Rohtak district today erupted in joy and celebrations after local girl Sakshi Malik made India&#39;s northern Haryana state and the country proud by winning a Bronze medal in wrestling at the Rio Olympics. 
 
People from all walks of life including ministers, politicians, Sports Authority of India officials made a beeline to Sakshi&#39;s house at Mokhra village in Rohtak district to congratulate the family for clinching a medal in the 58 kg category in the Olympics. 
 
&quot;I have been receiving so many calls on my mobile phones for congratulatory messages ever since my daughter won the medal at Rio Olympic games,&quot; said Sudesh Malik, mother of Sakshi as the family was busy in distributing sweets to everyone who came to congratulate the wrestler&#39;s family. 
 
Sudesh, who has not slept for more than 20 hours till today morning, along with her husband and other family members were glued to the television to watch Sakshi&#39;s bout and they all erupted in joy when she won the match. 
 
All the family members could be seen hugging each other over the historic feat achieved by Sakshi. 
 
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar called up Sakshi&#39;s father Sukhbir Malik to congratulate the family for their daughter&#39;s historic feat. 
 
Haryana state minister Manish Grover personally visited Sakshi&#39;s house and presented a &#39;Gada&#39; and sweet box to the family. 
 
A large number of media people flocked to the wrestler&#39;s house to interview the family as the 23-year-old Rohtak girl scripted history by winning a Bronze medal - the first by an Indian woman wrestler. 
 
The news of the Rohtak girl&#39;s medal winning feat will put the district on the world map even as few months back, Rohtak had remained the epicenter of violent Jat agitation. 
 
Several leaders including Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, sports minister Anil Vij, finance minister Captain Abhimanyu, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda congratulated Sakshi for her historic feat. 
 
In his message, the Governor said that the whole country was proud of Sakshi for this achievement. &quot;On this auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Sakshi has brought laurels to the country by bagging bronze in the 58-kg category of Women&#39;s Freestyle Wrestling,&quot; he said. 
 
Khattar said, &quot;Sakshi Malik has done Haryana and the country proud by opening India&#39;s account in the medals tally in the Olympics at Rio in Brazil. I congratulate her and members of her family on her achievement. The way she came from behind to win Bronze at Rio shows her class, grit and determination.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Sports minister Anil Vij, who is leading a delegation at Rio Olympic Games, said international wrestler Sakshi has made the state and country proud by winning the country its first medal at Rio. 
 
Vij also extended good wishes to Sakshi and her family members on behalf of the people of the state and country. 
 
Vij in a release said that the state government would honour Sakshi with cash award of Rupees 2.5 crore as per its sports policy. He hoped that the other sportspersons of the state would also prove their mettle in coming events by winning medals. 
 
Before this historical event, Vij also met all athletes from the state and encouraged them to bring laurels to the state and the country by delivering sterling performances in their respective games. 
 
As a result of this, Haryana has bagged the first medal for the country in the Olympics, the release said. 
 
Former Haryana chief minister Hooda, who is also from Rohtak in his tweet said, &quot;Congrats Sakshi on winning our 1st medal in #Rio2016. Proud of u &amp; everyone who fought hard even if they cudn&#39;t win.&quot; 
 
Finance minister Captain Abhimanyu also tweeted, &quot;Many congratulations. #SakshiMalik.&quot; 
 
(PTI)

Everybody has been making a beeline for her home in Mokhra village. Even the chief minister called to congratulate the family

Rohtak district today erupted in joy and celebrations after local girl Sakshi Malik made India's northern Haryana state and the country proud by winning a Bronze medal in wrestling at the Rio Olympics. People from all walks of life including ministers, politicians, Sports Authority of India officials made a beeline to Sakshi's house at Mokhra village in Rohtak district to congratulate the family for clinching a medal in the 58 kg category in the Olympics. "I have been receiving so many calls on my mobile phones for congratulatory messages ever since my daughter won the medal at Rio Olympic games," said Sudesh Malik, mother of Sakshi as the family was busy in distributing sweets to everyone who came to congratulate the wrestler's family. Sudesh, who has not slept for more than 20 hours till today morning, along with her husband and other family members were glued to the television to watch Sakshi's bout and they all erupted in joy when she won the match. All the family members could be seen hugging each other over the historic feat achieved by Sakshi. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar called up Sakshi's father Sukhbir Malik to congratulate the family for their daughter's historic feat. Haryana state minister Manish Grover personally visited Sakshi's house and presented a 'Gada' and sweet box to the family. A large number of media people flocked to the wrestler's house to interview the family as the 23-year-old Rohtak girl scripted history by winning a Bronze medal - the first by an Indian woman wrestler. The news of the Rohtak girl's medal winning feat will put the district on the world map even as few months back, Rohtak had remained the epicenter of violent Jat agitation. Several leaders including Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, sports minister Anil Vij, finance minister Captain Abhimanyu, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda congratulated Sakshi for her historic feat. In his message, the Governor said that the whole country was proud of Sakshi for this achievement. "On this auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, Sakshi has brought laurels to the country by bagging bronze in the 58-kg category of Women's Freestyle Wrestling," he said. Khattar said, "Sakshi Malik has done Haryana and the country proud by opening India's account in the medals tally in the Olympics at Rio in Brazil. I congratulate her and members of her family on her achievement. The way she came from behind to win Bronze at Rio shows her class, grit and determination." Sports minister Anil Vij, who is leading a delegation at Rio Olympic Games, said international wrestler Sakshi has made the state and country proud by winning the country its first medal at Rio. Vij also extended good wishes to Sakshi and her family members on behalf of the people of the state and country. Vij in a release said that the state government would honour Sakshi with cash award of Rupees 2.5 crore as per its sports policy. He hoped that the other sportspersons of the state would also prove their mettle in coming events by winning medals. Before this historical event, Vij also met all athletes from the state and encouraged them to bring laurels to the state and the country by delivering sterling performances in their respective games. As a result of this, Haryana has bagged the first medal for the country in the Olympics, the release said. Former Haryana chief minister Hooda, who is also from Rohtak in his tweet said, "Congrats Sakshi on winning our 1st medal in #Rio2016. Proud of u & everyone who fought hard even if they cudn't win." Finance minister Captain Abhimanyu also tweeted, "Many congratulations. #SakshiMalik." (PTI)

Back in India, Sakshi's home state erupts in joy

India has finally managed to open their medal account in the ongoing Rio Olympics as wrestler Sakshi Malik clinched a bronze in the women&#39;s freestyle 58 kg event after defeating Asian number 1 Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyztan 8-5 here today. 
 
Although the 23-year-old was trailing 0-5 against her Kyrgyzstani opponent after the first period, she bounced back in style to hand India its fourth bronze medal in wrestling in the Olympic history. 
 
Prior to this, Malik won her repechage round 2 bout by beating Mongolia&#39;s Purevdorj Orkhon 12-3 to advance to the bronze-medal match.&nbsp; 
 
Malik had earlier suffered a major setback as she went down 2-9 against Russia&#39;s Valeriia Koblova in the quarter-finals of the event. She, however, had brought herself back into the medal contention after her Russian opponent made it to the finals of the freestyle 58 kg event. 
 
With the win, Malik has now become only the fourth Indian woman athlete to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleshwari, Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal. She has also become the fourth Indian wrestler to win a medal in Olympics after Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav,two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt. 
 
Indian Prime Minister congratulated the freestyle wrestler, hailing from the northern Haryana, on the microblogging site Twitter.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Sakshi Malik creates history! Congratulations to her for the Bronze. The entire nation is rejoicing. On this very auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan (a Hindu festival celebrated by siblings in India) , Sakshi Malik, a daughter of India, wins a Bronze &amp; makes all of us very proud,&quot; he tweeted.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Hearty Congratulations to #SakshiMalik for winning a medal in women&#39;s wrestling in #Rio2016 and doing India proud,&quot; Indian President Pranab Mukherjee also said in his official Twitter handle. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

Malik is only the fourth Indian woman athlete to win an Olympic medal

India has finally managed to open their medal account in the ongoing Rio Olympics as wrestler Sakshi Malik clinched a bronze in the women's freestyle 58 kg event after defeating Asian number 1 Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyztan 8-5 here today. Although the 23-year-old was trailing 0-5 against her Kyrgyzstani opponent after the first period, she bounced back in style to hand India its fourth bronze medal in wrestling in the Olympic history. Prior to this, Malik won her repechage round 2 bout by beating Mongolia's Purevdorj Orkhon 12-3 to advance to the bronze-medal match. Malik had earlier suffered a major setback as she went down 2-9 against Russia's Valeriia Koblova in the quarter-finals of the event. She, however, had brought herself back into the medal contention after her Russian opponent made it to the finals of the freestyle 58 kg event. With the win, Malik has now become only the fourth Indian woman athlete to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleshwari, Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal. She has also become the fourth Indian wrestler to win a medal in Olympics after Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav,two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt. Indian Prime Minister congratulated the freestyle wrestler, hailing from the northern Haryana, on the microblogging site Twitter. "Sakshi Malik creates history! Congratulations to her for the Bronze. The entire nation is rejoicing. On this very auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan (a Hindu festival celebrated by siblings in India) , Sakshi Malik, a daughter of India, wins a Bronze & makes all of us very proud," he tweeted. "Hearty Congratulations to #SakshiMalik for winning a medal in women's wrestling in #Rio2016 and doing India proud," Indian President Pranab Mukherjee also said in his official Twitter handle. (ANI)

Rio Olympics 2016: Wrestler Sakshi Malik wins bronze, gives India its first medal

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested top International Olympic&nbsp;Committee member Patrick Hickey as part of an operation against&nbsp;black market Rio Olympics tickets. 
 
The 71-year-old head of the European Olympic Committees and&nbsp;Ireland&#39;s national committee, was detained at dawn at a luxury Rio&nbsp;hotel where he is staying with other IOC members, police said. 
 
According to Brazilian media, Hickey tried to escape when the&nbsp;operation was launched. 
 
Pictures shown by ESPN Brazil showed Hickey speaking to police in&nbsp;a bath robe in his room. 
 
Hickey was taken away from the hotel in an ambulance at about&nbsp;7 am and was expected to spend the night in hospital, IOC&nbsp;spokesman Mark Adams and police said. 
 
He has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and&nbsp;conspiracy. Prosecutors have estimated the profits from the black&nbsp;market sales at $3 million dollars. 
 
&quot;We will be fully cooperating with any police investigation,&quot;&nbsp;Adams told a press conference. 
 
&quot;Mr Hickey is entitled for the world and everyone to believe he is&nbsp;innocent until proven guilty,&quot; he added. &quot;Let&#39;s not jump the gun&nbsp;on this one.&quot; 
 
Brazilian police have launched a widening investigation after&nbsp;seizing more than 1,000 premier tickets for Games events,&nbsp;including the opening ceremony. 
 
Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for&nbsp;more than $8,000. 
 
Some of the tickets had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on&nbsp;them. The OCI would only say that it was &quot;seeking total clarity on 
the situation&quot; before commenting. 
 
Kevin James Mallon, a director of THG Sports, was arrested in Rio&nbsp;on August 5 in possession of the tickets. 
 
THG Sports was licensed to resell London 2012 and Sochi 2014&nbsp;Olympic tickets. Hickey&#39;s son Stephen used to work at THG. 
 
Another THG staffer was arrested in Brazil in 2014 over the&nbsp;reselling of World Cup tickets. 
 
Brazilian prosecutors issued warrants for Hickey and other figures&nbsp;including Marcus Evans, a British hospitality businessman and&nbsp;owner of English Championship football club Ipswich.Hickey has&nbsp;been a member of the IOC executive board since 2012. As head of&nbsp;the European body he has been instrumental in setting up the&nbsp;European Games which was first held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last&nbsp;year. 
 
The arrest has echoes of a police raid on a FIFA hotel in Zurich&nbsp;last year in which seven officials of the football governing body&nbsp;were held on corruption charges. It will come as a blow to the IOC&nbsp;which has made anti-corruption efforts a priority since a bribery&nbsp;scandal around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. 
 
Six IOC members were expelled after the scandal. Hickey senior denied any connection to THG in an interview last&nbsp;week with Irish broadcaster RTE. 
 
&quot;There is no impropriety whatsoever from anyone within the OCI or&nbsp;myself in the dealing of tickets. I want to re-assure you of that&nbsp;100 percent,&quot; Hickey said. 
 
&quot;I am fully expecting we, the OCI, will come out of it with a&nbsp;fully clear bill of health.&quot; 
 
Brazilian police are also looking for an executive with Pro10&nbsp;Sports Management, an Irish company based in Lucan which was&nbsp;appointed by the OCI as its authorised ticket re-seller in&nbsp;Ireland. 
 
