Rafael Nadal has conceded he is not yet sure that he will be able to represent Spain at the Rio Olympics as his fitness concerns linger. 
 
The 2008 gold medallist withdrew from the French Open with a wrist injury and missed Wimbledon.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I will not be at the best level in any of the categories,&quot; Nadal told journalists after arriving in Brazil. &quot;I have not competed for two months and I have not trained a lot.&quot; 
 
&quot;I will train a few days here to see what I can do and then decide what is best, to be more positive for me and the team,&quot; he said. 
Nadal&#39;s spanish team mate David Ferrer acknowledged last week that the 14-time grand slam champion&#39;s fitness situation was &quot;delicate&quot;. 
 
World number five Nadal, who is due to be Spain&#39;s flag bearer, was absent from the 2012 Olympics due to injury and should he withdraw, it would come as a significant blow for tennis at the Games with several other high-profile player also missing. 
 
Roger Federer sits out due to a knee problem and Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic withdrew citing fears over the Zika virus. 
 
Fellow top 20 players Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet, John Isner, Feliciano Lopez and Nick Kyrgios are also out. 
 
Nadal&#39;s coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, later raised hopes the player may be ready to play, although perhaps not in all three events - singles, doubles and mixed doubles. 
 
&quot;His wrist is so much better. We tried to practise normally. We played with a good level, a good intensity,&quot; Toni said. 
 
&quot;We are waiting until tomorrow to take a decision to play all the things or not: singles, doubles and mixed doubles.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Tomorrow we have to talk with (Spain coach) Conchita Martinez and with Rafa and what we think is better for the team, and then we play. Sure, sure, we play something.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The men's tennis event has already lost a host of stars either through injury, scheduling problems or worries over Zika virus

Rafael Nadal has conceded he is not yet sure that he will be able to represent Spain at the Rio Olympics as his fitness concerns linger. The 2008 gold medallist withdrew from the French Open with a wrist injury and missed Wimbledon. "I will not be at the best level in any of the categories," Nadal told journalists after arriving in Brazil. "I have not competed for two months and I have not trained a lot." "I will train a few days here to see what I can do and then decide what is best, to be more positive for me and the team," he said. Nadal's spanish team mate David Ferrer acknowledged last week that the 14-time grand slam champion's fitness situation was "delicate". World number five Nadal, who is due to be Spain's flag bearer, was absent from the 2012 Olympics due to injury and should he withdraw, it would come as a significant blow for tennis at the Games with several other high-profile player also missing. Roger Federer sits out due to a knee problem and Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic withdrew citing fears over the Zika virus. Fellow top 20 players Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem, Richard Gasquet, John Isner, Feliciano Lopez and Nick Kyrgios are also out. Nadal's coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, later raised hopes the player may be ready to play, although perhaps not in all three events - singles, doubles and mixed doubles. "His wrist is so much better. We tried to practise normally. We played with a good level, a good intensity," Toni said. "We are waiting until tomorrow to take a decision to play all the things or not: singles, doubles and mixed doubles. "Tomorrow we have to talk with (Spain coach) Conchita Martinez and with Rafa and what we think is better for the team, and then we play. Sure, sure, we play something." (Reuters)

Spain's flag bearer Rafael Nadal doubtful over Rio participation

Hundreds of peaceful protesters marched on Sunday on Rio de Janeiro&#39;s Copacabana beach to demand the ouster of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, a reminder of the political upheaval that has convulsed Brazil in the run-up to the Olympics. 
 
Five days before the Games open, both anti- and pro-Rousseff rallies were held in at least 10 other states, most drawing relatively small crowds, as she faces an impeachment process that is likely to permanently remove her from power within weeks. 
 
Those who rallied in Rio, some with Brazil&#39;s flag draped over their shoulders and nearly all wearing the national colors of yellow and green, chanted &quot;Out Dilma! Out corruption!&quot; 
 
Those same messages were written in English on banners for the foreign tourists to see as they flocked to the crescent-shaped Copacabana beach. Some 500,000 people are expected to visit Rio to attend South America&#39;s first Olympics between August 5 and 21. 
 
&quot;This is a warm-up party, you might say, for us to keep the pressure on the Senate ... to show that the Brazilian people will not accept Dilma Rousseff remaining in power,&quot; said Carlos Carvalho, one of the organizers of the Rio protest. 
 
There were also some protests across Brazil against interim President Michel Temer, according to Globo TV. He has recognized that he will likely be booed when he goes to the Games&#39; opening on Friday, while Rousseff has said she will not attend. 
 
None of the rallies were nearly as big as those seen in recent years, when hundreds of thousands took to streets in anti-corruption and anti-government protests. 
 
Rousseff is facing an impeachment trial for allegedly breaking budgetary laws, by borrowing billions from state banks to cover budget gaps without informing Congress. 
 
It is widely expected the Senate will vote to permanently oust her in late August or early September, which would put Temer, her former vice president, in the presidency until the 2018 elections. 
 
(Reuters)

Rousseff is facing an impeachment trial for allegedly breaking budgetary laws, by borrowing billions from state banks to cover budget gaps

Hundreds of peaceful protesters marched on Sunday on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach to demand the ouster of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, a reminder of the political upheaval that has convulsed Brazil in the run-up to the Olympics. Five days before the Games open, both anti- and pro-Rousseff rallies were held in at least 10 other states, most drawing relatively small crowds, as she faces an impeachment process that is likely to permanently remove her from power within weeks. Those who rallied in Rio, some with Brazil's flag draped over their shoulders and nearly all wearing the national colors of yellow and green, chanted "Out Dilma! Out corruption!" Those same messages were written in English on banners for the foreign tourists to see as they flocked to the crescent-shaped Copacabana beach. Some 500,000 people are expected to visit Rio to attend South America's first Olympics between August 5 and 21. "This is a warm-up party, you might say, for us to keep the pressure on the Senate ... to show that the Brazilian people will not accept Dilma Rousseff remaining in power," said Carlos Carvalho, one of the organizers of the Rio protest. There were also some protests across Brazil against interim President Michel Temer, according to Globo TV. He has recognized that he will likely be booed when he goes to the Games' opening on Friday, while Rousseff has said she will not attend. None of the rallies were nearly as big as those seen in recent years, when hundreds of thousands took to streets in anti-corruption and anti-government protests. Rousseff is facing an impeachment trial for allegedly breaking budgetary laws, by borrowing billions from state banks to cover budget gaps without informing Congress. It is widely expected the Senate will vote to permanently oust her in late August or early September, which would put Temer, her former vice president, in the presidency until the 2018 elections. (Reuters)

Rio beach protest calls for ouster of suspended president Dilma Rousseff

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

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

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

Russian weightlifting team barred from Rio Games

Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev on Saturday launched the first challenge against International Olympic Committee sanctions excluding them from the Rio Olympics. 
 
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold swiftly convened hearings in Rio to decide on the appeals by the two, both medal winners for Russia at past Olympics. 
 
Morozov, 24, and Lobintsev, 27, have called on CAS to declare &quot;invalid and unenforceable&quot; an IOC order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on doping in Russia. 
 
Morozov and Lobintsev were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order. 
 
A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said there had been state-run doping, aided by the Russian secret service, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 
 
Rejecting calls for a blanket ban on Russia, the IOC decided on July 24 that individual sports federations should investigate athletes implicated in the report and decide who should be excluded. 
 
So far at least 117 individuals from the 387 that the Russian Olympic Committee wanted to enter have been excluded. 
 
Morozov, a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that took bronze at the 2012 London Games, and Lobintsev, winner of a silver in the 4x200m freestyle team in Beijing in 2008, have taken their action against the IOC and FINA. 
 
&quot;Both swimmers request CAS to declare the decision of the IOC executive board of July 24 2016 invalid and unenforceable,&quot; said a CAS statement. 
 
&quot;The swimmers also request that the decision of the FINA bureau of July 25 2016, declaring both of them ineligible for the Olympic Games in Rio, be set aside.&quot; 
 
Morozov and Lobintsev also demand that the IOC &quot;validates the entries submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee for them to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio.&quot; 
 
CAS did not say when a decision would be announced. 
 
(AFP)

The swimmers, who are amongst the seven Russians banned, have appealed that IOC order excluding athletes from the Games be declared invalid

Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev on Saturday launched the first challenge against International Olympic Committee sanctions excluding them from the Rio Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold swiftly convened hearings in Rio to decide on the appeals by the two, both medal winners for Russia at past Olympics. Morozov, 24, and Lobintsev, 27, have called on CAS to declare "invalid and unenforceable" an IOC order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on doping in Russia. Morozov and Lobintsev were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order. A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said there had been state-run doping, aided by the Russian secret service, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Rejecting calls for a blanket ban on Russia, the IOC decided on July 24 that individual sports federations should investigate athletes implicated in the report and decide who should be excluded. So far at least 117 individuals from the 387 that the Russian Olympic Committee wanted to enter have been excluded. Morozov, a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that took bronze at the 2012 London Games, and Lobintsev, winner of a silver in the 4x200m freestyle team in Beijing in 2008, have taken their action against the IOC and FINA. "Both swimmers request CAS to declare the decision of the IOC executive board of July 24 2016 invalid and unenforceable," said a CAS statement. "The swimmers also request that the decision of the FINA bureau of July 25 2016, declaring both of them ineligible for the Olympic Games in Rio, be set aside." Morozov and Lobintsev also demand that the IOC "validates the entries submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee for them to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio." CAS did not say when a decision would be announced. (AFP)

2 Russian swimmers file appeals against Olympic ban

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

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

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

Small Olympic Village fire forces Australia evacuation

Brazilian police in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which hosts the Olympics next month, have arrested a man with suspected ties to terrorist groups after monitoring his online activity, his lawyer said on Thursday. 
 
The lawyer, Edison Ferreira, said Chaer Kalaoun, 28, was detained by police in his home in the town of Nova Iguacu on allegations of posting apologies for Islamic State (IS) online. 
 
The lawyer strongly denied his client had any ties to terrorist groups. 
 
&quot;There has been no basic, complete nor definitive accusation, all we have are suspicions that posts on his Facebook linked to Islamic State, but there is nothing concrete in relation to him,&quot; said Ferreira. 
 
