Blog

Media playback is not supported on this device Rio 2016 Olympics: Highlights of the opening ceremony So there was no Pele, volleying a fireball into the Olympic cauldron. There was none of the shock and awe that defined Beijing’s opening ceremony eight years ago, and less of the humour and history that made London 2012’s first night so special. But there were dancing microbes, and super-cities, and Gisele Bundchen as…

The mayor of south suburban Monee has been charged by Will County authorities with two counts of felony aggravated battery for allegedly punching an umpire in the face at a youth baseball game in June, a blow the ump said broke his jaw. An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Jay Farquhar, 50, according to Charles Pelkie of the Will County state’s attorney’s office. Pelkie said Friday afternoon that the…

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. (AP) – A few years ago, most of them had never heard of baseball. Now, a dozen boys from Africa are in the Twin Cities getting ready to play in their first tournament. “They’re pioneers,” Wally Langfellow, one of the organizers of the boys’ trip, told KARE-TV (http://kare11.tv/2b5wEeA ). “They are baseball pioneers.” The boys from the West African nation of Benin are play in a wood bat…

Ben Hauser, who will be a senior at Sun Prairie, will further his education and play college baseball while planning to serve his country by attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hauser announced recently via Twitter that he orally committed to be a cadet and play baseball for the Air Force. Hauser, an excellent hitter, pitches and plays other positions, including outfield. He…

‘+ ‘ ‘+__tnt.truncateStr(oAsset.title,85,’…’)+’ ‘+ ‘ ‘+__tnt.truncateStr(oAsset.summary,iTextTrun,’…’)+’ ‘+ ‘

Media playback is not supported on this device Rio 2016 Olympics: Highlights of the opening ceremony The 2016 Olympics have been formally opened with a colourful and pulsating ceremony at Rio’s Maracana stadium. Broadcast to an estimated audience of three billion, it celebrated Brazil’s history, culture and natural beauty, before former marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron. Wimbledon champion Andy Murray led the Great Britain team into…

Rio is welcoming the world to the Summer Olympics — and after months of negative news and setbacks, organizers for these games on Friday finally got to do what the city’s famous for: Throw a party, in the form of an hours-long Opening Ceremony. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil are headlining a show that’s heavy on samba drums and dancing, highlighting Brazil’s history and heritage. And the Parade of Nations…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

RIO de JANEIRO – A couple of days after Michael Phelps emphatically retired in London, I was talking with Mel Stewart, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 200m butterfly and the founder of the website SwimSwam. He said something then that only now makes sense. At that moment, Phelps’ career did not only seem over… it seemed complete. The writer John Updike, in his famous story about baseball legend…

Three weeks of Olympic competition begin tomorrow in Rio, and there has never been more ways to tune in. That’s a good thing, because NBC will be broadcasting 6,755 hours of the games. It all starts with the opening ceremony tonight — which, mind you, is going to be broadcast on a tape delay (but also in HDR!). No matter whether you’re a cable subscriber, a cord-cutter, or prefer to follow…

“She has a chance.” That was the best the commentators at the 2012 Olympics could muster for the introduction of 15-year-old Katie Ledecky, who entered the finals of the 800-meter freestyle event as a virtual unknown. She had the third-fastest time in qualifying, but had no track record and no other medals in a year when the vaunted United States swim team ultimately won 31. Eight minutes, 15 seconds later,…

The mayor of south suburban Monee has been charged by Will County authorities with two counts of felony aggravated battery for allegedly punching an umpire in the face at a youth baseball game in June, a blow the ump said broke his jaw. An arrest warrant was issued Friday for Jay Farquhar, 50, according to Charles Pelkie of the Will County state’s attorney’s office. Pelkie said Friday afternoon that the…

Ben Hauser, who will be a senior at Sun Prairie, will further his education and play college baseball while planning to serve his country by attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hauser announced recently via Twitter that he orally committed to be a cadet and play baseball for the Air Force. Hauser, an excellent hitter, pitches and plays other positions, including outfield. He…

In the late 19th century, the French intellectual Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics, which had lapsed in the fourth century when the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned “pagan cults.” Coubertin’s intention was to rotate the competition among European and American cities, in an effort to promote “peace” and an “international” spirit. Initially, things didn’t go to plan. As the first modern Olympic Games wound down in Athens in 1896, King…

The Olympics are more than just the world’s premiere sporting event—they’re big, big media business. Just a few years ago, the closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics attracted a staggering 900 million viewers, with more than 219.4 million Americans tuning into the games at one point or another. But what if you want to watch the Olympics without paying for cable television? There are options. Although NBC is offering…

RIO de JANEIRO – A couple of days after Michael Phelps emphatically retired in London, I was talking with Mel Stewart, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 200m butterfly and the founder of the website SwimSwam. He said something then that only now makes sense. At that moment, Phelps’ career did not only seem over… it seemed complete. The writer John Updike, in his famous story about baseball legend…

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Athletes marching in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio today will be joined by the first refugee team ever to compete in the Olympics. The 10 athletes on the refugee team will march immediately before participants from Brazil, the 2016 Olympics host country. The refugee athletes will not walk under the flag of their nations or march to the sound of their own national anthems –- instead…

Coach Ava Benach congratulates Josephine Kanach after the 9-year-old batted during practice June 19 in Washington. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) The four baseball players sprinting between first and second base were covered in red dirt and sweat. Even their ponytails were damp and sticky. “Look, girls, it’s important you’re giving 100 percent,” said Coach Ava Benach, who at 6-foot-3 towered over the young athletes. “You don’t turn your head to…

It was Benin, West Africa, vs. Robbinsdale, USA, as the sun set on the baseball diamond and the towering lights flickered on. The Robbinsdale Little League’s 10-year-old All-Star team took the field with the confidence of a squad that’s bested all others their age in the northwest suburb. In the opposite dugout, 12 boys from Benin in forest green jerseys huddled nervously. They wrapped their arms around each other and…