The World Anti-Doping Agency has canceled its Rio 2016 pre-Games press conference "to avoid it being overshadowed by the Russian doping crisis." The WADA press conference had been due to take place at the Olympic Park at 3:30pm local time on Thursday, "a day before the Games opening ceremony." WADA spokesperson Ben Nichols said, "Given current events, we believed that our press conference -- which was to focus on WADA's independent observer and athlete outreach programs -- would be overshadowed by other matters" (PA, 8/1).
OBJECT DESTROYED: Security "jitters" in Rio de Janeiro have increased following a controlled explosion "at the stadium where the Olympic Games opening ceremony will be held on Saturday morning." Bomb disposal experts "used a robot to detonate a suspicious object described as a small toolbox" in the Maracaña Stadium. There were "no reports of casualties" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/2).
OPENING SNUB: British Olympic Association officials said that most of Britain's Olympic athletes "will stay away from Friday's opening ceremony for the Rio Games" at the Maracaña Stadium. BOA CEO Bill Sweeney said, "It will be a fairly small delegation of athletes marching. We've got a big crew still up in Belo Horizonte training and athletes who are competing 24 or 48 hours after the opening ceremony. So we expect the marching athletes to be in the region of about 55 or so. Given the fact that we've got a total team size of 366, it's quite a small number but their priorities are on competition" (REUTERS, 8/1).
SKATEBOARDING ANTI-DOPING: A lawsuit accuses the group trying to bring skateboarding into the 2020 Olympics of "skirting anti-doping rules and giving favors to an IOC official that led to the ouster of a rival group from the negotiating table." Skateboarding is one of five sports the IOC will vote on Wednesday for "possible inclusion in the Tokyo Games, but there's friction between groups that seek to run the sport." The lawsuit, filed by the World Skateboarding Federation, alleges the Int'l Skateboarding Federation "abruptly canceled scheduled drug testing at an event last year because of fears that several riders would test positive." A WADA spokesperson said that ISF is "in compliance with the agency's rules" (AP, 7/31).
OLYMPIC BRIEFS ...
Rio de Janeiro's Metro Line 4, connecting Barra da Tijuca and Ipanema, opens for Olympic RioCard and event ticket holders starting Aug. 5. The line will connect Ipanema and Rio's Zona Sul (South Zone) to Barra da Tijuca. The new metro line is set to begin operating Monday, but until Thursday "its use will be limited to only passengers holding credentials for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games" (RIO TIMES, 8/1).
Rafael Nadal has "conceded he is not yet sure that he will be able to represent Spain at the Rio Olympics as his fitness concerns linger." The 2008 Gold Medalist "withdrew from the French Open with a wrist injury and missed Wimbledon." Nadal: "I will not be at the best level in any of the categories. ... I will train a few days here to see what I can do and then decide what is best, to be more positive for me and the team" (REUTERS, 8/1).