&quot;He has no link to Islamic State, so he has not be recruited, he is not bringing people over here, nor collaborating, nor incentivising Islamic State projects,&quot; he added. 
 
Federal police declined to comment. 
 
Ferreira said that police had also detained Kalaoun before Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014 on charges of illegal possession of firearms. 
 
On July 21, Brazil arrested 10 people suspected of belonging to a poorly organized group that supports IS and discussing terrorist acts during the Olympic Games. 
 
It has subsequently detained two more suspects in the case. South America&#39;s first Olympics kick off on August 5 with some 500,000 visitors expected to travel to Brazil. 
 
Authorities are on high alert following attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks. 
 
(Reuters)

The 28-year old was detained over allegations of posting pro-IS posts on his Facebook

Brazilian police in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which hosts the Olympics next month, have arrested a man with suspected ties to terrorist groups after monitoring his online activity, his lawyer said on Thursday. The lawyer, Edison Ferreira, said Chaer Kalaoun, 28, was detained by police in his home in the town of Nova Iguacu on allegations of posting apologies for Islamic State (IS) online. The lawyer strongly denied his client had any ties to terrorist groups. "There has been no basic, complete nor definitive accusation, all we have are suspicions that posts on his Facebook linked to Islamic State, but there is nothing concrete in relation to him," said Ferreira. "He has no link to Islamic State, so he has not be recruited, he is not bringing people over here, nor collaborating, nor incentivising Islamic State projects," he added. Federal police declined to comment. Ferreira said that police had also detained Kalaoun before Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014 on charges of illegal possession of firearms. On July 21, Brazil arrested 10 people suspected of belonging to a poorly organized group that supports IS and discussing terrorist acts during the Olympic Games. It has subsequently detained two more suspects in the case. South America's first Olympics kick off on August 5 with some 500,000 visitors expected to travel to Brazil. Authorities are on high alert following attacks in France and Germany in recent weeks. (Reuters)

Man suspected to have terrorist ties with Islamic State arrested in Rio de Janeiro

Rio&#39;s top security official vowed yesterday to review security for the Olympic torch after rioting protesters blocked the relay ceremony and apparently extinguished the flame. 
 
The violent clashes on late Wednesday in Angra dos Reis, a coastal resort south of Rio, cast a shadow over final preparations for South America`s first Olympics, which start August 5. 
 
In another worry for organisers, Rio metro employees threatened yesterday to go on strike on the eve of the Games if they do not get a 9.83 per cent salary raise, raising the possibility of transport chaos for some 500,000 tourists expected to attend.&nbsp;Rio de Janeiro state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame said that policing during the torch relay - which will have visited more than 300 Brazilian cities by the time of the opening ceremony in Rio`s Maracana stadium - needs improving. 
 
&quot;There has never been a problem,&quot; he was quoted as saying by G1 news site. &quot;Yesterday there was one. This needs to be reevaluated and we will be paying more attention to this question.&quot; 
 
&quot;Extinguishing the torch is a crime,&quot; he warned.The crowd, protesting a lack of public transport and the late payment of salaries by the nearly bankrupt Rio state, attacked the procession in Angra dos Reis before being driven off by police using tear gas and rubber bullets. 
 
In footage of the clashes shared online and on Globo television, someone can be heard shouting triumphantly: &quot;The torch has been put out!&quot; as the torch bearer, carrying an unlit torch, is hustled into the safety of a bus. 
 
The Rio organising committee said in a statement that the torch relay &quot;had to be temporarily interrupted&quot;.&nbsp;However, &quot;out of consideration to the inhabitants of the city who wanted to attend the relay,&quot; it was restarted at the next stage &quot;after an evaluation by the security team.&quot; 
 
Organisers portray the torch`s nationwide journey as a chance to ignite public enthusiasm for the Olympics.&nbsp;But repeated security incidents have turned the torch into a symbol of organisational glitches and social discontent. 
 
Highlight reels of torch mishaps have gone viral online, including several attempts to extinguish the flame, runners falling over, a police motorbike crashing into the parade, a man attempting to seize the torch, and political protests. 
 
In June, a rare, captive jaguar - the same animal chosen as Brazil`s Olympic mascot - was shot dead after escaping handlers at a torch ceremony.There was better news for Rio organizers in the arrival overnight of Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt, who hopes to defend his multiple gold medals. 
 
Wearing a black tracksuit with white stripes, sunglasses and headphones, Bolt was in a hurry to leave the airport. &quot;I didn`t sleep on the flight,&quot; he told a welcoming committee of journalists and officials. 
 
A more controversial set of arrivals were expected later in the day, with some 70 Russian athletes due to arrive in the early evening, their team slashed by bans in a scandal over state-sponsored doping. 
 
Rio organizers were also still racing to complete emergency repairs to the athletes` Village, where some 19,000 team members will live. 
 
Half of the buildings had problems ranging from blocked toilets to faulty wiring when teams began moving in over the weekend. 
 
Although these glitches were expected to be ironed out by the end of yesterday, new controversy was brewing over allegations by government labor inspectors that the approximately 600 workers are being made to work nearly around the clock without legal contracts. Meanwhile, officials said that a Brazilian man was arrested at his home in Nova Iguacu, in Rio de Janeiro state, on terrorism charges. However, no details of the allegations were given. 
 
The justice department said the indictment against Chaer Kalaun, 28, a Brazilian of Lebanese descent, was sealed, but had been filed under anti-terrorism laws. 
 
His lawyer, Edson Ferreira, said the allegations lacked substance.&nbsp;&quot;There`s nothing more than suspicions that he put posts on Facebook,&quot; the lawyer said.&nbsp;&quot;He did not pledge allegiance, he was not recruiting, or bringing people or collaborating or encouraging any projects of the Islamic State.&quot; 
 
Ferreira said his client is a Muslim and lived in Lebanon when he was an adolescent. 
 
Unconfirmed Brazilian media reports said police suspect Kalaun of recruiting for extremist organisations in Brazil. He was also arrested during the 2014 World Cup on charges of illegal firearms possession. 
 
The arrest came a week after 12 other Brazilian men were arrested for allegedly trying to form a terrorism cell. Officials downplayed the seriousness of the group, calling them &quot;amateur&quot; and &quot;disorganised.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The crowd protested late payment of salaries by the Rio state. Employees also threatened metro strike for a 9.83% salary raise yesterday

Rio's top security official vowed yesterday to review security for the Olympic torch after rioting protesters blocked the relay ceremony and apparently extinguished the flame. The violent clashes on late Wednesday in Angra dos Reis, a coastal resort south of Rio, cast a shadow over final preparations for South America`s first Olympics, which start August 5. In another worry for organisers, Rio metro employees threatened yesterday to go on strike on the eve of the Games if they do not get a 9.83 per cent salary raise, raising the possibility of transport chaos for some 500,000 tourists expected to attend. Rio de Janeiro state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame said that policing during the torch relay - which will have visited more than 300 Brazilian cities by the time of the opening ceremony in Rio`s Maracana stadium - needs improving. "There has never been a problem," he was quoted as saying by G1 news site. "Yesterday there was one. This needs to be reevaluated and we will be paying more attention to this question." "Extinguishing the torch is a crime," he warned.The crowd, protesting a lack of public transport and the late payment of salaries by the nearly bankrupt Rio state, attacked the procession in Angra dos Reis before being driven off by police using tear gas and rubber bullets. In footage of the clashes shared online and on Globo television, someone can be heard shouting triumphantly: "The torch has been put out!" as the torch bearer, carrying an unlit torch, is hustled into the safety of a bus. The Rio organising committee said in a statement that the torch relay "had to be temporarily interrupted". However, "out of consideration to the inhabitants of the city who wanted to attend the relay," it was restarted at the next stage "after an evaluation by the security team." Organisers portray the torch`s nationwide journey as a chance to ignite public enthusiasm for the Olympics. But repeated security incidents have turned the torch into a symbol of organisational glitches and social discontent. Highlight reels of torch mishaps have gone viral online, including several attempts to extinguish the flame, runners falling over, a police motorbike crashing into the parade, a man attempting to seize the torch, and political protests. In June, a rare, captive jaguar - the same animal chosen as Brazil`s Olympic mascot - was shot dead after escaping handlers at a torch ceremony.There was better news for Rio organizers in the arrival overnight of Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt, who hopes to defend his multiple gold medals. Wearing a black tracksuit with white stripes, sunglasses and headphones, Bolt was in a hurry to leave the airport. "I didn`t sleep on the flight," he told a welcoming committee of journalists and officials. A more controversial set of arrivals were expected later in the day, with some 70 Russian athletes due to arrive in the early evening, their team slashed by bans in a scandal over state-sponsored doping. Rio organizers were also still racing to complete emergency repairs to the athletes` Village, where some 19,000 team members will live. Half of the buildings had problems ranging from blocked toilets to faulty wiring when teams began moving in over the weekend. Although these glitches were expected to be ironed out by the end of yesterday, new controversy was brewing over allegations by government labor inspectors that the approximately 600 workers are being made to work nearly around the clock without legal contracts. Meanwhile, officials said that a Brazilian man was arrested at his home in Nova Iguacu, in Rio de Janeiro state, on terrorism charges. However, no details of the allegations were given. The justice department said the indictment against Chaer Kalaun, 28, a Brazilian of Lebanese descent, was sealed, but had been filed under anti-terrorism laws. His lawyer, Edson Ferreira, said the allegations lacked substance. "There`s nothing more than suspicions that he put posts on Facebook," the lawyer said. "He did not pledge allegiance, he was not recruiting, or bringing people or collaborating or encouraging any projects of the Islamic State." Ferreira said his client is a Muslim and lived in Lebanon when he was an adolescent. Unconfirmed Brazilian media reports said police suspect Kalaun of recruiting for extremist organisations in Brazil. He was also arrested during the 2014 World Cup on charges of illegal firearms possession. The arrest came a week after 12 other Brazilian men were arrested for allegedly trying to form a terrorism cell. Officials downplayed the seriousness of the group, calling them "amateur" and "disorganised." (AFP)

Brazil reviews Olympic torch security after protesters extinguish flame

Embattled wrestler Narsingh Yadav&#39;s hopes of representing India at the 74kg event in next months Rio Olympics received a major jolt after failing his second dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on July 5. 
 
