Olympic Games Rio 2016 Day 5 Gallery

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Olympic champions Jess Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford will seek to retain their Olympic crowns in Brazil, reports Xinhua.

London 2012 medallists Christine Ohuruogu, who also won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008, and Robbie Grabarz also return and will again compete in the 400m and high jump respectively while Jo Pavey is set to compete in her fifth Olympic Games in the 10,000m. The list was announced on Wednesday.

British athletes have enjoyed a successful 12 months in the build-up to Rio 2016 with the team winning seven medals at the 2015 Beijing world championships. Ennis-Hill, Farah and Rutherford all claimed golds while Shara Proctor took the long jump silver and there were bronze medals for the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams.

And just last week, the team took away 16 medals from the European Championships after winning five gold, three silver and eight bronze medals in Amsterdam.

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Washington, Feb 27 (IANS)

"If you must go to the Olympics, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider first," Xinhua cited the CDC as saying on Friday in a travel advice for the Olympics.

"If you travel, you should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip."

The CDC also cautioned that pregnant women may be at risk for sexual transmission of Zika if they have a male partner who goes to the Olympics and, therefore, should either use condoms the right way every time or do not have sex during their pregnancy.

The CDC advice is for those planning travel to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5-21, and to the 2016 Paralympic Games scheduled for September 7-18.

The CDC said the Zika outbreak in Brazil is "dynamic" and that it will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust these recommendations as needed.

In October 2015, Brazilian authorities reported a concerning increase in microcephaly, which has occurred in close sequence to Brazil's outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss. In some cases, these problems can be life-threatening.

US government agency advises pregnant women to avoid Olympics

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"We know from our own bitter experience at the IOC that this is not an easy process but today we see very clearly how vital our reforms have been. Today is an extraordinary day. You will not only elect a new president but you will also decide on the future of world football," Bach said in a speech at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress here, reports Xinhua.

"You have a great chance to turn the page and start a new chapter for a game we all love so much. The world today takes less for granted and it is our shared responsibility to provide new answers to new questions. The credibility of sport organisations and competitions is the foundation of our mission. This was made clear by the FIFA president and executive committee urging you all to vote in favour of the reforms."

Bach hoped that the delegates will "score winning goals for football" in the congress and decide the future of the sport.

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Dancers and acrobats performed to live music as athletes, volunteers and other spectators cheered and danced in a jubilant atmosphere at the Sjogg Tent at Stampesletta here on Sunday, reports Xinhua.

During the ceremony, the Olympic flag was lowered and handed to the host of the next Games while live video also showed the Youth Olympic flame being extinguished.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach received the Olympic flag from Lillehammer mayor Espen Granberg Johnsen and passed it to Daniel Brelaz, mayor of Lausanne. The IOC chief, who declared the second Winter Youth Olympics closed at the ceremony, urged young athletes to spread the Olympic spirit following the 10-day events.

"And now when you go home, please take this Olympic spirit that you have shown here with you. Share this Olympic spirit with all your friends and communities. If you all share this spirit of friendship, understanding and tolerance with each other, then together we can make the world a better place," he said.

A total of 1,100 athletes between the ages of 14 to 18 from about 70 National Olympic Committees (NOC) competed in 70 medal events during the Games from February 12 to 21 in the Norwegian cities of Lillehammer, Hamar, Gjovik, Oyer and Oslo.

Cultural exchanges, learning and sharing were also important parts of the Youth Olympics as the athletes were engaged in many cultural and educational programmes to help them foster Olympic values.

The Youth Olympics were established on April 25, 2007, on the initiative of former IOC president Jacques Rogge. The vision of the Games is to encourage young people around the world to practice sport, raise awareness of Olympism and encourage them to adopt the values of Olympism and disseminate the message of the Olympic Movement around them.

The first summer version of the Youth Olympics was held in Singapore in 2010 while the first winter version was in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012.

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Rio de Janeiro, Feb 21 (IANS) Contrasting weather -- from the sunshine to thunderstorm -- coupled with power failure were what divers experienced this weekend at an outdoor venue at the ongoing FINA Diving World Cup which is also a Rio Olympic test event and Olympic qualifier.

The World Cup is being staged at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre from February) 19 to 24. In total, 272 athletes from 49 countries and regions are competing for 88 spots in the Rio Olympic diving competition. The divers also have to evade mosquitoes in order to prevent Zika as the mosquito-borne virus is possibly linked to an increase in a rare birth defect in Brazil, reports Xinhua.

"This event will really be a realistic simulation for the Games," said Eduardo Falcao, Rio 2016 competition services manager.

