Sport

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 »

On 4 July 2007, Vladimir Putin arrived by private jet in Guatemala City ready for the 119th session of the International Olympic Committee. Russia was one of three nations bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Austria and South Korea. The bookmakers had Sochi down a distant second in the betting, way behind Pyeongchang. Russia had failed to even make the IOC’s shortlist to host the 2002 Games…

The overwhelming news in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics has been about the rampant dysfunction of the host city, Rio de Janeiro, and for good reason. The stories are gruesome and sensationalistic, filled with the kinds of pulpy details that make a mental imprint deeply difficult to dismiss. There have been police officers greeting people arriving at Rio’s international airport with a banner reading “Welcome to Hell,” as they fight…

On 4 July 2007, Vladimir Putin arrived by private jet in Guatemala City ready for the 119th session of the International Olympic Committee. Russia was one of three nations bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Austria and South Korea. The bookmakers had Sochi down a distant second in the betting, way behind Pyeongchang. Russia had failed to even make the IOC’s shortlist to host the 2002 Games…

Cities is supported by Rockefeller Foundation The run-up to every Olympics is marked by anxiety and controversy, but Rio de Janeiro has arguably outdone all of its predecessors on this score. Against a backdrop of economic recession, the impeachment of Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff, a Zika epidemic, resurgent crime and water pollution, the city’s officials are not only having to fight off accusations of corruption, incompetence and unbalanced priorities, they…

x Embed x Share A mile from the site of the Rio Olympics opening ceremony hides a drug-riddled apocalypse. USA TODAY Sports’ Martin Rogers reports on the Cracklands of Rio de Janeiro. USA TODAY Sports “Joao” smokes crack on a street in Rio de Janeiro, less than a mile from Maracana Stadium, where the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics will take place on Aug. 5.(Photo: Sandy Hooper, USA TODAY Sports)…

x Embed x Share An investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency released Monday says Russian engaged in a state-directed cheating program that resulted in at least 312 falsified results from 2011 though at least last year’s world swimming championships. AP An Olympic Games flag and a Russian flag waving during the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics.(Photo: Kirill Kudryatstev, AFP/Getty Images) We now know it’s not just Russian track and field….

RELATED: Latest updates, timeline on Dale Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said problems with balance and nausea prevented him from driving in Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and he is encouraged by concussion test results that match his baseline test.   Earnhardt Jr. spoke for about three minutes in “The Dale Jr. Download” on his weekly audio update on Dirty Mo Radio, providing his first comments on…

x Embed x Share An investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency released Monday says Russian engaged in a state-directed cheating program that resulted in at least 312 falsified results from 2011 though at least last year’s world swimming championships. AP An Olympic Games flag and a Russian flag waving during the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics.(Photo: Kirill Kudryatstev, AFP/Getty Images) We now know it’s not just Russian track and field….

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 »

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 »

RELATED: Bowman grateful for opportunity LOUDON, N.H. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. summed it up best on Twitter following the New Hampshire 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday.   Don’t be fooled by Alex Bowman ‘s 26th-place finish at the “Magic Mile” — the young driver made an impression on the race track while filling the seat of NASCAR’s most popular driver before a…

Matt Kenseth’s car was fast on the track and deemed illegal off it, as NASCAR determined Kenseth’s No. 20 car did not meet specifications after he won Sunday’s NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kenseth’s car failed the postrace laser inspection system station, which measures various parts pertaining to the chassis including alignment, tire chamber and axle housing. Officials will bring the car back to NASCAR’s research and…

The mother of the cyclist Chris Boardman has been killed in a cycling accident, her son has announced. Carol Boardman, herself a former racing cyclist, died from injuries sustained in collision with a pick-up truck while out riding her bike in north Wales, the former Olympic cycling champion said. “She leaves behind Keith, her partner for more than half a century, Lisa and I, and a large, loving family,” Boardman…

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 »

The mother of the cyclist Chris Boardman has been killed in a cycling accident, her son has announced. Carol Boardman, herself a former racing cyclist, died from injuries sustained in collision with a pick-up truck while out riding her bike in north Wales, the former Olympic cycling champion said. “She leaves behind Keith, her partner for more than half a century, Lisa and I, and a large, loving family,” Boardman…

RELATED: Results | Chase Grid | Standings SHOP: Kenseth gear Matt Kenseth came on strong late to get by Martin Truex Jr. and later Denny Hamlin for the win in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also had to survive a rash of cautions late to secure the victory. Kenseth took the lead…

x Embed x Share USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Gluck looks ahead to the New Hampshire 301 and the story lines that fans should keep an eye on leading up to this weekend. USA TODAY Sports Carl Edwards (19) leads the field into Turn 1 to start the the 2015 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(Photo: Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports) LOUDON, N.H.  — It’s NASCAR race day at New…

RELATED: Support for Dale Jr. LOUDON, N.H. – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Rick Hendrick said driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will undergo additional tests early next week as the popular driver works through concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him for Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I’m not a doctor but he’s running through a bunch of tests, going to have some more tests the first of…

Fred Lorenzen is embraced by his daughter Amanda as son Chris looks on during his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 30, 2015.(Photo: Nell Redmond, AP) LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — He was one of NASCAR’s first superstars, but Fred Lorenzen’s memories of his Hall of Fame career have dimmed as he battles dementia. His Daytona 500 victory, the wins he piled up to become NASCAR’s first $100,000…