stuff in her native Brazil next month, this time swapping the catwalk for the stadium hosting the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio. 
 
Bundchen, who retired from modelling last year, will walk through a &quot;futuristic gateway&quot; at Maracana Stadium during the August 5 ceremony marking the start of the first Games hosted in South America, according to Extra newspaper.&nbsp;Extra said the theme of the ceremony would be &quot;the future&quot;.&nbsp;Rio 2016 organisers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 
 
Bundchen, now 35, who was once the highest-paid model in the world, also participated in the prize ceremony for the 2014 World Cup final that pitted Argentina against Germany, in Maracana Stadium. 
 
Extra said another highlight of the Olympics ceremony would be a performance by veteran samba singer Elza Soares, 79.&nbsp;Soares, the widow of football player Garrincha, is expected to sing about Rio&#39;s favelas. 
 
Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, two living legends of the South American giant&#39;s music, are also expected to participate in the ceremony.&nbsp;They will be joined by funk singer Anitta. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s very exciting to work for such a great event,&quot; O Globo newspaper quoted her as saying. 
 
And in this capital of the Carnival festival, the 12 leading school percussion bands will have the crowd bouncing to the music in the huge arena. 
 
(AFP)

Ex-supermodel Gisele will walk through a 'futuristic gateway' to mark the start of the first-ever Games hosted in South America

Ex-supermodel Gisele Bundchen will strut her stuff in her native Brazil next month, this time swapping the catwalk for the stadium hosting the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio. Bundchen, who retired from modelling last year, will walk through a "futuristic gateway" at Maracana Stadium during the August 5 ceremony marking the start of the first Games hosted in South America, according to Extra newspaper. Extra said the theme of the ceremony would be "the future". Rio 2016 organisers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bundchen, now 35, who was once the highest-paid model in the world, also participated in the prize ceremony for the 2014 World Cup final that pitted Argentina against Germany, in Maracana Stadium. Extra said another highlight of the Olympics ceremony would be a performance by veteran samba singer Elza Soares, 79. Soares, the widow of football player Garrincha, is expected to sing about Rio's favelas. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, two living legends of the South American giant's music, are also expected to participate in the ceremony. They will be joined by funk singer Anitta. "It's very exciting to work for such a great event," O Globo newspaper quoted her as saying. And in this capital of the Carnival festival, the 12 leading school percussion bands will have the crowd bouncing to the music in the huge arena. (AFP)

Rio opening ceremony: Gisele Bundchen among participants

India&#39;s pistol ace Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup after posting a score of 199.5 in the finals of the 10m air pistol event today. 
 
The 28-year-old, who won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu, who shot 200 to claim the gold medal. 
 
Jin Jongoh of South Korea settled for bronze with a score of 178.8.With the silver podium finish, Jitu has reaffirmed faith that he is in good shape ahead of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil starting from August 5. 
 
On Friday, the world number one in 50m pistol had finished tenth in the qualification round of the event in Baku. Last September, he had become the first Indian shooter to earn a Rio quota with a second place finish at the World Championships in Spain. 
 
(ANI)

The 28-year-old won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu

India's pistol ace Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup after posting a score of 199.5 in the finals of the 10m air pistol event today. The 28-year-old, who won his sixth World Cup medal, finished second behind Brazillian Felipe Almeida Wu, who shot 200 to claim the gold medal. Jin Jongoh of South Korea settled for bronze with a score of 178.8.With the silver podium finish, Jitu has reaffirmed faith that he is in good shape ahead of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil starting from August 5. On Friday, the world number one in 50m pistol had finished tenth in the qualification round of the event in Baku. Last September, he had become the first Indian shooter to earn a Rio quota with a second place finish at the World Championships in Spain. (ANI)

Indian shooter Jitu Rai bags silver in Baku World Cup

Italian 50-km race walker Alex Schwazer, who resumed competition in May after a three-and-a-half year doping ban, has tested positive for anabolic steroids, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported today. 
 
The sports daily said the test on the 2008 Olympic gold medallist, carried out by world athletics&#39; governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), on January 1, had at first come negative. 
 
After Schwazer qualified for August&#39;s Rio Olympics following his 50-km race walk victory in the world team championships on May 8, the sample was re-tested on May 12. The second test showed traces of steroids. 
 
According to La Gazzetta, Schwazer and the Italian athletics federation were informed of the positive test on Tuesday. 
 
After he won Olympic gold in Beijing, Schwazer failed a doping test conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) while he was training for the London Olympics. 
 
The Italian anti-doping court banned him for three and a half years for testing positive for the blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), and he was removed from Italy&rsquo;s team before he had the chance to defend his Olympic 50-km title. 
 
Italy&#39;s former world figure skating champion Carolina Kostner was banned for 16 months for helping Schwazer, her former boyfriend, evade a doping control. 
 
Kostner, the 2012 world champion, was charged with assisting Schwazer as he attempted to evade a doping control in Oberstdorf, Germany in July 2012, and for her lack of cooperation while being interviewed by investigators.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The walk champion was earlier banned for three-and-a-half years by the Italian anti-doping court for failing the blood booster EPO test

Italian 50-km race walker Alex Schwazer, who resumed competition in May after a three-and-a-half year doping ban, has tested positive for anabolic steroids, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported today. The sports daily said the test on the 2008 Olympic gold medallist, carried out by world athletics' governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), on January 1, had at first come negative. After Schwazer qualified for August's Rio Olympics following his 50-km race walk victory in the world team championships on May 8, the sample was re-tested on May 12. The second test showed traces of steroids. According to La Gazzetta, Schwazer and the Italian athletics federation were informed of the positive test on Tuesday. After he won Olympic gold in Beijing, Schwazer failed a doping test conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) while he was training for the London Olympics. The Italian anti-doping court banned him for three and a half years for testing positive for the blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), and he was removed from Italy’s team before he had the chance to defend his Olympic 50-km title. Italy's former world figure skating champion Carolina Kostner was banned for 16 months for helping Schwazer, her former boyfriend, evade a doping control. Kostner, the 2012 world champion, was charged with assisting Schwazer as he attempted to evade a doping control in Oberstdorf, Germany in July 2012, and for her lack of cooperation while being interviewed by investigators. (AFP)

Olympic race walker Alex Schwazer fails another doping test

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

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

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

Zika threat bugging Chinese shuttler Wang