Staff from 36 departments of the Rio 2016 organising committee will be in action alongside 462 volunteers. All operations related to the competition, services provided to athletes and officials, security and athlete accommodation will be tested to an "Olympic level".

It is the first test event to feature the National Force and National Penitentiary Department -- a total of 300 agents from the two organisations, as well as officers from the federal, civil and military police, fire officers and traffic agents, are part of the test event.

The Rio 2016 organisers refurbished the venue for Olympic diving, synchronised swimming and water polo. However, it remains as an outdoor venue, which provides drivers numerous challenges as the weather changes a lot from day-to-night in Rio's summer.

Friday saw women's synchronised 10m platform preliminary getting underway with temperatures in the upper 30s and dazzling sunshine. While in the afternoon's final, a thunderstorm suddenly arrived. However, current world champions Lui Huixia and her partner Chen Ruolin were not affected and took first place with a brilliant display.

"The rain had a slight impact on us. Before we came to Rio, we were fully aware of the weather conditions at this outdoor venue," Chen said on Saturday.

In the men's synchronised 3m springboard final, the rain stopped but was replaced by the wind. A total of 12 divers finished six rounds in relatively cold weather.

Chinese pair Cao Lin and Qin Kai qualified first. In the final, the pair made mistakes and the German pair of Stephan Feck and Patrick Hausding pushed the Chinese pair down into second place.

"To dive at this venue is difficult. In the morning, the sunshine is very dazzling while at night is a bit cold. The conditions from day-to-night changes a lot," Olympic and World Champion Qin said.

International Swimming Federation (FINA) asked organisers to put a roof on the outdoor venue and complained openly about it to Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes. The city declined to spend the money and said the federation was too demanding.

In a letter to the mayor, FINA said conditions like those at the diving venue "will negatively affect the safety conditions and the level of performances of our athletes". FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu acknowledged the letter but said that FINA had to be satisfied with what the organisers provided.

"It's not a matter anymore to complain, it a matter now to do the best event possible. Evidently, it's much better if you have it indoors but we have to run the best possible event in these conditions," Marculescu said.

Within the current conditions, power supply also gets into trouble. The first two days' competitions suffered temporary power failure with broadcast, large screen breaking off and reporters from around the world working in a totally dark media centre.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Wu Minxia of China won the women's synchronised 3m springboard with her partner Shi Tingmao on Saturday. "In the first round of our final, we didn't even know the result because the screen didn't show it," said Wu.

Brazil's Zika virus outbreak has also made athletes and tourists afraid of visiting the country. Brazil has 1.5 million people infected by Zika since early 2015. While it causes only mild flu-like symptoms, scientists suspect when it strikes a pregnant woman, it can cause her baby to be born with microcephaly or an abnormally small head.

According to Chinese diving team manager Zhou Jihong, the organising committee provided repellents to teams and also introduced the information and raised awareness about Zika prevention. Besides, day-by-day cleaning inside the venue will help sweeping the mosquitoes away.

Weather, power failures, Zika affect Rio Olympic test events

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Rio de Janeiro, Feb 18 (IANS) Rio Olympic Games organising committee has provided mosquito repellent to drivers and team officials to prevent the Zika virus spreading before the upcoming FINA Diving World Cup, which is also the Rio 2016 test event.

According to Chinese diving team manager Zhou Jihong, the organising committee has provided repellent to teams and also introduced the information and raised awareness about Zika prevention on Wednesday. Besides, a day-by-day clean inside the venue will help to sweep away mosquitos, reports Xinhua.

The World Diving Cup will be staged at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre from Friday to Wednesday (February 19-24). In total, 272 athletes from 49 countries and regions will compete for 88 spots in the Rio Olympic diving competition.

Meanwhile, Brazil's Zika virus outbreak has made athletes and tourists afraid of being in the country. The Olympic host country has 1.5 million people infected by Zika since early 2015.

While it causes only mild flu-like symptoms in most people, scientists suspect when it strikes a pregnant woman, it can cause her baby to be born with microcephaly or an abnormally small head.

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Paris, Feb 18 (IANS)

"Los Angeles, Rome, Budapest and Paris are all submitting projects fully in line with Olympic Agenda 2020," said IOC President Thomas Bach on Wednesday.

The vote for the host city will take place on September 13, 2017, in Peru's capital, Lima, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is impressive to see how they have incorporated the Olympic project into the long-term development plans of their city, region and country. Coming from different starting points, for all four there is a clear focus on sustainable development, legacy and in particular how the facilities are going to be used after the Olympic Games," he added.

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Los Angeles, Feb 17 (IANS)

The logo was displayed on a digital screen at a ceremony here on Tuesday. It is a figure of a soaring angel with outstretched arms illuminated by the rays of the sun. The American city's slogan for the bid is "Follow the Sun", reports Xinhua.

