Summer Olympics

The family home of James DeGale was burgled on Sunday, and the robber allegedly stole the gold medal the British boxer won at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

DeGale said his MBE was taken as well. 

"They are worthless to anyone other than me and they are two achievements that I prize from my boxing career," he wrote on Instagram. "I am gutted and need my medals back. Can anyone help by reporting any information you have. Please share far and wide."

DeGale also shared security footage of a person walking alongside his parents' home and covering the camera.

A still photo appeared to show the burglar walking away with a box under their left arm.

DeGale defeated Cuba's Emilio Correa in the middleweight final to claim Olympic gold in Beijing. He went on to go 25-3-1 as a professional, retiring after a loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in February 2019.

The 35-year-old was a two-time IBF super-middleweight champion, first beating Andre Dirrell in 2015 and recapturing the gold with a victory over Caleb Truax in 2018.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman announced Friday her dog, Mylo, was safely returned after running away because of fireworks during the Independence Day weekend celebrations.

Raisman thanked the "heroes" who found and returned her 11-month-old canine.

"To my followers in the seaport/Boston area...my dog Mylo was terrified of fireworks and ran off. He has a tag on and a leash," she wrote in her initial Instagram post July 3. "Please let me know if you see him. Thank you."

A week-long search for the dog ensued, with Raisman providing consistent updates on social media and offering a reward for his safe return.

No further details about where he was ultimately located were immediately released. TMZ Sports noted Mylo, who's a rescue dog, will celebrate his first birthday next week.

Raisman was part of the United States' dominant Olympic gymnastics squads at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games. The U.S. won the team competition both years, and the 27-year-old Massachusetts native also took home individual gold in the floor exercise in London.

She retired from competition in 2020 after six Olympic medals and four World Championship medals, including a pair of golds in 2011 and 2015 as part of the U.S. team.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant spoke about the influence late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has on him and the rest of the United States men's Olympic basketball team during a press conference on Friday (h/t Angelo Guinhawa of ClutchPoints).

“Kobe Bryant is the guy that all of us looked up to and watched as kids. And even when he was alive and playing, his DNA was embedded in us as players. From afar, [he] taught us what the game is about, what work ethic is about.

And we all kind of pull from him when he was playing and when he was alive. And now that he’s not with us no more, we all want to honor his teachings by going out there and playing with that passion, with that energy every single play.

And guys that had close relationships understand how he will approach every single day, especially with Team USA. He really took pride in being a part of this group and part of this team.

We all feed off of that type of energy, and Kobe always brought that, so he's always big to everyone of us here. We miss him, we miss him dearly because he would be in here, supporting us.

Bryant's decorated career included plenty of success on the international stage, including a pair of Olympic gold medals and the 2007 FIBA World Championship gold medal with Team USA.

Durant and Bryant played together on the 2012 Olympic team, which went undefeated and won a gold medal over Spain in London. That group outscored their opponents by an average of 32.1 points per game.

KD has also built an excellent international basketball resume, winning two Olympic gold medals in addition to World Championship gold. He notably led the Olympic team in scoring in 2012 and 2016.

Durant is looking for his third Olympic gold at this year's Summer Games, and he'll be flanked by some talented players:

The Games will begin July 23 in Tokyo.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency wrote a letter to members of Congress appealing for legislators to soften the federal stance on the recreational use of marijuana.

The step comes after USADA suspended American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson for 30 days after she tested positive for THC. As a result, Richardson won't represent Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

USADA said in Friday's letter it can't act unilaterally to remove marijuana as a banned substance.

"Most governments in the world have been very reluctant to take marijuana off the prohibited list for public health reasons,” the letter said, per the Associated Press' Eddie Pells. “It is worth noting that when marijuana was included in the first prohibited list in 2004, one of the strongest advocates for inclusion of marijuana on the prohibited list was the U.S. government.”

Richardson qualified to run in the 100-meter dash by finishing with the best time (10.86 seconds) in that event during the U.S. Olympic trials. She presumably would've run in the 4x100-meter relay as well.

Instead, the 21-year-old will have to wait until at least 2024 to fulfill her Olympic dreams.

Many immediately came to her defense when the suspension was reported. Marijuana doesn't fit the profile of a performance-enhancing drug, and Richardson revealed on Today she had used the substance to help cope following the death of her birth mother:

President Joe Biden commented on the suspension by saying "the rules are the rules."