On Monday, the 26-year-old grappler, who bagged the quota with a bronze medal finish in last years World Championships, tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid on both his A and B samples. 
 
Earlier in the day, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh confirmed that they had named Praveen Rana as a replacement for Narsingh. 
 
However, India&#39;s sports minister Vijay Goel said that as per rules, no player in the Olympics squad can be substituted if he or she has been suspended for failing dope test. 
 
Meanwhile, Narsingh has cried conspiracy, claiming that his food had been spiked. Echoing similar views, the WFI chief had also backed Narsingh&#39;s claims of a conspiracy, after his sparring partner and roommate Sandeep&nbsp;Tulsi also tested positive for drugs. 
 
Narsingh was selected for the Rio Olympics in controversial circumstances as two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar had demanded for trials to determine who should go to the games. 
 
However, Narsingh was favoured for the same after fighting a lengthy legal battle with Sushil. He will appear before a NADA panel on Wednesday in New Delhi for the final hearing. 
 
(ANI) 
 
&nbsp;

Wrestling Federation of India's president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh confirmed that they had named Praveen Rana as Yadav's replacement

Embattled wrestler Narsingh Yadav's hopes of representing India at the 74kg event in next months Rio Olympics received a major jolt after failing his second dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on July 5. On Monday, the 26-year-old grappler, who bagged the quota with a bronze medal finish in last years World Championships, tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid on both his A and B samples. Earlier in the day, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh confirmed that they had named Praveen Rana as a replacement for Narsingh. However, India's sports minister Vijay Goel said that as per rules, no player in the Olympics squad can be substituted if he or she has been suspended for failing dope test. Meanwhile, Narsingh has cried conspiracy, claiming that his food had been spiked. Echoing similar views, the WFI chief had also backed Narsingh's claims of a conspiracy, after his sparring partner and roommate Sandeep Tulsi also tested positive for drugs. Narsingh was selected for the Rio Olympics in controversial circumstances as two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar had demanded for trials to determine who should go to the games. However, Narsingh was favoured for the same after fighting a lengthy legal battle with Sushil. He will appear before a NADA panel on Wednesday in New Delhi for the final hearing. (ANI)

Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav fails second dope test

The alleged conspiracy in the Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav&#39;s dope scandal began to unravel today with Yadav identifying two fellow grapplers as the saboteurs, who contaminated his food with a banned steroid, in a formal police complaint. 
 
Narsingh filed an first information report at the Sonepat Police Station naming two fellow wrestlers, one of them a 17-year-old, and persisted with his demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the scandal that has sent shockwaves into the Indian sporting fraternity. 
 
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) also continued to back Narsingh but announced that Parveen Rana would replace him in the squad for Rio de Janeiro, a move that was approved by the sport&#39;s world governing body United World Wrestling. 
 
&quot;I have always maintained that there has been a conspiracy against me. If I am cleared of the charges, I will go to Rio. I have identified the boy who was seen contaminating my food. I have given a detailed complaint to the police,&quot; Narsingh told reporters after filing his complaint. 
 
&quot;I feel even officials are involved because I am not being provided the CCTV footage,&quot; he added. 
 
Narsingh himself desisted from taking names but Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh revealed them while talking to the media. 
 
&quot;We suspect Jitesh, who fights in the 75kg category, and Sumit, both of them live in Chhatarsaal. And one of them has admitted to spiking Narsingh&#39;s food. I can&#39;t say on the conspiracy and can&#39;t say whether they did this on their own or on someone&#39;s asking. We cannot investigate this but we support Narsingh&#39;s demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry,&quot; Brij Bhushan Sharan said here. 
 
Sports minister Vijay Goel, on the other hand, stuck to his stand that the government will abide by international rules when it comes to deciding on Narsingh&#39;s trip to Rio in the aftermath of the controversy. 
 
&quot;If nothing is found in the food supplements then it would be considered a positive dope test. He was told not to train in Sonepat and all Olympic-bound athletes were given the option of customised training,&quot; Goel said. 
 
&quot;This controversy should end. National Anti-Doping Agency is affiliated to World Anti-Doping Agency. We can&#39;t decide alone, we are trying to ensure that none of our athletes test positive for dope in Rio. NADA has been been educating athletes about doping, even after this if something has happened than law will take it&#39;s own course. The conspiracy angle will be investigated,&quot; he added. 
 
(PTI)

Sports minister Vijay Goel said the government will abide by international rules when it comes to deciding on Narsingh's trip to Rio

The alleged conspiracy in the Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav's dope scandal began to unravel today with Yadav identifying two fellow grapplers as the saboteurs, who contaminated his food with a banned steroid, in a formal police complaint. Narsingh filed an first information report at the Sonepat Police Station naming two fellow wrestlers, one of them a 17-year-old, and persisted with his demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the scandal that has sent shockwaves into the Indian sporting fraternity. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) also continued to back Narsingh but announced that Parveen Rana would replace him in the squad for Rio de Janeiro, a move that was approved by the sport's world governing body United World Wrestling. "I have always maintained that there has been a conspiracy against me. If I am cleared of the charges, I will go to Rio. I have identified the boy who was seen contaminating my food. I have given a detailed complaint to the police," Narsingh told reporters after filing his complaint. "I feel even officials are involved because I am not being provided the CCTV footage," he added. Narsingh himself desisted from taking names but Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh revealed them while talking to the media. "We suspect Jitesh, who fights in the 75kg category, and Sumit, both of them live in Chhatarsaal. And one of them has admitted to spiking Narsingh's food. I can't say on the conspiracy and can't say whether they did this on their own or on someone's asking. We cannot investigate this but we support Narsingh's demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry," Brij Bhushan Sharan said here. Sports minister Vijay Goel, on the other hand, stuck to his stand that the government will abide by international rules when it comes to deciding on Narsingh's trip to Rio in the aftermath of the controversy. "If nothing is found in the food supplements then it would be considered a positive dope test. He was told not to train in Sonepat and all Olympic-bound athletes were given the option of customised training," Goel said. "This controversy should end. National Anti-Doping Agency is affiliated to World Anti-Doping Agency. We can't decide alone, we are trying to ensure that none of our athletes test positive for dope in Rio. NADA has been been educating athletes about doping, even after this if something has happened than law will take it's own course. The conspiracy angle will be investigated," he added. (PTI)

Fellow grapplers mixed steroid in my food: India's Narsingh Yadav complaint to cops

The global governing body for athletics on Wednesday stood behind its ban on Russia&#39;s track and field athletes competing at the Rio Olympics, effectively leaving all avenues explored in Moscow&#39;s attempts to get the team readmitted. 
 
The decision was discriminatory, amounted to a political campaign waged against Russian sports people and devalued any medals won in their absence, Russia&#39;s President Vladimir Putin said. 
 
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) imposed the ban in November in response to systematic state-sponsored doping by Russia. 
 
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sport&#39;s highest court, upheld that decision last week. 
 
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko wrote to the IAAF on Monday to get the ban overturned. But there were &quot;no grounds for further review&quot;, the organisation said on Wednesday. 
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected calls to impose a blanket ban on Russians competing at the Rio Games, which start on August 5, after the independent McLaren report found evidence of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Olympics. 
 
The IOC passed the baton to each sport&#39;s world governing federation to clear individual Russian competitors for next month&#39;s Games, adding that the athletes must have a clean international record on drug testing to be eligible to compete. 
 
Maintaining its ban, the IAAF said the applications by 68 Russian athletes for eligibility to compete in Rio were assessed carefully and individually by its Doping Review Board. 
 
&quot;Only (long jumper Darya Klishina) ...was found to meet the criteria for exceptional eligibility. CAS considered the appeals of the (other) 67 athletes fully and rejected them,&quot; it said in a statement. 
 
Mixed Response 
 
Addressing members of Russia&#39;s Olympic team at the Kremlin, Putin said the scandal, which centres on allegations that the Russian government and FSB security service systematically covered up doping for years, had unfairly targeted many Russian sportspersons who had not faced specific and proven accusations. 
 
&quot;This is a blow to the entire sporting world and to the Olympic Games,&quot; he said. &quot;...the absence of Russian sportspersons - leaders in many sporting disciplines - will significantly affect the intensity of the competition and diminish the spectator value of the forthcoming events.&quot; 
 
To date, responses from other sports&#39; individual federations to the IOC ruling has been mixed, with several Russian swimmers, canoeists and rowers subject to bans. 
 
On Wednesday, the International Triathlon Union gave the all-clear to the six Russian triathletes and the International Fencing Federation approved Russia&#39;s 16-member fencing team. 
 
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) added that it has sent a list of Russian volleyball and beach volleyball participants to the IOC and CAS for approval. 
 
R-Sport News Agency reported that the country&#39;s volleyball teams had also been given the green light, while Vasily Titov, vice-president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) told R-Sport that Russian gymnasts could also participate. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

IAAF rejected Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko's appeal to overturn ban, saying there were no grounds for further review

The global governing body for athletics on Wednesday stood behind its ban on Russia's track and field athletes competing at the Rio Olympics, effectively leaving all avenues explored in Moscow's attempts to get the team readmitted. The decision was discriminatory, amounted to a political campaign waged against Russian sports people and devalued any medals won in their absence, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) imposed the ban in November in response to systematic state-sponsored doping by Russia. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sport's highest court, upheld that decision last week. Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko wrote to the IAAF on Monday to get the ban overturned. But there were "no grounds for further review", the organisation said on Wednesday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected calls to impose a blanket ban on Russians competing at the Rio Games, which start on August 5, after the independent McLaren report found evidence of state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Olympics. The IOC passed the baton to each sport's world governing federation to clear individual Russian competitors for next month's Games, adding that the athletes must have a clean international record on drug testing to be eligible to compete. Maintaining its ban, the IAAF said the applications by 68 Russian athletes for eligibility to compete in Rio were assessed carefully and individually by its Doping Review Board. "Only (long jumper Darya Klishina) ...was found to meet the criteria for exceptional eligibility. CAS considered the appeals of the (other) 67 athletes fully and rejected them," it said in a statement. Mixed Response Addressing members of Russia's Olympic team at the Kremlin, Putin said the scandal, which centres on allegations that the Russian government and FSB security service systematically covered up doping for years, had unfairly targeted many Russian sportspersons who had not faced specific and proven accusations. "This is a blow to the entire sporting world and to the Olympic Games," he said. "...the absence of Russian sportspersons - leaders in many sporting disciplines - will significantly affect the intensity of the competition and diminish the spectator value of the forthcoming events." To date, responses from other sports' individual federations to the IOC ruling has been mixed, with several Russian swimmers, canoeists and rowers subject to bans. On Wednesday, the International Triathlon Union gave the all-clear to the six Russian triathletes and the International Fencing Federation approved Russia's 16-member fencing team. The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) added that it has sent a list of Russian volleyball and beach volleyball participants to the IOC and CAS for approval. R-Sport News Agency reported that the country's volleyball teams had also been given the green light, while Vasily Titov, vice-president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) told R-Sport that Russian gymnasts could also participate. (Reuters)

IAAF confirms ban on 67 Russian athletes for Rio

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

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

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

Russian whistleblowers: Drug cheats will compete in Rio

Roger Federer has pulled out of the Rio Olympics and will miss the rest of the season, including the US Open, because he needs &quot;more extensive rehabilitation&quot; to prolong his career after knee surgery earlier this year. 
 