Broadcast online, Tuesday's ceremony was attended by mayor Eric Garcetti, LA 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman, retired Olympic champion swimmer Janet Evans -- who is an LA 2024 vice chair and director of athlete relations, and United States Olympic Committee (USOC) chief marketing officer Lisa Baird.

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Mumbai, Feb 17 (IANS) Table tennis umpire S. Sridhar was on Wednesday selected to represent India at the 2016 Rio Olympics in August.

He had also represented India at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He is the only Indian table tennis umpire to officiate in all three events.

Sridhar, a secretary to Dena Bank CMD, is a Blue Badge international umpire who has officiated in more than 10 World Championships.

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Shillong, Feb 10 (IANS) National table tennis champions Anthony Amalraj and Manika Batra will spearhead the six-member Indian squad for the Asian Olympic qualifiers which was announced here on Wednesday.

Apart from two-time men's national champion Amalraj, the Indian men's squad also includes Achanta Sharath Kamal (singles) and the doubles team of Sathiyan Gunanasekharan and Soumyajith Ghosh.

In the women's squad, Mouma Das -- who played at the 2004 Athens Olympics -- will compete in the singles along with reigning national champion Batra. Shamini Kumaresan and Pooja Sahasrabuddhe will feature in the women's doubles.

The six will compete in the Asian qualification round for the Rio Olympics in Hong Kong from April 13-17.

"The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has also selected Batra, Sharath and Ghosh to compete for 2016 Asian Cup table tennis championship in Dubai from April 24-28," TTFI secretary general Dhanraj Choudhary told IANS here.

Exuding confidence that the Indian paddlers will qualify for the Rio Olympics, national coach Vijaya Sarathi said, "We are confident that the team will qualify for Rio as they (players) have been performing very well and here at South Asian Games."

"Once we qualified, the players would be sent for further training in Sweden and Germany," he added.

Batra told IANS that she is focused on securing a berth for the Rio Games to realise her ultimate dream of wining an Olympic medal.

"My dream now is to represent India at the Rio Olympics. I am focused on preparing myself and maintaining a good performance to compete but let us hope I get qualified for it (Olympics)," Manika said.

National TT Squad for Olympic Qualifiers Announced

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Rio de Janeiro, Feb 3 (IANS) One day after World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an international emergency over the Zika virus, Rio 2016 organising committee believed the problem will clear up in time for the Games and suggested athletes and tourists to close window.

The mosquito-transmitted Zika virus outbreak in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been linked to cases of microcephaly, which causes underdeveloped brains in babies.

The casual relation between the Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected. Over 1.5 million Brazilians are estimated to have been infected by the virus over the past few months, Xinhua reported.

At a press conference held on Tuesday, Rio Olympic organisers are wary of Zika virus but also confident it will decline with the arrival of winter time during the Games.

The dry and cool weather in south hemisphere Rio at that time will help to decrease the mosquitos.

"In August, the number of mosquitos falls dramatically and the number of Zika cases will mirror this fall," said Joao Grangeiro, director of medical services for the Rio 2016 organising committee.

Grangeiro said Rio 2016 has been updating the Zika situation in Brazil everyday with International Olympic Committee, and he recommended athletes and tourists keep their window closed, wear proper clothes and use repellent during the stay in Rio.

Brazil has warned pregnant women to stay away from the Summer Olympics, however Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada said he did not expect people to cancel trips to Rio for the Games as a result of the Zika virus outbreak.

He added that the organising committee would follow travel guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation.

As the first Olympics held in South America, Rio Olympics will be held between August 5-21.

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New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Mid and low-ranked hockey teams like India will benefit from the introduction of the quarter-final stage in 2016 Rio Olympics, making the task of top teams tougher, feels Australian legend Jay Stacy.

In each Olympics since the 1984 Moscow Games, 12 teams were divided into two pools comprising six teams each from which two top teams directly entered the semi-finals, eliminating the other teams.

The format forced questions as concerns were raised at how easily the teams were making entries into the medal rounds.

With that in mind, the competition format has undergone changes in a way that the teams will be tested in an extra match before qualifying for the semi-finals. Top four teams from two pools each will qualify for the quarter-finals, thereby giving mid-ranked teams like Belgium, India and South Korea an extra opportunity.

In the Rio Olympics, scheduled for August 5-21, India have been clubbed with the Netherlands, two-time defending champions Germany, Argentina, Ireland and Canada in the Pool B. The other pool comprises World Cup holders Australia, Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, Spain and hosts Brazil.

"In this edition of Olympics there will be quarter-finals. That is interesting for some of the lower-ranked teams, including India -- they can benefit from it. And it can be difficult for the higher-ranked teams," Stacy, who is the coach of Hockey India League (HIL) franchise Dabang Mumbai, told IANS.

