RIO DE JANEIRO -- The chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee defended his support of the decision not to ban Russias entire team from the Rio Games, framing it as a done deal by the time he weighed in on it, and a stance that received wide support among athletes.Chairman Larry Probst was among the 84

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee defended his support of the decision not to ban Russias entire team from the Rio Games, framing it as a done deal by the time he weighed in on it, and a stance that received wide support among athletes.Chairman Larry Probst was among the 84 International Olympic Committee members who, at president Thomas Bachs urging, gave approval to the IOC executive committees call to let individual sports federations review the athletes doping pasts and determine which Russians could compete.At a USOC news conference Friday, Probst echoed Bach in saying the decision had wide support among athletes, including all eight athlete representatives on the IOC.But athlete support in Probsts home country was far from unanimous. Sarah Konrad, the chair of the USOC athletes advisory council, told The Associated Press, I think the IOC made the wrong decision.They shouldve shown stronger leadership and banned the entire Russian delegation, Konrad said. To punt to the (sports federations) was ridiculous.Probst quoted another IOC member, Dick Pound, an outspoken anti-doping advocate who also rubber-stamped the decision, saying the arrow has left the bow by the time the full IOC was asked to show support.The decision was made, Probst said. What Thomas asked of the session was, `Do you support the decision? The decision was not going to be changed.Only one IOC member raised his hand in opposition to Bachs question: Britains Adam Pengilly, whose term on the committee ends after these Olympics.The World Anti-Doping Agency was among several anti-doping groups that called for the complete ban of all Russias 389 athletes. Bach went against that recommendation, citing the concept of individual justice to justify the call to hand over the decisions to the sports. On Thursday night, about 24 hours before the opening ceremony, the IOC confirmed that 271 Russian athletes had been cleared to compete.Probst reiterated what he said in Tuesdays IOC meeting -- that the anti-doping system is in need of repair, and that the problem goes deeper than Russia.A complicated and difficult decision with no perfect solution, he called it.It was a sparsely attended news conference, held at the same time that French President Francois Hollande was also speaking to the media in a room on the other side of the building. Hollande is promoting the Paris bid for the 2024 Olympics.Also in that mix is Los Angeles, and USOC leadership has been working hard for years to build a stronger relationship with the IOC, in part to be in better position to eventually bring the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time since 1996.It helps explain why the USOC has been vocal about some parts of the anti-doping mess of the past year -- saying the system is broken -- but unwilling to break ranks at the highest level, including the IOCs decision about Russia.Chief of sport performance Alan Ashley said hes spent a lot of time in the athletes village and hasnt heard a word about doping or Russia.Theyre looking forward to the competition, Ashley said. Thats what I hear about.But Ashley hasnt spoken to all the athletes.I believed the IOC was going to say, `We dont want this in our organization and we have to make a stand, said U.S. race walker John Nunn, who also serves on the U.S. track teams athletes advisory committee. And to turn around and just go, `Hey, why dont you just go make a decision for each sport, Im like, Are you for real? You really just copped out on this. Frederik Andersen Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Scott Niedermayer Jersey . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. The promotion boasts 14-straight years of business and is operated by MFC president Mark Pavelich, who is often overlooked in this country for the foundation hes established for MMA in Canada. https://www.cheapducks.com/137c-adam-oates-jersey-ducks.html . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. George Parros Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Jari Kurri Jersey . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. MINNEAPOLIS -- Andrew Wiggins: 47.All five Los Angeles Lakers starters: 47.Wiggins hit 14 of 21 shots to blow past his previous career high of 36, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 125-99 victory over the Lakers on Sunday night.Im finding myself, finding things Im good at and things I need to work on, said Wiggins, nine games into his third season in the league. The game has kind of slowed down for me a little bit. Im able to read defenses better now and see how the defense is set.Wiggins hit 17 of 22 free throws and Nemanja Bjelica added a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who played without starting guard Zach LaVine and reserve forward Shabazz Muhammad. Both missed the game with sore right knees.Lou Williams scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers, who got 47 points from their starters and 52 from their bench. Julius Randle had 14 points and six rebounds and Jordan Clarkson scored 14.You let a player as good as him get an additional 22 free chances on that, one hes going to score a lot and two hes going to get hot because hes in a rhythm from all the free throws hes shooting, Lakers coach Luke Walton said. We couldnt really contain him tonight.Wiggins was a team-best plus-34 in 41 minutes, and LaVine showered his close friend with Gatorade during his postgame television interview. The Wolves went 13 of 27 from 3-point range, many of them clean shots coming after the defense collapsed on Wiggins.I think hes just scratching the surface, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. I think he can do a lot more.The game featured two of the most promising young cores in the league, with Wiggins, LaVine and Karl-Anthony Towns hoping to end Minnesotas 12-year playoff drought and DAngelo Russell, Randle and Brandon Ingram reviving the Lakers in the post-Kobe era.Entering the season, the Lakers were believed to be a step behind the Wolves in the process, but they won six of their first 10 gaames while Minnesota got off to a disappointing 2-6 start.ddddddddddddBoth teams played on Saturday night, but the Wolves were finishing a rare home back-to-back, and appeared to have the fresher legs all night. The Timberwolves scored 21 points off of 17 Lakers turnovers.TIP-INSLakers: C Timofey Mozgov was in foul trouble all game, playing just 15 minutes before fouling out. ... Ingram played after being listed as questionable with a sprained ankle suffered on Saturday night in New Orleans. Ingram finished with 10 points in 26 minutes. ... The Lakers wrapped up their three-game road trip at 2-1.Timberwolves: Wiggins scored a career-high 25 points in the first half. ... F Brandon Rush missed his fourth straight game, and coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that Rush has been dealing with a bruised big toe on his right foot.BJELICA STARTSWith LaVine injured, Thibodeau inserted the 6-foot-10 Bjelica, normally a power forward, into the lineup at small forward and moved Wiggins to shooting guard. The former Euroleague MVP made five 3s and also had three steals and a block.I thought he played a beautiful game tonight, Thibodeau said. He made really good decisions.LAKERS BENCHThe second unit has been a strength for the Lakers all season, averaging 52.1 points per game in the first 10. The leading scorer from the game has come from their bench in eight of 11 games so far this season.No excuse, Russell said of playing three games on the road in four nights. We just lost.TOWNS STRUGGLESTowns finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but he really had to work for it. The reigning rookie of the year made 7 of 22 shots, including just 6 of 10 free throws.UP NEXTLakers: Head home from a three-game road trip to face Brooklyn on Tuesday.Timberwolves: Continue a four-game home stand with a game against the Hornets on Tuesday. ' ' '