Pro10 said the tickets Mallon had in his possession were held for&nbsp;collection by Irish and other European customers who had purchased&nbsp;them at face value, plus a commission. 
 
In a statement they called allegations against the company&nbsp;&quot;utterly untrue.&quot; 
 
&quot;Pro10 is appalled that allegations are being made against the&nbsp;company without any attempt to ascertain the facts. The Brazilian&nbsp;authorities seem to be dealing with these extremely serious&nbsp;allegations through the media and no contact has been made with&nbsp;ro10,&quot; it said.

Patrick Hickey has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and?conspiracy

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested top International Olympic Committee member Patrick Hickey as part of an operation against black market Rio Olympics tickets. The 71-year-old head of the European Olympic Committees and Ireland's national committee, was detained at dawn at a luxury Rio hotel where he is staying with other IOC members, police said. According to Brazilian media, Hickey tried to escape when the operation was launched. Pictures shown by ESPN Brazil showed Hickey speaking to police in a bath robe in his room. Hickey was taken away from the hotel in an ambulance at about 7 am and was expected to spend the night in hospital, IOC spokesman Mark Adams and police said. He has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and conspiracy. Prosecutors have estimated the profits from the black market sales at $3 million dollars. "We will be fully cooperating with any police investigation," Adams told a press conference. "Mr Hickey is entitled for the world and everyone to believe he is innocent until proven guilty," he added. "Let's not jump the gun on this one." Brazilian police have launched a widening investigation after seizing more than 1,000 premier tickets for Games events, including the opening ceremony. Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for more than $8,000. Some of the tickets had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on them. The OCI would only say that it was "seeking total clarity on the situation" before commenting. Kevin James Mallon, a director of THG Sports, was arrested in Rio on August 5 in possession of the tickets. THG Sports was licensed to resell London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympic tickets. Hickey's son Stephen used to work at THG. Another THG staffer was arrested in Brazil in 2014 over the reselling of World Cup tickets. Brazilian prosecutors issued warrants for Hickey and other figures including Marcus Evans, a British hospitality businessman and owner of English Championship football club Ipswich.Hickey has been a member of the IOC executive board since 2012. As head of the European body he has been instrumental in setting up the European Games which was first held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year. The arrest has echoes of a police raid on a FIFA hotel in Zurich last year in which seven officials of the football governing body were held on corruption charges. It will come as a blow to the IOC which has made anti-corruption efforts a priority since a bribery scandal around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Six IOC members were expelled after the scandal. Hickey senior denied any connection to THG in an interview last week with Irish broadcaster RTE. "There is no impropriety whatsoever from anyone within the OCI or myself in the dealing of tickets. I want to re-assure you of that 100 percent," Hickey said. "I am fully expecting we, the OCI, will come out of it with a fully clear bill of health." Brazilian police are also looking for an executive with Pro10 Sports Management, an Irish company based in Lucan which was appointed by the OCI as its authorised ticket re-seller in Ireland. Pro10 said the tickets Mallon had in his possession were held for collection by Irish and other European customers who had purchased them at face value, plus a commission. In a statement they called allegations against the company "utterly untrue." "Pro10 is appalled that allegations are being made against the company without any attempt to ascertain the facts. The Brazilian authorities seem to be dealing with these extremely serious allegations through the media and no contact has been made with ro10," it said.

Rio Olympics 2016: European Olympic Committee chief arrested over black market tickets

A Brazilian judge on Wednesday ordered that US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and teammate James Feigen be prevented from leaving the country after doubts emerged over their claim to have been mugged at gunpoint. 
 
Judge Keyla Blank &quot;issued warrants for searches and the seizure of the passports for the US swimmers&quot;, a statement from her office said. &quot;With this, they are banned from leaving the country.&quot; 
 
There were unconfirmed Brazilian media reports that Lochte had already left Brazil. Rio police did not respond immediately to requests for comment.&nbsp;The US Olympic Committee refused to comment on the athletes&#39; whereabouts but confirmed that Brazilian police were looking for the swimmers. 
 
&ldquo;Local police arrived at the Olympic Village this am and asked to meet with Ryan Lochte and James Feigen and collect their passports in order to secure further testimony from the athletes,&quot; spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. 
 
&quot;The swim team moved out of the village after their competition ended, so we were not able to make the athletes available.&nbsp;Additionally, as part of our standard security protocol, we do not make athlete travel plans public and therefore cannot confirm the athletes&#39; current location.&quot; 
 
Sandusky said the US team would &quot;continue to cooperate with Brazilian authorities&rdquo;.&nbsp;Lochte says that he and three teammates were held up by muggers posing as police as they left a party in central Rio. 
 
Lochte said he had a gun put to his forehead in the robbery&nbsp;when the swimmers&#39; taxi was pulled over by criminals who forced them to lie on the ground and stole money and other items. 
 
&quot;The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, &#39;Get down&#39;,&quot; Lochte said afterwards. &quot;He took our money, he took my wallet, he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.&quot; 
 
However, Olympic officials have said police are still looking for key witnesses, including the driver of the cab the swimmers said they had been in.&nbsp;Blank&#39;s office said the judge was probing &quot;possible inconsistencies in the swimmers&#39; stories&quot;.&nbsp;These included different accounts of how many assailants there were. 
 
Another point raising doubts over the swimmers&#39; stories was their behavior, caught on security cameras, as they returned to their hotel after the supposed robbery, the judge said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s noticeable that the victims arrived back physically and mentally unshaken, even joking with each other,&quot; the judge said. 
 
(AFP)

This prevents the Olympic gold medalist from leaving the country after doubts emerge of claim that he and teammates were robbed at gunpoint

A Brazilian judge on Wednesday ordered that US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and teammate James Feigen be prevented from leaving the country after doubts emerged over their claim to have been mugged at gunpoint. Judge Keyla Blank "issued warrants for searches and the seizure of the passports for the US swimmers", a statement from her office said. "With this, they are banned from leaving the country." There were unconfirmed Brazilian media reports that Lochte had already left Brazil. Rio police did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The US Olympic Committee refused to comment on the athletes' whereabouts but confirmed that Brazilian police were looking for the swimmers. “Local police arrived at the Olympic Village this am and asked to meet with Ryan Lochte and James Feigen and collect their passports in order to secure further testimony from the athletes," spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. "The swim team moved out of the village after their competition ended, so we were not able to make the athletes available. Additionally, as part of our standard security protocol, we do not make athlete travel plans public and therefore cannot confirm the athletes' current location." Sandusky said the US team would "continue to cooperate with Brazilian authorities”. Lochte says that he and three teammates were held up by muggers posing as police as they left a party in central Rio. Lochte said he had a gun put to his forehead in the robbery when the swimmers' taxi was pulled over by criminals who forced them to lie on the ground and stole money and other items. "The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down'," Lochte said afterwards. "He took our money, he took my wallet, he left my cell phone, he left my credentials." However, Olympic officials have said police are still looking for key witnesses, including the driver of the cab the swimmers said they had been in. Blank's office said the judge was probing "possible inconsistencies in the swimmers' stories". These included different accounts of how many assailants there were. Another point raising doubts over the swimmers' stories was their behavior, caught on security cameras, as they returned to their hotel after the supposed robbery, the judge said. "It's noticeable that the victims arrived back physically and mentally unshaken, even joking with each other," the judge said. (AFP)

Brazilian judge orders seizure of Ryan Lochte's passport

Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands won the men&#39;s marathon swimming event in a photo finish off Rio&#39;s Copacabana Beach on Tuesday. 
 
After covering a distance of 10 km, the 24-year-old Weertman touched the electronic pads at the finish line just before Spiros Gianniotis of Greece, giving the Dutchman his first gold medal in his first Olympics. 
 
The official results showed the first two swimmers with the same time. 
 
Marc-Antoine Olivier of France won the bronze medal. 
 
Tuesday&#39;s race is the first of three editions to take place in the ocean. The water temperature was a comfortable 21 C under sunny skies. 
 
(Reuters)

Tuesday's race was the first of three editions to take place in the ocean

Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands won the men's marathon swimming event in a photo finish off Rio's Copacabana Beach on Tuesday. After covering a distance of 10 km, the 24-year-old Weertman touched the electronic pads at the finish line just before Spiros Gianniotis of Greece, giving the Dutchman his first gold medal in his first Olympics. The official results showed the first two swimmers with the same time. Marc-Antoine Olivier of France won the bronze medal. Tuesday's race is the first of three editions to take place in the ocean. The water temperature was a comfortable 21 C under sunny skies. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Dutchman Weertman wins gold at swimming marathon

Fired-up Malaysians Goh V Shem and Tan&nbsp;Wee Kiong upset the powerful Chinese duo of Chai Biao and Hong Wei&nbsp;to reach the final of the men&#39;s doubles at the Olympic badminton&nbsp;on Tuesday. 
 
Roared on by a raucous contingent of home fans, the 12th-ranked&nbsp;pair closed out an impressive 21-18 21-17 win at the Riocentro to&nbsp;give Malaysia another chance to win its first ever Olympic gold&nbsp;medal. 
 
Malaysia have already secured at least two silver medals at the&nbsp;badminton, with Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying to contest the&nbsp;mixed doubles final against Indonesian duo Tontowi Ahmad and&nbsp;Liliyana Natsir. 
 
China&#39;s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan play Britain&#39;s Marcus Ellis and&nbsp;Chris Langridge in the other men&#39;s doubles semi-final later on&nbsp;Tuesday. 
 
The gold medal decider is on Friday. 
 
(Reuters)

The 12th-ranked?pair have given Malaysia another chance to win its first ever Olympic gold

Fired-up Malaysians Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong upset the powerful Chinese duo of Chai Biao and Hong Wei to reach the final of the men's doubles at the Olympic badminton on Tuesday. Roared on by a raucous contingent of home fans, the 12th-ranked pair closed out an impressive 21-18 21-17 win at the Riocentro to give Malaysia another chance to win its first ever Olympic gold medal. Malaysia have already secured at least two silver medals at the badminton, with Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying to contest the mixed doubles final against Indonesian duo Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir. China's Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan play Britain's Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge in the other men's doubles semi-final later on Tuesday. The gold medal decider is on Friday. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Malaysians reach men's badminton doubles final

Weightlifter Ruslan Nurudinov, known as the &quot;Pride of Uzbekistan&quot;, struck gold in the men`s 105kg class with an Olympic record at the Rio Games on Monday. 
 
The 24-year-old raised a combined total of 431kg above his head to win by a massive 14kg over 19-year-old silver medallist Simon Martirosyan of Armenia.&nbsp; 
 
Kazakhstan`s Alexandr Zaichikov, who served a doping ban from 2013 to 2015, claimed bronze with 416. 
 
Nurudinov, who already had gold assured, lifted 237kg in the clean and jerk to set a new Olympic record. 
 
Afterwards he sank to his knees, roared and burst into tears.&nbsp; 
 
He then ran a lap of the platform waving an Uzbek flag as the crowd stood and cheered.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

'Pride of Uzbekistan' won by a massive 14kg over silver medalist Martirosyan of Armenia in 105kg weightlifting event

Weightlifter Ruslan Nurudinov, known as the "Pride of Uzbekistan", struck gold in the men`s 105kg class with an Olympic record at the Rio Games on Monday. The 24-year-old raised a combined total of 431kg above his head to win by a massive 14kg over 19-year-old silver medallist Simon Martirosyan of Armenia. Kazakhstan`s Alexandr Zaichikov, who served a doping ban from 2013 to 2015, claimed bronze with 416. Nurudinov, who already had gold assured, lifted 237kg in the clean and jerk to set a new Olympic record. Afterwards he sank to his knees, roared and burst into tears. He then ran a lap of the platform waving an Uzbek flag as the crowd stood and cheered. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: Nurudinov's heavy lifting cleans up Games record en route to gold

Christian Taylor of the United States retained his Olympic men&#39;s triple jump title on Tuesday by jumping further than anyone else has recorded this season. 
 
Taylor, the defending Olympic and world champion, made his mark of 17.86 metres at the first attempt, staking a claim for the podium top spot his rivals were unable to match. 
 
His American team mate Will Claye leapt 17.76 metres took silver. China&#39;s Dong Bin went home with bronze after jumping 17.58 metres on his first attempt and failing to make a mark for the rest of the competition. 
 
