Sport

It’s the most prestigious sporting competition in the world, but a leading politician in Rio de Janeiro warns the elite worldwide event taking place in the city later this summer could be nothing short of a disaster. “I am optimistic about the games, but I have to show the reality. We can make a great Olympics, but if some steps are not taken, it can be a big failure,” Francisco…

Several of the NBA’s best American-born players elected to skip the 2016 Olympics in Brazil due to various reasons (the need for rest, injury recovery and the impending birth of their children among them). Naturally, some brave soul with a byline is willing to shame those stars for daring not to don the stars and stripes in Rio. And that brave soul is Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle….

If this were anywhere in the world but a well-to-do American suburb, the sight wouldn’t have seemed so odd: a pack of children of varying ages and abilities playing soccer on their own without a peep of direction from coaches or parents. Of course, this being suburbia — Evanston, specifically — this form of pickup soccer wasn’t exactly what you’d find in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. A coach…

The USA Swimming Olympic trials continue on Tuesday, with four finals events and several preliminary events. The men’s 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke, as well as the women’s 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter backstroke events will have their finals on Tuesday on top of several semifinals and prelims. Tuesday’s events get underway at 11 a.m. ET with the first block of prelims, which includes the women’s 200-meter freestyle and individual…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR today announced updated procedures for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race eligibility and new provisional starting guidelines for races during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.   Starting with Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), current-year owner points will replace practice speeds for determining race eligibility and starting position in the event adverse conditions prevent Coors Light…

If this were anywhere in the world but a well-to-do American suburb, the sight wouldn’t have seemed so odd: a pack of children of varying ages and abilities playing soccer on their own without a peep of direction from coaches or parents. Of course, this being suburbia — Evanston, specifically — this form of pickup soccer wasn’t exactly what you’d find in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. A coach…

(Photo: The Associated Press) OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — USA Swimming has a straightforward system for selecting its Olympic team: the top two finishers in each event at the trials are the ones who compete individually at the Summer Games. No exceptions are made for injuries or other setbacks, which is why Ryan Lochte won’t get a chance to defend his Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley. After sustaining…

Kevin Cordes competes in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming at CenturyLink Center on June 26, 2016 in Omaha, Neb. OMAHA, Neb. — In 2012, Kevin Cordes just missed out going to the London Olympic Games. Four years later, the…

Iceland’s Ragnar Sigurdsson celebrates scoring their first goal. REUTERS/Yves HermanLivepic England suffered its most humiliating defeat in an international tournament in over 60 years when it was eliminated from the European Championship by Iceland on Monday in Nice, one of the biggest upsets in the history of the game. The 2-1 defeat led manager Roy Hodgson to immediately resign and will lead to a merciless postmortem as the English media…

USA Basketball officially announced its roster for the Rio Olympics on Monday, and there’s no use beating around the bush: this is a B team or, if you’re feeling particularly generous, a B-plus team. Yes, the Rio roster is led by A-list headliners: Kevin Durant and Paul George, plus a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Carmelo Anthony. But there are just too many big-name no-shows—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook,…

x Embed x Share Less than two months away from the start of the Olympic Games in Rio the government has declared a state of emergency. Time (Photo: The Associated Press) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro’s acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a “big failure,” because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the Games. In an interview with…

6:38 PM ET Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email print comment TORONTO — The Big E finally got the call. Passed over for six years, Eric Lindros got the votes required Monday from the Hockey Hall of Fame’s selection committee and will be part of the November induction class along with Sergei Makarov and Rogie Vachon in the players category and the late Pat Quinn in the builders category. Meet the Hockey…

x Embed x Share Less than two months away from the start of the Olympic Games in Rio the government has declared a state of emergency. Time (Photo: The Associated Press) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro’s acting governor warned Monday that the Olympic Games could be a “big failure,” because of budget shortfalls that threaten to compromise security and mobility during the Games. In an interview with…

i Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after losing 4-2 to Chile in penalty kicks during Sunday’s Copa America final in New Jersey. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption toggle caption Julio Cortez/AP Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after losing 4-2 to Chile in penalty kicks during Sunday’s Copa America final in New Jersey. Julio Cortez/AP Lionel Messi says it’s over. He’s retiring from Argentina’s national team. After losing three previous Copa America finals, Lionel…

Your teams. Your favorite writers. Wherever you want them. Personalize SI with our new App. Install on iOS (iOS or Android) On Sunday, the U.S. Olympic swimming Trials began in Omaha, where six Olympians were named to Team USA, a well-known veteran didn’t qualify in his first event and an American record was broken. Here are five thoughts from the the first night: 1. Ryan Lochte turns heads by finishing third,…

Blake Shelton performs as Clint Bowyer adds some air guitar during the opening of NBC’s new video for NASCAR coverage.(Photo: Photo courtesy Rick Kern, NBC) Clint Bowyer knew friend Blake Shelton would be relentless as soon as Bowyer read the script. “He makes fun of me terribly bad over air guitar,” the Sprint Cup driver told USA TODAY Sports. “We were sitting in the bus looking at the schedule and it was…

by Johnny Harris on June 27, 2016

Maya DiRado competes in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming at CenturyLink Center on June 26, 2016 in Omaha, Neb. OMAHA, Neb. — Coming into the final 100 meters of the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials…