Reuters Sports News Summary

08/22/2016 0:57

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Australian athletes reclaim seized passports

Nine Australian Olympic athletes had their passports returned on Sunday, a team official said, after an accreditation problem at the Rio Games earlier saw them risk missing their flight home. The nine athletes were briefly detained by police, collectively fined 90,000 reais ($28,000) and had their passports seized after entering the basketball arena without proper accreditation on Friday night.

Rainy Rio wraps up challenging Games on upbeat tropical note

A blustery storm, a touch of melancholy and a sense of pride converged at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympics on Sunday as Brazil breathed a collective sigh of relief at having pulled off South America's first Games. After a grueling 17 days, Rio de Janeiro cast aside early struggles with empty venues, security scares and a mysterious green diving pool to throw a huge Carnival-like party.

Bolt reigns supreme but too many empty seats

Usain Bolt delivered. Mo Farah, Elaine Thompson, David Rudisha, three world records and a dominant United States played their part too, as athletics enjoyed being back in the limelight for the right reasons after a torrid year. The absent Russia team were not missed but the absent fans were and organizers will need to find out why the crowds were so small for what should have been the center-point of the Games.

Boxing: Shields wears two golds around her neck

Claressa Shields brought one gold medal to the ring with her and left with two hanging around her neck after retaining her Olympic middleweight title and making U.S. boxing history on Sunday. As a gesture of confidence, having the 2012 gold in her pocket before the fight in the expectation of showing it off alongside another took some beating.

Basketball: U.S. golden run set to continue at Tokyo 2020

Geno Auriemma, coach of the U.S. women's Olympic gold medal-winning basketball team, says he is constantly reminded that, "It's not whether you win or lose -- until you lose." And that is easy to forget when losing is something you rarely experience.

Wrestling: U.S. grab last gold, Mongolian strip-off steals show

Kyle Snyder of the United States won the last wrestling gold medal of the Rio Olympics on Sunday but Mongolia provided the most vivid drama when two of its coaches stripped off in protest at their man's defeat in an earlier bout. Snyder fought a cagey, low-scoring contest in the 97 kg category against Azerbaijan's Khetag Goziumov, hanging in to defend his 2-1 lead as his opponent pressed hard in the closing seconds in a bid to lift and throw him.

Basketball: U.S. routs Serbia for third straight gold

A ruthless United States pounded Serbia 96-66 to claim a third straight Olympic men's basketball title on Sunday, giving coach Mike Krzyzewski a golden send-off. After scrapping to a tense three-point win over Serbia in the group round, the United States quickly removed any suspense from the rematch, surging to a 52-29 halftime lead then cruising to their 25th straight win on Olympic hardwood.

Britain revels in return to superpower status

The "Great Haul of China" in 2008 was seen as something of an aberration, 2012's success was surely all through home advantage but, after their best medal return from an overseas Games, Britain is indisputably back as an Olympic superpower. Twenty years ago, long before marketers invented "Team GB," Britain trudged home from Atlanta with a solitary gold medal courtesy of rowers Steve Redgrave and Matt Pinsent and just 15 in all, placing a humiliating 36th in the medal table.

Volleyball: Brazil's men beat Italy for third gold

Brazil's men's volleyball team defeated Italy on Sunday to win their third gold medal in the sport and cap their country's best Olympic performance with a total of seven golds in the Rio Games. The Brazilians had lost to the Italians in a pool match but won the final in straight sets 25-22 28-26 26-24, handing Italy its third silver medal in men's volleyball.

Lochte apologizes to Brazil on national TV

U.S. gold medalist Ryan Lochte admitted to Brazil's largest broadcaster Saturday night that he had exaggerated his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio - but insisted he did not lie. In an interview aired on Globo TV after the proud soccer country won its first Olympic gold in a penalty shootout, Lochte apologized to the nation.

08/22/2016 0:57