(Reuters)

Taylor, the defending Olympic and world champion, made his mark of 17.86 metres in the first attempt

Christian Taylor of the United States retained his Olympic men's triple jump title on Tuesday by jumping further than anyone else has recorded this season. Taylor, the defending Olympic and world champion, made his mark of 17.86 metres at the first attempt, staking a claim for the podium top spot his rivals were unable to match. His American team mate Will Claye leapt 17.76 metres took silver. China's Dong Bin went home with bronze after jumping 17.58 metres on his first attempt and failing to make a mark for the rest of the competition. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Taylor bags his second gold in men's triple jump

Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu progressed through to the quarterfinals of the women`s singles event with a crushing straight games win over Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei here at the Rio Olympics here on Tuesday. 
 
Sindhu, the two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, recorded a thumping 21-13, 21-15 win over Tzu-Ying in an enthralling contest that lasted 40 minutes at Riocentro-Pavilion 4. 
 
Sindhu looked completely in command of her game as she didn`t allow Tzu-Ying to settle down at any stage of the gripping match. She will next take on China`s Wang Yihan on Wednesday. 
 
Earlier in the day, Kidambi Srikanth produced a perfect blend of power and precision to progress through to the quarterfinals after trouncing Denmark`s Jan O Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19 in the men`s singles event. 
 
He will next play against Chinese great Lin Dan for a place in the semifinals on Wednesday. 
 
India, which has sent their largest-ever contingent of 119 athletes in Rio Olympics, are yet to open their medal account in the ongoing Summer Games. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

Srikanth stunned World No 5 Jan O Jorgensen in straight sets while PV Sindhu dispatched a higher seeded opponent Tai Tzu-Ying

Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu progressed through to the quarterfinals of the women`s singles event with a crushing straight games win over Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei here at the Rio Olympics here on Tuesday. Sindhu, the two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, recorded a thumping 21-13, 21-15 win over Tzu-Ying in an enthralling contest that lasted 40 minutes at Riocentro-Pavilion 4. Sindhu looked completely in command of her game as she didn`t allow Tzu-Ying to settle down at any stage of the gripping match. She will next take on China`s Wang Yihan on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Kidambi Srikanth produced a perfect blend of power and precision to progress through to the quarterfinals after trouncing Denmark`s Jan O Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19 in the men`s singles event. He will next play against Chinese great Lin Dan for a place in the semifinals on Wednesday. India, which has sent their largest-ever contingent of 119 athletes in Rio Olympics, are yet to open their medal account in the ongoing Summer Games. (ANI)

Rio Olympics 2016: Sindhu, Srikanth shine bright to reach quarters

Bahamian Shaunae Miller launched herself over the finishing line with a desperate dive to pip American Allyson Felix to Olympic 400 metres gold by the slimmest of margins in a thrilling final on Monday. 
 
After literally flying across the line in a personal best time of 49.44 seconds, the 22-year-old lay on the track, shaken up and exhausted, as she waited for the scoreboard to confirm she had clinched her first major title. 
 
&quot;I didn&#39;t see anyone until the last 20 metres and the only thing I was thinking was that I must get that gold medal,&quot; said Miller. 
 
&quot;I think (the dive) was just a reaction, my mind went blank, the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground. I&#39;ve got a few cuts and bruises but I&#39;m okay. 
 
&quot;This is the moment I have been waiting for. I am just so happy, so grateful, such emotions I just can&#39;t say.&quot; 
 
Felix, who finished in 49.51, was also on the floor after failing to claim her fifth Olympic gold medal, let alone the 200-400 double she had originally planned for the Rio Games. 
 
&quot;Disappointment,&quot; said the 30-year-old, struggling to hold back her tears. &quot;It&#39;s been a tough one and I really hoped it would come together tonight. 
 
&quot;I just gave it all I had, I don&#39;t think I had anything left to give. I feel emotionally and physically drained at this moment. I really wanted it, it&#39;s painful.&quot; 
 
Felix was denied the chance to defend her 200m title, and bid for an unprecedented double, after failing to finish in the top three at the U.S trials while suffering the effects of an ankle injury she suffered in a gym accident earlier this year. 
 
The Californian&#39;s silver medal was, though, her seventh in four Games, the most of any American female track and field athlete at the Olympics. 
 
Silver medallist in the 200m in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing four years later, Felix won her only individual gold over the half-lap in London in 2012. She has also won three relay golds and could add to that tally in Brazil. 
 
Second behind Felix in the 400 metres at the world championships in Beijing last year when her strong finish was not enough to rein in the American, Miller had clearly learned her lesson. 
 
She exploded out of the blocks in lane seven and went for broke, her long stride giving her a good lead on the back straight as the shorter Felix powered away inside her. 
 
Miller retained the lead coming off the final bend but started tightening up as Felix surged about 50 metres from the line and the pair were neck-and-neck until the Bahamian&#39;s gold medal-winning dive. 
 
Jamaica&#39;s Shericka Jackson took bronze in 49.85 ahead of Americans Natasha Hastings (50.34) and Phyllis Francis (50.41) in fourth and fifth.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

'The only thing I was thinking was that I must get that gold medal,' said Miller

Bahamian Shaunae Miller launched herself over the finishing line with a desperate dive to pip American Allyson Felix to Olympic 400 metres gold by the slimmest of margins in a thrilling final on Monday. After literally flying across the line in a personal best time of 49.44 seconds, the 22-year-old lay on the track, shaken up and exhausted, as she waited for the scoreboard to confirm she had clinched her first major title. "I didn't see anyone until the last 20 metres and the only thing I was thinking was that I must get that gold medal," said Miller. "I think (the dive) was just a reaction, my mind went blank, the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground. I've got a few cuts and bruises but I'm okay. "This is the moment I have been waiting for. I am just so happy, so grateful, such emotions I just can't say." Felix, who finished in 49.51, was also on the floor after failing to claim her fifth Olympic gold medal, let alone the 200-400 double she had originally planned for the Rio Games. "Disappointment," said the 30-year-old, struggling to hold back her tears. "It's been a tough one and I really hoped it would come together tonight. "I just gave it all I had, I don't think I had anything left to give. I feel emotionally and physically drained at this moment. I really wanted it, it's painful." Felix was denied the chance to defend her 200m title, and bid for an unprecedented double, after failing to finish in the top three at the U.S trials while suffering the effects of an ankle injury she suffered in a gym accident earlier this year. The Californian's silver medal was, though, her seventh in four Games, the most of any American female track and field athlete at the Olympics. Silver medallist in the 200m in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing four years later, Felix won her only individual gold over the half-lap in London in 2012. She has also won three relay golds and could add to that tally in Brazil. Second behind Felix in the 400 metres at the world championships in Beijing last year when her strong finish was not enough to rein in the American, Miller had clearly learned her lesson. She exploded out of the blocks in lane seven and went for broke, her long stride giving her a good lead on the back straight as the shorter Felix powered away inside her. Miller retained the lead coming off the final bend but started tightening up as Felix surged about 50 metres from the line and the pair were neck-and-neck until the Bahamian's gold medal-winning dive. Jamaica's Shericka Jackson took bronze in 49.85 ahead of Americans Natasha Hastings (50.34) and Phyllis Francis (50.41) in fourth and fifth. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Bahamian Shaunae Miller dives over finish line, wins 400m gold

Brazilian Thiago da Silva edged out world record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France to win the Olympic pole vault in dramatic fashion on Monday and give the host country its first athletics gold medal of the Games. 
 
Against a back drop of raucous fan cheering, Da Silva skipped an attempt at 5.98 metres and pushed hot favourite Lavillenie to 6.03, which the Frenchman failed twice and the Brazilian passed at the second attempt to set an Olympic record. 
 
The upset gold was assured after Lavillenie, who was continually booed by the passionate Rio crowd, failed to clear 6.08. 
 
&quot;The gold? Incredible. My first time over six metres,&quot; Da Silva told reporters. &quot;My home town wanted me to win.&quot; 
 
Shown the vault again by a TV interviewer, Da Silva said: &quot;Wow, that was beautiful. Thank God.&quot; 
 
The Olympic Stadium crowd had been quiet early in the night, which began with a rain delay, but quickly got behind their 22-year-old countryman, cheering him wildly and booing Lavillenie as he prepared for his final jump. 
 
Lavillenie gave a thumbs down signal but the crowd continued, changing to cheers when the Frenchman failed at 6.08. 
 
&quot;For the Olympics it is not a good image,&quot; Lavillenie said of the booing. &quot;I did nothing to the Brazilians. 
 
&quot;In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens,&quot; he said in reference to the Berlin Olympics when the black American sprinter won four golds. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve not see this since. We have to deal with it.&quot; 
 
Brazil&#39;s raucous fans, who have brought soccer culture to a number of Olympic events, have confounded some athletes used to more sedate crowds. 
 
Even Da Silva, who only took up the sport at 14, was surprised by the exuberance. 
 
&quot;The crowd were cheering me too much,&quot; he said. &quot;I had to fix my mind on my technique, forget the people.&quot; 
 
Outside the quarter-full stadium, shouts echoed through the darkened streets of Rio&#39;s Jardim Botanico neighbourhood upon Da Silva&#39;s win. 
 
It was Da Silva&#39;s highest jump ever by 10cm, earning the host country&#39;s second gold of South America&#39;s first Olympics. 
 
It was also the first athletics gold achieved by a Brazilian man since Joaquim Cruz won the men&#39;s 800m at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. 
 
Sam Kendricks took bronze for the United States after clearing 5.85, with Czech Jan Kudlicka and Piotr Lisek of Poland in fourth.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

He trumped France's defending Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie to win the men's pole vault title

Brazilian Thiago da Silva edged out world record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France to win the Olympic pole vault in dramatic fashion on Monday and give the host country its first athletics gold medal of the Games. Against a back drop of raucous fan cheering, Da Silva skipped an attempt at 5.98 metres and pushed hot favourite Lavillenie to 6.03, which the Frenchman failed twice and the Brazilian passed at the second attempt to set an Olympic record. The upset gold was assured after Lavillenie, who was continually booed by the passionate Rio crowd, failed to clear 6.08. "The gold? Incredible. My first time over six metres," Da Silva told reporters. "My home town wanted me to win." Shown the vault again by a TV interviewer, Da Silva said: "Wow, that was beautiful. Thank God." The Olympic Stadium crowd had been quiet early in the night, which began with a rain delay, but quickly got behind their 22-year-old countryman, cheering him wildly and booing Lavillenie as he prepared for his final jump. Lavillenie gave a thumbs down signal but the crowd continued, changing to cheers when the Frenchman failed at 6.08. "For the Olympics it is not a good image," Lavillenie said of the booing. "I did nothing to the Brazilians. "In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens," he said in reference to the Berlin Olympics when the black American sprinter won four golds. "We've not see this since. We have to deal with it." Brazil's raucous fans, who have brought soccer culture to a number of Olympic events, have confounded some athletes used to more sedate crowds. Even Da Silva, who only took up the sport at 14, was surprised by the exuberance. "The crowd were cheering me too much," he said. "I had to fix my mind on my technique, forget the people." Outside the quarter-full stadium, shouts echoed through the darkened streets of Rio's Jardim Botanico neighbourhood upon Da Silva's win. It was Da Silva's highest jump ever by 10cm, earning the host country's second gold of South America's first Olympics. It was also the first athletics gold achieved by a Brazilian man since Joaquim Cruz won the men's 800m at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Sam Kendricks took bronze for the United States after clearing 5.85, with Czech Jan Kudlicka and Piotr Lisek of Poland in fourth. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Brazil's Da Silva delights with upset pole vault gold

A big stumble backwards after his first soaring leap could not prevent Ri Se-gwang from becoming the first North Korean man to win the Olympic vault title on Monday. 
 
The double world champion earned an average score of 15.691 to become only the second man from communist North Korea to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, following the success of Pae Gil-Su on the pommel horse at the 1992 Barcelona Games. 
 
&quot;This gold medal is a joy for my country and I think it will bring a sense of victory and courage to the people of my country,&quot; said Ri, who described it as the greatest moment of his career. 
 
At the victory ceremony, he saluted with his hand to his right temple throughout the national anthem as the flag of North Korea was hoisted. 
 
&quot;I was filled with a lot of emotions and joy because I thought I was able to bring a sense of victory and glory to our leader,&quot; he told reporters, cradling his medal in his hand. 
 
The 31-year-old from Pyongyang stuttered backwards following his first vault - a piked double front summersault with half twist. The effort earned him 15.616 
 
He also stepped backwards from his second vault. 
 
But there was so much difficulty packed into his Tsukahara full-twisting double back effort - a skill which he invented and is named after him - that the flawed landing did not affect his score too much and he was awarded 15.766. 
 
Ri beat Denis Abliazin by 0.175 of a point. It was the Russian&#39;s second medal of the day after he collected bronze on the rings. 
 
Japan&#39;s Kenzo Shirai, who missed out on a medal on his signature floor exercise event on Sunday, won bronze with 15.449. He edged out 35-year-old Romanian Marian Dragulescu on the tie-break rule after both earned the same average score. 
 
(Reuters)

He is only the second man from the country to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics

A big stumble backwards after his first soaring leap could not prevent Ri Se-gwang from becoming the first North Korean man to win the Olympic vault title on Monday. The double world champion earned an average score of 15.691 to become only the second man from communist North Korea to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, following the success of Pae Gil-Su on the pommel horse at the 1992 Barcelona Games. "This gold medal is a joy for my country and I think it will bring a sense of victory and courage to the people of my country," said Ri, who described it as the greatest moment of his career. At the victory ceremony, he saluted with his hand to his right temple throughout the national anthem as the flag of North Korea was hoisted. "I was filled with a lot of emotions and joy because I thought I was able to bring a sense of victory and glory to our leader," he told reporters, cradling his medal in his hand. The 31-year-old from Pyongyang stuttered backwards following his first vault - a piked double front summersault with half twist. The effort earned him 15.616 He also stepped backwards from his second vault. But there was so much difficulty packed into his Tsukahara full-twisting double back effort - a skill which he invented and is named after him - that the flawed landing did not affect his score too much and he was awarded 15.766. Ri beat Denis Abliazin by 0.175 of a point. It was the Russian's second medal of the day after he collected bronze on the rings. Japan's Kenzo Shirai, who missed out on a medal on his signature floor exercise event on Sunday, won bronze with 15.449. He edged out 35-year-old Romanian Marian Dragulescu on the tie-break rule after both earned the same average score. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Ri Se-gwang's gold makes him first North Korean to win Olympic vault

The Russian runner who helped expose a system of state-backed&nbsp;doping in her country says she fears for her life and has been&nbsp;forced to move after hackers tried to find her location. 
 
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Saturday Yulia&nbsp;Stepanova&#39;s online doping management account had been illegally&nbsp;accessed. The doping scandal she lifted the lid on has rocked&nbsp;sport and cost over 100 Russians their place at the Rio Games. 
 
Stepanova has been in hiding in the United States with her husband&nbsp;Vitaly, a former Russian anti-doping official, after giving&nbsp;evidence that the Russian government for years facilitated&nbsp;widespread cheating across nearly all Olympic sports. 
 
Speaking to journalists on a video conference call just days&nbsp;before the 800 metres final in Rio, which she has been barred from&nbsp;running in following the suspension of Russian track-and-field&nbsp;from international competition, Stepanova said she had moved her&nbsp;family to another location after the hack. 
 
&quot;The only reason somebody would hack an ADAMS account is to find&nbsp;out your exact location,&quot; she said. &quot;We decided it was safer to&nbsp;relocate. 
 
&quot;If something happens to us then you should know that it is not an&nbsp;accident.&quot; 
 
All athletes have to enter their details into WADA&#39;s Anti-Doping&nbsp;Administration and Management System (ADAMS) and register a time&nbsp;and location each day where they can be reached by doping testers&nbsp;for an out-of-competition test. 
 
Stepanova and her husband have repeatedly raised concerns about&nbsp;their safety in light of the doping scandal they helped ignite and&nbsp;criticised the International Olympic Committee for not doing more&nbsp;to support whistleblowers. 
 
Vitaly Stepanov said he did not know who had hacked his wife&#39;s&nbsp;account but said the couple were being watched by Russian&nbsp;authorities. 
 
After she initially fled Russia for Germany, Russian sports&nbsp;officials said they did not know about any threats against&nbsp;Stepanova or her husband that could have compelled them to seek&nbsp;refuge abroad. 
 
Stepanova said attending the Games - she and her husband declined&nbsp;an invitation from Olympic bosses to visit as spectators - would&nbsp;have left her particularly vulnerable. 
 
General worries about safety and violent crime have cast a pall&nbsp;over the Rio Olympics. Most recently, U.S. gold medallist swimmer&nbsp;Ryan Lochte was robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police&nbsp;officers. 
 
&quot;Watching the Olympic Games and reading the news about what is&nbsp;happening there, on some level I&#39;m glad that I didn&#39;t go,&quot; she&nbsp;said. &quot;If someone wanted to hurt us, it would be very easy to do&nbsp;it there.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The doping scandal has now cost over 100 Russians their place at the Rio Games

The Russian runner who helped expose a system of state-backed doping in her country says she fears for her life and has been forced to move after hackers tried to find her location. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Saturday Yulia Stepanova's online doping management account had been illegally accessed. The doping scandal she lifted the lid on has rocked sport and cost over 100 Russians their place at the Rio Games. Stepanova has been in hiding in the United States with her husband Vitaly, a former Russian anti-doping official, after giving evidence that the Russian government for years facilitated widespread cheating across nearly all Olympic sports. Speaking to journalists on a video conference call just days before the 800 metres final in Rio, which she has been barred from running in following the suspension of Russian track-and-field from international competition, Stepanova said she had moved her family to another location after the hack. "The only reason somebody would hack an ADAMS account is to find out your exact location," she said. "We decided it was safer to relocate. "If something happens to us then you should know that it is not an accident." All athletes have to enter their details into WADA's Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) and register a time and location each day where they can be reached by doping testers for an out-of-competition test. Stepanova and her husband have repeatedly raised concerns about their safety in light of the doping scandal they helped ignite and criticised the International Olympic Committee for not doing more to support whistleblowers. Vitaly Stepanov said he did not know who had hacked his wife's account but said the couple were being watched by Russian authorities. After she initially fled Russia for Germany, Russian sports officials said they did not know about any threats against Stepanova or her husband that could have compelled them to seek refuge abroad. Stepanova said attending the Games - she and her husband declined an invitation from Olympic bosses to visit as spectators - would have left her particularly vulnerable. General worries about safety and violent crime have cast a pall over the Rio Olympics. Most recently, U.S. gold medallist swimmer Ryan Lochte was robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police officers. "Watching the Olympic Games and reading the news about what is happening there, on some level I'm glad that I didn't go," she said. "If someone wanted to hurt us, it would be very easy to do it there." (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Russian runner Stepanova fears for life after exposing state-backed doping

An overhead television camera suspended by cables crashed to the ground in the Olympic Park on Monday, injuring seven people including two children, in the latest of a string of mishaps to hit South America&#39;s first Games. 
 
No one was badly hurt in the accident, which comes as another embarrassment for organisers already facing safety concerns after the armed robbery of US gold medallist swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his team mates at the weekend as well as the robberies of two visiting government ministers. 
 
The aerial camera, encased in a heavy black cover, belonged to the official Olympics broadcast unit and fell about 20 metres (65 ft) after cables snapped, sending screams through the crowd, witnesses and officials said. 
 
&quot;I was looking to the camera ... and suddenly I heard a big snap on the cable and the camera came down,&quot; said visitor Chris Adams, a member of the British gymnastics delegation. 
 
A Brazilian television news report showed two women looking dazed, sitting on the ground near the camera. One woman, bleeding from the face as medics arrived, was taken away on a stretcher. The other walked from the scene wearing a neck brace. 
 
A total of four people were taken to hospital after the incident, including two children who had been hit by a cable, a Rio Games official said. All were expected to be discharged from hospital later on Monday, the official said. 
 
One of the camera&#39;s cables had already broken before it fell and a walkway directly beneath had been cordoned off while the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) unit arranged for a cherry-picker to go to the scene and hoist someone up to it, OBS said. 
 
But the camera came down at an angle, falling outside the cordon, said Adams, the British visitor, who was taking pictures of the park at the time. 
 
&quot;There was a lot of medical people and Rio staff around. They were very, very quick, they were excellent.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The aerial camera, encased in a heavy black cover, belonged to the official Olympics broadcast unit

An overhead television camera suspended by cables crashed to the ground in the Olympic Park on Monday, injuring seven people including two children, in the latest of a string of mishaps to hit South America's first Games. No one was badly hurt in the accident, which comes as another embarrassment for organisers already facing safety concerns after the armed robbery of US gold medallist swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his team mates at the weekend as well as the robberies of two visiting government ministers. The aerial camera, encased in a heavy black cover, belonged to the official Olympics broadcast unit and fell about 20 metres (65 ft) after cables snapped, sending screams through the crowd, witnesses and officials said. "I was looking to the camera ... and suddenly I heard a big snap on the cable and the camera came down," said visitor Chris Adams, a member of the British gymnastics delegation. A Brazilian television news report showed two women looking dazed, sitting on the ground near the camera. One woman, bleeding from the face as medics arrived, was taken away on a stretcher. The other walked from the scene wearing a neck brace. A total of four people were taken to hospital after the incident, including two children who had been hit by a cable, a Rio Games official said. All were expected to be discharged from hospital later on Monday, the official said. One of the camera's cables had already broken before it fell and a walkway directly beneath had been cordoned off while the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) unit arranged for a cherry-picker to go to the scene and hoist someone up to it, OBS said. But the camera came down at an angle, falling outside the cordon, said Adams, the British visitor, who was taking pictures of the park at the time. "There was a lot of medical people and Rio staff around. They were very, very quick, they were excellent." (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Overhead camera falls into Olympic Park injuring 7

Bahrain&#39;s Ruth Jebet blew away the competition to win the women&#39;s 3,000 metres steeplechase gold on Sunday, but narrowly missed out on the world record. 
 
Jebet ran a bold race, bursting into the lead after a few laps and setting a blistering pace to win in 8 minutes, 59.75 seconds, just shy of the 8:58.81 world record set by Russia&#39;s Gulnara Galkina at the 2008 Beijing Games. 
 
Kenya&#39;s Hyvin Kiyeng, who won the world title in Beijing last summer, was nearly 50m from the finish line when Jebet won&nbsp;and had to settle for silver. 
 
American Emma Coburn won United States&#39; first ever medal in the steeplechase after winning bronze. 
 
(Reuters)

Her time of 8:59:75 was just shy of the 8:58.81 world record set by Russia's Gulnara Galkina at the 2008 Beijing Games

Bahrain's Ruth Jebet blew away the competition to win the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase gold on Sunday, but narrowly missed out on the world record. Jebet ran a bold race, bursting into the lead after a few laps and setting a blistering pace to win in 8 minutes, 59.75 seconds, just shy of the 8:58.81 world record set by Russia's Gulnara Galkina at the 2008 Beijing Games. Kenya's Hyvin Kiyeng, who won the world title in Beijing last summer, was nearly 50m from the finish line when Jebet won and had to settle for silver. American Emma Coburn won United States' first ever medal in the steeplechase after winning bronze. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Bahrain's Ruth Jebet wins 3000m steeplechase

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar missed out on a historic medal in the women&#39;s vault competition by a whisker as she finished a creditable fourth in the final of the Olympic Games here on Sunday. 
 
Dipa averaged 15.066 points to finish fourth. 
 
Simone Biles of the US won the gold with an average of 15.966, while Maria Paseka (15.253) of Russia and Switzerland`s Giulia Steingrubber (15.216) took home the silver and bronze medals respectively. 
 
Dipa scored a total of 14.8661 points with her first attempt which included 6.000 points for difficulty and 8.866 for execution.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
The Tripura gymnast then attempted her renowned Produnova vault in her second attempt. Her run up and the spins in the air were perfect, but the landing saw her falter a bit which ultimately proved to be costly. 
 
The judges awarded Dipa 7.000 points for difficulty and 8.266 for execution and the second attempt total of 15.266 saw her finish with an average of 15.066. 
 
Dipa was at the second spot at that stage behind then leader Steingruber. But she was pushed to the second spot after Maria`s attempt which saw the Russian score 15.266 and 15.241 with her first and second attempts respectively. 
 
The 23-year-old from Agartala soon drooped to the fourth position after Biles brilliant attempt and agonisingly missed out on a medal by 0.15 point margin. 
 
