Rio Olympics

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Brazil's Ex-Olympic Boss Gets 30 Years

Former Rio governor among others sentenced to jail for corruption

(Newser) - Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee for more than two decades, was sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics. The ruling by Judge Marcelo Bretas became public Thursday, per the AP...

'I Wish She Had Said Something': Ex-Olympic Cyclist Dead at 24

Earlier on the day of her death, Olivia Podmore posted a since-deleted Instagram post

(Newser) - On Monday, former Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore posted a since-deleted Instagram post that talked about the pressures faced by top athletes. By Monday evening, the 24-year-old from New Zealand was dead. A police rep told Reuters that police were called to "a sudden death" at a property in Waikato...

Dissident Marathoner Returns Home From Exile

After protest on Rio Olympics stand, Feyisa Lilesa finally goes back to Ethiopia

(Newser) - The Ethiopian marathon runner who made global headlines with an anti-government gesture at the Rio Olympics returned from exile on Sunday after sports officials assured him he will not face prosecution. Feyisa Lilesa's return from the United States came several months after a reformist prime minister took office and...

Brazil Lets Ryan Lochte Off the Hook

Criminal case dismissed against swimmer over false robbery report at Rio Olympics

(Newser) - A Brazilian court has dismissed the criminal case against US swimmer Ryan Lochte, who had been charged with filing a false robbery report during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The court confirmed in a statement this week that it tossed out the case after determining that Lochte's...

Lochte: I May Have Been 'Most Hated Person in the World'

But swimmer clarifies he never considered suicide after scandal at Rio Olympics

(Newser) - Ryan Lochte spent most of last August on an apology tour for his "immature behavior" at the Rio Olympics, which saw the swimmer jump from pool water into hot water for his role in an incident at a local gas station—an event he originally "over-exaggerated" as an...

Big Surprise for Strangers Who Helped Stranded Wheelchair Racer

Woman they assisted during NYC Marathon was Paralympic gold medalist Zou Lihong

(Newser) - In a New York minute, a Paralympic athlete's distressing experience turned into an inspiring one thanks to a smartphone app and the kindness of strangers. The New York Times reports on the plight of Zou Lihong, a Chinese wheelchair racer who beat US favorite Tatyana McFadden to win gold...

Ethiopian Marathoner: I Planned Protest for Months

Feyisa Lilesa is currently in the US on a temporary visa

(Newser) - Feyisa Lilesa, the Ethiopian marathoner who crossed his wrists above his head as he crossed the finish line in the Rio Olympics to win the silver medal in a show of solidarity with Ethiopian protesters, initially said through his agent that the gesture was unplanned. But the 26-year-old, who went...

After All That, Zika Was a No-Show at the Olympics

WHO says no confirmed cases among athletes or spectators

(Newser) - "We told you so," the World Health Organization essentially announced Friday, stating that there were no confirmed cases of Zika contracted during the Rio Olympics, Good Morning America reports. According to the BBC , that goes for both athletes and spectators. WHO was criticized by a number of experts...

2 Olympians From Guinea Disappeared After Rio Games

One athlete said she wanted to try 'working in a developed country'

(Newser) - The head of Guinea's Olympic delegation says two athletes did not return to the West African nation after competing at the Rio Olympics, the AP reports. Atef Chaloub said Saturday that swimmer Amadou Camara disappeared 48 hours before the team's scheduled departure. He said Mamadama Bangoura, who competed...

Rio Medalist Sells His Silver to Save Little Boy's Sight

'My silver medal today is worth a lot more than a week ago'

(Newser) - Poland's Piotr Malachowski is no slouch at throwing the discus—but he appears to be even better at being an awesome human being. After winning a silver medal in Rio, the 31-year-old went home and put it up for auction to raise funds for a little boy with eye...