Last month he described how &quot;one stupid move&quot; sparked a chain of bad luck - which resulted in left knee surgery in February and sitting out the French Open with a back injury - culminating in yesterday&#39;s decision to end his wretched season. 
 
&quot;I&rsquo;m extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season,&quot; the 17-times grand slam champion said on his Facebook page. 
 
&quot;Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year. 
 
&quot;The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover. It is tough to miss the rest of the year.&quot; 
 
For much of his career, the former world number one had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes. 
 
But one false move by the man known for his gliding footwork, while running a bath for his twin daughters following his Australian Open semi-final loss, means he would have gone a whole season without a title for the first time since 2000. 
 
Now aged 34, Tuesday&#39;s announcement also probably ended the 2012 silver medallist&#39;s hopes of ever winning an Olympic singles title. 
 
&quot;The silver lining is that this experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries,&quot; said Federer, who won an Olympic doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. 
 
&quot;The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017.&quot; 
 
Knee trouble 
 
Until May this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive grand slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the 1999 US Open. 
 
When he reached the last four at Wimbledon, which included winning a five-set thriller in the quarter-finals against Marin Cilic, it appeared as if Federer&#39;s injury woes were finally behind him and his absence from the French Open was a one off. 
 
However, he was clearly rattled when he landed heavily on his left knee after rolling his ankle during the fifth set of his semi-final defeat by Candaian Milos Raonic at Wimbledon. 
 
Although Federer, who was left sprawled face down on the turf following the fall, got up to complete the match, he was worried about the long term effects on his knee. 
 
&quot;I just hope with the slip I had in the fifth, I&#39;m going to be fine. I hope I didn&#39;t hurt myself,&quot; the world number three said at the time. 
 
&quot;Is it (the pain) a three-day thing, is it a 24-hour thing or is it more? I don&#39;t know at this point.&nbsp;With the body that&#39;s been playing up this year, I just hope I&#39;m going to be fine.&quot; 
 
It seems his worst fears were realised on yesterday as he called time on his season after appearing in only seven tournaments and with a 21-7 win-loss record. 
 
(Reuters)

The 17-times grand slam champion said he needed extensive rehabilitation following his knee injury earlier this year

Roger Federer has pulled out of the Rio Olympics and will miss the rest of the season, including the US Open, because he needs "more extensive rehabilitation" to prolong his career after knee surgery earlier this year. Last month he described how "one stupid move" sparked a chain of bad luck - which resulted in left knee surgery in February and sitting out the French Open with a back injury - culminating in yesterday's decision to end his wretched season. "I’m extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season," the 17-times grand slam champion said on his Facebook page. "Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year. "The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover. It is tough to miss the rest of the year." For much of his career, the former world number one had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes. But one false move by the man known for his gliding footwork, while running a bath for his twin daughters following his Australian Open semi-final loss, means he would have gone a whole season without a title for the first time since 2000. Now aged 34, Tuesday's announcement also probably ended the 2012 silver medallist's hopes of ever winning an Olympic singles title. "The silver lining is that this experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries," said Federer, who won an Olympic doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. "The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017." Knee trouble Until May this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive grand slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the 1999 US Open. When he reached the last four at Wimbledon, which included winning a five-set thriller in the quarter-finals against Marin Cilic, it appeared as if Federer's injury woes were finally behind him and his absence from the French Open was a one off. However, he was clearly rattled when he landed heavily on his left knee after rolling his ankle during the fifth set of his semi-final defeat by Candaian Milos Raonic at Wimbledon. Although Federer, who was left sprawled face down on the turf following the fall, got up to complete the match, he was worried about the long term effects on his knee. "I just hope with the slip I had in the fifth, I'm going to be fine. I hope I didn't hurt myself," the world number three said at the time. "Is it (the pain) a three-day thing, is it a 24-hour thing or is it more? I don't know at this point. With the body that's been playing up this year, I just hope I'm going to be fine." It seems his worst fears were realised on yesterday as he called time on his season after appearing in only seven tournaments and with a 21-7 win-loss record. (Reuters)

'I'm extremely disappointed,' Federer to miss Rio, rest of season due to injury

Russian Yulia Efimova, who has been banned from competing at next month&#39;s Rio Olympics by swimming&#39;s international governing body FINA, will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her agent said yesterday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve taken the decision to appeal to CAS. The opponent will be the International Olympic Committee, FINA and the Russian Olympic Committee,&quot; Efimova&#39;s agent Andrei Mitkov told R-Sport. 
 
FINA yesterday banned seven Russians, including 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Efimova, from competing in Rio in the fall-out from Russia&#39;s rampant state-run doping. 
 
FINA was the first sport to impose bans in light of Sunday&#39;s International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision, which ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide whether to accept Russians. 
 
Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both 4x100m freestyle bronze-medal winners with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and Efimova, who won bronze in the 200m breaststroke in London, were among the seven banned. 
 
Efimova had been provisionally suspended by FINA in March after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium, which has been prohibited since January. 
 
FINA lifted Efimova&#39;s suspension in May after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that athletes could escape a ban because it does not know exactly how long it takes for meldonium to leave the body. 
 
The 24-year-old is also four-time world champion in the breaststroke. 
 
(AFP)

International Swimming Federation yesterday banned seven Russians from competing in Rio Olympics after Russia's state-run doping was exposed

Russian Yulia Efimova, who has been banned from competing at next month's Rio Olympics by swimming's international governing body FINA, will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her agent said yesterday. "We've taken the decision to appeal to CAS. The opponent will be the International Olympic Committee, FINA and the Russian Olympic Committee," Efimova's agent Andrei Mitkov told R-Sport. FINA yesterday banned seven Russians, including 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Efimova, from competing in Rio in the fall-out from Russia's rampant state-run doping. FINA was the first sport to impose bans in light of Sunday's International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision, which ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide whether to accept Russians. Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both 4x100m freestyle bronze-medal winners with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and Efimova, who won bronze in the 200m breaststroke in London, were among the seven banned. Efimova had been provisionally suspended by FINA in March after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium, which has been prohibited since January. FINA lifted Efimova's suspension in May after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that athletes could escape a ban because it does not know exactly how long it takes for meldonium to leave the body. The 24-year-old is also four-time world champion in the breaststroke. (AFP)

Russian swimmer Efimova to appeal Rio ban to Sport Arbitration Court

US anti-doping chiefs blasted the International Olympic Committee for creating &quot;a confusing mess&quot; over the Russian doping scandal, claiming they lacked &quot;decisive leadership&quot; by opting against a blanket Rio ban for Russia. 
 
The IOC decided against an all-out ban over state-run doping and left international sports federations with the job of clearing athletes for the Games which start on August 5. 
 
&quot;Disappointingly, in response to the most important moment for clean athletes and the integrity of the Olympic Games, the IOC has refused to take decisive leadership,&quot; said Travis T Tygart, the chief executive of USADA, the American anti-doping body. 
 
&quot;The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes.&quot; 
 
&quot;It is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment, they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the adequate expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation within the short window prior to the Games. The conflict of interest is glaring.&quot; 
 
USADA also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics. 
 
&quot;The decision to refuse her entry in to the Games is incomprehensible and contrary to CAS precedent. The attempt to enforce it will undoubtedly deter whistleblowers in the future from coming forward,&quot; said Tygart. 
 
(AFP)

The US anti-doping body also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics

US anti-doping chiefs blasted the International Olympic Committee for creating "a confusing mess" over the Russian doping scandal, claiming they lacked "decisive leadership" by opting against a blanket Rio ban for Russia. The IOC decided against an all-out ban over state-run doping and left international sports federations with the job of clearing athletes for the Games which start on August 5. "Disappointingly, in response to the most important moment for clean athletes and the integrity of the Olympic Games, the IOC has refused to take decisive leadership," said Travis T Tygart, the chief executive of USADA, the American anti-doping body. "The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes." "It is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment, they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the adequate expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation within the short window prior to the Games. The conflict of interest is glaring." USADA also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics. "The decision to refuse her entry in to the Games is incomprehensible and contrary to CAS precedent. The attempt to enforce it will undoubtedly deter whistleblowers in the future from coming forward," said Tygart. (AFP)

US anti-doping CEO: Russia verdict blow to rights of clean athletes

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia had limited time for &quot;legal manoeuvring&quot; to defend the rights of its athletes after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. 
 
&quot;Certainly, the court decision was unpleasant and bad news,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists. 
 
&quot;To our regret, that decision falls on the eve of the Olympics, so of course legal manoeuvring to continue defending the rights of our sportspeople is pretty limited in time now.&quot; 
 
CAS, sport&#39;s highest tribunal, rejected on Thursday Russia&#39;s appeal against a doping ban for its entire athletics team from the Rio Olympics. 
 
Russia had argued it had taken steps to clean up the sport, and that the blanket ban was unfair to individual athletes with no record of doping. 
 
Russian officials, and many ordinary people in the country, have interpreted the doping allegations as part of a conspiracy inspired by Western governments who fear Moscow&#39;s growing influence. 
 
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry called the court decision &quot;a crime against sport&quot;. 
 