(IANS)

The gymnast attempted her renowned Produnova vault in her second attempt

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar missed out on a historic medal in the women's vault competition by a whisker as she finished a creditable fourth in the final of the Olympic Games here on Sunday. Dipa averaged 15.066 points to finish fourth. Simone Biles of the US won the gold with an average of 15.966, while Maria Paseka (15.253) of Russia and Switzerland`s Giulia Steingrubber (15.216) took home the silver and bronze medals respectively. Dipa scored a total of 14.8661 points with her first attempt which included 6.000 points for difficulty and 8.866 for execution. The Tripura gymnast then attempted her renowned Produnova vault in her second attempt. Her run up and the spins in the air were perfect, but the landing saw her falter a bit which ultimately proved to be costly. The judges awarded Dipa 7.000 points for difficulty and 8.266 for execution and the second attempt total of 15.266 saw her finish with an average of 15.066. Dipa was at the second spot at that stage behind then leader Steingruber. But she was pushed to the second spot after Maria`s attempt which saw the Russian score 15.266 and 15.241 with her first and second attempts respectively. The 23-year-old from Agartala soon drooped to the fourth position after Biles brilliant attempt and agonisingly missed out on a medal by 0.15 point margin. (IANS)

Rio Olympics 2016: India's Dipa Karmakar finishes fourth in vault finals

At first, it looks like smoke billowing from a high-rise.&nbsp;But look again: that surprising splash of gray against the blue Rio de Janeiro sky is a giant image of Sudanese high jumper Mohamed Younes Idriss making a larger-than-life leap over a 20-story building. 
 
This Olympic-sized trompe l&#39;oeil is the work of French art photographer JR, who is famous for plastering huge black-and-white photographs onto street scenes around the world. 
 
He is in Brazil at the invitation of the International Olympic Committee, paying playful tribute to Rio 2016 with superhero-like images that are visible to everyone, whether they have tickets for the Games or not. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s like taking the city as a playground... and having sculptures jumping off the buildings,&rdquo; JR told AFP.&nbsp;He has set up three such &quot;sculptures&quot; so far, pasting his photographs onto scaffolding at iconic spots around the city. 
 
In the second, near the Olympic park and village, a diver is suspended in motion, arms spread wide and poised to plunge into the Atlantic from the end of a pier.&nbsp;In the third, a butterfly swimmer rises from the ocean in front of Rio&#39;s famous Sugarloaf mountain. 
 
&quot;The idea is to evoke these athletes who train all over the world with the dream of making it to the Olympics. Sometimes they fall just short, like Mohamed (the Sudanese high jumper), who was injured just before coming to Rio,&quot; JR said. 
 
The artist has also been touring the city in a giant, rolling photo booth, taking portraits of people he meets and churning them out the side of the vehicle in giant poster format. 
 
He then asks the recipients to plaster the black-and-white photos in public.&nbsp;He has made a mosaic of them on Olympic Boulevard, in the redeveloped port district at the heart of the Games venues. 
 
JR, who keeps his identity secret, knows Rio well. In 2008, he covered the slum walls of the Morro da Providencia favela with black-and-white photographs of the eyes and faces of 30 women, a project he called &quot;Women are Heroes&quot;. 
 
A self-described &quot;artiviste&quot; or artist-as-activist, he called it a homage to the women who hold impoverished communities together despite the daily violence they face.&nbsp;The favela is near Olympic Boulevard, and JR praised the area&#39;s transformation. 
 
&quot;That street was just a mess,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;It was pretty dangerous to walk in. Seeing it for the first time (when) people can walk like this and everything is ready and being able to paste there, it&#39;s great. It&#39;s a great moment.&quot; 
 
&quot;Pasting&quot; is how he describes his work. And the Olympian feat of covering a building in photographs makes him and his assistants identify with the hard work and competitive drive of the real Olympians, he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Pasting is a sport to us. When we cover an entire building, we have to go on scaffoldings or paste all day,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re trying to make it recognised at the Olympics. It might be a little hard but who knows&nbsp;one day. Skateboard has just been recognised and gonna be at the next Olympics. So we might get a chance.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Art photographer JR is famous for plastering huge black-and-white photographs that look like sculptures onto street scenes around the world

At first, it looks like smoke billowing from a high-rise. But look again: that surprising splash of gray against the blue Rio de Janeiro sky is a giant image of Sudanese high jumper Mohamed Younes Idriss making a larger-than-life leap over a 20-story building. This Olympic-sized trompe l'oeil is the work of French art photographer JR, who is famous for plastering huge black-and-white photographs onto street scenes around the world. He is in Brazil at the invitation of the International Olympic Committee, paying playful tribute to Rio 2016 with superhero-like images that are visible to everyone, whether they have tickets for the Games or not. "It's like taking the city as a playground... and having sculptures jumping off the buildings,” JR told AFP. He has set up three such "sculptures" so far, pasting his photographs onto scaffolding at iconic spots around the city. In the second, near the Olympic park and village, a diver is suspended in motion, arms spread wide and poised to plunge into the Atlantic from the end of a pier. In the third, a butterfly swimmer rises from the ocean in front of Rio's famous Sugarloaf mountain. "The idea is to evoke these athletes who train all over the world with the dream of making it to the Olympics. Sometimes they fall just short, like Mohamed (the Sudanese high jumper), who was injured just before coming to Rio," JR said. The artist has also been touring the city in a giant, rolling photo booth, taking portraits of people he meets and churning them out the side of the vehicle in giant poster format. He then asks the recipients to plaster the black-and-white photos in public. He has made a mosaic of them on Olympic Boulevard, in the redeveloped port district at the heart of the Games venues. JR, who keeps his identity secret, knows Rio well. In 2008, he covered the slum walls of the Morro da Providencia favela with black-and-white photographs of the eyes and faces of 30 women, a project he called "Women are Heroes". A self-described "artiviste" or artist-as-activist, he called it a homage to the women who hold impoverished communities together despite the daily violence they face. The favela is near Olympic Boulevard, and JR praised the area's transformation. "That street was just a mess," he said. "It was pretty dangerous to walk in. Seeing it for the first time (when) people can walk like this and everything is ready and being able to paste there, it's great. It's a great moment." "Pasting" is how he describes his work. And the Olympian feat of covering a building in photographs makes him and his assistants identify with the hard work and competitive drive of the real Olympians, he said. "Pasting is a sport to us. When we cover an entire building, we have to go on scaffoldings or paste all day," he said. "We're trying to make it recognised at the Olympics. It might be a little hard but who knows one day. Skateboard has just been recognised and gonna be at the next Olympics. So we might get a chance." (AFP)

French artist JR leaves giant imprint on Rio Olympics

The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, on Sunday (August 14) said he reacted with disbelief when he heard his teammate Ryan Lochte had been involved in a taxi hold-up in Rio de Janeiro and confirmed to reporters that he was not present when the incident took place. 
 
US gold medalist Lochte said armed robbers posing as police officers held a gun to his forehead in a taxi hold-up in Rio after a party early on Sunday. 
 
&quot;For me I&#39;ve been to Brazil multiple times and I&#39;ve felt safe every time I&#39;ve come here. I&#39;ve never felt an issue. I wasn&#39;t there last night, I was with my family all night long, that was the most important thing to me,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;But I was definitely not there last night, I was dead asleep,&quot; added Phelps. 
 
Lochte told NBC&#39;s Today Show he was returning to the Olympic village from a party hosted by the French Games delegation, with swimming team mates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, when armed men carrying police badges pulled them over. 
 
The men told the swimmers to drop to the ground and demanded their money and belongings, but Lochte said he had initially refused to go to ground. 
 
Security has been a major headache for organisers of South America&#39;s first Olympics. 
 
&quot;I kind of said excuse me, I couldn&#39;t believe it,&quot; recalled Phelps about when he heard about the robbery on Sunday. 
 
Separately, Phelps also called for tougher action on athletes who take performance enhancing drugs, weighing in on the doping controversies that have plagued Rio 2016. 
 
&quot;We have kids looking up to these athletes that are competing and I feel like all athletes should keep clean and if you don&#39;t, there should be a price, he said. 
 
Phelp&#39;s said he left the Olympic pool for the last time on Saturday having fulfilled a childhood dream, but it is clear he will not be walking away from the sport that has turned him into a global household name. 
 
&quot;I am done competing but by no means does this mean that it&#39;s the end of my career. It&#39;s the start of something new and that&#39;s something I look forward to. So you know Ryan [Lochte] may come back in another four years but I&#39;m not. This is it,&quot; he said. 
 
Phelps&#39; swimming career ended with his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay medal on Saturday, which extended his record as the most decorated Olympian of all-time. 
 
(AFP)

'For me I've been to Brazil multiple times and I've felt safe every time I've come here. I've never felt an issue,' he added

The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, on Sunday (August 14) said he reacted with disbelief when he heard his teammate Ryan Lochte had been involved in a taxi hold-up in Rio de Janeiro and confirmed to reporters that he was not present when the incident took place. US gold medalist Lochte said armed robbers posing as police officers held a gun to his forehead in a taxi hold-up in Rio after a party early on Sunday. "For me I've been to Brazil multiple times and I've felt safe every time I've come here. I've never felt an issue. I wasn't there last night, I was with my family all night long, that was the most important thing to me," he said. "But I was definitely not there last night, I was dead asleep," added Phelps. Lochte told NBC's Today Show he was returning to the Olympic village from a party hosted by the French Games delegation, with swimming team mates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, when armed men carrying police badges pulled them over. The men told the swimmers to drop to the ground and demanded their money and belongings, but Lochte said he had initially refused to go to ground. Security has been a major headache for organisers of South America's first Olympics. "I kind of said excuse me, I couldn't believe it," recalled Phelps about when he heard about the robbery on Sunday. Separately, Phelps also called for tougher action on athletes who take performance enhancing drugs, weighing in on the doping controversies that have plagued Rio 2016. "We have kids looking up to these athletes that are competing and I feel like all athletes should keep clean and if you don't, there should be a price, he said. Phelp's said he left the Olympic pool for the last time on Saturday having fulfilled a childhood dream, but it is clear he will not be walking away from the sport that has turned him into a global household name. "I am done competing but by no means does this mean that it's the end of my career. It's the start of something new and that's something I look forward to. So you know Ryan [Lochte] may come back in another four years but I'm not. This is it," he said. Phelps' swimming career ended with his 23rd gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay medal on Saturday, which extended his record as the most decorated Olympian of all-time. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: 'I couldn't believe it', says Phelps of Lochte's taxi hold-up

Maria do Socorro curses the Olympic Games as another bus rumbles over a new elevated highway that passes by her slum in Rio de Janeiro, sending a tremor through her brittle brick house and slowly tears apart her home and community. 
 
She is a resident in the small Vila Uniao shantytown of 900 homes, just 2 kilometres north of the Olympic Village, where 368 families were removed to make way for the Transolimpica BRT bus route linking two main zones for the Games. 
 
Silva&#39;s home sits in the shadow of the massive BRT overpass, and it, like the brittle brick houses next to it, rattles ever so slightly each time an Olympic bus carrying athletes, fans and media rumbles overhead. 
 
Maria do Socorro, a 45-year-old beautician in the Favela, said the invasive construction works are another problem on a list of worsening issues. 
 
&quot;We used to live calmly. Now, we are constantly tensed. Nobody can sleep. There are lots of killings, death, shootings, things we didn&#39;t see before, and now with these works going on, things are very tense. It used to be a pleasure living here, everyone knew each other, we had parties, we did everything here inside the community, but nobody wants to do anything anymore because we don&#39;t know how things are going to be, what it is going to be like here inside,&quot; said Socorro. 
 
The rumblings of traffic and the construction of the overpass is what Silva and others blame for ever-growing cracks in walls and ceilings tumbling down in the homes that did not succumb to a bulldozer for the highway. 
 
The residents who were not transferred to government housing to make way for the BRT said what they are now demanding is city help with their homes that are crumbling because of the heavy construction just metres away from their front doors. 
 
 
BRTs were constructed to benefit the poorest populations: Mayor&nbsp; 
 
The mayor&#39;s office strongly defends the BRT that cuts through Vila Uniao, and two other similar bus lines as creating desperately needed public transport. 
 
The BRTs &quot;were constructed to benefit, above all, the poorest populations in western Rio. It&#39;s an important legacy for those who use buses daily,&quot; the mayor&#39;s office said in an emailed statement. 
 
Critics decry the BRTs as inefficient modes of transport and point out all of them run to the newer and wealthy Barra neighbourhood. It is the main Olympic zone that has seen billions in reais in real estate development built for the Games, and is the home turf of Mayor Eduardo Paes, who began his political career there. 
 
Christopher Gaffney, with the University of Zurich&#39;s geography department and whose research has specialised on the impact the World Cup and Olympics have had on Brazil, labelled the BRTs as &quot;retrograde transport modes through dense neighbourhoods and ecological reserves&quot; that are not even considered mass transport. 
 
He and others argue the far better plan would have been to expand Rio&#39;s existing metro system to the densely populated areas that most need it - not extending it from the rich Ipanema neighbourhood to Barra, the main Olympic transport legacy project. 
 
