Prior to the opening ceremony on Friday in Rio, LUIZA MACHADO of NBA Brazil, who played for Brazil's Olympic volleyball team in '84, and NBA Latin America VP & Managing Dir ARNON DE MELLO took part in the torch relay (NBA). ... Former teammates and sports dignitaries paid tribute to MLB player ICHIRO SUZUKI on Monday “as he celebrated a momentous day in becoming the 30th player in major league history to collect 3,000 hits.” The feat, set at Coors Field in Denver, is said to have “guaranteed his place in the Hall of Fame, which will make him the first Japanese player to be inducted to the baseball shrine in Cooperstown.” Pacific League club SoftBank Hawks Chair SADAHARU OH “recognized Suzuki’s preparedness and work ethic, saying that his way of life has been a positive influence in the game of baseball” (KYODO, 8/8). ... Former Test cricketer THAMI TSOLEKILE has "been banned for 12 years by Cricket South Africa following a Twenty20 corruption scandal." Tsolekile was "being investigated for allegedly receiving" at least 75,000 South African rand ($5,516) to "improperly influence" an aspect of last year's Ram Slam competition. With that investigation "now advanced but ongoing," Tsolekile and three other players -- JEAN SYMES, PUMELELA MATSHIKWE, ETHY MBHALATI -- have received "lengthy suspensions, effectively ending their careers" (London GUARDIAN, 8/8).
FROM JAIL TO ELECTION: ULI HOENESS is "poised to return as Bayern Munich president after the German champions said he had decided to stand for election following his release from prison in February after serving a sentence for tax evasion." Hoeness was credited with "building Bayern into a global brand" and was appointed club president in '09 until being convicted of tax evasion in March '14. He "served half of a three-and-a-half year jail term." Elections to find a successor for incumbent President KARL HOPFNER "will be held at Bayern's next general meeting in November" (REUTERS, 8/8).