The decision by the Swiss-based court increases the possibility that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will now exclude Russia from all sports, not just track and field, in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC is expected to reach a final decision on Sunday. 
 
That would mark the deepest crisis in the Olympic movement since the U.S. and Soviet boycotts of the 1980s, and would be a grave blow to a nation that prides itself on its status as a sporting superpower. 
 
Russia is one of the world&#39;s foremost sporting powers which won the third biggest overall medal haul at the last summer Olympics in 2012 -- though some of those results are now in question because of doping suspicions. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

CAS, sport's highest tribunal, rejected on Thursday Russia's appeal against a doping ban for its entire athletics team from the Rio Olympics

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia had limited time for "legal manoeuvring" to defend the rights of its athletes after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. "Certainly, the court decision was unpleasant and bad news," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists. "To our regret, that decision falls on the eve of the Olympics, so of course legal manoeuvring to continue defending the rights of our sportspeople is pretty limited in time now." CAS, sport's highest tribunal, rejected on Thursday Russia's appeal against a doping ban for its entire athletics team from the Rio Olympics. Russia had argued it had taken steps to clean up the sport, and that the blanket ban was unfair to individual athletes with no record of doping. Russian officials, and many ordinary people in the country, have interpreted the doping allegations as part of a conspiracy inspired by Western governments who fear Moscow's growing influence. A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry called the court decision "a crime against sport". The decision by the Swiss-based court increases the possibility that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will now exclude Russia from all sports, not just track and field, in Rio de Janeiro. The IOC is expected to reach a final decision on Sunday. That would mark the deepest crisis in the Olympic movement since the U.S. and Soviet boycotts of the 1980s, and would be a grave blow to a nation that prides itself on its status as a sporting superpower. Russia is one of the world's foremost sporting powers which won the third biggest overall medal haul at the last summer Olympics in 2012 -- though some of those results are now in question because of doping suspicions. (Reuters)

CAS ruling limits legal options for Russian athletes

Russia&#39;s Olympic Committee pressed on Wednesday with its preparations for the Rio Olympic Games despite the threat of a ban for state-run doping hanging over the country.&nbsp; 
 
At a meeting in Moscow the executive board approved a 387-strong team -- including star names like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, hurdler Sergei Shubenkov and tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova -- to compete at this summer&#39;s games starting on August 5. 
 
&quot;We today confirmed the composition of our team including the track and field athletes. The court decision will likely be tomorrow and tomorrow we will find out,&quot; committee chief Alexander Zhukov said.&nbsp; 
 
Zhukov insisted that Russian sportsmen were still &quot;capable of competing for medals&quot; at the event in Rio and said they were training in Russia, Portugal and Brazil.&nbsp; 
 
The team`s line-up includes the 68 track and field athletes, whose fate hinges on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, which is set to rule on Thursday on whether the IAAF had grounds to impose a blanket ban on Russia`s athletics federation. 
 
An independent WADA commission led by Canadian investigator Richard McLaren detailed an elaborate cheating scheme run by Russia`s sports ministry with help from the FSB state intelligence agency. 
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would study &quot;legal options&quot; before deciding whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games following emergency talks on Tuesday. 
 
A spokesman for the committee said Wednesday it would decide &quot;within seven days&quot; on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over rampant state-run doping. 
 
The IOC ordered a disciplinary commission to look into what McLaren`s commission called a &quot;state-dictated failsafe system&quot; of drug cheating that included Russia`s secret service. 
 
The IOC -- which faces a race against the clock to reach a final decision on Russians in Rio -- said it &quot;will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice&quot;. 
 
Moscow has blasted what its sees as political interference in sports over the doping scandal and insists individual athletes should be punished but not the entire team.&nbsp; 
 
A Russian diplomatic source said Wednesday that the current scandal &quot;came against the backdrop of Washington calling for two years for Russia to be isolated, politically, economically and not in sports.&quot; 
 
&quot;The aim of this is to pressure Russia in any way, she said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

387 member strong line-up includes star names like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and hurdler Sergei Shubenkov

Russia's Olympic Committee pressed on Wednesday with its preparations for the Rio Olympic Games despite the threat of a ban for state-run doping hanging over the country. At a meeting in Moscow the executive board approved a 387-strong team -- including star names like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, hurdler Sergei Shubenkov and tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova -- to compete at this summer's games starting on August 5. "We today confirmed the composition of our team including the track and field athletes. The court decision will likely be tomorrow and tomorrow we will find out," committee chief Alexander Zhukov said. Zhukov insisted that Russian sportsmen were still "capable of competing for medals" at the event in Rio and said they were training in Russia, Portugal and Brazil. The team`s line-up includes the 68 track and field athletes, whose fate hinges on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, which is set to rule on Thursday on whether the IAAF had grounds to impose a blanket ban on Russia`s athletics federation. An independent WADA commission led by Canadian investigator Richard McLaren detailed an elaborate cheating scheme run by Russia`s sports ministry with help from the FSB state intelligence agency. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would study "legal options" before deciding whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games following emergency talks on Tuesday. A spokesman for the committee said Wednesday it would decide "within seven days" on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over rampant state-run doping. The IOC ordered a disciplinary commission to look into what McLaren`s commission called a "state-dictated failsafe system" of drug cheating that included Russia`s secret service. The IOC -- which faces a race against the clock to reach a final decision on Russians in Rio -- said it "will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice". Moscow has blasted what its sees as political interference in sports over the doping scandal and insists individual athletes should be punished but not the entire team. A Russian diplomatic source said Wednesday that the current scandal "came against the backdrop of Washington calling for two years for Russia to be isolated, politically, economically and not in sports." "The aim of this is to pressure Russia in any way, she said. (AFP)

Russia announces Olympic squad despite ban threat

With the Rio Olympics less than three weeks away, the IOC on Monday promised &quot;the toughest sanctions available&quot; after a report found Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping tests in many sports ahead of the Sochi winter Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not spell out whether it would heed growing calls for Olympic bans already imposed on Russia&#39;s track and field athletes and weightlifters to be extended to all its competitors in Rio.

However, IOC President Thomas Bach said the independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigation had revealed &quot;a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sport and on the Olympic Games&quot;.

The IOC Executive Board is to hold a telephone conference today&nbsp;to take its first decisions, which may include provisional measures and sanctions with regard to the Rio Olympics.

&quot;Therefore, the IOC will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organisation implicated.&quot;

WADA itself explicitly urged the IOC to consider banning Russia from the Rio Olympics altogether.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who staked his reputation on the Sochi Games, the costliest in history, said the WADA-backed report was the result of political interference and that the Olympic movement could now split.

The report confirmed allegations made by Grigory Rodchenkov, former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.

He told the New York Times two months ago that dozens of Russians had used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with the support not only of national sports authorities but even the domestic intelligence service, the FSB.

Monday&#39;s report said Russia, a traditional sporting superpower, had been stung into action by its performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, where it finished 11th, with only three gold medals.

&quot;The surprise result of the Sochi investigation was the revelation of the extent of State oversight and directed control of the Moscow Laboratory in processing and covering up urine samples of Russian athletes from virtually all sports before and after the Sochi Games,&quot; said the report, unveiled in Toronto.

&#39;Failsafe strategy&#39;

The investigation was led by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren, who sat on the independent commission that last year exposed doping and corruption in Russian track and field, leading to its exclusion from international competition.

The report said Deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh had been advised of every positive test across all sports from 2011 onwards and decided &quot;who would benefit from a cover up and who would not be protected.

&quot;The State implemented a simple failsafe strategy,&quot; it said. &quot;If all the operational precautions to promote and permit doping by Russian athletes proved to have been ineffective for whatever reason, the laboratory provided a failsafe mechanism.

&quot;The State had the ability to transform a positive analytical result into a negative one by ordering that the analytical process of the Moscow Laboratory be altered.&quot;

Among the hundreds of samples that disappeared were 35 from Paralympic athletes.

In Sochi itself, where international observers were scrutinising the drug tests, positive results could not simply be brushed away, so the FSB developed a method of opening urine bottles to allow samples to be swapped undetected.

Rodchenkov spoke of a clandestine night-time operation in which staff secretly took samples from the lab via a &quot;mouse hole&quot; cut into a wall, and replaced them with clean samples taken from the same athlete months earlier and sometimes manipulated.

&#39;Credible witnesses&#39;

McLaren said Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed had been deemed credible, and the report said the investigators &quot;confirm the general veracity of the published information concerning the sample swapping that went on at the Sochi Laboratory during the Sochi Games&quot;.

The investigations showed that caps had been removed from a number of samples, and that they contained unusually high levels of salt, &quot;significantly exceeding the levels produced by the human body&quot;.

Nagornykh and sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who was mentioned 21 times in McLaren&#39;s 97-page report, were not immediately available for comment.

Putin said in a statement that there was &quot;no place for doping in sport&quot;, and that the officials named in the report would be suspended.

Following the statement, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suspended deputy sports minister Nagornykh.

Putin also said the allegations were based on the testimony of only one man, and were an attempt to &quot;make sport an instrument of geopolitical pressure, to form a negative image of countries and peoples&quot;.

Harking back to the tit-for-tat superpower boycotts of the 1980s, he said: &quot;The Olympic movement ... may again be on the verge of a split.&quot;

In a leaked draft letter intended to be sent to the IOC on Monday, US&nbsp;Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart called for a ban on all Russian athletes, not only in track and field.

Paul Melia, head of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, said the letter was backed by various athletes&#39; committees and the anti-doping organisations of the United States, Germany, Japan and New Zealand, among others.

However, Russian track and field athletes have appealed against their ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is due to rule by Thursday.

If it finds in their favour, there would seem to be little chance of a wider ban on Russian competitors holding up.

Bach had indicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of athletes or officials from another. 
 
