Canada sets goal of top 12 in Rio Olympic medal standings

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Canada’s goal is to finish in the top 12 of the overall medal standings at the Rio Olympics, its Olympic Committee president said Wednesday, which would be its best finish in 20 years.

“One day, our vision, is to get top eight, and that’s an improvement on what happened in Beijing [2008] and what happened in London [2012],” Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut said, according to the Canadian Press.

Canada has recently been strongest in canoeing, diving and rowing. Diving stalwarts Alexandre Despatie and Emilie Heymans have retired since London 2012.

In track and field, high jumper Derek Drouin, heptathlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton and decathlete Damian Warner won Commonwealth Games gold in 2014.

The men’s basketball team is on the upswing, too, looking for its first Olympic berth since 2000.

Here are Canada’s overall medal standings finishes the last several Olympics, via sports-reference.com:

2012: 14th
2008: 13th
2004: 19th
2000: 18th
1996: 11th
1992: 15th
1988: 19th
1984: Fourth

Brazil eyes 27 to 30 medals at Rio Olympics

Wimbledon reverses ban on Russia, Belarus tennis players

Wimbledon Russia
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Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year.

The players must comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

They also must not receive funding “from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships,” the All England Club said in a statement.

Other tennis tournaments have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes.

“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said. “There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, The Championships and British tennis.”

This year’s Wimbledon tournament will start on July 3. The women’s final is scheduled for July 15 and the men’s final on July 16.

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2023 World Junior Gymnastics Championships live stream schedule

World Junior Gymnastics Championships
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The world junior gymnastics championships individual finals stream live on the International Gymnastics Federation YouTube channel from Friday through Sunday.

Already this week, Japan swept the men’s and women’s team titles in Antalya, Turkey. The U.S. women took silver.

The U.S. women in Friday’s all-around final are Izzy Stassi (qualified fourth) and Jayla Hang (qualified 22nd). The U.S. men in Friday’s all-around final are Kai Uemura (qualified 11th) and David Shamah (qualified 14th).

Americans also advanced to four of this weekend’s apparatus finals: women’s vault (Stassi, Hang), uneven bars (Hezly Rivera) and floor exercise (Rivera, Hang) and men’s still rings (Uemura).

Gymnastics added a biennial junior worlds starting in 2019. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Women ages 14 or 15 and men ages 15 through 18 compete.

The U.S. team in 2019 included future senior world team members Skye Blakely, Kayla DiCello and Konnor McClain.

2023 World Junior Gymnastics Championships Live Stream Schedule

Day Competition Time (ET) Platform
Friday Men’s All-Around 7:30 a.m. FIG YouTube | LIVE STREAM LINK
Women’s All-Around 12 p.m. FIG YouTube | LIVE STREAM LINK
Saturday Apparatus Finals 7 a.m. FIG YouTube | LIVE STREAM LINK
Sunday Apparatus Finals 7 a.m. FIG YouTube | LIVE STREAM LINK

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