Cycling
MOUDON, Switzerland – German sprinter Marcel Kittel won the second day of racing in the Tour of Romandie on Wednesday after the course was shortened because of overnight snow and slippery roads.
Jon Izagirre of Spain, who won Tuesday’s prologue, kept his overall lead after stage one of the six-day race. A second-category climb and 37 miles of racing were removed Wednesday.
Kittel finished a wheel’s length ahead of Niccolo Bonifazio of Italy. They reeled in a late move by Michael Albasini of Switzerland, who placed third.
Thursday’s stage two is a 108-mile ride to Morgins ski station, home of 2010 Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago.
Olympics
MONTREAL – The World Anti-Doping Agency said Russia was responsible for more doping violations than any other country in 2014, while track and field was the sport with the worst doping record over the year.
Russian athletes topped the country list with a total of 148 violations, followed by Italy with 123 and India with 96, according to a WADA report on doping cases around the world. Belgium and France completed the top five with 91 violations each.
Track and field led the number of doping violations by sport with 248, followed by bodybuilding (225) and cycling (168). Weightlifting (143) and powerlifting (116) came next in the list.
WADA said 1,693 violations were recorded in 2014, out of 217,762 samples sent to its accredited laboratories.
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s Olympic committee Wednesday unveiled Zika-proof uniforms complete with mosquito repellent it says will help protect athletes from the virus at this year’s games in Rio de Janeiro.
Mosquito-repellent chemicals were added to the outfits, which all include long pants, long-sleeved shirts and jackets. The uniforms will be worn by athletes during ceremonies, training and at the athletes’ village, the Korean Olympic Committee said.
The committee said it couldn’t make changes to the uniforms worn during competition because of strict rules and performance concerns, although athletes will be allowed to use anti-mosquito spray during competition.
The U.S. team also revealed its Ralph Lauren-designed closing-ceremony outfits Wednesday, and the Americans don’t seem as worried. The men and women will wear shorts.
NEW YORK – Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Tamika Catchings will play in their fourth Olympics, anchoring the U.S. women’s basketball team heading to the Rio Games in August.
The trio was among 12 players named to the team that was announced Wednesday morning, a group that included first-time Olympians Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart.
Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles and Sylvia Fowles round out the American squad that will be trying for a sixth consecutive U.S. gold medal.
Two-time Olympian Candace Parker was left off the roster.
PARIS – The head of France’s Olympic committee said hosting a successful European Championship in June and July would provide further proof that the country could stage the games safely in 2024.
Paris is looking to host the games for the first time since 1924 and is competing against Rome, Los Angeles, and Budapest, Hungary, with the International Olympic Committee choosing the host in September 2017.
Associated Press