That would have eliminated much of the need for what watchdog groups say are the 20,000 families forced to relocate since late 2009 for Olympic and World Cup works and legacy projects. The mayor&#39;s office has argued that 15,000 of those families were moved because they lived in &quot;high risk&quot; areas mostly in danger of mudslides and floods. 
 
&quot;They convinced us that we would have to leave, alleging that we were living in a risk area, that we had to move to a legal property, but when the location of the works moved, all of that disappeared, we are no longer in a risk area, we no longer need to live in a legal property. It is complicated, it is a real issue for lots of us here, me included,&quot; said resident Janaina Assis, 39. 
 
&quot;I think that after the Olympics, (the authorities) might just give us a little bit of attention, tricking us, because of the elections coming up, but after that I think they will abandon us. So many favelas in Rio are abandoned, I think they are just sweeping the rubbish under the rug,&quot; she added. 
 
They also want the city to make good on a promise to provide basic sanitation to the community, where all household waste flows into a putrid stream running along the slum. It regularly overflows during Rio&#39;s rainy season, sending raw sewage into homes and streets. 
 
Anger is palatable in Vila Uniao and it is near the shantytown that at least three Olympic buses have been hit by projectiles while speeding down the road, according to a high-level security source who spoke to Reuters on condition his name not be used because he was not authorised to discuss the matter. 
 
One of those buses carried journalists earlier this week when two of its windows were shattered by what some on board swear was gunfire, but authorities say was stones, likely shot at the bus by slingshots. 
 
In interviews with more than 15 residents and community leaders of Vila Uniao, none said they heard any gunfire when the media bus was hit on Tuesday night. But all said they would not be surprised if the buses were targeted by rocks slung by young men in the community, acts all the residents roundly denounced. 
 
(Reuters)

'We used to live calmly. Now, we are constantly tensed. Nobody can sleep, there are lots of killings, death, shootings'

Maria do Socorro curses the Olympic Games as another bus rumbles over a new elevated highway that passes by her slum in Rio de Janeiro, sending a tremor through her brittle brick house and slowly tears apart her home and community. She is a resident in the small Vila Uniao shantytown of 900 homes, just 2 kilometres north of the Olympic Village, where 368 families were removed to make way for the Transolimpica BRT bus route linking two main zones for the Games. Silva's home sits in the shadow of the massive BRT overpass, and it, like the brittle brick houses next to it, rattles ever so slightly each time an Olympic bus carrying athletes, fans and media rumbles overhead. Maria do Socorro, a 45-year-old beautician in the Favela, said the invasive construction works are another problem on a list of worsening issues. "We used to live calmly. Now, we are constantly tensed. Nobody can sleep. There are lots of killings, death, shootings, things we didn't see before, and now with these works going on, things are very tense. It used to be a pleasure living here, everyone knew each other, we had parties, we did everything here inside the community, but nobody wants to do anything anymore because we don't know how things are going to be, what it is going to be like here inside," said Socorro. The rumblings of traffic and the construction of the overpass is what Silva and others blame for ever-growing cracks in walls and ceilings tumbling down in the homes that did not succumb to a bulldozer for the highway. The residents who were not transferred to government housing to make way for the BRT said what they are now demanding is city help with their homes that are crumbling because of the heavy construction just metres away from their front doors. BRTs were constructed to benefit the poorest populations: Mayor The mayor's office strongly defends the BRT that cuts through Vila Uniao, and two other similar bus lines as creating desperately needed public transport. The BRTs "were constructed to benefit, above all, the poorest populations in western Rio. It's an important legacy for those who use buses daily," the mayor's office said in an emailed statement. Critics decry the BRTs as inefficient modes of transport and point out all of them run to the newer and wealthy Barra neighbourhood. It is the main Olympic zone that has seen billions in reais in real estate development built for the Games, and is the home turf of Mayor Eduardo Paes, who began his political career there. Christopher Gaffney, with the University of Zurich's geography department and whose research has specialised on the impact the World Cup and Olympics have had on Brazil, labelled the BRTs as "retrograde transport modes through dense neighbourhoods and ecological reserves" that are not even considered mass transport. He and others argue the far better plan would have been to expand Rio's existing metro system to the densely populated areas that most need it - not extending it from the rich Ipanema neighbourhood to Barra, the main Olympic transport legacy project. That would have eliminated much of the need for what watchdog groups say are the 20,000 families forced to relocate since late 2009 for Olympic and World Cup works and legacy projects. The mayor's office has argued that 15,000 of those families were moved because they lived in "high risk" areas mostly in danger of mudslides and floods. "They convinced us that we would have to leave, alleging that we were living in a risk area, that we had to move to a legal property, but when the location of the works moved, all of that disappeared, we are no longer in a risk area, we no longer need to live in a legal property. It is complicated, it is a real issue for lots of us here, me included," said resident Janaina Assis, 39. "I think that after the Olympics, (the authorities) might just give us a little bit of attention, tricking us, because of the elections coming up, but after that I think they will abandon us. So many favelas in Rio are abandoned, I think they are just sweeping the rubbish under the rug," she added. They also want the city to make good on a promise to provide basic sanitation to the community, where all household waste flows into a putrid stream running along the slum. It regularly overflows during Rio's rainy season, sending raw sewage into homes and streets. Anger is palatable in Vila Uniao and it is near the shantytown that at least three Olympic buses have been hit by projectiles while speeding down the road, according to a high-level security source who spoke to Reuters on condition his name not be used because he was not authorised to discuss the matter. One of those buses carried journalists earlier this week when two of its windows were shattered by what some on board swear was gunfire, but authorities say was stones, likely shot at the bus by slingshots. In interviews with more than 15 residents and community leaders of Vila Uniao, none said they heard any gunfire when the media bus was hit on Tuesday night. But all said they would not be surprised if the buses were targeted by rocks slung by young men in the community, acts all the residents roundly denounced. (Reuters)

Dwellers in neighbourhood slum curse lavish Olympics infrastructure

Forget beach volleyball, tennis or soccer, not to mention the javelin or discus. Pokemon Go is challenging the Olympics for most popular game among some young Brazilians. 
 
Hundreds of them turned out in a Rio de Janeiro park on Saturday (August 13) holding their mobile phones to hunt for virtual creatures in the hyper-reality game app that has become a craze in Brazil since its release in Brazil two days before the Games. 
 
&quot;I watched a match in the Engenhao stadium but then when I knew that Pokemon game was launched I didn&#39;t care any more about the Olympics. I&#39;m not even turning my TV on to watch it. Now it&#39;s only Pokemon, we are breathing Pokemon,&quot; said student Lourdes Drummond at the Quinta da Boa Vista park, once the gardens of the Brazilian royal family. 
 
The blockbuster game developed by Niantic, in which Nintendo Co has a large stake, uses augmented reality and GPS mapping to make animated characters appear in the real world. Players see creatures overlaid on the nearby landscape that they see through a mobile phone camera. 
 
Brazil&#39;s third largest mobile phone company Claro estimates that close to 2 million of its users have downloaded the game just in the Rio area since it was released on August 3. An executive of the company owned by Carlos Slim&#39;s America Movil Am?rica M?vil said more than half of those users have been inside or near Olympic venues hunting for Pokemons. 
 
As Rio residents rode paddle boats on the lake of the Boa Vista park, youths explored the grounds seeking the Dragon Knight and other prized Pokemons to add to their collection. They huddled in the shade of the 19th Century royal palace to exchange notes. 
 
&quot;A simple thing like a game changes a lot the way we use public spaces, but we still cannot know how long it will continue to keep people&#39;s attention. But the interesting thing is really that something small like a game manages to change these places in such a short period of time,&quot; said sociologist, Joao Carlos Barssani, 31, himself joining the hunt. 
 
When a boy shouted &quot;I found one!&quot; dozens sprinted after him in pursuit. 
 
It may not be a physical sport, but the novelty of Pokemon Go is the mobility involved compared to traditional video games. You have to get up and go outside to search your city, cellphone in hand to accumulate as many Pokemons as you can. 
 
&quot;I always go straight from work to home and home to work. And now thanks to this game I am going out, and if my mum asks me to go out to buy something I am happy to go. With all happiness in the world because I can play,&quot; said Rafael Moura Barros, a computer technician who believes the game will help reduce obesity in Brazil. 
 
Barssani said the game is changing the way Brazilians are using their urban space in cities long plagued with high crime rates. People are frequenting parks and squares that had been abandoned for fear of getting mugged, he said. 
 
(Reuters)

The blockbuster game uses augmented reality and GPS mapping to make animated creatures appear in the real world

Forget beach volleyball, tennis or soccer, not to mention the javelin or discus. Pokemon Go is challenging the Olympics for most popular game among some young Brazilians. Hundreds of them turned out in a Rio de Janeiro park on Saturday (August 13) holding their mobile phones to hunt for virtual creatures in the hyper-reality game app that has become a craze in Brazil since its release in Brazil two days before the Games. "I watched a match in the Engenhao stadium but then when I knew that Pokemon game was launched I didn't care any more about the Olympics. I'm not even turning my TV on to watch it. Now it's only Pokemon, we are breathing Pokemon," said student Lourdes Drummond at the Quinta da Boa Vista park, once the gardens of the Brazilian royal family. The blockbuster game developed by Niantic, in which Nintendo Co has a large stake, uses augmented reality and GPS mapping to make animated characters appear in the real world. Players see creatures overlaid on the nearby landscape that they see through a mobile phone camera. Brazil's third largest mobile phone company Claro estimates that close to 2 million of its users have downloaded the game just in the Rio area since it was released on August 3. An executive of the company owned by Carlos Slim's America Movil Am?rica M?vil said more than half of those users have been inside or near Olympic venues hunting for Pokemons. As Rio residents rode paddle boats on the lake of the Boa Vista park, youths explored the grounds seeking the Dragon Knight and other prized Pokemons to add to their collection. They huddled in the shade of the 19th Century royal palace to exchange notes. "A simple thing like a game changes a lot the way we use public spaces, but we still cannot know how long it will continue to keep people's attention. But the interesting thing is really that something small like a game manages to change these places in such a short period of time," said sociologist, Joao Carlos Barssani, 31, himself joining the hunt. When a boy shouted "I found one!" dozens sprinted after him in pursuit. It may not be a physical sport, but the novelty of Pokemon Go is the mobility involved compared to traditional video games. You have to get up and go outside to search your city, cellphone in hand to accumulate as many Pokemons as you can. "I always go straight from work to home and home to work. And now thanks to this game I am going out, and if my mum asks me to go out to buy something I am happy to go. With all happiness in the world because I can play," said Rafael Moura Barros, a computer technician who believes the game will help reduce obesity in Brazil. Barssani said the game is changing the way Brazilians are using their urban space in cities long plagued with high crime rates. People are frequenting parks and squares that had been abandoned for fear of getting mugged, he said. (Reuters)

Pokemon Go challenges Olympics at Rio

The Indian women&rsquo;s hockey team were eliminated from the Rio Olympics after producing another listless performance as they suffered a 5-0 defeat to second-ranked Argentina in their final Group B match here on Saturday. Despite holding their Argentine counterparts to 0-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Indian eves failed to fend off their opposition further at the Olympic Hockey Centre. 
 
The opener finally came in the 16th minute via Argentina`s Martina Cavallero. India had a chance almost immediately, Lilima Minz from their first PC drawing a save from Belen Succi in Argentina`s goal.From there on the Argentines took the game by the scruff of the neck, with a flurry of goals, from Granatto (23), Rebecchi (26), Agustina Albertarrio (27) before Cavallero scored her second (29). They went into half time leading 5-0.India had a succession of PCs at the end of the quarter, and Rani`s attempt off the second was blocked away by Argentina. 
 
India, despite being down were playing adventurous hockey, and a minute later, Poonam Rani brought out a save from Argentina`s substitute goalkeeper Maria Mutio.A minute later it was Namita Toppo with an attempt, and then Anuradha Thokchom with a diving deflection, Mutio pulling off a double save. There were initial doubts about the save though, India referring to see if it had crossed the line. A lack of a good view for the video umpire would mean the on field umpire&#39;s decision would stay. India would keep their referral though. Despite the scoreline, India would go into the final break knowing they had grabbed a bit of momentum in the final minutes of the quarter.That momentum carried through to the final quarter, India dominant in the opening exchanges. 
 
