Badminton Clears Russian Players For Olympic Games

Badminton is the latest sport to clear Russian competitors to take part in the Olympic Games as the nation’s athletes begin to travel to Brazil.

Governing bodies must rule on whether Russian athletes can compete in Rio following the country’s doping scandal.

So far 108 of the 387-strong Russian team have been banned from the Games, which get under way on 5 August.

The final line-up will be announced on 30-31 July, according to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

“We have had a rigid drug-testing programme, especially leading up to Rio 2016, and all four Russian athletes have been tested in and out of competition and their samples have been analysed outside of Russia,” said Badminton World Federation’s (BFW) Thomas Lund.

Boxing, cycling, golf, gymnastics, handball, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling are still to confirm their eligibility decisions.

“We will tell how many people will go in the next few days,” said Alexander Zhukov, the head of the ROC.

‘We will fight for those not able to go’

About 70 Russian athletes left Moscow for Brazil on Wednesday, following a farewell ceremony hosted by Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

“They have got us fired up but in a good way,” said handball player Polina Kuznetsova of the cheering crowd at Moscow’s Sheremetevo airport.

“We are going to fight more to prove that it is difficult to break Russia. We will fight for those who were not able to go.”

Olympic champion pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov are among 67 of the 68-strong athletics team to have been banned by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF).

Isinbayeva corrected reports on Thursday suggesting she might be the Russian team’s flag bearer in Rio, despite not being able to compete.

“We should clarify one very important thing!” she said via Instagram. “Flag bearer at the Olympics in Rio have already been defined, it is a great athlete, Olympic champion Sergey Tetyukhin (volleyball).”

BBC

Badminton Clears Russian Players For Olympic Games

I"m In Good Shape For Olympics - Bolt

Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt insists he has no fitness problems after a recent hamstring injury scare.

The 29-year-old pulled out of the 100m final at the Jamaican Olympic trials, but will race in his first 200m of the season in London on Friday.

“My hamstring is good. I have no issue right now,” Bolt said.

“I had a strain. If I’d competed I probably would have torn my hamstring really bad, but I was never really worried. I know I’m in good shape.”

Bolt will return to the Olympic Stadium in East London, scene of his three gold medals at the London 2012 Games, in his final competitive race at the Anniversary Games before he attempts the “triple triple” of 100m, 200m and 4x100m Olympic golds in Rio next month.

“I’m here to win,” he said. “I’m always excited to be here and it is going to be a lot of fun.

“I needed a 200 race. I hadn’t run all season, so I’m happy to run my first one here.”

Asked about his rivalry with American Justin Gatlin, whom he beat in both the 100m and 200m at last year’s world championships, Bolt said: “I am definitely a tough competitor.

“Last year, Gatlin was just not ready, it was the first time he was being chased, he was usually the one winning by far, but he had a tough competitor and it was hard for him. This year, I am in much better shape so I won’t leave it to the last second.”

Bolt won the 200m in 19.55 seconds in Beijing last year, and asked if he could beat his 2009 world record of 19.19 in Rio, he said: “It’s possible.

“I’m happy I didn’t get a really bad setback this season and I think the competition of the 100m will help my focus in trying to break the 200m record.”

BBC

I"m In Good Shape For Olympics - Bolt

Rio 2016 Update: Spieth Out Of Games Over Zika Fears

World number three Jordan Spieth will not take part in this summer’s Olympic Games, the International Golf Federation says.

Spieth, 22, pulled out because of fears concerning the Zika virus in Brazil.

The American is the latest high-profile player to pull out of the event in Rio, where the sport is making its return to the Games after a 112-year absence.

World number one Jason Day, number two Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy have all already pulled out.

The Zika virus has been linked to defects in newborn babies.

Two-time major winner Spieth, who is replaced by Matt Kuchar, is expected to give details about his withdrawal at a news conference before the Open Championship on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, defending Open champion Zach Johnson has questioned the inclusion of golf, football and basketball in the Olympics.

Johnson, 40, said the three sports would instead count majors, the World Cup and the NBA as their pinnacles.

“I don’t know if golf has its place,” Johnson said. “Basketball and soccer, do they really need to be in there either? My guess is they want a World Cup, an NBA Championship, before a gold medal.

