Reuters Sports News Summary

08/03/2016 3:57

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis : Wawrinka pulls out and Groth gets call

World number four Stan Wawrinka has pulled out of the tennis competition at this month's Rio Olympics because of injury. "I am very sad because after Beijing and London I would have liked to experience my third Olympic Games in Brazil, unfortunately that will now not be possible," he said in a Swiss Tennis Federation statement on Tuesday.

WADA in the crosshairs, as IOC members fume at late response

The World Anti-Doping Agency was told it needed to restore its reputation as the war of words over the timing of its response to the Russian doping scandal escalated on Tuesday. WADA has been criticized by members of the International Olympic Committee for not acting on information from whistleblowers of widespread doping in Russia until it became public through the media last year.

Expanded UCI WorldTour travels to new roads

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced an expanded WorldTour calendar for 2017 that will see the series host premier level races in five countries, including Britain and the United States, for a first time. "The expanded series will consist of 37 events. Alongside the three Grand Tours, there will be 14 stage races and 20 one-day events," the UCI said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Former Ferrari driver Amon dies aged 73

Former Ferrari driver Chris Amon, often described as one of the best in Formula One never to have won a race, has died at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer, family of the New Zealand motorsport great said on Wednesday. Amon was part of a well-known trio of New Zealand drivers competing in Formula One in the 1960s and early 70s alongside Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, who both enjoyed more successful careers in the sport's premier series.

Volleyball : Copacabana perfect setting for showcase event

They have played for Olympic gold in parks, next to car parks and on royal parade grounds, but at the Rio Games beach volleyball will actually be played -- on a beach. Only once since the sport became part of the Olympic program in 1996 has beach volleyball, the most hedonistic of Olympic events, been staged on a genuine stretch of sand shared by sun worshippers and surfers.

Hockey : U.S. women eager to put ghosts of London to rest

Four years after finishing last at the London Olympics, the U.S. women's hockey team are hoping a revamped training program will help exorcize the ghost of that performance and perhaps earn a spot on the podium in Rio de Janeiro. "A lot can happen within four years ... although we finished last, we're still writing our own script and come Aug. 6 we'll be writing a new chapter," said Katelyn Falgowski, a 27-year-old mid-fielder and three-time member of the U.S. Olympic squad.

Brazil to deploy military to tourist sites, stadium security lax

Brazil said on Tuesday it was deploying the military to patrol the emblematic tourist sites in Rio de Janeiro to guard against the "minimal" chance of an attack, though security at the Olympic stadium appeared slack three days before the Games. Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes said deploying the military to the Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain would free up police to patrol other areas of the city during the Games, which run from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21.

Blanket Russia ban would have been 'nuclear option:' IOC's Bach

A blanket ban on Russia at the Rio de Janeiro Games would have had devastating consequences, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday. The IOC opted not to ban all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics after revelations of a wide state-backed doping program across many sports.

Pele asked to light Rio pyre, checks with sponsors

Pele has been invited to light the Olympic pyre for the Rio Games on Friday but the Brazilian soccer great is checking with his sponsors to see if he is free to lead the torch ceremony in the Maracana stadium. "I have a contract that I am bound to fulfill," Pele told Globo TV late on Tuesday, adding that he was consulting the U.S. company that holds the rights to his brand name whether he can take up the invitation from the Olympic organizing committee.

Athletes say Village much improved but gripes remain

Despite lingering issues with plumbing and laundry, athletes and training staff say the Olympic Village is much improved, nine days after blocked toilets and exposed wiring forced the Australian team to move. Organizers hired around 600 people to work on repairing the 31-building complex housing more than 17,000 participants at the Rio de Janeiro Games and within days they had coaxed the Aussies back.

08/03/2016 3:57