The 47-year-old, who held the record of being the most capped Australian men hockey player for a long time before his record was broken by Jamie Dwyer earlier this year, felt HIL must be credited for the recent good showing of India, who captured the bronze medal in the Hockey World League (HWL) Final last month.

"India have steadily improved over the past couple of years and they are getting better. And I am sure some of that is contributed through the HIL," Stacy, who won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics and followed it up with bronze medals in the 1996 and 2000 Games, pointed out.

"More game you can play at the higher level, you can improve from those matches. It opens the opportunity for players to learn different cultures and different playing styles," the former midfield genius, who retired internationally after playing 321 matches, added.

One of Stacy's high moments came in the final of the 1992 Olympics. His side lost to Germany and Stacy believes that the European side will be a top contender for the title in Rio despite of their diminishing performance in recent matches.

Many feel that the golden generations of Germany, who emerged triumphant in Beijing and London, is over. Some of the key double champions, including ace defender and captain Maximilian Mller, have retired. Their long-serving head coach Markus Wiese has quit, making way for young Valentin Altenburg, the former Dabang Mumbai head coach. And recently Germany didn't meet expectations in the European Championship and the HWL Final.

However, other double champions, Christopher Zeller, Moritz Furste, Tobias Hauke and Oliver Korn will be there and Stacy expects them to make it third in a row.

"I still think they are a strong force. Recently they have not played to their standards I guess but that is also for the changes in the coaching department..By the time Rio comes around, I am sure they will have their plans," Stacy, who continued playing club hockey till 2005 with Orange Zwart, reckoned.

"They have a history of performing well at the bigger tournaments and not that well at the lead-up tournaments. I will be very surprised if they don't play good hockey at Rio."

However, Stacy, even though refused to name his country's side as the hot favourite, feels his compatriots can regain the gold medal after 12 years. He knows the current generation of Kookaburras quite closely as he serves as the head coach of the men's hockey programme at Melbourne-based Victorian Institute of Sports since 2010 and the Victoria Vikings in Australia Hockey League (AHL).

"They have continued on their winning ways. They have a strong 27-member group and to break in to the final 18-member squad will be difficult. They have so many good players," Stacy, who also works as a sales manager, said.

Stacy, who rates 1999 World Player of the Year award as his individual high moment, was full of praise for the Netherlands captain Robert van der Horst, who earlier this week was named 2015's World Player of the Year.

"Robert was the best player last year and there was no doubt about it. He leads them really well and a very strong defender," Stacy concluded.

(Abhishek Purohit can be contacted at abhishek.p@ians.in)

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Rio de Janeiro, Jan 31 (IANS) Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes assured that the zika virus would not represent any threat for the upcoming Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games will take place in August when Brazil is in winter, a season where "there are no (disease-transmitting) mosquitoes" in the Brazilian city due to the low temperatures, Xinhua reported.

"It is obvious that zika is a problem, but it is a problem for us that are here at this moment. It is not a problem for the Olympic Games," explained the mayor.

The city council is currently working on an intense fumigation plan for the Olympic buildings, stadiums and accommodation he added.

Brazil is in a state of health emergency due to an outbreak of the zika virus throughout the country.

The virus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya, causes infected pregnant women to give birth to babies with microcephaly.

Since October 2015, almost 4,200 babies have been born with microcephaly in Brazil.

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New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Joint world record holder Heena Sidhu won gold in the women's 10m Air Pistol event on the opening day of the Asian qualifiers at the Karni Singh Shooting Range here on Wednesday to book a ticket to the Rio Olympics.

Given the expectations and pressures of performing in front of her home crowd, Heena's was a clinical performance and she topped her qualifying round as well with a creditable score of 387.

In the finals, she finished with 199.4 to beat Chinese Tapiei's Tien Chia Chen (198.1) who took the silver. Yun Mi Gim of South Korea got the bronze. The second Olympic quota went to Iran's Golnoush Sebghatollahi who finished fourth. But the fact that both Chinese Taipei and Korea had exhausted their quotas in the event worked to her advantage.

What made Heena's performance even better was the fact that this was her third international gold in five months. The former world number one had won the same event at the 8th Asian Air Gun Championships here in September.

In the eight woman final, once Iran's Elham Harijani and Singapore's Xiu Hong Teh were eliminated, it became clear that one of the two quotas in the event would go to India. But Heena did not let that affect her and performed consistently to end up as the winner.

In the men's 50m Rifle Prone final, South Korea's 2012 London Olympics silver medallist Jonghyun Kim clinched the gold and a Rio berth with a score of 206.3. He had qualified in second position with a score of 625.1. The second quota in the event went to Attapon Vea Aree of Thailand who took home the silver with a score of 206.1 after qualifying in fourth position with a score of 623.4.

