Rory McIlroy "believes he may only have two chances" to win an Olympic Medal "unless there is a change in attitude to the sport's return to the Games." McIlroy said in January that major championships "would always be more important to him" than an Olympic Medal, but asked on Wednesday why he would be playing in Rio, the 27-year-old said, "Two reasons -- Because of how it's being approached in golf circles, it's being played in Rio this year and Tokyo in 2020. ... The second thing -- Paul McGinley is the Irish team captain and he is so into it. He's more into it than I am quite honestly, but because he is, I would feel like I am not only letting him down, I'd let the country down as well" (PA, 5/5).
Australian golfer Marc Leishman "has pulled out of the Olympic Games in Rio over concerns about the Zika virus." Leishman said that "he was concerned about the risks of transmitting the virus to his wife, who has a poor immune system." The world No. 35 said he "almost lost" his wife, Audrey, to toxic shock syndrome last year and that she was still recovering (BBC, 5/5).
Rio 2016 organizers said that a new round of tickets has been "put on sale for Olympic gymnastics, canoeing and rowing." An "unspecified number of tickets in all price categories will be available from noon on Thursday via the official Rio 2016 website." The Rio 2016 organizing committee said that it will "put tickets on sale every Thursday for sessions there were previous unavailable" (XINHUA, 5/5).
A record seven badminton players from Hong Kong, including the women's doubles pair who have been idle since Decemeber, "have made it to the Rio Olympics." Qualification was "achieved over a one-year period ending last Sunday," but the latest world ranking list posted Wednesday determined the final allocation in all five disciplines. Hong Kong coach Tim He Yiming said, "This is the result of persistent hard work over a long period of time" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 5/5).
