LaCaze posts Rio qualifier in 5000m

By Emma Kemp   Track star Genevieve LaCaze will represent Australia in two events at the Rio Olympics after posting a 5000m qualifier to add to her 3000m steeplechase berth.

Gunmen storm Rio hospital in deadly raid to free associate

Adriana Gomes Licon   A group of heavily-armed men stormed a Rio de Janeiro hospital to free an associate, sparking a shootout with officers that left a patient dead and two wounded.

Markcrow close to realising Paralympic dream

Trent Pollard   Canberra's Tim Markcrow is confident of being a high Roller in Rio.

Duncan says Olympic dream would be over if it wasn't for the AIS

Chris Dutton   Melissa Duncan is the Rio Olympic Games hopeful who proves Australian athletes still need the AIS.

Russian Olympic ban bittersweet for whistleblower

Rachel Axon   For Vitaly Stepanov, the decision from the International Association of Athletics Federations to extend a ban of Russia that will keep his home country out of the Rio Olympics was bittersweet.

Exum will miss Rio Olympics to focus on NBA

Roy Ward   Australian NBA point guard Dante Exum will not play for the Boomers at the Rio Olympics.

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IOC backs IAAF ban on Russian athletes

The IOC ended any slim hopes that Russian athletes might have had of competing at the Rio Games in August by backing the IAAF's decision to extend its ban on the country for systematic doping.

Rio 2016: Australians praise ruling on Russia

James Hall   Australian athletes to benefit from banned Russian drug cheat.

Clean Russians may still race in Rio

Russian athletes who can prove they are not doping have "a crack in the door" that could still allow them to compete at the Rio Olympics.

Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova given hope to compete independently

Yulia Stepanova, the Russian former drugs cheat whose whistle blowing revelations helped expose the massive doping problem in her country, could be allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics as an independent athlete.

IOC unlikely to overturn Russia ban: Coates

The International Olympic Committee is unlikely to overturn world athletics' ban on the Russian track and field team at the Rio de Janeiro Games, IOC Vice-President John Coates said on Saturday.

IAAF refuses to overturn athletics ban on Russia competing at Rio Olympics

Rick Maese   ​Russia's track and field team was barred Friday from competing in the Rio Olympics, perhaps the sharpest rebuke yet against doping on the sport's biggest stage.

Harald Jahrling back at work with Rowing Australia

Roy Masters   Harald Jahrling, the coach at the centre of the "Lay Down Sally" debacle at the Athens Olympics, has returned to work for Rowing Australia, raising the question : Why do some sports make the same mistake time after time when there are so many new ones they could be making?

Kookaburras win Champions Trophy

The Kookaburras capped a perfect build-up to the Rio Olympics when they won the Champions Trophy hockey tournament with a nail-biting win over India in the final.

Rio state declares financial emergency, requests funding for Olympics

Paulo Prada   Rio de Janeiro's governor has declared a state of financial emergency and requested federal funds to help fulfil obligations for public services during the 2016 Olympic Games which start on August 5.

Russian track and field team barred from Rio Olympics

Rick Maese   ​Russia's track and field team was barred Friday from competing in the Rio Olympics, perhaps the sharpest rebuke yet against doping on the sport's biggest stage.

Russia must not compete at the Games

Darren Kane   Russia's very participation in the Rio Olympics represents a material threat to the core integrity of sports' grandest show.

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Russia vows to defend banned athletes

The Kremlin has vowed to pull out all legal stops to defend Russian athletes if they are banned from taking part in the Rio Olympics over doping allegations.

Former Olympians throw support behind troubled stars

James Hall   Former Olympians throw support behind Anna Flanagan and Nick Kyrgios.

Sevens star Fou ruled out of Olympics

Jim Morton   A bathroom accident has forced rugby sevens strike weapon Pama Fou out of the Australian team

Breen starts mapping out course to Rio after booking ticket

Chris Dutton   Canberra sprinter Melissa Breen says her unforgiving road to Rio has made her even more determined to succeed.

Boyle not optimistic on chances of retrospective golds

Michael Gleeson   Raelene Boyle was twice cheated out of Olympic gold just as Jared Tallent was. She knows she is just as deserving of retrospective gold medals as Jared Tallent. But she also knows she is unlikely ever to get those medals like Jared Tallent did in Melbourne on Friday.

Tallent finally gets his gold

Michael Gleeson   One thousand four hundred and five days after he should have stood on the podium in London Jared Tallent's long walk to Olympic gold ended when he was awarded the gold medal denied him by a Russian doping cheat.

Hayne says he is not in 'sevens shape'

Michael Chammas   Jarryd Hayne says he is not in "sevens shape" and doesn't know if he will be in time for the Rio Olympics, but the 28-year-old insists he will have no regrets if he fails to make the Fiji squad.