Swapnil Kusale was the best finisher among three Indians in the event, scoring 617.2 to finish 14th. Sushil Ghalay finished 17th while Surendra Singh Rathod was 24th.

Japan's Yukie Nakayama, who already had a Rio quota, won the women's Trap, beating China's Qingnian Li in a scintillating shoot-off in the gold medal match up. Both women were tied with 12 points after the regulation 15 shots, with the Chinese girl eventually missing her 17th shot to hand Yukie the gold.

Qingnian however, took the only available quota along with the silver. Fang Cheng of China beat Sarah Alhawal of Kuwait to the bronze. India's Shreyasi Singh missed out on the finals after losing a shoot-off with three other women, two of whom would have made the finals.

In the two other events of the day, India's Vijay Kumar was lying seventh after stage one of the men's Rapid Fire Pistol event with a score of 285. Neeraj Kumar shot 279 to lie 13th and Harpreet Singh logged a score of 278 to be at the 16th position. The second stage and the finals of the event are scheduled for Thursday.

Eita Mori of Japan was leading the first stage with a score of 289, while Sergey Vokhmyanin of Kazakhstan lay second with a score of 288. Yong Hoo Choi of Korea (287) was third.

In the first stage of the men's Trap event, India's quota hope Manavjit Singh Sandhu had an ordinary day by his standards, shooting 23 and 22 out of a possible 50 to lie in the 26th position. However, there are 75 more shots to go and four quotas up for grabs in the event, so he can be expected to catch up on the second day.

Prithviraj Tondaiman of India though was in a creditable second spot shooting scores of 24 and 25 to end one behind Maxim Kolomoyets of Kazakhstan who did not miss any of his 50 shots. Dhaher Alaryani of the UAE was third with 49.

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Moscow, Jan 27 (IANS) Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova must play for the national team next week at the Federation Cup fixture if she wants to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Shamil Tarpishchev, president of the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF), has said.

"If Sharapova wants to play at the Olympics, she will have to play for the national team," Tarpishchev said on Tuesday, reports TASS.

"There are regulations set by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). If Maria does not want to play for the national team but still wants to travel to the Olympics, she will have to lock horns with the ITF," Tarpishchev added.

Sharapova announced earlier on Tuesday she wanted to take care of her injured forearm and was unlikely to play for the national team at the 2016 Federations Cup encounter against the Dutch squad in Moscow on February 6-7.

Sharapova was knocked out on Tuesday from the 2016 Australian Open after losing in a quarter-final match to American Serena Williams in straight sets 4-6, 1-6. The match lasted little over than an hour and a half.

Last year also Sharapova lost to Williams at the Australian Open as they both clashed in the final of the Grand Slam series tournament.

Speaking after the match in an interview posted with the Australia Open official website, Sharapova said, "I'm going to go and take care of my forearm first."

"I think that's really important," she was quoted as saying.

"I'm going to go to Moscow, be part of the team. I don't think I'll be playing. Then I'm not sure."

Commenting on her statement, Tarpishchev said: "I do not know why she made such statement after her match with Williams."

"Perhaps, she and her managers should thoroughly think it over once again," Tarpishchev added.

Sharapova, who is currently worlds No.5 in the rankings, repeatedly stated earlier that her main goal this year was to play at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

However, the 28-year-old tennis star needs playing for the national team in order to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazils Rio de Janeiro.

In line with the regulations of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), a player must perform for the national team at least three times over the course of a four-year period.

Last year, Sharapova played for the national squad twice. It was the 2015 Fed Cup quarter-final encounter against the team from Poland and then the final match against the Czech team.

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Rio de Janeiro, Jan 25 (IANS) More than 220,000 Olympic tickets were sold during the first two days of the last major sales phase for Brazilian residents.

The most sought after tickets were for athletics, swimming, football, handball, the opening and closing ceremonies, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, tennis, judo and gymnastics, reports Xinhua.

"About 500,000 tickets became available and the demand was intense, with peaks of more than 3,000 transactions per minute," Rio 2016 organisers said on Sunday.

Locals can buy tickets from the Rio 2016 tickets website while non-Brazilian residents can make purchases via authorised ticket resellers in their regions. More tickets are expected to become available to Brazilian residents through the ticket resale programme launched in October.

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New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Akhilesh Das Gupta said here on Saturday that the country’s shuttlers will bring home not one but at least two medals from the Rio Olympics later this uear.

Saina Nehwal became the first, and only, Indian to win an Olympic medal in badminton when she brought home a bronze from London in 2012.

