Archery: Russia’s three-member archery team for next month’s Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro was cleared to take part by the World Archery Federation (WA) yesterday after the IOC opted against a blanket ban on the country for state-sponsored doping. WA said Russia’s Tuiana Dashidorzhieva, Ksenia Perova and Inna Stepanova, who formed the women’s recurve team that won the world championships last year, met the requirements set down to guarantee their participation at the Rio Games starting on Aug. 5.
Cycling: Tour de France champion Chris Froome will make his RideLondon-Surrey Classic debut next Sunday before heading out to the Rio Olympics, race organisers confirmed yesterday. Froome will headline a Team Sky squad which includes Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Christian Knees and Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel in the world’s richest one-day race over a 200 km route on the roads of London and Surrey.
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Rogers Club: Top-seeded Serena Williams (picture) has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup due to shoulder inflammation. Williams, a three-time champion, made the announcement on Sunday. She was to receive a first-round bye in the tourney that began yesterday in Montreal. Her withdrawal comes less than two weeks before the start of the Olympic tennis, where she is scheduled to represent the United States. Williams recently won her seventh career Wimbledon crown to tie Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Cricket: James Anderson, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes took three wickets apiece as England completed a thumping 330-run win over Pakistan on the fourth day of the second test at Old Trafford yesterday. Chasing a mammoth 565 for victory, Pakistan found batting no easier second time round and were dismissed for 234 in the final session as England levelled the series at 1-1. The third test in Birmingham starts on Aug. 3.
Rugby Union: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen set his sights on capturing a record third successive Rugby World Cup title after announcing yesterday he has extended his contract with the side through the 2019 tournament in Japan. Hansen had indicated after their successful World Cup defence in England last year that he would probably walk away after his original contract expired at the end of 2017. However, Hansen appeared to have had a change of heart this year and dropped hints that he could decide to stay on after the British and Irish Lions tour that is scheduled for next summer.