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Injured Bogut 'highly unlikely' for Rio

Roy Ward   Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut says he is "highly unlikely" to play in the Rio Olympics but will give himself a month to make his final decision.

Olympic Tallent calls for Russia's blanket ban to stand

David Polkinghorne   Soon-to-be-crowned Olympic champion says WADA report shows "there is no [anti-doping] system" in Russia.

Boomers sweat on Bogut

Phil Lutton   The Golden State and Boomers centre could be rested from the pool games of Australia's Olympic campaign if it meant being fit for the knockouts in the Rio basketball tournament.

Rio Games have problems, but so have other Olympics

David Wharton   The reporters crowding around Mario Andrada all wanted to know the same thing: Are the 2016 Summer Olympics headed for disaster?

Bogut Olympic worry as Aussie star sidelined with knee injury

Andrew Bogut's knee injury is potentially an Olympic medal vanquishing catastrophe for the Australian men's basketball team.

Friend 'gutted' as Speight cops knee to Olympic dream

David Polkinghorne   The Brumbies winger had already suffered a broken skull in 2016. Now his season is over.

Podcast

Brumbies face an injury crisis - and a trip to Mauritius

Kyle Mackey-Laws   Are the Raiders genuine top four contenders with their current squad?

'Poisonous' gag clause in WHO's Olympics talks

Harriet Alexander   WHO says the Olympics should roll on despite Zika, but there is less consensus than appears.

Boomers coach says there's time to fit in injured Andrew Bogut

Roy Ward   Andrew Bogut's Rio Olympic status will be unknown until he completes scans on his injured knee and Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis says injured players could have time to prove their fitness.

Brichacek back from injury and desperate for Olympic chance

Jon Tuxworth   Emily Brichacek's body had reached breaking point.

Rugby sevens

Cusack launches Rio bid in rugby sevens trials

Chris Dutton   Canberra Olympic Games hopeful Tom Cusack will unleash four months of frustration on Monday.

Bolt prepared to return Olympic relay gold

Kayon Raynor   Usain Bolt says he would have no problem giving back one of his six Olympic gold medals if a Jamaican relay team mate is confirmed to have failed a drugs test.

'Super bacteria' found in Rio water

Scientists have found dangerous drug-resistant "super bacteria" off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete.

Layton and Watts bond as 'strong chicks'

David Polkinghorne   Chance Commonwealth Games meeting brings Diamond and Canberra boxer together.

Rebecca Wiasak won’t be one and done after Rio Olympics

Caden Helmers   Rebecca Wiasak is less than 30 days away from learning her Olympic fate as the Australian Women's Endurance Track Cycling team will be cut down to its final five members.

Jared Tallent gets full Olympic gold treatment, but he wants another Canberra title first

Caden Helmers   Jared Tallent will have waited 1046 days, but it will have been worth every single second.

Zika not a worry: Brazil health minister

Brazil's new health minister went on the offensive on Friday in a bid to dispel worries about the country's Zika outbreak, which has cast a pall over the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Diamond's Rio hopes dealt another blow

Sam Rigney   Michael Diamond's hopes of competing at a seventh Olympic Games have been dealt a significant blow after a magistrate denied his application to expedite a hearing on firearm charges.

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TENNIS

Kyrgios could have been handled better: AOC boss

David Polkinghorne and Caden Helmers   But AOC CEO Fiona de Jong backs Kitty Chiller to continue to set high standards for Olympians.

Cycling champion Sue Powell says government funding proves Paralympics isn't poor cousin

Chris Dutton   Canberra cycling champion Sue Powell says it's time for the Paralympics to break free from its stigma as the Olympic Games' "poor cousin", confident Australia's contingent in Rio and set a new standard for success.

Pearson finishes seventh in Oslo

Sally Pearson's frustrating return from a serious wrist injury has continued, clocking her second 13-second-plus performance in a week in the 100m hurdles at the Diamond League event in Norway.

Heartbroken gymnast Lauren Mitchell misses out on Olympic place

Samantha Lane   Multi-award winning gymnast Lauren Mitchell could not recover in time from a knee injury to qualify for Rio Olympics.

Hockey

Three knee reconstructions won't break White's spirit

Chris Dutton   Not even a third knee reconstruction can dent Crookwell hockey star Kellie White's spirit.

Catlike gymnast could make history

Samantha Lane   Artistic gymnast Larrissa Miller makes exceptionally difficult look effortless.

Olympic gold medallist set to freeze sperm

Bryan Flaherty   Amid fears of the Zika virus, the reigning Olympic long jump champion is taking the extraordinary measure to safeguard his prospects of adding to his young family.

Crookwell hockey star Kellie White has Olympic Games dream crushed by third knee injury

Chris Dutton   Devastated Hockeyroo Kellie White has vowed to continue her career despite rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee for a third time, shattering her Olympic Games dream on the eve of Rio.

Podcast

Who is Raiders' newcomer Zac Santo?

Kyle Mackey-Laws   It's all things Green Machine in Canberra this week with the Raiders riding high after a hat-trick of wins, but there are plenty of questions that need answers as their season goes on.

Bogut wary of AOC's Zika virus advice

Australia's best basketball player is known for being outspoken on issues and he treated assurances about athlete safety from the International Olympic Committee and the AOC with scorn.

Shooter Diamond pleads not guilty

Dan Proudman   Dual Olympic gold medallist Michael Diamond's dreams of competing in Rio may now hinge on him having a chance to beat drink driving and firearm charges before the team is selected in July.

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Meet the Olympic team with no Rio complaints – the Paralympians

Sebastian Hassett   If going to this year's Olympics seems like a borderline inconvenience for some Australian athletes given all the problems engulfing Rio de Janeiro, spare a though for the nation's Paralympic team.

Brazil's impeachment trial to run into Rio Olympics

Anthony Boadle   The impeachment trial of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff will conclude in the middle of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August, according to a timeline decided on Monday by the Senate impeachment commission.

Millman, Thompson to benefit from Kyrgios withdrawal

John Millman and Jordan Thompson look set to represent Australia in tennis men's singles at the Rio Olympics, although both must wait for clearance from the sport's world governing body before discovering whether they can compete.

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Dolphins on track after US meet wins

The Dolphins look set to make a splash in the Rio Olympic pool after a record-breaking Jessica Ashwood sparked a podium charge at the Santa Clara Pro Swim meet in California on Monday (AEDT).

Pearson pondered retirement

Michael Gleeson   Sally Pearson admits she had "retired in my head" after she shattered her wrist in Rome twelve months ago.

Pearson's disgusting race makes her happy

Michael Gleeson   Sally Pearson called it a disgusting result, in fact she couldn't remember the last time she ran slower than 13 seconds but all things in context the Olympic hurdles champion was also excited at her first race in a year.

Lapierre to turn good form into Rio medal

Joe Barton   An Olympic medal beckons for impressive Australian long-jumper Fabrice Lapierre, with the veteran declaring he's in the form of his career after notching a fourth Diamond League podium finish.

Breen's 'belief wavered' before booking ticket to Rio

David Polkinghorne   Australia's fastest ever woman clinches Olympics spot with Townsville run.

Transgender issues could dominate Rio Olympics

Peter Brukner   The Rio Olympics have already proven to be highly controversial and the Opening Ceremony is still two months away.

Bogut doubts Simmons will play in Rio

Andrew Bogut expects Ben Simmons to follow in his footsteps and become the NBA's top draft pick next month, but doesn't think the youngster will join him on a plane to the Rio Olympics.

Fox wins canoeing gold

Jessica Fox has won gold in the women's C1 final at the season-opening World Cup in Ivrea, Italy.

Lake Burley Griffin first step to Olympics for race walkers

Trent Pollard   The Australian racewalkers final preparation for their Olympic campaign involves high altitude training in Switzerland, an intense training camp in Italy and a final team meet in Florida before jetting off to Rio de Janeiro, but none of that can occur before a Canberra race walking classic.

UN asks expert panel to assess Zika risk at Rio Olympics

Maria Cheng   The World Health Organisation's chief says she will convene an expert committee to consider whether the Rio Olympics should proceed as planned, after first rejecting the possibility.

Kyrgios' 16-page 'please explain' from AOC

David Sygall   Kitty Chiller says Nick Kyrgios was sent a similar letter to those handed out to Anna Flanagan and Michael Diamond. Only Kyrgios' was a considerably longer read.

Tragic loss unites shooting team

David Sygall   Libby Kosmala has nearly seen it all in her epic 44 years on the Australian Paralympic team. But nothing will match the emotion she will feel competing in Rio.

WHO emergency panel to meet in June on Zika and Olympics

Stephanie Nebehay and Bill Berkrot   With debate growing over the safety of holding the Olympics in Brazil amid the ongoing Zika virus outbreak, the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on Zika will meet in the coming weeks to evaluate the risks tied to going on with the Games.

Bolt may lose gold after Carter 'fails drugs test'

Ben Bloom and Ben Rumsby   Usain Bolt could be stripped of one of his six Olympic titles after allegations that one of his Jamaican 4x100metres team-mates with whom he won gold at the 2008 Games has tested positive for a banned substance.