“India will win at least two medals if not more from Rio Olympics and the colour of the metal will be even better,” Das Gupta assured.

The sports administrator, who is also the chairman of the ongoing Premier Badminton League (PBL), said the six-team tournament will benefit Indian players to perform better in the future.

“Legendary shuttler Lee Chong Wei recently said that the players who will benefit most from this league are Indians,” said the PBL chairman.

Importantly, Das Gupta added that the players taking part in the league have already received their payments. In the 2013 Indian Badminton League (IBL), a lot of controversy surrounded the players and coaching staff’s remuneration, with several of them not being paid for months.

Das Gupta, in a light hearted comment, also hinted that chief national coach Pullela Gopichand, who is also a governing council member of the tournament, might be elevated to the position of commissioner from next edition.

“Gopichand has been the real backbone behind the PBL. He is not just a good coach but an able administrator as well and he might be made commissioner for the next edition of PBL,” said Das Gupta.

The trophies for the winning team and runners-up were also unveiled by Das Gupta, Gopichand and the owners of the two finalist teams.

The league is all set to culminate at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Sunday evening where the Delhi Acers will take on Mumbai Rockets in the final.

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Kolkata, Jan 16 (IANS) Indian track and field athlete O.P. Jaisha says she has been dreaming of an Olympic medal since her childhood and would not leave any stone unturned to grab it at the Rio Games later this year.

"My dream is to win an Olympic medal. It has been something I have nurtured for years. I will give it my best. I have been training hard for Rio. Let's see, but surely I will do my best," Jaisha told IANS over the phone from Mumbai.

The 32-year-old is presently preparing for Sunday's Mumbai Marathon. Jaisha had finished eighth at the event last year, clocking two hours, 37 minutes and 29 seconds.

She bettered the timing at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing by finishing the 42.195 km race in 2:34:43 which has made her the current national record holder in the marathon.

Asked about her preparations for the Mumbai event, she said: "Training has been good. I have the experience now since I have been running in a few marathons. Last year also I did well, so I am hoping to repeat it or do better this time."

Jaisha is looking forward to running against the world's top athletes in Mumbai, who will raise the bar of competition. Elite Indian athletes including the likes of Sudha Singh and Lalita Babar, both of whom train with Jaisha, will also run in the event.

"The good thing about the marathon is that we have competitors from all over the world here and we get to run with the best. Nowadays we have improved a lot to compete against them. It is also a platform to gauge one's strength," she said.

"We also want to go abroad and compete in races with top athletes to see where we stand. Ideally I want to finish second or third here."

The athlete, who hails from Kerala, also heaped praise on Belarusian coach Nikolai Snesarev, saying that his discipline and knowledge have helped the trio of Jaisha, Lalita and Sudha get better with time.

"I like his discipline. Without him we won't be here. After his arrival, there's been a difference of heaven and earth," Jaisha said.

"There is this continuity with him which we enjoy. He scolds us also but that is part and parcel of our routine. Before every competition we are given targets and we focus on it and try to achieve it. We respect him a lot."

Questioned about how much she run in a week, the Incheon Asian Games bronze medal winner said, "I run around 210 to 220 km every week. In the morning, I practice for around three to four hours and in the evening, it is around one and half."

She said that she prefers to run in the 5,000 metres category and that she is running the marathon for endurance strength. "I am running in the marathon for endurance but I preferably want to compete in 5,000 metres."

Snesarev, a few days ago, had blasted the Railways for asking the trio to take part in a cross country race one week before the Mumbai Marathon. Speaking about it, Jaisha said: "We could not reach there on time. Hence, we did not take part."

(Debdoot Das can be contacted at debdoot.d@ians.in)

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Mumbai, Jan 15 (IANS) Indian long distance runner Lalita Babar on Friday said she will be competing in the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase at the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, also adding that the Mumbai Marathon will give her the much-needed confidence ahead of the Games.

India's biggest names among distance runners, Nitendra Singh Rawat, O.P. Jaisha and Babbar, among others are all set for the Mumbai Marathon here on Sunday.

Among the women athletes running the marathon are Jaisha from Kerala who is the current national record holder for her performance at the 2015 Mumbai Marathon.

Lalita is the current national record holder in the women's 3000m steeplechase. The Central Railways athlete is a three-time winner of the Mumbai Marathon.

Sudha Singh, a consistent performer in steeplechase events, was an Asian Games gold medallist in 2010. She was also the winner in Mumbai in 2014 in the half marathon category and was the runner-up at the Delhi Half Marathon in the same year.

Last year's half marathon champion Kavita Raut will return this year to try her luck in the full marathon.

