Australian swimming has moved on from the debacle in the London pool four years ago and it's 'disrespectful' to keep reminding the Olympic team about it in the leadup to Rio de Janeiro, 100 metres freestyle world record holder Cate Campbell has said.
From the Syrian civil war to the Ukrainian crisis to the terror unleashed by the dreaded Islamic State, there was no lack of news in 2014. Rediff.com presents a selection of the year's most enduring moments year from around the world.
Senior journalist Darryl D'Monte reports exclusively for Rediff.com from Paris.
In a move which could embarrass the Uttar Pradesh government, state Transport minister Durga Prasad Yadav has embarked on a week-long study tour to Brazil with family in tow.
India's first woman International Olympic Committee member Nita Ambani has made it to two important commissions of the global sports governing body, including the prestigious Olympic channel.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) may have thrown the Olympic door open for professional boxers but it is unlikely that Indian star Vijender Singh would be able to grab the opportunity even though he is keen to make it. Professional boxers would be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro provided the decision is ratified at the AIBA Extraordinary Congress on June 1 when the proposal would be put to vote. The plan is to allow pro boxers qualify for Rio via the AIBA-affiliated World Series of Boxing (WSB) and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) event. Both these events, originally scheduled for May, could be pushed back to last week of June to give national federations enough time to send their entries. "If given a chance, I would definitely try to qualify for the Olympics. Who would want to miss an opportunity if it is there," Vijneder told PTI from Manchester where he is training for his next pro fight on March 12 in Liverpool. However, the question is whether there is any realistic opportunity for him to give it a shot. The 30-year-old middleweight's schedule is sorted till June 11 when he will make his pro debut in India by fighting for his maiden title -- the WBO Asia belt.
Not even Usain Bolt could overcome a big American lead as the US men sprinted to a convincing victory over Jamaica in the 4x100 metres relay at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau on Saturday.
Expectations will be sky-high when Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu returns to international circuit this week, spearheading the Indian campaign at Denmark Open Superseries Premier badminton tournament starting in Odense from Tuesday. A slew of felicitation programs kept her busy in the last one and a half month after Sindhu returned from Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first Indian badminton player to win a silver and her legions of fans will expect her to replicate the Olympic success when she competes this week. The sixth-seeded Indian will open her campaign against China's He Bingjiao on Wednesday. Sindhu has been clubbed in the second half of the draw where she might face the likes of second seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, Korean fourth seed Sung Ji Hyun and the tricky Chinese Taipei girl Tai Tzu Ying, seeded fifth.
Chile have never beaten Argentina in open play in 27 Copa America meetings in 100 years yet have twice in 12 months dashed the hopes of Lionel Messi's team of lifting a major trophy.
The last thing members of Brazil's Olympic sailing team want to talk about is the water.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, who will play this week in the Rio Open, downplayed public concerns over risks linked to the Zika virus in the Brazilian city that will host the Olympics in August, saying "people are living completely normal lives."
The Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit could be axed after this season due to the country's economic crisis, Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday.
Fifty-six months on, the government's record in implementing these schemes and projects has been mixed, report Arup Roychoudhury and Indivjal Dhasmana.
Sports authorities across the world are scrambling to find out more about the mosquito-borne virus as they make plans for the games in August.
A Greek soccer match was delayed on Friday when players staged a sit-down protest in a moving tribute to migrants who have lost their lives trying to reach Greece's Aegean islands.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) records leaked by hackers raised a lot of questions with healthy athletes seemingly taking banned substances, TASS news agency reported.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra took just over a minute to force his rival out of the contest with a bloodied face and book a pre-quarterfinal berth in the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok.
In sizzling form after clinching the China Open and finishing runners-up at Hong Kong, Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu will look to sign off the year with another crown when she competes in the season-ending World Superseries Finals starting in Dubai from Wednesday. In Rio de Janeiro, Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win an Olympics silver medal in August, but qualifying for the Dubai World Super Series final still was a far cry as she was placed at 16th in the Destination Dubai Rankings with just two events -- China Open and Hong Kong Open -- remaining.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Seven Indian shuttlers, including Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta, officially earned qualification berths for the August Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after the much-awaited BWF world rankings were released on Thursday. Friday's rankings were used to determine the Olympic qualifiers in each of the five categories -- men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles -- from the points accumulated in the period between May 4, 2015 and May 1st, 2016. Four years ago, five Indians had qualified at London Olympics. This year, London Olympics bronze medallist Saina would be representing India in her third Games, while the women's doubles pair of Jwala and Ashwini Ponnappa will also play their second Olympics in August. Besides, K Srikanth and P V Sindhu earned their maiden Olympic berths in men's singles and women's events respectively. For the first time, India will have two women's singles players playing in the Olympics.