“No offence to the Olympics but I’d rather be on the Ryder Cup team. As an American golfer I have that opportunity and that’s what I’d rather do.”

American Bubba Watson, the world number five, is now the highest-ranked player on the Olympic list, while Masters champion Danny Willett (nine in the world) and fellow Englishman Justin Rose (11th) are the highest-ranked Britons due to compete.

Australian Adam Scott and South African Louis Oosthuizen are among the other major winners who will not take part but USA Ryder Cup team-mates Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed will compete.

The Olympics take place from 5 to 21 August, with the men’s golf tournament from 11 to 14 August.

BBC

Rio 2016 Update: Spieth Out Of Games Over Zika Fears

Injury Scare For Usain Bolt Ahead Of Rio Olympics

Bolt (second left) won his semi-final in 10.04 seconds

Six-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has suffered an injury scare ahead of Rio after tearing a hamstring at Jamaica’s Olympic trials.

Bolt, 29, sustained the grade-one tear during the first round of the 100m and withdrew after winning his semi-final.

He is still expected to defend his 100 and 200m titles as Jamaica’s selection policy allows medical exemptions.

Bolt “will seek treatment immediately” and is aiming to return for the London Anniversary Games on July 22.

In the double world champion’s absence, the 100m final in Kingston was won by London 2012 silver medallist Yohan Blake in a time of 9.95 seconds.

Meanwhile, Sanya Richards-Ross will not defend her 400m title in Rio after pulling out of the US Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon.

The 31-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, dropped out after 250m of her heat with a hamstring injury

“I’ve had an amazing career,” the three-time Olympian said. “No Rio. That’s the toughest part. No matter how banged up you are you still think it’s possible.”

BBC

Injury Scare For Usain Bolt Ahead Of Rio Olympics

Rio Olympics Football Seeding Released

FIFA on Friday released the football seeding of the upcoming Rio Olympics that will take place in later in the year

The draw will take place on Thursday, April 14, in Rio, while the tournament kicks off on August 3.

Hosts Brazil will take the lead spot in Group A, with the teams allocated into four pots based on a ranking built according to performances at the past five Olympic Football Tournaments.

SEEDING

Pot 1: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Japan

Pot 2: Nigeria, Korea Republic, Honduras, Iraq

Pot 3: Sweden, Fiji, Portugal, South Africa

Pot 4: Algeria, Colombia, Denmark, Germany

The ranking is weighted so that recent performances play a more prominent role, and a bonus is given to those nations who finished their qualifying competition as continental champions.

 

Rio Olympics Football Seeding Released

Ghana"s Contingent To Rio Will Need GHc 26M - Nii Lantey

Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has revealed that Ghana’s contingent to this year’s Rio Olympics will need about GHc 26 million for the trip.

The Sports Ministry according to the minister, have only GHC 7 million for all sports federations for the year after breaking down the amount approved for the sector by the government of Ghana.

Laying bare the challenges at the Sports Ministry, Hon. Vanderpuije called on the media to support and avoid negative publicity about sports in the country to help attract corporate sponsors.

“We will need about GHc 26 million for our Olympics team to be able to go to Rio. How do we manage?, he asked.

“It will call for prudence,  it will call for ingenuity, it will call for support, and you (journalists) are the ones who can do this for us. We want to seek for your support to get the corporate bodies out there to come to our aid,” he added.

The former broadcast-journalist noted, “the budget is not only for sports, it is for Youth and Sports so if we take out the ones for our youth training sectors for the programmes at the National Sports Authority, just about GHc 4 million will be left”.

“The Black Maidens and the upcoming Black Stars match against Mozambique will drop all the GHc 4m; I am being frank with you,” he said.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpuije also added that he won’t interfere with issues of bonuses. He wants to organise an open forum for all heads of the various federations and explain issues to them.

“I have for the past been saying that I don’t and I will not determine issues of bonuses for sports in this country; I am referring to only sports for men and women, the boxers will have to get bonus, the Black Maidens, the people who are competing in the Judo and everyone will have to get bonuses,” he made known.

“Every sector deserve bonuses, if we don’t have the money, what do we do? So my policy is that we say it as it is; all of us must sit down as a family, discuss it with all the sports federations and ask ourselves how we can share what we have,” he stated.

Ghana"s Contingent To Rio Will Need GHc 26M - Nii Lantey