"At the Olympics, my target is to run for the 3,000m steeplechase. I want to concentrate on the 3000m steeplechase and want to win medals in the Olympics. To do well in the Olympics, I have to give my best in the Mumbai Marathon,” Lalita said in a press conference here.

The 26-year-old said she has been training in Ooty for almost two years to sharpen her skills. Her gold medal at the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China, this year helped her qualify comfortably for the Olympics.

"For the past one year and 10 months I have been training in Ooty and the preparations have been good for the marathon. In Ooty we have been running 230 kilometres per week. I am running in the marathon to sharpen my skills in the race but my main target is the Olympics," she said.

Lalita also stressed that the hot and humid weather here can pose a challenge for the Indian runners who were training in high altitude for the past couple of months.

"But with the hot and humid weather in Mumbai, I wish the race gets over before noon so that we can give out best in the race," she said.

On the other hand, O.P. Jaisha looked confident in her approach but stressed that 5000 metre and 1500 metre is what she will be gunning for in the upcoming days post the Marathon.

"I am running Marathon but my aim is 5000 metre and 1500 metre. I want to use this Marathon to get my skills on right track and do well ahead and my target is Olympics," Jaisha said.

"All athletes are training well and we have to put in our best performance to come out victorious. I think training for more than a year in Ooty will help us in Marathon and days to come. In Ooty we have been running 230 km per week," she said.

The cut-off mark to qualify for Marathon in Olympics is two hours 19 minutes for men and two hours 45 minutes for women.

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Miami, Jan 1 (AP) Olympic champion boxer Howard Davis Jr, who won the 1976 gold medal and was named over US teammate Sugar Ray Leonard as the most outstanding fighter in the Montreal Games, has died of cancer, his wife said today.

Davis, 59, died today at his Plantation home, surrounded by family, Karla Guadamuz-Davis said.

His diagnosis of stage four lung cancer in February just before his birthday came as a shock because he had never smoked, she said.

The cancer spread to his liver, and the family chose to discontinue treatment in a hospital this week.

"We decided to bring him home," Guadamuz-Davis said. "He was in my arms."

In the 1976 Olympics, Davis was voted the outstanding boxer, out-polling his teammates Leonard, and Michael and Leon Spinks.

His mother died three days before the Montreal Games, and he considered withdrawing. Instead, he stayed, and dedicated his lightweight gold medal to his mother's memory.

"It was devastating," Davis told the New York Post in August. "But I remembered her pointing her finger in my face and telling me, 'You'd better win the gold medal.' I wasn't going to be denied. There was no way I was going to lose."

Davis was considered by many to be better than Leonard on the star-studded 1976 American team. As a pro, however, his career never matched his Olympic exploits.

The gold medal awarded to Davis was a story unto itself.

According to Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, the medal was stolen in 1981 from Davis' Long Island home but the robber apparently tossed it from his car while fleeing police.

Ten years later, a highway landscaper came across a piece of metal while at work. He cleaned it up and used it for a paperweight for the next four years.

In 1991, a visitor to the landscaper's home recognized the paperweight for what it was. The landscaper, Jake Fiesel, tracked down Davis and called him. The boxer was finally reunited with his medal.

Davis retired from boxing in 1996 with a professional record of 36-6-1 with 14 knockouts, according to his biography on the Howard Davis Jr. Foundation's website.

Davis went on to train mixed martial arts fighters, including Chuck Liddell, who posted an image of an undated Polaroid showing him with Davis on his Instagram account on yesterday.

"A great coach and good friend. Rest in peace my brother," Liddell wrote.

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Rio de Janeiro, Jan 1 (IANS) The arrival of the year of 2016 Rio Olympics was marked here with special fireworks show at the famous Copacabana Beach on Thursday-Friday night.

The fireworks show is a traditional New Year's Eve party in Rio held every year. But this year -- with less than eight months to go till the Rio Olympics, special fireworks show highlighting the Olympic spirit through images and sounds was displayed, reports Xinhua.

"We start the year of the Olympics. We think that 2016 is a year to stay in the city's history. Nothing better to start this year with this very special party, which is the Copacabana New Year's Eve," said Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes.

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Saint Petersburg, Dec 30 (IANS) European Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen has said that Russia is unlikely to feature in the Olympics athletics at Rio next year.

Russia was suspended on November 13 by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) for alleged involvement of its athletes in widespread doping.

An IAAF inspection team will visit Russia in January. After the visit, the committee is likely to report the findings to the IAAF Council at Cardiff on March 27.

"For the moment they have to fulfil the conditions, but I cannot really see them competing in Rio," Hansen was quoted as saying by the BBC on Tuesday.

"They must have a cultural change," he said. "They must get rid of all those people from before."

"We know some good people in Russian athletics and I'm sure they will be elected. We hope that some new people will come in who really understand that this must be changed."

