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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2016 1:29:09 GMT
Canada’s Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the Rio Olympics citing health concerns. The world No. 7 announced he would not be participating in the Games in a post on his verified Facebook page. It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my withdrawal from participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After much deliberation with my family and coaches, I am making this decision for a variety of health concerns including the uncertainty around the Zika virus. This was a difficult, personal choice and I do not wish for it to impact the decision of any other athlete heading to the Games. I would like to thank Tennis Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee for their ongoing support. I am very proud to have competed for Canada at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and on the world stage at several Davis Cup events. I look forward to cheering on Team Canada this summer. The 25-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., made the final at Wimbledon last weekend — his first Grand Slam final appearance — losing in straight sets to Britain’s Andy Murray His current schedule calls for him to play next at the Rogers Cup in Toronto starting July 25. “We fully respect Milos’ decision as we are sure this is not one he made easily,” Kelly Murumets, president and CEO of Tennis Canada, said in statement. “Milos represents Canada proudly week after week around the world and we look forward to future opportunities for him to join Team Canada again on the court.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 18, 2016 1:53:33 GMT
You wanted the greatest, Katy Perry gave you the greatest. In the inspirational video for her soaring Rio Olympics anthem "Rise," Katy Perry pays tribute to the runners, gymnasts, swimmers, soccer stars and countless other athletes who will push themselves to the very limit next month at the 2016 Olympic games. Perry shared her first new song since the release of 2013's Prism album on Thursday night and on Friday morning (July 15) she dropped the action-packed video for the track co-written by Perry, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami. And though she doesn't appear in the Joseph Lee-directed clip, there is plenty of superstar power in the form of most-decorated Olympian in history swimmer Michael Phelps, as well as members of the U.S. track and field team, gymnastic powerhouse Simone Biles, swimming sensation Missy Franklin, Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt and the four-time champion U.S. women's soccer team, among dozens of other decorated and hopeful athletes traveling to Brazil. "This is a song that’s been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface. 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,” Perry 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. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together. I am honored that NBC Olympics has chosen to use it as an anthem before and during the Rio Games.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2016 1:32:18 GMT
The US and Canadian anti-doping agencies plan to request that all Russian athletes, not just those on the already-banned track & field team, are barred from participating in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, according to a leaked letter seen by Reuters. "The only appropriate, and permissible, course of action in these unprecedented circumstances is for the IOC to immediately suspend the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees from the Olympic Movement... and declare that no athlete can represent Russia at the Rio Olympic Games," says the draft letter, signed by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) CEO Paul Melia. Russian long-jumper Darya Klishina has hit back at critics who branded her a traitor after she was cleared to compete under a neutral flag at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Last Sunday's decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to uphold Klishina's appeal against a blanket ban on her Russia's track and field athletes for doping led to the athlete attracting criticism on social media.
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Post by Admin on Jul 22, 2016 1:33:35 GMT
Rio de Janeiro's acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a "big failure," because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the Games. In an interview with Rio's O Globo daily, Francisco Dornelles said the state is still awaiting a 2.9 billion Brazilian real ($860 million) payout from the federal government aimed at shoring up state coffers ahead of the Aug. 5-21 event. He warned that without those funds, police patrols may grind to a halt by the end of the week, for lack of gas money. "How are people going to feel protected in a city without security," Dornelles was quoted as asking. I'm optimistic about the Games, but I have to show reality," he said. "We can have a great Olympics, but if some steps aren't taken, it can be a big failure."
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Post by Admin on Jul 25, 2016 1:51:50 GMT
Russian track and field athletes will remain banned from the Olympics following claims the country ran a state-sponsored doping programme. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 Russian athletes attempted to overturn the suspension, implemented by the body that governs world athletics. However, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva - one of the 68 to appeal to Cas - said the ruling was "a blatant political order", while the Russian Foreign Ministry called it a a "crime against sport". Isinbayeva, the 2012 gold medallist, 34, told the Tass news agency: "Thank you all for this funeral for athletics." The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said it was "pleased Cas has supported its position", adding that the judgement had "created a level playing field for athletes".
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