Chinese Vice Premier LIU YANDONG "visited Chinese athletes on Wednesday in Sao Paulo training camp and encouraged them to do their best in the Rio Olympic Games" (XINHUA, 8/4). ... American JACK ROBERTSON, the man "who helped expose Russian state-sponsored doping," said that "he leaked information about his investigation to the media to force anti-doping chiefs to provide him with additional resources." Robertson "has become a fierce critic" of the way the World Anti-Doping Agency and IOC have so far dealt with the crisis (BBC, 8/4). ... ROSS MCCORMACK sealed his £12M ($15.7M) move to Aston Villa from Fulham and "becomes the most expensive player in Scottish football history." McCormack has now racked up £23.47M ($30.7M) in transfer fees and eclipses DUNCAN FERGUSON "as the most expensive Scottish player in history" (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 8/4). ... Italian beach volleyball player VIKTORIA ORSI TOTH "will miss the Rio Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance." Orsi Toth "was set to make her Olympic debut in Rio" alongside London Olympian MARTA MENEGATTI (NBC, 8/3). ... Two-time major champion STAN WAWRINKA "pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday because of injury, leaving the Rio Games without half of the men ranked in the ATP's top 10" (AP, 8/2). ... World heavyweight champion TYSON FURY "has been charged with a doping offence" by UK Anti-Doping.
UKAD revealed it suspended Fury on June 24 --"the day the Briton announced he was pulling out his his rematch" with WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO because of injury.
But Fury "appealed and the suspension has now been lifted until a hearing" in front of the National Anti-Doping Panel at an as yet undetermined date (BBC, 8/4).
