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China arrived in Rio with big expectations. Its 711-member delegation included the largest squad of athletes ever sent abroad. Swimmer Sun Yang was a national celebrity on the edge of becoming a hero. The woman’s gymnastics team looked militaristically efficient. The country still dominated fringe events like shooting. Then the Games began. So far the thrill of athletic competition and rising medal counts has been replaced by a wave of…

China has vented its fury after subtle mistakes were noticed in its national flag on display at the Olympics, with media, sports officials and the country’s diplomats seeking answers to the apparent mix-up. “I am not nit-picking because of obsessive compulsive disorder, but this is the national flag,” said Cui Yongyuan, a Chinese television presenter. “It is a principle that even primary school students would understand,” he added on Sina Weibo,…

One record seems almost guaranteed to be broken at each Olympic Games—the number of condoms supplied to athletes in the Olympic village. At Rio 2016, the count stands at 450,000, with 175,000 sachets of lubricant for good measure—the largest amount of contraceptives ever delivered to an Olympic Games. The numbers have been climbing ever since they first started handing out condoms at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. It’s the…

Never mind the waiting game surrounding Paul Pogba’s £100million move to Manchester United — the biggest-money deal to shake up the Premier League is still yet to come into play. Between them, Sky Sports and BT Sport have shelled out £5.36billion to show live coverage of the English top flight, with this the first season of a three-year mega-deal. Among the big changes are new Friday night kick-offs hosted by…

The Williams sisters entered Sunday’s match with a 15-0 career record in the Olympics, having won gold in 2000, 2008 and 2012 Serena and Venus Williams lost for the first time in an Olympics doubles match as their hopes of winning a fourth successive title were surprisingly ended in the first round at Rio 2016. The American top seeds lost 6-3 6-4 to Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova,…

Media playback is not supported on this device Rio 2016 Olympics: Adam Peaty wins 100m breaststroke gold Adam Peaty won gold and Jazz Carlin claimed a silver as Great Britain secured their first medals of the 2016 Olympics on day two in Rio. Peaty, 21, smashed his own world record to win the 100m breaststroke in 57.13 seconds and end GB’s 28-year wait for a men’s Olympic swimming title. Minutes…

The United States, aided by a dominant second leg from Michael Phelps, earned the gold medal in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay, avenging their painful loss to France in 2012. Team USA, which consisted of Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian, beat France by 0.61 seconds to take back the gold. With the win, Phelps extends his records to 23 Olympic medals, 19 golds. Adrian, who was the…

x Embed x Share USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken tells you the five things to watch for during Day 3, August 8, at the Olympics. USA TODAY Sports Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during women’s gymnastics qualifying.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports) The second day of the Rio Olympics saw some of the best American athletes take center stage. Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles all competed, though for different…

China has vented its fury after subtle mistakes were noticed in its national flag on display at the Olympics, with media, sports officials and the country’s diplomats seeking answers to the apparent mix-up. “I am not nit-picking because of obsessive compulsive disorder, but this is the national flag,” said Cui Yongyuan, a Chinese television presenter. “It is a principle that even primary school students would understand,” he added on Sina Weibo,…

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Katie Ledecky sets an olympic medal in the 400m freestyle heats.(Photo: Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports) RIO DE JANEIRO — The Aquatics Stadium nearly saw its first Katie Ledecky world record Sunday afternoon, as Ledecky finished one stroke away from resetting her own mark in the 400-meter freestyle. Her return to the pool for Sunday night’s final isn’t the only thing to watch, however, as a packed slate awaits. Five takeaways…

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten sustained three small fractures to her spine and will remain hospitalized in intensive care after crashing Sunday during the women’s Olympic road race. Van Vleuten was leading on the fast, slippery descent of Vista Chinesa when she appeared to lock up her brakes on the final corner. She tumbled onto the road and her bike went flying, and she remained on the edge of the…

In one of the most shocking results of the 2016 Olympics to date, defending gold medalists Venus and Serena Williams lost in the first round of the women’s doubles tennis tournament. The Williams sisters had never lost an Olympic doubles match before Sunday’s stunning defeat, which ends their title defense. Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic took down the American stars in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-4….

All of the USA swimmers advanced out of morning preliminaries on Sunday to the night session. Team USA’s Kathleen Baker kicked things off, posting a personal best to clock the fastest time of the morning’s 100m backstroke preliminary heats, 58.84 seconds. Reigning world champion, Emily Seebohm of Australia, qualified for the semifinal second with 58.99 seconds. Also into the semifinals are the U.S.’ Olivia Smoliga (sixth with 59.60) and Hungary’s…

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RIO DE JANEIRO — She has cast herself as the “Iron Lady,” so she should be able to absorb blows from all sides. The way the Olympic swim meet is developing, after just the first day, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary will have to take that steely approach, because the following elements of her existence are being examined, and closely: her relationships, her training methods, her performances, her words. “I’m already…

New York Yankees‘ star Alex Rodriguez said a tearful goodbye to the game of baseball today as the team announced that he will play in his final game next Friday, Aug. 12 before taking on the role as a special adviser and instructor to the team. “This is a tough day. I love this game and I love this team. And today I’m saying goodbye to both,” Rodriguez said before…

Last Updated Aug 7, 2016 11:20 AM EDT NEW YORK – The New York Yankees announced that Alex Rodriguez will play his final baseball game this Friday. The news was delivered at a gathering of reporters at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on Sunday. Officials said he will transition to becoming a special advisor to the club. A tearful Rodriguez thanked fans at the press conference, saying it…

Rio will host the 15th edition of the summer Paralympic Games Russian athletes have been banned from competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympics following the country’s doping scandal. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had opened suspension proceedings following the McLaren report, and has now confirmed the ban. That report, published last month, detailed a state-sponsored doping programme operated by Russia. The Russian Paralympic Committee will reportedly appeal against the decision…