(Reuters)

It does not say yet whether it will heed calls to ban all Russian sportsmen and women from the Rio Olympics

With the Rio Olympics less than three weeks away, the IOC on Monday promised "the toughest sanctions available" after a report found Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping tests in many sports ahead of the Sochi winter Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not spell out whether it would heed growing calls for Olympic bans already imposed on Russia's track and field athletes and weightlifters to be extended to all its competitors in Rio. However, IOC President Thomas Bach said the independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigation had revealed "a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sport and on the Olympic Games". The IOC Executive Board is to hold a telephone conference today to take its first decisions, which may include provisional measures and sanctions with regard to the Rio Olympics. "Therefore, the IOC will not hesitate to take the toughest sanctions available against any individual or organisation implicated." WADA itself explicitly urged the IOC to consider banning Russia from the Rio Olympics altogether. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who staked his reputation on the Sochi Games, the costliest in history, said the WADA-backed report was the result of political interference and that the Olympic movement could now split. The report confirmed allegations made by Grigory Rodchenkov, former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory. He told the New York Times two months ago that dozens of Russians had used performance-enhancing drugs in Sochi with the support not only of national sports authorities but even the domestic intelligence service, the FSB. Monday's report said Russia, a traditional sporting superpower, had been stung into action by its performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, where it finished 11th, with only three gold medals. "The surprise result of the Sochi investigation was the revelation of the extent of State oversight and directed control of the Moscow Laboratory in processing and covering up urine samples of Russian athletes from virtually all sports before and after the Sochi Games," said the report, unveiled in Toronto. 'Failsafe strategy' The investigation was led by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren, who sat on the independent commission that last year exposed doping and corruption in Russian track and field, leading to its exclusion from international competition. The report said Deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh had been advised of every positive test across all sports from 2011 onwards and decided "who would benefit from a cover up and who would not be protected. "The State implemented a simple failsafe strategy," it said. "If all the operational precautions to promote and permit doping by Russian athletes proved to have been ineffective for whatever reason, the laboratory provided a failsafe mechanism. "The State had the ability to transform a positive analytical result into a negative one by ordering that the analytical process of the Moscow Laboratory be altered." Among the hundreds of samples that disappeared were 35 from Paralympic athletes. In Sochi itself, where international observers were scrutinising the drug tests, positive results could not simply be brushed away, so the FSB developed a method of opening urine bottles to allow samples to be swapped undetected. Rodchenkov spoke of a clandestine night-time operation in which staff secretly took samples from the lab via a "mouse hole" cut into a wall, and replaced them with clean samples taken from the same athlete months earlier and sometimes manipulated. 'Credible witnesses' McLaren said Rodchenkov and all other witnesses interviewed had been deemed credible, and the report said the investigators "confirm the general veracity of the published information concerning the sample swapping that went on at the Sochi Laboratory during the Sochi Games". The investigations showed that caps had been removed from a number of samples, and that they contained unusually high levels of salt, "significantly exceeding the levels produced by the human body". Nagornykh and sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who was mentioned 21 times in McLaren's 97-page report, were not immediately available for comment. Putin said in a statement that there was "no place for doping in sport", and that the officials named in the report would be suspended. Following the statement, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suspended deputy sports minister Nagornykh. Putin also said the allegations were based on the testimony of only one man, and were an attempt to "make sport an instrument of geopolitical pressure, to form a negative image of countries and peoples". Harking back to the tit-for-tat superpower boycotts of the 1980s, he said: "The Olympic movement ... may again be on the verge of a split." In a leaked draft letter intended to be sent to the IOC on Monday, US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart called for a ban on all Russian athletes, not only in track and field. Paul Melia, head of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, said the letter was backed by various athletes' committees and the anti-doping organisations of the United States, Germany, Japan and New Zealand, among others. However, Russian track and field athletes have appealed against their ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is due to rule by Thursday. If it finds in their favour, there would seem to be little chance of a wider ban on Russian competitors holding up. Bach had indicated last week that he was reluctant to see athletes from one sport punished for the crimes of athletes or officials from another. (Reuters)

IOC vows 'toughest sanctions' after report corroborates systematic doping, cover-up by Moscow

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

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

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

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

Pop superstar Katy Perry re-emerged on Friday after a quiet spell with a song of unity as part of the television coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics. 
 
The singer - one of the most successful artists of her generation - offered her first new music since her blockbuster 2013 album Prism with the song &#39;Rise&#39;. 
 
A midtempo electronic track, &#39;Rise&#39; takes on a triumphant tone befitting sports competitions, a change from the giddier pop feel of Perry&#39;s biggest hits. 
 
&#39;When you think the final nail is in / Think again / Don&#39;t be surprised / I will still rise,&#39; Perry sings on the song. 
 
The song will feature in the coverage of the Olympics opening ceremony on August 5 on NBC television, which has the lucrative contract to broadcast the summer games in the United States. 
 
A video for &#39;Rise&#39; produced with NBC will also appear before movies in more than 20,000 cinemas across the United States, her label said. 
 
Perry said the song had been &quot;brewing&quot; inside her for years but that she saw it as timely in light of troubles around the world. 
 
&quot;I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,&quot; she said in a statement. 
 
&quot;I know that together we can rise above the fear - in our country, and around the world.&quot; 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we all can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be.&quot; 
 
Perry released the song on Friday as an exclusive on Apple&#39;s iTunes and the tech giant&#39;s streaming service Apple Music. 
 
At age 31, Perry has already achieved phenomenal success and is the most followed on Twitter, with more than 90 million followers. 
 
She has released a string of viral singles including &#39;Roar&#39;, &#39;Teenage Dream&#39;, &#39;Firework&#39; and &#39;Last Friday Night (TGIF)&#39;. 
 
But Perry has had a comparatively quiet 2016 as she works on a new album. 
 
She finished a 151-date global tour in October last year in Costa Rica, although she has since then performed to support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 
 
(AFP)

The track takes on a triumphant tone befitting sports competitions, a change from the giddier pop feel of Perry's biggest hits

Pop superstar Katy Perry re-emerged on Friday after a quiet spell with a song of unity as part of the television coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The singer - one of the most successful artists of her generation - offered her first new music since her blockbuster 2013 album Prism with the song 'Rise'. A midtempo electronic track, 'Rise' takes on a triumphant tone befitting sports competitions, a change from the giddier pop feel of Perry's biggest hits. 'When you think the final nail is in / Think again / Don't be surprised / I will still rise,' Perry sings on the song. The song will feature in the coverage of the Olympics opening ceremony on August 5 on NBC television, which has the lucrative contract to broadcast the summer games in the United States. A video for 'Rise' produced with NBC will also appear before movies in more than 20,000 cinemas across the United States, her label said. Perry said the song had been "brewing" inside her for years but that she saw it as timely in light of troubles around the world. "I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite," she said in a statement. "I know that together we can rise above the fear - in our country, and around the world." "I can't think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we all can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be." Perry released the song on Friday as an exclusive on Apple's iTunes and the tech giant's streaming service Apple Music. At age 31, Perry has already achieved phenomenal success and is the most followed on Twitter, with more than 90 million followers. She has released a string of viral singles including 'Roar', 'Teenage Dream', 'Firework' and 'Last Friday Night (TGIF)'. But Perry has had a comparatively quiet 2016 as she works on a new album. She finished a 151-date global tour in October last year in Costa Rica, although she has since then performed to support Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. (AFP)

Katy Perry returns with Olympics anthem 'Rise'

Pakistan&#39;s sporting decline has left the vast South Asian nation that once prided itself on producing the world&#39;s best hockey and squash players facing up to an Olympics for which none of its athlete has qualified. 
 
While cricket remains a wildly popular game in Pakistan, a nation of almost 200 million, most other sport have shrunk in popularity as the successes of the 1980s and early 1990s have become a distant memory. 
 
In dilapidated gyms and crumbling sportfields Pakistani athletes lament the dated equipment and obsolete training methods which leave them struggling against foreign foes who adhere to the latest science-based techniques. 
 
Female athletes have an even bigger mountain to climb, most young girls in the deeply conservative Muslim nation are pressured by their families to stop exercising in public, while those with family backing face the wrath of their communities. 
 
&quot;We are behind the rest of the world,&quot; said Inam Butt, a Pakistani wrestling champion who won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. &quot;Our budget, training and facilities are just nothing. How can we compete?&quot; 
 
Butt, like other athletes, says the future will remain bleak until Pakistan&#39;s government starts pouring money into sport.&nbsp; 
 
The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month&#39;s Rio Olympics have all been given wildcard entries and stand &quot;no chance&quot; of winning medals, according to Arif Hasan, the Pakistan Olympic Association president. 
 
&quot;They are more or less going for the participation and gaining the experience. Let&#39;s hope next time will be better,&quot; he said. 
 
1980s training methods 
 
Those in charge of promoting sport in Pakistan despair.&nbsp;The grassroots system is almost non-existent, children in schools&nbsp;rarely play a sport which is not cricket, and top athletes seldom compete against the world&#39;s best as cash-strapped federations cannot afford to send them abroad. 
 
Waqar Ahmed, deputy director of the Pakistan Sports Board, said federations also cannot afford to hire top coaches familiar with scientific training techniques and end up relying on Pakistani trainers with &quot;obsolete&quot; methods from the 1980s. 
 
&quot;Athletes are really frustrated because... the coaches are not literate and they have been teaching what they were taught 30 years back,&quot; he said. &quot;Without infrastructure we can do a lot, but without the techniques you cannot win.&quot; 
 
The demise of hockey, Pakistan&#39;s national sport, has been painful to watch for an older generation who prospered during the halcyon days between 1960 and 1994, when Pakistan regularly won Olympic gold medals and world championships. 
 
Tahir Zaman, Pakistan hockey team coach, said the lack of government support means many young athletes no longer see a future in sports like hockey where top players get $10 per day. Pakistani cricketers, by contrast, are paid $5,000 monthly retainers and make a fortune from sponsorship deals.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The attraction is not there anymore. The (government) is not offering regular jobs for players,&quot; said Zaman, who won a bronze playing for Pakistan at the 1992 Olympics. 
 
At Lahore&#39;s empty 45,000-seat hockey stadium, Pakistani hockey player Hassan Anwar, 21, said that as a teenager his family begged him: &quot;please don&#39;t play hockey if you want a bright future&quot;. 
 
The demise of hockey has been mirrored by the decline in the Pakistani squash scene, where young players know all about 1980s legend Jahangir Khan - considered the greatest ever squash player - but none match his bravura on the court. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Women Harassed 
 
Pakistan&#39;s best known squash player is Maria Toorpakay Wazir, ranked 65 in the world, but to train she spent years dressing and pretending to be a boy in the ultra-conservative tribal areas near Afghanistan. Now she trains abroad. 
 