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New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) International referee from India, Ashok Kumar has been selected for officiating in the Rio Olympics next year.

This is the first time in the in the Indian wrestling history that a referee from India will be officiating at the Olympic Games.

A total of 50 referees, including supervisors and instructors, have qualified for the Olympics. The United World Wrestling (UWW) has picked nine referees from Asia and Ashok Kumar, currently serving as a warrant officer in the Indian Air Force, is the only one from India.

The referees have been selected based upon their performance during the 2015 World Senior Wrestling Championship held at Las Vegas from September and subsequently the clinic conducted for these referees at Sochi, Russia from December 11-13.

Ashok Kumar has participated in more than 50 international tournaments as referee.

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Kolkata, Dec 20 (IANS) Elite athletes on Sunday had a tough time running on Kolkata roads during the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K run as rickshaws and even dogs came in their way on a foggy morning.

Asian games bronze medallist and current national record holder in Marathon O.P. Jaisha shared her unpleasant experience with the media after finishing third with a timing of 1:28:05 at the event.

"There was a lot of traffic on the streets. Dogs, rickshaws, cars came in our way while we were running which was very disturbing.

"Sometimes these things were happening when we were running fast," Jaisha said.

Sudha Singh (1:27:31) and Lalita Babar (1:27:47) grabbed the first and second place, respectively.

Sudha Singh said there were no pilot cars for the athletes running in the event. "We were not given a pilot car. It was difficult to run."

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Rio de Janeiro, Dec 19 (IANS) The city of Rio de Janeiro closes 2015 with 95 percent of the work at the Olympic Park concluded, according to a press release published by Rio city hall.

In Barra da Tijuca, where the Olympic Park is, and at the Deodoro Sports Complex, six venues are already concluded and another eight reached 90 percent or more of its execution, Xinhua cited the statement as saying on Friday.

The most recent to reach this stage was the Tennis Centre, which received the last test event of the year -- the first in the Olympic Park -- and had its main court inaugurated.

The Tennis Centre reached its 90 percent all over the complex, which has 16 courts.

The six concluded venues are: Arena of the Future (handball and goalball), the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), the Golf Course, the Mountain Bike Centre, the BMX Centre and the Whitewater Stadium.

Those last three are part of the X-Park in Deodoro, one of the most important venues of the social legacy, in one of the less well-off regions in the city.

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Judges of the high court in Pretoria changed his manslaughter conviction to murder on December 3, BBC reported. Pistorius, 29, was convicted at the Pretoria High Court in October 2014 of a culpable homicide of Steenkamp, whom he said he allegedly mistook for an intruder at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day 2013.

In his bail affidavit, he said he had no income. During the hearing, his lawyer said he was only able to pay a sum of 10,000 rands ($700) for his bail.

He now faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence for Steenkamp's murder.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 18, 2016.

The athlete would also appeal against his murder conviction in the Constitutional Court, his lawyer said.

Last week, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein accepted prosecution arguments and ruled that the lower court did not correctly apply the concept of "dolus eventualis" - whether Pistorius knew that a death would be a likely result of his actions.

The ruling said that having armed himself with a high-calibre weapon, Pistorius must have foreseen that whoever was behind the door might die, especially given his firearms training.

Pistorius can remain under house arrest at his uncle's home until sentencing next year, and will be electronically tagged. He also has to hand over his passport.

He will be able to leave the house between 7.00 a.m. and midday, but will only be able to move within a 20 km radius.

He is currently under house arrest after he was released from prison on October 19 under "correctional supervision", having served a sixth of his original five-year sentence.

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Toronto, Dec 7 (IANS)

Arjun Gill, 24, won in the 97-kg freestyle category at a three-day top-calibre Freestyle and Greco-Roman competition held in Strathcona county in Alberta province of Canada, earning an opportunity within Olympic weight classes, The Voice reported.

Meanwhile, Wrestling Canada Lutte -- the national sport governing body for Olympic style wrestling in Canada that selects and prepares Canada's teams that participate in international competitions -- said that after the trial competition that concluded on Sunday, they will now focus on qualification tournaments.

"With weight class rankings completed, Wrestling Canada Lutte staff can now concentrate on team preparations for the upcoming international qualification events in order to guarantee Canadian entries for the 2016 Olympic Games," Tamara Medwidsky, the body's executive director, said.

The international qualifying events would start from March with Pan American Olympic qualifier to be held from March 4-6 in the US.

The first two-day international qualifier event would kick-off on April 22 in Mongolia, while the final international qualifier event would be held between May 6 and 8 in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to an official website, the 2016 Olympic Games will be held between August 5 and 21 in which 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will take part to compete in 306 medal events.

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