Soon enough Mutio was the busier goalkeeper, pulling off saves from Deepika and Vandana Katariya. India had a PC soon after, but Rani`s PC was blocked by the Argentine chargers. Against the run of play, Argentina pressed forward, and almost had their sixth, denied by some superb last ditch defending by Deep Grace Ekka.India pressed on in the closing stages, by now looking for a consolation. Argentina held out though to end up as 5-0 winners.Speaking after the game, chief coach Neil Hawgood said, &quot;We played very strong and good hockey for the majority of the match and fashioned chances too. But a brief spell where we seemed to switch off cost us heavily in the second quarter. It&#39;s a great experience for the team, the entire Olympics and shows how far we have come and also have to go. The experience will inspire more presence at big tournaments and good performances out of them.&quot; 
 
(ANI)

The team suffered a 5-0 defeat to second-ranked Argentina in their final Group B match on Saturday

The Indian women’s hockey team were eliminated from the Rio Olympics after producing another listless performance as they suffered a 5-0 defeat to second-ranked Argentina in their final Group B match here on Saturday. Despite holding their Argentine counterparts to 0-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Indian eves failed to fend off their opposition further at the Olympic Hockey Centre. The opener finally came in the 16th minute via Argentina`s Martina Cavallero. India had a chance almost immediately, Lilima Minz from their first PC drawing a save from Belen Succi in Argentina`s goal.From there on the Argentines took the game by the scruff of the neck, with a flurry of goals, from Granatto (23), Rebecchi (26), Agustina Albertarrio (27) before Cavallero scored her second (29). They went into half time leading 5-0.India had a succession of PCs at the end of the quarter, and Rani`s attempt off the second was blocked away by Argentina. India, despite being down were playing adventurous hockey, and a minute later, Poonam Rani brought out a save from Argentina`s substitute goalkeeper Maria Mutio.A minute later it was Namita Toppo with an attempt, and then Anuradha Thokchom with a diving deflection, Mutio pulling off a double save. There were initial doubts about the save though, India referring to see if it had crossed the line. A lack of a good view for the video umpire would mean the on field umpire's decision would stay. India would keep their referral though. Despite the scoreline, India would go into the final break knowing they had grabbed a bit of momentum in the final minutes of the quarter.That momentum carried through to the final quarter, India dominant in the opening exchanges. Soon enough Mutio was the busier goalkeeper, pulling off saves from Deepika and Vandana Katariya. India had a PC soon after, but Rani`s PC was blocked by the Argentine chargers. Against the run of play, Argentina pressed forward, and almost had their sixth, denied by some superb last ditch defending by Deep Grace Ekka.India pressed on in the closing stages, by now looking for a consolation. Argentina held out though to end up as 5-0 winners.Speaking after the game, chief coach Neil Hawgood said, "We played very strong and good hockey for the majority of the match and fashioned chances too. But a brief spell where we seemed to switch off cost us heavily in the second quarter. It's a great experience for the team, the entire Olympics and shows how far we have come and also have to go. The experience will inspire more presence at big tournaments and good performances out of them." (ANI)

Indian women?s hockey team exits Rio Olympics

Ethiopia&#39;s Etenesh Diro got tangled up with two other runners in Saturday&#39;s 3,000m women&#39;s Olympic steeplechase and stopped to tear off her damaged right shoe and sock, but she kept on running to finish seventh. 
 
Diro, a 25-year-old who finished fifth in the event at the 2012 London Games, broke down in tears after finishing in 9 minutes 34.7 seconds, more than 20 seconds off her personal best. 
 
But it did not mark the end of her Rio Olympics after officials granted her a spot in Monday&#39;s final. The International Association of Athletics Federations also cleared Ireland&#39;s Sara Louise Treacy and Jamaica&#39;s Aisha Praught to run in the final after reviewing video replays of the race following protests by their teams. 
 
Australia&#39;s Genevieve Lacaze, who finished second with a time of 9:26.5 to qualify for the next round, complained that the mishap had obstructed the track. 
 
&quot;She was like a road block,&quot; the 27-year-old said. 
 
&quot;Someone ripped out her heel and, instead of getting out of the way - I guess you don&#39;t think about others too much when you&#39;re in the Olympics - she just stopped and was a roadblock for about four girls.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Etenesh Diro, who finished 20 seconds behind her personal best, has been granted a spot in Monday?s final

Ethiopia's Etenesh Diro got tangled up with two other runners in Saturday's 3,000m women's Olympic steeplechase and stopped to tear off her damaged right shoe and sock, but she kept on running to finish seventh. Diro, a 25-year-old who finished fifth in the event at the 2012 London Games, broke down in tears after finishing in 9 minutes 34.7 seconds, more than 20 seconds off her personal best. But it did not mark the end of her Rio Olympics after officials granted her a spot in Monday's final. The International Association of Athletics Federations also cleared Ireland's Sara Louise Treacy and Jamaica's Aisha Praught to run in the final after reviewing video replays of the race following protests by their teams. Australia's Genevieve Lacaze, who finished second with a time of 9:26.5 to qualify for the next round, complained that the mishap had obstructed the track. "She was like a road block," the 27-year-old said. "Someone ripped out her heel and, instead of getting out of the way - I guess you don't think about others too much when you're in the Olympics - she just stopped and was a roadblock for about four girls." (Reuters)

Ethiopian athlete damages shoe during run, goes on to finish seventh

Patrick Bordier, physiotherapist with the&nbsp;French&nbsp;national tennis team since 2014, collapsed and died in Rio on Friday, the president of France&#39;s Olympic Committee (CNOSF) said.

&quot;Patrick Bordier died suddenly this afternoon,&quot; CNOSF president Denis Masseglia said at a ceremony with France&#39;s medal winners.

&quot;Patrick Bordier was a friend and someone at the service of athletes,&quot; he added.

(AFP)

Team's physiotherapist Patrick Bordier collapsed and died but the reason has not been confirmed yet

Patrick Bordier, physiotherapist with the French national tennis team since 2014, collapsed and died in Rio on Friday, the president of France's Olympic Committee (CNOSF) said. "Patrick Bordier died suddenly this afternoon," CNOSF president Denis Masseglia said at a ceremony with France's medal winners. "Patrick Bordier was a friend and someone at the service of athletes," he added. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: French tennis team physio dies

Ethiopia&#39;s Almaz Ayana smashed the world record to win the Olympic 10,000 metres title on Friday, blowing away the competition in one of the greatest ever long-distance races at the Games.

In only her second competitive 10,000m, Ayana dominated from the start and halfway through the race she surged away from the leading pack, injecting staggering pace to finish in 29 minutes 17.45 seconds.

Her time was 14 seconds inside the 29:31.78 set by China&#39;s Wang Junxia in 1993.

&quot;This means everything to me,&quot; Ayana told reporters. &quot;Getting to this point is a dream come true, I never thought it would happen and I&#39;m so in awe.&quot;

It was the first time in seven years that a female athlete had run 10,000m in under 30 minutes and the first four all achieved the feat. The first 13 women across the line clocked personal bests, including five national records.

Kenya&#39;s world 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot tried in vain to keep up with Ayana but had to settle for silver while Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, the defending Olympic champion, grabbed bronze.

All three women ran inside the old Olympic 10,000m record.

Ayana&#39;s time was even more astonishing because it was set at the Olympics where races tend to be cagey, tactical affairs and long-distance records are rarely broken.

&quot;When I saw the world record set in 1993, I couldn&#39;t believe what I was seeing. And Ayana has absolutely blitzed that time,&quot; Paula Radcliffe, the former British runner who still holds the women&#39;s marathon world record, told the BBC.

&quot;I&#39;m not sure that I can understand that.&quot;

Ayana&#39;s opponents were also stunned and Swedish runner Sarah Lahti, who finished 12th, questioned the Ethiopian&#39;s performance.

But Ayana, who comes from a religious family, fiercely rejected any suggestions of doping at a news conference after the race.

&quot;My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus. I&rsquo;m crystal clear,&quot; she said through an interpreter.

Cheruiyot, Kenya&#39;s most decorated female athlete, also fell short in the 2012 London Games where she took bronze, meaning the east African country&#39;s wait for its first women&#39;s 10,000m gold medallist continues.

The 31-year-old Dibaba, who returned in 2016 from a two-year layoff following the birth of her son, was seeking to become the first woman in Olympic history to win an individual athletics event three times in a row.

Ayana will now turn her attention to her preferred 5,000m distance, in which she is favourite to win and become only the second woman after Dibaba to claim gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 in the same Games.

The 24-year-old won the 5,000m title at the 2015 Beijing world championships and in June came within four seconds of breaking Dibaba&#39;s 5,000m world record set in 2008.

(Reuters)

In only her second competitive 10,000 m, Ayana dominated from the start finishing in 29 minutes 17.45 seconds

Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana smashed the world record to win the Olympic 10,000 metres title on Friday, blowing away the competition in one of the greatest ever long-distance races at the Games. In only her second competitive 10,000m, Ayana dominated from the start and halfway through the race she surged away from the leading pack, injecting staggering pace to finish in 29 minutes 17.45 seconds. Her time was 14 seconds inside the 29:31.78 set by China's Wang Junxia in 1993. "This means everything to me," Ayana told reporters. "Getting to this point is a dream come true, I never thought it would happen and I'm so in awe." It was the first time in seven years that a female athlete had run 10,000m in under 30 minutes and the first four all achieved the feat. The first 13 women across the line clocked personal bests, including five national records. Kenya's world 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot tried in vain to keep up with Ayana but had to settle for silver while Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, the defending Olympic champion, grabbed bronze. All three women ran inside the old Olympic 10,000m record. Ayana's time was even more astonishing because it was set at the Olympics where races tend to be cagey, tactical affairs and long-distance records are rarely broken. "When I saw the world record set in 1993, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And Ayana has absolutely blitzed that time," Paula Radcliffe, the former British runner who still holds the women's marathon world record, told the BBC. "I'm not sure that I can understand that." Ayana's opponents were also stunned and Swedish runner Sarah Lahti, who finished 12th, questioned the Ethiopian's performance. But Ayana, who comes from a religious family, fiercely rejected any suggestions of doping at a news conference after the race. "My doping is my training, my doping is Jesus. I’m crystal clear," she said through an interpreter. Cheruiyot, Kenya's most decorated female athlete, also fell short in the 2012 London Games where she took bronze, meaning the east African country's wait for its first women's 10,000m gold medallist continues. The 31-year-old Dibaba, who returned in 2016 from a two-year layoff following the birth of her son, was seeking to become the first woman in Olympic history to win an individual athletics event three times in a row. Ayana will now turn her attention to her preferred 5,000m distance, in which she is favourite to win and become only the second woman after Dibaba to claim gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 in the same Games. The 24-year-old won the 5,000m title at the 2015 Beijing world championships and in June came within four seconds of breaking Dibaba's 5,000m world record set in 2008. (Reuters)

Ethiopia's Ayana breaks 10,000m world record by 14 seconds

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

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

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

Two suspects arrested for planning IS-backed attack at Olympics

American shooter Kim Rhode won the bronze medal in women&#39;s skeet shooting on Friday, an honour that puts her in an elite record-holding group of just five other Olympic athletes who have won a medal in six different Olympic Games.

The 37-year-old from California and three-time gold medallist also becomes the first sportswoman in history to win medals in six consecutive Olympic Games. 
 
(Reuters)

Her medal puts her in an elite record-holding group of just five other Olympic athletes who have won a medal in six different Olympic Games

American shooter Kim Rhode won the bronze medal in women's skeet shooting on Friday, an honour that puts her in an elite record-holding group of just five other Olympic athletes who have won a medal in six different Olympic Games. The 37-year-old from California and three-time gold medallist also becomes the first sportswoman in history to win medals in six consecutive Olympic Games. (Reuters)

American Rhode wins record sixth medal in six Games

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

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

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

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

The world&#39;s top-ranked golfer Jason Day on Tuesday withdrew from August&#39;s Rio de Janeiro Olympics, citing fears over the Zika virus. 
 
&quot;The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus, and the potential risks that it may present to my wife&#39;s future pregnancies and to future members of our family,&quot; the Australian said in a statement posted on Twitter. 
 
&quot;While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedent over the safety of our family. I will not place them at risk,&quot; the 28-year-old Day added. 
 
Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, but a number of big names, including four-times major champion Rory McIlroy, Fiji&#39;s Vijay Singh and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, have pulled out due to Zika concerns. 
 