Pakistan Olympic chief Hasan says societal &quot;barriers are coming down&quot; for women but many female athletes rue the slow pace of change. 
 
At 16, Neelam Riaz&#39;s first love was cycling, but her father banned her from training on roads as men would stare at her. In response, she took up karate to learn how to fend off men and eventually stumbled on weightlifting. 
 
&quot;Usually in Pakistan girls are discouraged from sports, and often coaches push back,&quot; said Riaz, 25, who last year became a national champion and Pakistan&#39;s first female weightlifter to compete abroad. 
 
&quot;Now my family is happy with me doing weightlifting.&quot; 
 
In a dimly lit Lahore gym, where paint peels off walls, windows are shattered and cobwebs cling to a damp ceiling, Riaz is tutoring 16-year-old Iqra Chanzaib, who is new to weightlifting. 
 
Chanzaib wanted to play basketball, but the only hoop near her house was out in the open and full of boys, so one of her pious brothers protested. She then opted for weightlifting, indoors. 
 
&quot;There are plenty of girls like me but they cannot come because of family pressures. My own friends want to come but their families stop them,&quot; she said. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

For the first time in Pakistan's history none of its athlete has qualified for the Olympics

Pakistan's sporting decline has left the vast South Asian nation that once prided itself on producing the world's best hockey and squash players facing up to an Olympics for which none of its athlete has qualified. While cricket remains a wildly popular game in Pakistan, a nation of almost 200 million, most other sport have shrunk in popularity as the successes of the 1980s and early 1990s have become a distant memory. In dilapidated gyms and crumbling sportfields Pakistani athletes lament the dated equipment and obsolete training methods which leave them struggling against foreign foes who adhere to the latest science-based techniques. Female athletes have an even bigger mountain to climb, most young girls in the deeply conservative Muslim nation are pressured by their families to stop exercising in public, while those with family backing face the wrath of their communities. "We are behind the rest of the world," said Inam Butt, a Pakistani wrestling champion who won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. "Our budget, training and facilities are just nothing. How can we compete?" Butt, like other athletes, says the future will remain bleak until Pakistan's government starts pouring money into sport. The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month's Rio Olympics have all been given wildcard entries and stand "no chance" of winning medals, according to Arif Hasan, the Pakistan Olympic Association president. "They are more or less going for the participation and gaining the experience. Let's hope next time will be better," he said. 1980s training methods Those in charge of promoting sport in Pakistan despair. The grassroots system is almost non-existent, children in schools rarely play a sport which is not cricket, and top athletes seldom compete against the world's best as cash-strapped federations cannot afford to send them abroad. Waqar Ahmed, deputy director of the Pakistan Sports Board, said federations also cannot afford to hire top coaches familiar with scientific training techniques and end up relying on Pakistani trainers with "obsolete" methods from the 1980s. "Athletes are really frustrated because... the coaches are not literate and they have been teaching what they were taught 30 years back," he said. "Without infrastructure we can do a lot, but without the techniques you cannot win." The demise of hockey, Pakistan's national sport, has been painful to watch for an older generation who prospered during the halcyon days between 1960 and 1994, when Pakistan regularly won Olympic gold medals and world championships. Tahir Zaman, Pakistan hockey team coach, said the lack of government support means many young athletes no longer see a future in sports like hockey where top players get $10 per day. Pakistani cricketers, by contrast, are paid $5,000 monthly retainers and make a fortune from sponsorship deals. "The attraction is not there anymore. The (government) is not offering regular jobs for players," said Zaman, who won a bronze playing for Pakistan at the 1992 Olympics. At Lahore's empty 45,000-seat hockey stadium, Pakistani hockey player Hassan Anwar, 21, said that as a teenager his family begged him: "please don't play hockey if you want a bright future". The demise of hockey has been mirrored by the decline in the Pakistani squash scene, where young players know all about 1980s legend Jahangir Khan - considered the greatest ever squash player - but none match his bravura on the court. Women Harassed Pakistan's best known squash player is Maria Toorpakay Wazir, ranked 65 in the world, but to train she spent years dressing and pretending to be a boy in the ultra-conservative tribal areas near Afghanistan. Now she trains abroad. Pakistan Olympic chief Hasan says societal "barriers are coming down" for women but many female athletes rue the slow pace of change. At 16, Neelam Riaz's first love was cycling, but her father banned her from training on roads as men would stare at her. In response, she took up karate to learn how to fend off men and eventually stumbled on weightlifting. "Usually in Pakistan girls are discouraged from sports, and often coaches push back," said Riaz, 25, who last year became a national champion and Pakistan's first female weightlifter to compete abroad. "Now my family is happy with me doing weightlifting." In a dimly lit Lahore gym, where paint peels off walls, windows are shattered and cobwebs cling to a damp ceiling, Riaz is tutoring 16-year-old Iqra Chanzaib, who is new to weightlifting. Chanzaib wanted to play basketball, but the only hoop near her house was out in the open and full of boys, so one of her pious brothers protested. She then opted for weightlifting, indoors. "There are plenty of girls like me but they cannot come because of family pressures. My own friends want to come but their families stop them," she said. (Reuters)

Pakistan sport hits low point with qualifying debacle

Loris Karius has sacrificed his Olympic dream to try and replace Simon Mignolet as the first-choice goalkeeper at new club Liverpool, the 23-year-old German has said. 
 
Karius, who has represented his country at the under-21 level, joined Jurgen Klopp-managed Liverpool in May from German side Mainz 05 and will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot. 
 
&quot;I spoke with the manager and we said that it doesn&#39;t make sense for me to go to the Olympics as I would miss the first two league games of the season and of course I want to play in them,&quot; Karius told the British media. 
 
&quot;We agreed together I wouldn&#39;t be going (to Rio). First I spoke with Jurgen and then together we spoke with the German people who wanted me to go. 
 
&quot;The priority is the club. It&#39;s more important that I am available for the start of the season.&quot; 
 
Mignolet, 28, joined the Merseyside club in 2013 and was handed a contract extension in January that would keep the Belgian international at Anfield until 2021. 
 
&quot;Of course I know that a club like this has more competition,&quot; Karius said. &quot;It&#39;s a bigger club and better players means more competition. 
 
&quot;But I am not scared of anything. I&#39;m not a keeper who hasn&#39;t shown his ability.&quot; 
 
The 16-team Olympic football competition is restricted to under-23 players with only three overage players allowed. World champions Germany have been paired with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mexico, South Korea and Fiji in Group C. 
 
(Reuters)

Loris Karius will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot

Loris Karius has sacrificed his Olympic dream to try and replace Simon Mignolet as the first-choice goalkeeper at new club Liverpool, the 23-year-old German has said. Karius, who has represented his country at the under-21 level, joined Jurgen Klopp-managed Liverpool in May from German side Mainz 05 and will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot. "I spoke with the manager and we said that it doesn't make sense for me to go to the Olympics as I would miss the first two league games of the season and of course I want to play in them," Karius told the British media. "We agreed together I wouldn't be going (to Rio). First I spoke with Jurgen and then together we spoke with the German people who wanted me to go. "The priority is the club. It's more important that I am available for the start of the season." Mignolet, 28, joined the Merseyside club in 2013 and was handed a contract extension in January that would keep the Belgian international at Anfield until 2021. "Of course I know that a club like this has more competition," Karius said. "It's a bigger club and better players means more competition. "But I am not scared of anything. I'm not a keeper who hasn't shown his ability." The 16-team Olympic football competition is restricted to under-23 players with only three overage players allowed. World champions Germany have been paired with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mexico, South Korea and Fiji in Group C. (Reuters)

Karius opts out of Rio to fight for Liverpool first-team spot

Could hunting for a Pokemon get any hotter? Maybe in Rio, so the city about to host the Olympic Games is urging makers of the popular app to come down to Brazil.&nbsp;The app, based on a Nintendo title that debuted 20 years ago, uses GPS and mapping capabilities in smartphones to let players roam the real world to find &quot;PokeStops&quot; stocked with supplies and hunt cartoon monsters to capture and train for battles. 
 
&quot;Hello Nintendo! There are 23 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Everybody&#39;s coming. You should come on down too,&quot; Mayor Eduardo Paes said on Facebook on Wednesday, with the welcoming hashtag #PokemonGoNoBrasil (Pokemon Go in Brazil). 
 
Since its release in the United States, Australia and New Zealand last week, the free Pokemon Go smartphone game that overlays play on the real world has triggered a major craze. 
 
Some, like Paes, think people might enjoy hunting around the city&#39;s landmarks like Copacabana beach.&nbsp;Half a million foreign tourists are expected in Rio for South America&#39;s first Olympics from August 5-21.&nbsp;Ex-supermodel Gisele Bundchen will be in her native Brazil to host the opening ceremony. 
 
(AFP)

'Hello Nintendo! There are 23 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Everybody's coming. You should come on down too', said Mayor Eduardo Paes on Facebook

Could hunting for a Pokemon get any hotter? Maybe in Rio, so the city about to host the Olympic Games is urging makers of the popular app to come down to Brazil. The app, based on a Nintendo title that debuted 20 years ago, uses GPS and mapping capabilities in smartphones to let players roam the real world to find "PokeStops" stocked with supplies and hunt cartoon monsters to capture and train for battles. "Hello Nintendo! There are 23 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Everybody's coming. You should come on down too," Mayor Eduardo Paes said on Facebook on Wednesday, with the welcoming hashtag #PokemonGoNoBrasil (Pokemon Go in Brazil). Since its release in the United States, Australia and New Zealand last week, the free Pokemon Go smartphone game that overlays play on the real world has triggered a major craze. Some, like Paes, think people might enjoy hunting around the city's landmarks like Copacabana beach. Half a million foreign tourists are expected in Rio for South America's first Olympics from August 5-21. Ex-supermodel Gisele Bundchen will be in her native Brazil to host the opening ceremony. (AFP)

Pokemon Go welcome at Rio Olympics, mayor says

Right as a top Brazilian official was confidently guaranteeing safety at next month`s Olympics, Rio cops were about to head to their latest nerve-jangling assignment: body parts discovered on Copacabana beach. 
 
Officially, Rio de Janeiro is all ready to provide security for the some half million people expected to flock to the biggest sporting event on the planet from August 5-21. 
 