Rio Police Have Finally Charged Ryan Lochte With a Crime

Charges for filing a false robbery report were filed Thursday

(Newser) - Brazilian police have charged American swimmer Ryan Lochte with filing a false robbery report over an incident during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the AP reports. A police statement Thursday says Lochte will be informed in the US so he can decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil....

Rio Closing Ceremony Feels Like Carnival

Brazil bids farewell to the games

(Newser) - Shaking to samba and expressing a sense of longing with uniquely Brazilian words, Olympians and fans said goodbye to the Rio Games with one last big bash that was both revelatory and a sigh of relief. The closing ceremony Sunday celebrated the 16-day spectacle that was the Rio Games, which...

Thanks to Women, Team USA Dominates Rio Medal Haul

America ends up 51 medals ahead of second-place China

(Newser) - The US Olympic men's basketball team won its third straight gold medal and did it easily, beating Serbia 96-66 on Sunday. With the win, the Americans claim the final medal of the Rio Games and cap a dominant medal performance by Team USA overall, reports AP . The Americans—with...

US Women's Basketball Keeps Historic Gold Medal Streak Alive

Team USA defeats Spain 101-72 in Rio

(Newser) - The USA women's basketball team won Olympic gold for a historically impressive sixth time in a row Saturday, defeating Spain 101-72 in Rio, USA Today reports. The team has now won 49 games in a row. And only once has an opponent come within 10 points of Team USA...

1st Same-Sex Olympic Couple Wins Gold
1st Same-Sex
Olympic Couple
Wins Gold
OLYMPICS
Aug 20, 2016 3:09 PM CDT

1st Same-Sex Olympic Couple Wins Gold

Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh are members of Great Britain's field hockey team

(Newser) - Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh were already the first same-sex married couple to compete in the Olympics, Advocate reports. On Friday, they added a gold medal to that historic first. "To win a gold medal is a dream come true—to win it standing next to my wife is really...

Gwen Jorgensen Wins US Its First Ever Triathlon Gold

She was a massive 40 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor

(Newser) - Gwen Jorgensen gave the US its first Olympic triathlon gold medal Saturday, crushing the field at breezy Copacabana Beach in 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 16 seconds, the AP reports. Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, who won gold in London four years ago when Jorgensen was bamboozled by a flat tire,...

Bolt Scores Triple Triple Again: 'I Am the Greatest'

3 golds in 3 Games

(Newser) - Usain Bolt kneeled down and gave the track one final kiss, then flattened his hand, reached to the ground, and slapped the white number "3'' painted at the finish line, reports AP . Three Olympics, three races at each, three gold medals every time. The man who has transcended...

Can Justin Bieber's PR Guy Save Ryan Lochte's Image?

Matthew Hiltzik has worked with a string of high-profile clients

(Newser) - As Ryan Lochte quickly moved from brave robbery victim to possible gas-station vandalizer , he's "taken a beating" in the press, so "it's no surprise" the Olympic swimmer has hired someone to help with his image, according to the Hollywood Reporter . That someone is Matthew Hiltzik, a...

US Ends Gold Medal BMX Drought
The US Finally Wins
Olympic Gold in 
BMX
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2016 2:20 PM CDT

The US Finally Wins Olympic Gold in BMX

Thanks to Connor Fields

(Newser) - The United States has ended its gold medal drought in BMX cycling after Connor Fields took the men's final on Friday at the Rio Olympics. The AP reports Fields won with a time of 34.622 seconds, beating the Netherlands' Jelle van Gorkom by 0.684 seconds. It's...

Water Current May Have Affected Rio Swim Times
Water Current May Have 
Affected Rio Swim Times
olympics
Aug 19, 2016 11:45 AM CDT

Water Current May Have Affected Rio Swim Times

Researchers blame a design flaw in the pool

(Newser) - Green water isn't the only controversy swirling around swimming events in Rio. US researchers say a possible design flaw in the pool produced a water current that gave some swimmers an unfair advantage, reports the Wall Street Journal . Specifically, they say that swimmers in the high-numbered lanes of...

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