IOC
Panel set to rule
RIO DE JANEIRO -- The IOC has set up a special three-person panel to make a final ruling on which individual Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee's ruling executive board made the decision Saturday in its final meeting before the opening of the Rio Games on Friday.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams says the panel will decide on the entry of the Russian athletes who have been put forward by individual sports federations and approved by an independent arbitrator.
He says "this panel will decide whether to accept or reject that final proposal."
Adams says the panel will have to make its ruling before the opening ceremony on Friday.
SAILING
Ramp collapses
The main ramp of Marina da Gloria, the sailing venue of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, partially collapsed on Saturday.
No one was injured, organizers said, in another incident that raises questions about the quality of construction in the Olympic host city.
The Rio Games organizing committee placed the blame on strong winds. The collapsed structure, which is temporary, is the main access point for boats to reach the water.
Sailing competitions begin Aug. 8.
In another incident caused by strong winds in Rio, water invaded TV studios on Copacabana Beach near the volleyball arena.
Iron boards were used to contain the waves.
TENNIS
2 won't defend title
Bob and Mike Bryan will not defend their Olympic doubles title in Rio de Janeiro, citing health concerns.
The American twins announced their withdrawal on Facebook on Saturday, saying that as "husbands and fathers, our family's health is now our top priority."
They didn't mention the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects and been cited by several athletes in tennis and other sports who opted to skip the Summer Games that begin next week in Brazil.
The Bryans won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, after collecting bronze in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Games.
They have won 16 Grand Slam titles, a record in men's doubles.
The U.S. Tennis Association said it was looking into its options for replacing the Bryans in Rio.
SWIMMING
Russians appeal ban
Two Russian swimmers filed an appeal Saturday against their exclusion from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, claiming the ban is "invalid" and "unenforceable."
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it received appeals from Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both seeking to overturn their bans over state-sponsored doping allegations.
The two were barred from the games by swimming's world governing body, FINA, in line with the new criteria for Russian athletes announced by the International Olympic Committee.
FINA said the swimmers were implicated in the report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren that detailed state-sponsored doping in Russia across more than two dozen summer and winter sports, including swimming.
CAS said the appeals were filed against the IOC and FINA.
Lobintsev won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games in the 4x100 freestyle relay. He won silver in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Morozov also won a bronze in the freestyle relay in London.
EQUESTRIAN EVENTS
First horses arrive
The first 34 horses that will take part in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics have arrived in Brazil.
The International Federation of Equestrian Sports said all the horses arrived Saturday morning aboard a Boeing 777 belonging to Emirates SkyCargo. They are now settled at the Olympic Equestrian Center that will host the sport's three disciplines -- eventing, jumping and dressage.
The federation said it was the first of nine such flights with horses coming from Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Japan, Italy and China.
More than 200 horses from 43 nations will be arriving at the equestrian center in the Deodoro Olympic Park over the next few weeks.
Sports on 07/31/2016