nada and England were equal on points in third place.The womens squads in Rio will feature players lured from sports such as bas

LAS VEGAS -- Luis Scola thought Argentinas time might have passed.The Golden Generation had grown old, the younger players hadnt grown up enough, and when the Argentines went out weakly two years ago in the Basketball World Cup, Scola considered walking away rather than chase more medals.But Argentina is back in the Olympics, and this time Scola isnt just leading the basketball team.Hes leading the whole delegation.The veteran forward will carry the flag in the opening ceremony, capping an amazing turn of events after just two years ago he wasnt sure he wanted to keep playing.I try not to do it because its like, I think, kind of holds me down a little bit, but sometimes I stop for a minute and I look back and its just, wow, said Scola, whose team will face the U.S. on Friday in the Americans first exhibition game.I had the chance to play four Olympics, to play 10 years in the NBA, to carry the flag for my country, win an Olympic gold medal. I mean, different things that happened along those days that I couldnt even dream of those because it would be too wild to dream. So its been quite a journey, its been quite a ride.It began with the national team in 1998 and would peak with Argentinas rise to the top of world basketball. The Argentines won gold in the 2004 Olympics, bronze in 2008, a silver medal in the 2002 worlds, and were ranked No. 1 in the world.Manu Ginobili became the beloved face of those teams while going on to win four NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs. But its been Scola who kept playing in the later years, carrying the national team through qualifying tournaments when Ginobili couldnt or wouldnt play.His career with the national team is just unbelievable, Ginobili said. Hes played every tournament there was to play, and every single one of them at a very high level. So Luis is our guy. Hes our main guy, especially since we dont have a lot of size. We need him in the paint. Hes been the most reliable guy ever.Thats why it became so hard for Scola when the program appeared to have crumbled.The 2014 tournament in Spain was supposed to be the farewell for the group known as the Golden Generation. But Ginobili got hurt and left Scola to try to carry an undermanned team largely alone.He hated that they didnt compete for a title, but even more that he felt the federation wasnt doing enough to further the sport he had done so much to grow in his country. Scola, who wants to play all year every year, even considered ending his own international career.2014 was a very rough year and yes, I thought it could be it, because it was a lot of bad things going on, he said. The federation and the guys running it, it wasnt really working. It was going very, very bad and I just didnt feel like I wanted to play for them anymore, and we were all feeling the same.But a change atop the federation, now led by president Federico Susbielles, energized Scola, as did the return of Ginobili, who thought he would be retired by now. Fellow longtime mainstays Andres Nocioni and Carlos Delfino are also headed to Rio and will be walking into the opening ceremony behind their teammate.It creates better hope, better energy, so I feel refreshed, Scola said.Scola just signed with the Brooklyn Nets after playing last season on the Toronto Raptors best team ever. At 36, he is no longer as effective in the NBA as he remains in international play, but remains a popular and respected teammate.Ive played with Scola five years total. Ive never had a bad day with him. Never, U.S. guard Kyle Lowry of the Raptors said.Scola is realistic about Argentinas chances playing in a difficult group that includes Spain, Lithuania and Brazil -- the team that ousted Argentina two years ago. The Argentines arent good enough to duplicate what they did in Athens, but Scola hopes theyll play just as hard.Obviously what we achieved in 2004 was the highlight of our careers, something that has never been done for our country. It was a great run, Scola said. Obviously right now were in a different stage. Its going to be a little bit more difficult for us right now, but were going to compete. Its going to be fun.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BriancmahoneyGrossiste Chaussures Chinois .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Nike Air Max 270 Destockage . 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The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances.Rugby is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 92 years, bringing the ruck, the maul and the hooker back into the lexicon of the Summer Games.The format has changed, considerably, since the United States won the last rugby union Olympic gold medal in 1924, with the abbreviated seven-player version favored for Rio over the traditional 15-a-side game, and Fiji favored for a breakthrough triumph. The aim remains the same: score more tries -- grounding the ball in the opponents in-goal area -- and youre a good chance of winning.Its fast and physical, with more emphasis on speed and passing the ball (always backward) than heavy contact, and it is typically played in two seven-minute halves.Heres some things to watch in Rio, where the womens tournament runs Aug. 6-8 and the mens from Aug. 9-11 at the Deodoro Stadium:---FLYING FIJIANSFiji has never won an Olympic medal, but it has never had a chance to play its national sport at the Summer Games. The world series champions are favorites in the mens competition, and expectations are high in the Pacific.Englishman Ben Ryan took a squad containing an abundance of players with size, speed and natural flair for rugby sevens, and added extra discipline to every facet of the preparation from diet to drills. The result is a still entertaining, but more consistent Fiji team.Its the national sport, so our best athletes play rugby, Ryan says. We have been successful at it and thats also created this aura around the team, the way we play, totally different to every other side in the world. Its a risky, entertaining, exciting, slightly laid back -- sometimes -- way of playing the game. And we are doing it to a very high level.---GO BROSonny Bill Williams is a high-profile game hopper likely to feature for New Zealand in Rio, another notch in a career that has involved switching back and forth from rugby league to rugby union to win some of the biggest prizes in those sports. Already a World Cup winner with the famous All Blacks, Williams wants to add Olympic gold. He probably wont have to look far for family support, with his sister Niall figuring in selection calculations for the title-chasing New Zealaand womens team.dddddddddddd---POINT PROVEDThe sevens format has surged in popularity since its inclusion on the Olympic program, and the rewards are being spread more widely than ever. Countries such as Kenya and the United States have won titles on the world series circuit, and are ranked 6th and 7th behind southern hemisphere powers Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina. American Madison Hughes led the world series with 331 points in the 2015-16 season. American speedster Perry Baker was second behind South Africas Seabelo Senatla for most tries scored and most line breaks.---WOMENS DRAWAustralia won the womens world series, reaching the final in four of the five tournaments to outpoint second place New Zealand, the dominant team in 2014-15. Canada and England were equal on points in third place.The womens squads in Rio will feature players lured from sports such as basketball, volleyball and track and field. As it catches on, therell be more professionals, and increased competition.New Zealand had been the benchmark ... ever since I had started playing rugby. Everything we trained for and played for can subconsciously be aimed around beating them, Australias Alicia Quirk said. But this series turned out to be the most competitive season yet -- the gap between teams has definitely closed.---SPANISH ACQUISITIONSpain was the last of 12 teams to qualify in each of the mens and womens tournaments. The Spanish men had a stunning upset win over world series regulars Samoa in the last-ditch repechage, a victory which playmaker Patricia Garcia said inspired her womens team to its victory over Russia in Dublin the following week.--USEFUL TERMSRuck, maul, scrum -- all physical contests for the ball. Hooker, prop, wing -- all playing positions.--FORMATEach competition will feature 12 teams divided into three pools, with the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals. U.S. teams got tough draws: the men were grouped with Fiji, Argentina and Brazil, and the women were grouped with Australia, Fiji and Colombia. ' ' '