Chiller is right and Kyrgios is wrong

Peter FitzSimons   Sure, Australians want Olympic gold medals. But we also want a team we can be proud of.

Mountain biking

A'Herns chase famous Olympian father's footsteps in mountain bike quest

Trent Pollard   Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nick A'Hern says his kids aren't your ordinary teenagers.

Nick Kyrgios pulls out of 2016 Rio Olympics

Chris Dutton   Nick Kyrgios has quit the Rio Olympics, saying the Australian Olympic Committee's treatment of him was unfair and unjust.

Hamilton embodies the Olympic spirit

Malcolm Knox   Before we ask whether surfing is worthy of the Olympics, we might ask if the Olympics can ever live up to someone like Bethany Hamilton.

Olympics

Olympic champion Petria Thomas says Games can find balance, even with skateboarding

Chris Dutton   Petria Thomas says officials must find the balance between traditional sports and attracting new fans to the Olympics.

COMMENT

Skateboarding for Olympic gold, the freedom to dream

Andrew Tate   I could've been a contender. I could've been an Olympian. I could have been an Olympic skateboarding gold medallist. Well, no, probably not.

Professional boxers to compete at Rio

Karolos Grohmann   ​Professional boxers will compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after the international boxing association AIBA approved a constitutional change on Wednesday, its president said.

Podcast

The Canberra Times sport podcast for June 1

David Polkinghorne   Join Chris "Blocka" Dutton and David Polkinghorne as they debate the big issues in Canberra sport.

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Cash backs Kyrgios for Olympic tilt

A bemused Pat Cash says there is be "no conversation" about whether Nick Kyrgios should be a part of Australia's Olympic team - he wants the young star on the plane to Rio.

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Olympics

AIS director Matt Favier launches Canberra campus defence in face of criticism

Chris Dutton   AIS director Matt Favier has hit back at critics of the Canberra campus.

Simmons, Exum still Rio chances

Roy Ward   The Boomers will play a two-game farewell series at Hisense Arena as Andrej Lemanis keeps the door open for Ben Simmons to make a late bid for the Rio Olympic team.

Shooting bosses separate Rio-bound and non-selected athletes over 'tension'

Chris Barrett   Teenager Aislin Jones has been blocked from competing at a World Cup event out of her own pocket while the shooter she was preferred over for Brazil is being sent on full funding.

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Goulding returns to Melbourne on a two-year deal

Roy Ward   Melbourne United has re-signed club most valuable player Chris Goulding.

Buchanan wins BMX world silver

Australia's BMX cycling star Caroline Buchanan has claimed silver at the world championships in Colombia.

Modra set for seventh Paralympic Games

Reigning Paralympic and world champions spearhead Australia's powerful Paralympic cycling team announced 100 days out from the Games in Brazil.

Buchanan gets silver at BMX world championships in Colombia

David Polkinghorne   Canberra BMX queen adds silver medal to her time trial gold.

Aussie rowers claim World Cup medals

Melissa Woods   Australia's rowers have claimed four World Cup medals including two gold as they continued their build-up to the Rio Olympics.

Harrison runs second-quickest time ever

Michael Gleeson   American Kendra Harrison beats Australian hurdles champion Sally Pearson's quickest hurdles sprint.

Women's sevens one win from world title

The Australian Women's Sevens team are just one win away from clinching the country's first World Series title.

Eight Russian Olympics athletes test positive

Russia's Olympic Committee says eight of its athletes from three sports have tested positive for banned substances in a re-examination of samples taken during the 2012 London Olympics.

Olympics will go on despite Zika: officials reject postponement call

Adam Morton and Samantha Lane   Facing calls from health professionals that the Olympics should be postponed or moved, Australian officials have stressed twin messages: that anyone who could be pregnant should not go, but that there is no chance the Rio Games will not go ahead as planned.

'Best Olympics ever' may be dirtiest

Ben Rumsby and Ben Bloom Götzis   The London Olympics was in danger of being branded the dirtiest Games in history last night after it was revealed upwards of 60 athletes who took part may have been on drugs.

Olympics

AOC ask Hockeyroo Flanagan for 'please explain' over drink-driving

David Polkinghorne   Canberra hockey star loses licence for drink-driving offence in March, Olympic fate hangs in the balance.

Athletics: Breen still chasing Olympic A-qualifier

Jon Tuxworth   Canberra sprinter Melissa Breen's misfortunes with weather continued after missing out on an Olympic A-qualifier in cold Canberra on Saturday. 

Australian women's sevens captain Sharni Williams unfazed by Zika virus at Rio Olympic Games

Chris Dutton   Australian women's rugby sevens captain Sharni Williams has swatted away concerns about the Zika virus at the Rio Olympic Games.