Addressing journalists with a month to go before the opening ceremony, Andrei Rodrigues, secretary for major events at the justice ministry, declared his &quot;total confidence.&quot; 
 
&quot;I am completely calm,&quot; he said. 
 
That`s a claim that has since been repeated by everyone from the Rio mayor to the minister of defence. 
 
But as demonstrated by the discovery that same day of an unidentified, dismembered body next to the Olympic beach volleyball site on Copacabana, not all is well in Brazil`s &quot;Marvelous City.&quot; 
 
And Rio police -- who`ve seen more than 50 of their colleagues killed just this year and have been protesting against late salary payments -- appear far from calm.There have been 2,083 murders in Rio state in the first five months of this year, up 14 per cent on the same period last year. 
 
The number of muggings has exploded and carjackings are also on the rise. 
 
In an embarrassing incident, a truck crammed with more than $400,000 worth of television equipment imported by German broadcasters covering the Olympics was hijacked. It was later recovered. 
 
The real mayhem is isolated in the north and in huge slums known as favelas, rather than in the coastal areas of Barra, Copacabana and Ipanema where tourists congregate. 
 
But with an ambitious eight-year-old community policing project in those favelas facing growing troubles, drug lords are expanding control. 
 
Last month, a gang of about 20 armed men shot their way into a central Rio hospital to rescue a detained boss nicknamed Fat Family. 
 
Police have reportedly killed as many as nine people in the brutal ensuing manhunt, but the fugitive remains at large. 
 
Brazil`s lack of involvement in any wars and sheer distance from jihadist strongholds like Syria could be the best defence against any repeat of the kind of mass attacks claimed by or blamed on the Islamic State group in Bangladesh, Belgium, Iraq, Turkey and the United States this year. 
 
But hosting the globe`s most watched event automatically puts a bullseye on Brazil, warns Robert Muggah, a security specialist at the Igarape think tank based in Rio. 
 
&quot;If a terrorist group wants to a make a major statement at a global event, Rio would be a good place to start,&quot; he said. 
 
Rio will be welcoming hundreds of thousands of foreigners from more than 200 countries, raising the possibility of infiltrators.&nbsp; 
 
The border with Paraguay is also notoriously porous, while procuring the powerful weapons wielded in the favelas would be relatively easy. 
 
In June, Brazil`s intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. An even more explicit warning came after bloody Islamist attacks in Paris last November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the &quot;next target.&quot; 
 
Rio`s other big concern will be preventing a major cyber attack at a Games that will be heavily reliant on cloud computing, Muggah said. 
 
Officials say a huge police presence will secure the streets. Between police drafted in from other areas and thousands of soldiers, there will be 85,000 security personnel deployed in Rio and the five cities hosting football competitions -- double the number used in the 2012 London Games. 
 
A police coordination center with officers from 55 countries is to be the biggest such operation of its kind, Rodrigues said. 
 
And a separate anti-terror unit will have officers from seven key countries, including the United States and neighboring Argentina and Paraguay. 
 
Background checks have already been made on nearly 394,000 visitors, with the number due to rise to 600,000. 
 
Defence minister Raul Jungmann said last week that he could guarantee &quot;peace, with the happiness and calmness that we expect.&quot;But local issues could be Brazil`s Achilles` Heel. 
 
A vote on whether to remove suspended president Dilma Rousseff from office is scheduled for just after the Games, promising political tension and possible demonstrations. 
 
And amid an ugly national recession, nearly bankrupt Rio de Janeiro state has required a 2.9 billion Reai ($870 million) federal bailout to avoid what interim governor Francisco Dornelles warns could be &quot;a big failure.&quot; 
 
The money is being used in part to pay for late police salaries, months of unpaid overtime and what protesting officers call a lack of even basic supplies such as car fuel and toilet paper. 
 
Angry cops certainly don`t share the government`s rosy vision. 
 
&quot;Welcome to hell,&quot; read a banner they unfurled in the arrival hall at Rio`s international airport earlier this month. &quot;Whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Rio police appear far from calm. 2,083 murders took place in Rio state from Jan to May, and the number of muggings has exploded

Right as a top Brazilian official was confidently guaranteeing safety at next month`s Olympics, Rio cops were about to head to their latest nerve-jangling assignment: body parts discovered on Copacabana beach. Officially, Rio de Janeiro is all ready to provide security for the some half million people expected to flock to the biggest sporting event on the planet from August 5-21. Addressing journalists with a month to go before the opening ceremony, Andrei Rodrigues, secretary for major events at the justice ministry, declared his "total confidence." "I am completely calm," he said. That`s a claim that has since been repeated by everyone from the Rio mayor to the minister of defence. But as demonstrated by the discovery that same day of an unidentified, dismembered body next to the Olympic beach volleyball site on Copacabana, not all is well in Brazil`s "Marvelous City." And Rio police -- who`ve seen more than 50 of their colleagues killed just this year and have been protesting against late salary payments -- appear far from calm.There have been 2,083 murders in Rio state in the first five months of this year, up 14 per cent on the same period last year. The number of muggings has exploded and carjackings are also on the rise. In an embarrassing incident, a truck crammed with more than $400,000 worth of television equipment imported by German broadcasters covering the Olympics was hijacked. It was later recovered. The real mayhem is isolated in the north and in huge slums known as favelas, rather than in the coastal areas of Barra, Copacabana and Ipanema where tourists congregate. But with an ambitious eight-year-old community policing project in those favelas facing growing troubles, drug lords are expanding control. Last month, a gang of about 20 armed men shot their way into a central Rio hospital to rescue a detained boss nicknamed Fat Family. Police have reportedly killed as many as nine people in the brutal ensuing manhunt, but the fugitive remains at large. Brazil`s lack of involvement in any wars and sheer distance from jihadist strongholds like Syria could be the best defence against any repeat of the kind of mass attacks claimed by or blamed on the Islamic State group in Bangladesh, Belgium, Iraq, Turkey and the United States this year. But hosting the globe`s most watched event automatically puts a bullseye on Brazil, warns Robert Muggah, a security specialist at the Igarape think tank based in Rio. "If a terrorist group wants to a make a major statement at a global event, Rio would be a good place to start," he said. Rio will be welcoming hundreds of thousands of foreigners from more than 200 countries, raising the possibility of infiltrators. The border with Paraguay is also notoriously porous, while procuring the powerful weapons wielded in the favelas would be relatively easy. In June, Brazil`s intelligence service said it had detected Portuguese-language messages linked to the Islamic State group on an online forum. An even more explicit warning came after bloody Islamist attacks in Paris last November, when a French jihadist tweeted that Brazil was the "next target." Rio`s other big concern will be preventing a major cyber attack at a Games that will be heavily reliant on cloud computing, Muggah said. Officials say a huge police presence will secure the streets. Between police drafted in from other areas and thousands of soldiers, there will be 85,000 security personnel deployed in Rio and the five cities hosting football competitions -- double the number used in the 2012 London Games. A police coordination center with officers from 55 countries is to be the biggest such operation of its kind, Rodrigues said. And a separate anti-terror unit will have officers from seven key countries, including the United States and neighboring Argentina and Paraguay. Background checks have already been made on nearly 394,000 visitors, with the number due to rise to 600,000. Defence minister Raul Jungmann said last week that he could guarantee "peace, with the happiness and calmness that we expect."But local issues could be Brazil`s Achilles` Heel. A vote on whether to remove suspended president Dilma Rousseff from office is scheduled for just after the Games, promising political tension and possible demonstrations. And amid an ugly national recession, nearly bankrupt Rio de Janeiro state has required a 2.9 billion Reai ($870 million) federal bailout to avoid what interim governor Francisco Dornelles warns could be "a big failure." The money is being used in part to pay for late police salaries, months of unpaid overtime and what protesting officers call a lack of even basic supplies such as car fuel and toilet paper. Angry cops certainly don`t share the government`s rosy vision. "Welcome to hell," read a banner they unfurled in the arrival hall at Rio`s international airport earlier this month. "Whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe." (AFP)

Will the Rio Olympics be a security hell?

Dutch swimmer Inge Dekker, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in February and had surgery in March, will take part in her fourth Olympics after being named on Tuesday in a 17-strong squad for next month&#39;s Rio Games. 
 
The 30-year-old, who won a 4x100 metre freestyle relay gold in Beijing in 2008 as well as bronze in 2004 and silver in 2012, missed the European championships in London in May as she continued her recovery. 
 
The Dutch women won relay silver at the world championships in Kazan, Russia, last year with triple Olympic gold medallist Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, Maud van der Meer and Marrit Steenbergen. 
 
More than four swimmers are often included in relay teams, with reserves slotted in for the heats before the top four compete in the final. 
Dekker was also down for the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly.&nbsp; 
 
The seven men in the squad, who will train in Sardinia before flying to Brazil, will be led by European 200m freestyle champion Sebastiaan Verschuren. Ten of the 17 are Olympic debutants. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s good to see the mix of experienced Olympic swimmers and young talents,&quot; said Dutch swimming managing director Jan Kossen.&nbsp;&quot;The number of novices at these Games also gives confidence to the more distant future.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Inge Dekker will take part in her fourth Olympics in a 17-strong squad for next month's Rio Games

Dutch swimmer Inge Dekker, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in February and had surgery in March, will take part in her fourth Olympics after being named on Tuesday in a 17-strong squad for next month's Rio Games. The 30-year-old, who won a 4x100 metre freestyle relay gold in Beijing in 2008 as well as bronze in 2004 and silver in 2012, missed the European championships in London in May as she continued her recovery. The Dutch women won relay silver at the world championships in Kazan, Russia, last year with triple Olympic gold medallist Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, Maud van der Meer and Marrit Steenbergen. More than four swimmers are often included in relay teams, with reserves slotted in for the heats before the top four compete in the final. Dekker was also down for the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly. The seven men in the squad, who will train in Sardinia before flying to Brazil, will be led by European 200m freestyle champion Sebastiaan Verschuren. Ten of the 17 are Olympic debutants. "It's good to see the mix of experienced Olympic swimmers and young talents," said Dutch swimming managing director Jan Kossen. "The number of novices at these Games also gives confidence to the more distant future." (Reuters)

Dutch swimmer Dekker wins race to Rio after cancer surgery

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