TENNIS

Wawrinka withdraws

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Two-time major champion Stan Wawrinka pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday because of injury, leaving the Rio Games without half of the men ranked in the ATP's top 10.

A statement issued by Wawrinka's management company said he "felt increasing pain" during the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week and was told by his doctor after an MRI exam to "reduce his physical activity for an undetermined period."

The statement does not say where Wawrinka is injured. He lost in the semifinals in Toronto.

Wawrinka, who is No. 4 this week, joins his Swiss teammate Roger Federer, who is No. 3, along with No. 7 Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 8 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and No. 10 Dominic Thiem of Austria in withdrawing from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for a variety of reasons.

[ARKANSANS IN RIO: Full coverage of 23 in Olympics]

No. 5 Rafael Nadal has been sidelined with an injured left wrist since the French Open and has been testing his fitness in Brazil.

The draw for tennis in Rio is Thursday. Play begins Saturday.

Wawrinka won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open.

He teamed with Federer to win a doubles gold medal for Switzerland at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Another Swiss tennis player, Belinda Bencic, also pulled out of Rio.

CYCLING

Armitstead wins appeal

LONDON -- British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead has won an appeal against an anti-doping violation and is free to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Armitstead, one of the favorites for the women's road race, missed three doping tests in a 12-month period, leading to a charge by U.K. Anti-Doping and a provisional suspension.

She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a statement released on Armitstead's behalf on Monday said the first missed test -- from August 2015 -- was declared void by CAS because UKAD's doping control officer had failed to follow procedure.

On Tuesday, UKAD confirmed the ruling by CAS and chief executive Nicole Sapstead said "we respect the outcome" of the hearing.

The 27-year-old Armitstead is the current world champion in the road race.

EQUESTRIAN EVENTS

Special treatment

The horses for the U.S. equestrian team will get special treatment at the Olympics over the next few weeks.

Given persistent concerns about Rio’s water quality, the team will have its animals drinking only filtered water.

“It’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” spokesman Leah Oliveto said. “But it’s not something we’re extremely concerned about.”

The riders will also take extra precautions after being briefed on the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.

Zika is carried mainly by mosquitoes but can also be transmitted through sexual contact, and there have been reported cases of birth defects when pregnant women are infected.

Asked about the situation, eventing rider Boyd Martin said: “All of us are benched for two months after the Olympics with our respective partners.”

GYMNASTICS

Watch roaming charges

TOKYO -- Japanese Olympic gymnast Kohei Uchimura may be a record six-time world champion, but he won't be encountering much success in his "Pokemon Go" efforts after running up a huge roaming bill in Rio.

Uchimura was stunned to receive a 500,000 yen ($4,900) mobile phone bill after playing the popular augmented-reality game, Kyodo news agency reported Tuesday.

Thankfully for him, his Japanese carrier service agreed to reduce his bill to a 3,000 yen ($30) daily all-you-can-use contract, Kyodo said.

Uchimura is the reigning gold medalist in the men's all-around competition, and has said he is just as committed to a Japan team gold in Rio de Janeiro as he is to the personal title.

Nikkan Sports newspaper predicted "Uchimura may not get any Pokemon, but he will surely get gold."

MISCELLANEOUS

Kerry to lead delegation

President Barack Obama and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden are skipping the Olympics.

The White House says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the U.S. delegation to the games. He'll be the highest-level U.S. official attending.

The U.S. delegation will also include swimmer Mark Spitz. He has nine Olympic gold medals, plus a silver medal and a bronze medal.

Ban to carry torch

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will carry the Olympic torch and take part in the opening of the 31st Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Ban will fly to Rio Wednesday night and take part in Friday's relay in which the Olympic torch is handed over.

He said the secretary-general will also visit the Olympic Village and meet competitors including the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team.

That 10-member team includes two refugees from Syria, five from South Sudan, two from Congo and one from Ethiopia.

Ban carried the Olympic torch at the 2012 summer games in London and the 2014 winter games in Sochi, Russia.

Dujarric said Ban will also attend a meeting Friday night for heads of state hosted by Brazil's acting President Michel Temer.

Tax-exempt prizes?

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Sen. Charles Schumer, on the eve of the Summer Olympics, is calling on the House to follow his chamber's lead and make the cash prizes won by U.S. medalists tax-exempt in future games.

The New York Democrat, visiting the Winter Olympics training facility in Lake Placid on Tuesday, said the Internal Revenue Service shouldn't impose a victory tax on athletes who work hard training year-round.

The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent in July before the current recess began. The House is scheduled to return Sept. 6, after the summer games in Brazil are over.

The U.S. Olympic Committee pays $25,000 to gold medal winners, $15,000 for silver medalists and $10,000 for bronze. Athletes have to report the income on their federal tax returns.

The bill would also exempt prizes for Paralympic athletes. The exemption would not apply to commercial endorsements.

"Our Olympian and Paralympic athletes should be worried about breaking world records, not breaking the bank, when they earn a medal," Schumer said.

Sports on 08/03/2016