China sending 416 athletes to Rio Olympics (Yahoo Sports) China is sending 416 athletes to the Rio de Janeiro Games, including 35 former Olympic champions, state media reported Monday. China's contingent includes 160 men and 256 women, who will compete in 210 events across 26 sports, the Xinhua News Agency said. China's entire delegation - including coaches and other staff - will be its … [Read more...]

Anti-estrogen drug found in Jones' system (The Associated Press) The Nevada Athletic Commission on Monday suspended UFC interim champion Jon Jones indefinitely and confirmed the presence of banned substances in Jones' system, which led to him being taken off the UFC 200 card earlier this month. Jones had been scheduled to fight Daniel Cormier and earn an eight-figure payday for his … [Read more...]

Cancellara bids goodbye to home crowd at Tour de France (The Associated Press) This is why Fabian Cancellara is retiring. For his last Tour de France, the classics specialist and time trial expert earmarked Monday's 16th stage for a special, emotional finish on the medieval streets of Bern, just four kilometers from his house. Cancellara has been in the background, working for his … [Read more...]

Swedish free-skier dies in Chile avalanche (Reuters) Swedish professional extreme skier Matilda Rapaport has died after being caught in an avalanche in the Andes mountains near Chile's capital Santiago, her sponsor Red Bull said on Monday. Rapaport, who was 30 years old, was skiing in a film shoot outside the resort town of Farellones on Thursday after a major snowstorm when the avalanche … [Read more...]

Taste of the Tour: Berner Platte, gold lager in Switzerland (The Associated Press) BERN, Switzerland (AP) -- A gastronomical, sporting and cultural glance at Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Monday: … [Read more...]

Cycling-Sagan pips Kristoff for third 2016 Tour stage win (Reuters) (Adds details) By Julien Pretot BERN, July 18 (Reuters) - World champion Peter Sagan claimed his third 2016 Tour de France stage victory when he pipped Alexander Kristoff on the line at the end of the 16th stage, a 209-km ride from Moirans-en-Montagne on Monday. Norway's Kristoff (Katusha) celebrated after crossing the … [Read more...]

Russia assailed in report for doping program beyond Sochi (Yahoo Sports) ''A mind-blowing level of corruption within both Russian sport and government,''' is what Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called it. IOC President Thomas Bach called the revelations a ''shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sports and on the Olympic Games'' and said the IOC … [Read more...]

Russian inquiry finds cheating went beyond Sochi Olympics (Yahoo Sports) An investigator looking into Russian doping found the country's state-directed cheating program resulted in no fewer than 312 falsified results and lasted from 2011 through at least last year's world swimming championships. The investigator, Richard McLaren, dubbed Russia's program the ''disappearing positive … [Read more...]

Russian Olympic chief says pleased WADA made no recommendations to IOC: TASS (Reuters) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Olympic chief Alexander Zhukov said on Monday he was pleased a World Anti-Doping Agency report into allegations of state-backed cheating at the 2014 Sochi Games had not made recommendations to the International Olympic Committee, TASS news agency reported. Several anti-doping … [Read more...]

Russia's Putin orders government to tackle World Cup delays: RIA (Reuters) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to take measures to eliminate delays on soccer World Cup-2018 preparations, RIA news agency reported on Monday. A total of eleven cities will host World Cup in 2018 in Russia, while not all the venues are yet ready for the event and some of … [Read more...]