The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause crippling birth defects and, in adults, has been linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre. Controversy over the August 5-21 Games has grown as more about the disease becomes known. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

Golf is returning to the Games for the first time since 1904, but a number of top names have withdrawn over Zika fears

The world's top-ranked golfer Jason Day on Tuesday withdrew from August's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, citing fears over the Zika virus. "The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus, and the potential risks that it may present to my wife's future pregnancies and to future members of our family," the Australian said in a statement posted on Twitter. "While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedent over the safety of our family. I will not place them at risk," the 28-year-old Day added. Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, but a number of big names, including four-times major champion Rory McIlroy, Fiji's Vijay Singh and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, have pulled out due to Zika concerns. The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause crippling birth defects and, in adults, has been linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre. Controversy over the August 5-21 Games has grown as more about the disease becomes known. (Reuters)

Top-ranked golfer Jason Day pulls out of Olympics over Zika concerns

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

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

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

Spieth pulls out of Olympics over Zika worries

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to decide today on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over state-run doping, an unprecedented move that could spark the Olympic movement&#39;s worst crisis in decades.&nbsp; 
 
While countries have been banned from past Games for grave, political reasons, throwing an entire nation out for drug cheating would be a first.&nbsp; 
 
But the IOC is facing global pressure to take bold action given the jaw-dropping nature of the allegations against Russia. 
 
According to an independent report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Russia&#39;s sports ministry directed a vast doping programme with support from the FSB intelligence agency.&nbsp; 
 
More than 30 sports were affected by the cheating that went on during the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events, said the WADA report released last week by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren.&nbsp; 
 
WADA, along with fourteen national anti-doping agencies -- including the United States, Canada and Germany -- as well as multiple national Olympic committees have urged the IOC to ban Russia from Rio.&nbsp; 
 
IOC chief Thomas Bach will lead a conference call with the organisation&#39;s powerful executive board on Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
The IOC said a final decision on Russia&#39;s eligibility could be issued after the call, but a definitive ruling may be put off until early next week.&nbsp; 
 
With the Rio Games set to start on August 5, the IOC has taken every last agonising day before ruling on one of the toughest questions it has faced in recent history.The key issue is whether the extent of the alleged cheating in Russia gives the IOC grounds to punish athletes with no positive drug tests on their record. 
 
&quot;We will have to take a very difficult decision,&quot; Bach said this week, addressing the ethical and legal tension &quot;between a collective ban for all Russian athletes, and the natural right to individual justice for every clean athlete in the world.&quot; 
 
Officials in Moscow led by Russian President Vladimir Putin have vowed to help crack down on doping while voicing fierce opposition to the prospect of a blanket ban.&nbsp; 
 
Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev also intervened: &quot;For me the principle of collective punishment is unacceptable,&quot; wrote 85-year-old Gorbachev in a statement, asking Bach to make a &quot;just decision&quot;. 
 
Russia&#39;s entire track and field squad has already been banned from Rio by athletics governing body IAAF over an earlier WADA report which detailed &quot;state-supported&quot; doping. 
 
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this week rejected an appeal by 67 Russian athletes against the IAAF ban. 
 
The IOC has said it would closely study the CAS ruling as it tried to assess the legal basis for a collective national suspension. 
Meanwhile, an ongoing IOC reanalysis of samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 revealed 45 new doping failures. 
&nbsp; 
That brought the total number of positive drug tests to 98 since a retesting programme was launched, underscoring the severity of the doping crisis within the Olympics. If the IOC bans Russia from Rio, it will be the first time a country has been excluded since 1988, when South Africa&#39;s IOC suspension over apartheid was still in force.&nbsp; 
 
The most extensive set of national bans came at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, when a long list of World War One &quot;aggressors&quot; -- including Germany, Austria, Turkey and Hungary -- were told to stay away. 
 
Multiple countries have boycotted Games, however, notably the United States at Moscow 1980, which preceded Russia`s boycott of Los Angeles 1984. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

WADA report claims more than 30 sports were affected by the cheating that went on during the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to decide today on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over state-run doping, an unprecedented move that could spark the Olympic movement's worst crisis in decades. While countries have been banned from past Games for grave, political reasons, throwing an entire nation out for drug cheating would be a first. But the IOC is facing global pressure to take bold action given the jaw-dropping nature of the allegations against Russia. According to an independent report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Russia's sports ministry directed a vast doping programme with support from the FSB intelligence agency. More than 30 sports were affected by the cheating that went on during the 2014 Sochi Games and other major events, said the WADA report released last week by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren. WADA, along with fourteen national anti-doping agencies -- including the United States, Canada and Germany -- as well as multiple national Olympic committees have urged the IOC to ban Russia from Rio. IOC chief Thomas Bach will lead a conference call with the organisation's powerful executive board on Sunday. The IOC said a final decision on Russia's eligibility could be issued after the call, but a definitive ruling may be put off until early next week. With the Rio Games set to start on August 5, the IOC has taken every last agonising day before ruling on one of the toughest questions it has faced in recent history.The key issue is whether the extent of the alleged cheating in Russia gives the IOC grounds to punish athletes with no positive drug tests on their record. "We will have to take a very difficult decision," Bach said this week, addressing the ethical and legal tension "between a collective ban for all Russian athletes, and the natural right to individual justice for every clean athlete in the world." Officials in Moscow led by Russian President Vladimir Putin have vowed to help crack down on doping while voicing fierce opposition to the prospect of a blanket ban. Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev also intervened: "For me the principle of collective punishment is unacceptable," wrote 85-year-old Gorbachev in a statement, asking Bach to make a "just decision". Russia's entire track and field squad has already been banned from Rio by athletics governing body IAAF over an earlier WADA report which detailed "state-supported" doping. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this week rejected an appeal by 67 Russian athletes against the IAAF ban. The IOC has said it would closely study the CAS ruling as it tried to assess the legal basis for a collective national suspension. Meanwhile, an ongoing IOC reanalysis of samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 revealed 45 new doping failures. That brought the total number of positive drug tests to 98 since a retesting programme was launched, underscoring the severity of the doping crisis within the Olympics. If the IOC bans Russia from Rio, it will be the first time a country has been excluded since 1988, when South Africa's IOC suspension over apartheid was still in force. The most extensive set of national bans came at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, when a long list of World War One "aggressors" -- including Germany, Austria, Turkey and Hungary -- were told to stay away. Multiple countries have boycotted Games, however, notably the United States at Moscow 1980, which preceded Russia`s boycott of Los Angeles 1984. (AFP)

IOC faces historic call amid global pressure to impose blanket ban on Russia in Rio Games

Blocked toilets, dangerous wiring and other problems in Rio&#39;s Olympic Village will be resolved by the end of the week, Brazilian organisers said yesterday as new reports of glitches emerged. 
 
A day after the Australian Olympic delegation refused to move into the apartment complex in western Rio, Brazilian organising committee spokesman Mario Andrada promised a solution. 
 
&quot;We have 630 men working to fix the problems at the Olympic Village,&quot; Andrada said in comments tweeted by the government&#39;s Olympic account. 
 
&quot;They should complete the impeccable handover of the Village by the end of the week, probably by Thursday,&quot; he said. 
 
This indicated a longer timetable than suggested by the honorary mayor of the Village, former Brazilian Olympian Janeth Arcain, who said on Sunday that the work would take only 48 hours. 
 
However, the Australian team, which has made the most high-profile complaints, struck an optimistic note, noting &quot;fantastic&quot; progress and saying that athletes should be able to move in on Wednesday. 
 
Delays often occur in the final run-up to staging the Olympics, but Brazilian organisers have been embarrassed by a barrage of multiple problems as they prepare for South America&#39;s first Games. 
 
Battered by bad news over the Zika virus, heavy pollution in the Olympic sailing and rowing areas and rampant armed crime across Rio, mayor Eduardo Paes has frequently found himself on the defensive. 
 
Paes reacted to the Australian complaints on Sunday by quipping that he should perhaps put &quot;a kangaroo in front of their building to make them feel at home.&quot; 
 
Earlier this month, he responded to one voter critical of Rio&#39;s transformation by telling him to &quot;move.&quot; 
 
&#39;Get stuck in&#39; 
 
Australia said on Sunday it would delay taking up residence in the Village, a development of 31 new buildings next to the Olympic Park that will house some 18,000 athletes and other team members during the Games starting August 5. 
 
&quot;Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed and dirty floors in need of a massive clean,&quot; the head of the Australian team, Kitty Chiller, said in a statement. 
 
During a test involving taps and toilets being turned on in apartments on several floors, &quot;water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was &#39;shorting&#39; in the electrical wiring.&quot; 
 
Chiller later told reporters that this was the worst Olympic Village she&#39;d seen in five Games. 
 
However on Monday, Chiller told reporters there had been &quot;fantastic progress today.&quot; 
 
&quot;The workers that were with us today have been absolutely really good. They&#39;ve been working very hard, they&#39;re very skilled and we&#39;re very, very happy with the progress, so looking like according to our plan, we will be able to move everybody on Wednesday,&quot; she said. 
 
Although several delegations have already expressed satisfaction with their residence, reports emerged on Monday of fresh grumbling. 
 
The head of Argentina&#39;s Olympic committee, Gerardo Werthein, was quoted by Clarin daily saying that out of five floors reserved for the country, &quot;two are not habitable&quot; and that his team had sought alternative lodging. 
 
&quot;The apartments are completed on the outside, but when we tested them, we found problems with plumbing and electricity,&quot; he said. &quot;Rio said it will finish this, but we can&#39;t take any risk.&quot; 
 
Italy has contracted its own team of workers to finish off the building work, Brazil has complained of leaks on the ground floor, while Mexico&#39;s team has encountered ceiling leaks and blocked drains, Globo news site reported. 
 
New Zealand&#39;s team said Monday that it was &quot;disappointed the Village wasn&#39;t as ready as it might have been,&quot; but that its advance party had overcome the problems. 
 
&quot;Our team has had to get stuck in to get the job done,&quot; a statement said. 
 
(AFP)

Australian Olympic delegation had refused to move into an apartment complex in Rio, complaining of blocked toilets and exposed wiring

Blocked toilets, dangerous wiring and other problems in Rio's Olympic Village will be resolved by the end of the week, Brazilian organisers said yesterday as new reports of glitches emerged. A day after the Australian Olympic delegation refused to move into the apartment complex in western Rio, Brazilian organising committee spokesman Mario Andrada promised a solution. "We have 630 men working to fix the problems at the Olympic Village," Andrada said in comments tweeted by the government's Olympic account. "They should complete the impeccable handover of the Village by the end of the week, probably by Thursday," he said. This indicated a longer timetable than suggested by the honorary mayor of the Village, former Brazilian Olympian Janeth Arcain, who said on Sunday that the work would take only 48 hours. However, the Australian team, which has made the most high-profile complaints, struck an optimistic note, noting "fantastic" progress and saying that athletes should be able to move in on Wednesday. Delays often occur in the final run-up to staging the Olympics, but Brazilian organisers have been embarrassed by a barrage of multiple problems as they prepare for South America's first Games. Battered by bad news over the Zika virus, heavy pollution in the Olympic sailing and rowing areas and rampant armed crime across Rio, mayor Eduardo Paes has frequently found himself on the defensive. Paes reacted to the Australian complaints on Sunday by quipping that he should perhaps put "a kangaroo in front of their building to make them feel at home." Earlier this month, he responded to one voter critical of Rio's transformation by telling him to "move." 'Get stuck in' Australia said on Sunday it would delay taking up residence in the Village, a development of 31 new buildings next to the Olympic Park that will house some 18,000 athletes and other team members during the Games starting August 5. "Problems include blocked toilets, leaking pipes, exposed wiring, darkened stairwells where no lighting has been installed and dirty floors in need of a massive clean," the head of the Australian team, Kitty Chiller, said in a statement. During a test involving taps and toilets being turned on in apartments on several floors, "water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was 'shorting' in the electrical wiring." Chiller later told reporters that this was the worst Olympic Village she'd seen in five Games. However on Monday, Chiller told reporters there had been "fantastic progress today." "The workers that were with us today have been absolutely really good. They've been working very hard, they're very skilled and we're very, very happy with the progress, so looking like according to our plan, we will be able to move everybody on Wednesday," she said. Although several delegations have already expressed satisfaction with their residence, reports emerged on Monday of fresh grumbling. The head of Argentina's Olympic committee, Gerardo Werthein, was quoted by Clarin daily saying that out of five floors reserved for the country, "two are not habitable" and that his team had sought alternative lodging. "The apartments are completed on the outside, but when we tested them, we found problems with plumbing and electricity," he said. "Rio said it will finish this, but we can't take any risk." Italy has contracted its own team of workers to finish off the building work, Brazil has complained of leaks on the ground floor, while Mexico's team has encountered ceiling leaks and blocked drains, Globo news site reported. New Zealand's team said Monday that it was "disappointed the Village wasn't as ready as it might have been," but that its advance party had overcome the problems. "Our team has had to get stuck in to get the job done," a statement said. (AFP)

Rio organising committee promise repairs of Olympic Village by end of week

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