WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014 SPORTS Rio faces marathon run in to 2016 Olympics RIO DE JANEIRO: With two years to go Rio de top priority,” said Bach after talks with the Brazilian the Olympic venue at Deodoro, due to host seven the bay last Thursday. There are also television sets, Janeiro faces a marathon race to ensure their 2016 president on the eve of his compatriot’s World Cup disciplines including equestrian, cycling, shooting sofas, shoes and other unwholesome items swept Olympic Games match the success of the World win. In April a very different tone was struck by IOC and fencing. Work should have started in 2013, it into the bay in the deluge of sewage that comes Cup. Germany’s triumph over Argentina at Rio’s vice-president John Coates. The Australian caused a eventually began on July 3. from Rio. Maracana stadium brought the curtain down on a stir when criticising Rio’s preparations as “the worst In Deodoro, three venues already exist, a legacy Brazilian authorities say that 80% of the pollution World Cup heralded as one of the best ever staged. that I’ve experienced” in his 40 years involvement from the 2007 PanAmerican Games, others must be in Guanabara Bay will be cleaned by the time the Now the spotlight falls on the ‘marvellous city”s with the Olympics. He later tried to defuse the row built from scratch. Their delivery date has been set Games start on August 5, 2016. ambitious $16 billion project for the Olympics’ first his comments caused by saying the city of 10 mil- for the first half of 2016, not allowing any margin for Forty kilometres from the bay, lies a vast waste- visit to South America. Over half the budget, which lion could deliver an “excellent” Games. error. The first venue to undergo a 2016 Games land - the site of what is supposed to become the exceeds that of the London 2012 Games, is being Organisers are now optimistic that the deadline dress rehearsal is Rio’s bay, 23 Olympic medal win- main Olympic Park, home to 15 sports. met by the private sector or joint private/public for Olympic-related work will be met, with 52 of the ning yachtsmen began trials there on Saturday. Strikes and delays have hampered the start of sources. 71 Olympic projects in varying states of completion. Despite the picture postcard setting, with the work - the cycling Velodrome has only just begun to Early preparations for the August 5-12, 2016 There are a further 27 projects targeted at Sugar Loaf mountain providing a majestic back- be built. Golf makes its Olympic debut in Rio - part event had been sluggish, fuelling concerns even improving life for Rio’s inhabitants and its sprawling drop, conditions in the water were far from idyllic. of the irrigation system is in place and the fairways within the International Olympic Committee suburbs. These are headed by the renovation of the “We found a lot of plastic bottles and bags. laid between now and September 2015. (IOC)about the city’s ability to deliver. port area, a new underground line and new rapid Yesterday we saw a dead dog in the water,” reported With all the work ahead it’s clear the 720 days For Olympic chief Thomas Bach, the Games are bus system. Mathew Belcher, London Olympic champion in the before the lighting of the Olympic cauldron on now Brazil’s number one objective.”I was pleased to “We’re sure that the Games in Rio will be well 470 class. “If the Olympics were tomorrow, we August 5 are going to flash by. hear the confidence President Rousseff has in the organized,” General Fernando Azevedo e Silva, presi- would really have a problem,” the Australian told the But Rio organisers can take heart from the World Games and what they will deliver, and it was good dent of Brazil’s Olympic Public Authority, said last Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. An AFP photogra- Cup, which too faced a frantic scramble to be ready to hear that the Games and their legacy will be a week. One of the projects that suffered delays was pher found a dead cat in the water during a tour of - a battle won in the end handsomely. — AFP Dodig upsets Isner TORONTO: Ivan Dodig made a triumphant return from injury with a 6-4 6-7 (4) 6-3 upset victory over 10th seeded American John Isner in the opening round of Rogers Cup on Monday after the Croat missed nearly three months with a broken rib. Dodig, back on court for the first time since retiring in the opening round of the French Open, showed no sign of rust as he consigned Isner to a second consecutive first round loss. Twice a winner this season, Isner got his North American hard court campaign off to a confident start by picking up a ninth career title two weeks ago in Atlanta. However, the big-serving American has been misfiring ever since, suffering an early exit to compatriot Steve Johnson last week in Washington, followed by another shock loss in Toronto. “I was really happy to play again and to beat Isner is a great win for me for sure,” said Dodig, who has watched his world ranking dip to number 62. “I hope I can continue. I’m just really happy to be again on the court this is most important to me. “He is the guy who can beat anybody and a Ivan Dodig great player for many years. Today was tough winner on the ATP Tour this season, continued Australian former world number one Lleyton NEW YORK: In this Sept. 30, 2013, file photo provided by Fitzpatrick match for both of us and I was a little bit more his domination of Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin Hewitt, twice a winner this season, never found Communications, Anthony Bosch is escorted by Major League Baseball security per- lucky this time.” Isner was not the only big name taking a 6-2 4-6 7-5 decision to improve his his footing on the Canadian hard court falling 6- son Ric Burnham (right) at MLB headquarters in New York. — AP to falter and he was joined in the departure record to 5-1. In an all-French battle 13th seeded 1 6-2 to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, playing lounge by 14th seeded Spaniard Roberto Tsonga survived an early challenge from Eduard his 242nd ATP Tour event and still searching for a Clinic owner tied to MLB Bautista Agut, who was dispatched 7-6 (7) 6-3 by Roger-Vasselin before easing to a 7-6 (3) 6-1 win. first title. The Canadian stop is considered one of compatriot Feliciano Lopez. “It’s always difficult when you didn’t play for a the key warmup events ahead of the U.S. Open The tournament got off to a stuttering start few weeks but it was my choice and I practiced a starting later this month and has again attracted scandal to plead guilty with morning and afternoon matches interrupt- lot during those weeks,” said Tsonga, after play- a top flight field that includes world number one ed by rain but despite the stormy weather, the ing his first match since a fourth round loss to Djokovic and 17-time grand slam winner Roger MIAMI: The former clinic owner accused of tract because of a morals clause in their two other seeds in action on Day One, Marin Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. Federer. There is an added buzz surrounding this selling performance-enhancing drugs to contract, but if that were to happen I think Cilic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, progressed into the “Of course, you know, when you come on the year’s event in the hockey-mad country after baseball star Alex Rodriguez agreed to it would have already happened,” McCann second round. court for the first time again, you want to be local players Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil plead guilty Tuesday in what prosecutors said. “In terms of punishment from baseball, good. You want to see if your practice was good clashed at the Citi Open in Washington on called a wide-ranging conspiracy to distrib- baseball has punished them.” TSONGA CONTENT or not. “So I was a little bit more stressful but in Sunday, facing off in a first ever all-Canadian ATP ute steroids to both major league ballplay- The prosecution may have taken so long Croatian 15th seed Cilic, another two-time the second set I played well. So it’s good.” Tour final. — Reuters ers and high school athletes. because investigators might have wanted The charges against former Biogenesis to confirm the information they were get- of America owner Anthony Bosch and six ting from Bosch, even if he was cooperat- others marked one of the biggest salvos yet ing, McCann said. in a case that has dragged on for nearly two “He’s not somebody with a great track years. The case has sparked lawsuits, mud- record, there are reasons to doubt him in slinging and suspensions against numerous terms of his credibility,” he said. major leaguers, including Rodriguez. Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Rodriguez, Also charged was Yuri Sucart, 52, a said the arrests Tuesday represent a degree cousin of Rodriguez who the New York of closure for Rodriguez and will enable him Yankees third baseman has said provided to focus on an eventual return to baseball. him with steroids from 2000 to 2003 when “It sort of reinforces the notion that Alex he played for the Texas Rangers.