US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte lost all four of his major sponsors on Monday, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren Corp, following his apology for an "exaggerated" story about being robbed at gunpoint at the Rio Games.
A Moscow anti-doping laboratory which was to be used during next year's Sochi Winter Olympics will have its accreditation suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) unless it improves the way it operates by December 1.
'I will be writing to every member of the Indian Olympic team and offering them any help they may want.'
Erika Villaecija did as thousands of Rio de Janeiro's residents and visitors did on Sunday afternoon - she went to the city's famed Copacabana Beach.
Monica Puig gave Puerto Rico its first ever Olympic gold after an a outstanding display of tennis to defeat Germany's Angelique Kerber to win the women's singles title at the Rio Games on Saturday.
Chinese Olympic women's swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for a banned substance at the Rio Olympics on August 7, state media said on Friday citing the country's swimming association, the latest doping scandal to mar competition at the Games.
Britain's Jack Laugher and Chris Mears dethroned reigning champions China to claim their country's first ever diving gold medal in the men's 3 metre springboard event on Wednesday.
Barcelona forward Neymar finds himself at the centre of unwanted media attention in Spain as his struggling team's promising season threatens to unravel after a run of defeats. The Brazilian has not scored in his last five games and is being portrayed as one of the reasons for Barca's woes after three straight La Liga losses has seen them caught by Atletico Madrid, who have also knocked them out of the Champions League. Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia this week focused on the 24-year-old's conduct off the pitch, particularly his "trips away, parties at unadvisable times and commercial commitments". He visited Brazil in March for his sister's birthday party. TV programme 'El Dia Despues (The Day After) on Tuesday showed Neymar arguing with Jordi Ala during Sunday's home defeat by Valencia after the defender chose not to pass to him. Camera footage showed Neymar appearing to swear at his team mate. Barcelona play Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday looking to get their title bid back on track with the cover of newspaper Mundo Deportivo focusing on Neymar, pictured between Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, below the headline 'This cannot go on'.
New Zealand hopes of becoming the first Olympic rugby sevens champions suffered a major setback on Tuesday when they lost their opening match to Japan and Sonny Bill Williams for the tournament to an Achilles injury.
Shobhaa De took to Twitter to post a harsh and stinging message for the Indian athletes currently competing at the Rio Olympic Games.
Gymnastics officials said that Dipa's feat was the first time an Indian woman clinched a gold in a global gymnastic competition.
Refusing to budge from its stance, the Wrestling Federation of India floated a new theory on Tuesday, alleging that some junior officials of the Sports Authority of India and National Anti Doping Agency are responsible for Narsingh Yadav being handed a four-year ban for doping.
One of his cherished memories was being in the Commonwealth Games village in Kuala Lumpur way back in 1998 and Sachin Tendulkar had that same feeling of deja vu as he dropped in at the Olympic Games athletes village in Rio on Saturday. "That incredible feeling of being in a Games village came back today (Saturday). The memories of being a part of the Indian cricket team during the 1998 CWG kept coming back. The sheer magnitude of the Games can't be compared. But the spirit and energy level is same as 1998, the ambience of being around champions is also no different," Tendulkar told PTI from Rio de Janeiro.
Residents of the Mangueira favela or slum, which overlooks the Maracana Stadium where the 2016 Olympic opening ceremony was held, expressed a mix of pride and disappointment as the Games opened in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
The battle for Olympic medals will take place in 32 venues in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil said on Tuesday it was deploying the military to patrol the emblematic tourist sites in Rio de Janeiro to guard against the "minimal" chance of an attack, though security at the Olympic stadium appeared slack three days before the Games.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
A hoped-for fight to the finish for the year-end number one ranking at next month's ATP World Tour Finals in London will likely be a coronation for Rafael Nadal, who is virtually guaranteed ending 2017 top of the pile.
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