Reuters Sports News Summary

08/25/2016 3:57

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

South American game was run for personal gain, says head

South America soccer was run as a fiefdom by a few leading officials for personal gain before they were brought to account by U.S. law enforcement, the head of the regional governing body CONMEBOL said on Wednesday. The Paraguay-based CONMEBOL, many of whose officials were indicted in the U.S.-led investigation into corruption at world football's governing body FIFA last year, had no books prior to 2013 and enjoyed diplomatic immunity, Alejandro Dominguez said.

Rio Olympics was like a cold war, says Russian Efimova

Russian Yulia Efimova, who won two Olympic silver medals this month after being cleared to compete in Rio following a doping ban, has compared swimming in the Games to being at war. Initially excluded from the event because of her doping record, the 24-year-old won a last-minute legal challenge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and finished second in the 100 and 200 meters breaststroke in Brazil.

Weightlifting: Three Chinese 2008 Olympic champions test positive

Three Chinese Olympic champions in women's weightlifting from the 2008 Beijing Games have failed doping tests conducted eight years later, the sport's governing body (IWF) said on Wednesday. The trio were among 15 weightlifters who tested positive for a variety of banned substances after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) re-tested samples using methods which were more advanced than the ones available at the time.

Federer plans January return in Australia

Roger Federer, who is sidelined for the rest of the year, said on Wednesday he plans to return to competition in Australia in January at the Hopman Cup and the Australian Open. The record 17-times grand slam singles winner announced last month that he would be missing the Rio Olympics, the U.S. Open and the remainder of the 2016 schedule in order to properly recover after having knee surgery earlier this year.

FIFA panel opens probes into South Africa match-fixing cases

FIFA's ethics watchdog has opened formal proceedings against ex-South Africa football chief Kirsten Nematandani and two other functionaries over alleged violations connected to fixing international friendlies in 2010, it said on Wednesday. The adjudicatory chamber of global soccer body FIFA's independent Ethics Committee said it opened cases against Nematandani, former Zimbabwe Football Association official Jonathan Musavengana and former Togo national team coach Bana Tchanile.

Solo hit with six-month ban over 'cowards' comments

U.S. Soccer handed goalkeeper Hope Solo a six-month ban from internationals on Wednesday after she branded opponents Sweden "a bunch of cowards" at this month's Rio Olympics. The Swedes beat the United States 4-3 in a shootout on Aug. 12 to move into the semi-finals at the Rio Games, denying the Americans a chance to win a fourth straight Olympic title.

U.S. Olympic swimmer Feigen says he omitted facts to protect teammates

U.S. Olympic swimmer Jimmy Feigen apologized on Wednesday for omitting key details when he told Rio de Janeiro police this month that he and fellow swimmers had been held up at gunpoint. In a statement on the website of an Austin, Texas, law firm, Feigen said he failed to tell police that the swimmers had urinated behind a building or that teammate Ryan Lochte had torn a metal-framed advertising poster from a wall.

Olympic flag arrives in Tokyo, governor calls for unity

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike brought the Olympic flag to Japan from Brazil on Wednesday and called for all parties to work together to host a successful Summer Games in 2020. Koike, who was elected last month after two predecessors stepped down over scandals that clouded the city's Games preparations, was given the flag at the Rio Games closing ceremony on Sunday.

Rejuvenated Hamilton has 50th win in his sights

Lewis Hamilton can become only the third driver to win 50 grands prix when Formula One returns from its month-long August break and gets back to business at Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. The triple world champion ended the first half of the season in blistering form, opening up a 19-point lead in the standings over Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg with six wins -- four in a row -- from the last seven races.

Day and Johnson command spotlight at Bethpage

World number one Jason Day and second-ranked Dustin Johnson launch their title bids at The Barclays on Thursday amid longer-term hopes of securing the PGA Tour's season-ending FedExCup and Player of the Year honors. The Barclays, won last year by Australian Day, is the first of four lucrative FedExCup events that conclude the 2015-16 schedule with a playoff bonus of $10 million going to the overall champion.

08/25/2016 3:57