"Whether they should remain the rules is a different issue, but the rules are the rules," he said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, wrote a letter to USADA CEO Travis Tygart and World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka asking to overturn Richardson's punishment:

Ocasio-Cortez cited the way in which major American sports leagues have eased the consequences for athletes who test positive for marijuana. The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees some of the biggest fights in MMA and boxing, just announced plans to scrap marijuana-related punishments, a move that could have wider effects across combat sports.

A judge has dismissed charges against American competitive swimmer Ryan Lochte alleging that he filed a false police report while in Rio De Janiero during the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Lochte's lawyer and agent, Jeff Ostrow, told Josh Peter of USA Today that the statute of limitations expired and a judge ruled that Rio prosecutors could not prove their case against the 36-year-old.

“As we always suspected, they can’t win their case and the judge finally dismissed it,’’ Ostrow told Peter. “We are not going to Rio to celebrate, I assure you.’’

Lochte said in 2016 that he and three other Team USA swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint at a Rio gas station during the Summer Olympics. However, that claim turned out to be fabricated.

He was charged with filing a false police report, but Ostrow said that one was never officially filed:

“You can’t falsify a report if you don’t report it. And Ryan never reported this to anyone. It was his mother who told some other reporter she didn’t even know she was talking to that Ryan had been held at gunpoint, and that’s what started this whole thing.

“The Brazilian police came to us and Ryan and wanted a statement, which we voluntarily gave right away and reported our side of what happened. And they then took from there as a save-face for the black eye that that country had been experiencing by having such a dangerous venue at the Olympics and said that Ryan and the boys trashed a gas station.’’

Brazilian police stated that Lochte and three other swimmers—Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen—had vandalized a gas station, which prompted armed security guards to confront them about the alleged incident.

Lochte initially told Matt Lauer of NBC that a guard drew a gun at his forehead and that the swimmers were demanded to provide money (h/t Jennifer Konerman of the Hollywood Reporter).

But the claim that a gun was drawn at Lochte's forehead turned out to be false.

“I did lie about that one part, and I take full responsibility,” Lochte said on Good Morning America (h/t Katie Kindelan of ABC News). “I’m human. I made a mistake, a very big mistake, and it’s something that I learned from. And I know that that will never happen again.”

Lochte did say a gun was drawn for unknown reasons, though.

“Whether you call it a robbery, whether you call it extortion or us paying just for the damages—we don’t know," Lochte told Lauer. "All we know is, there was a gun pointed in our direction, and we were demanded to give money."

Lochte did admit to vandalizing a poster. The swimmers also said they urinated in bushes behind the building.

Per Taylor Barnes of USA Today, Rio police claimed that the swimmers broke a mirror and soap dispenser too. Lochte denied that claim, however.

In Sept. 2016, the United States Olympic Committee suspended Lochte for 10 months as a result of the incident. The other three swimmers were suspended four months each.

Several members of the United States men's national basketball team modeled their new uniforms Thursday ahead of the upcoming 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

As seen in the following video posted on the NBA's official Twitter account, most of Team USA took part in a pre-Olympics photo shoot:

Among the biggest stars to show off the blue unis with white lettering and red trim were Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

Only three of the 12 members of Team USA were not present for the photoshoot, but they had a good reason.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Milwaukee Bucks teammates Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are all playing in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Other players featured in the video include Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love.

With several top players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul of the Suns, Stephen Curry of the Warriors and James Harden of the Nets removing themselves from Team USA consideration, many members of the squad will be Olympic debutants in Tokyo.

Durant, Green and Love are the only members of head coach Gregg Popovich's team with Olympic experience under their belts.

Even so, the Americans will be heavily favored to win gold for a fourth consecutive Olympic Games when the 2021 Tokyo Olympics begin July 23.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Thursday that no fans will be permitted to attend events at the upcoming 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Per CNN's Emiko Jozuka, Suga announced earlier in the day that the Olympics would occur under a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to CNN's Junko Ogura, Chie Kobayashi and Nectar Gan, Suga said:

"The number of infected cases in the area including Tokyo has been increasing since the end of last month. The number of severe cases and bed occupancy rate continues to be on the low level, but considering the impact of variants, we need to enhance countermeasures so that the infection will not spread nationwide."

Yoshifumi Takemoto and Ju-min Park of Reuters reported Wednesday that a state of emergency was likely forthcoming because of a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the Japanese capital.

Per Takemoto and Park, 920 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Tokyo on Wednesday, the highest daily total since May 13.

Japan already imposed a ban on foreign spectators and had been planning to allow domestic fans to attend events at 50 percent capacity with a cap of 10,000 spectators.

Takemoto and Park reported that a slow vaccine rollout in Japan has resulted in only 25 percent of the population receiving at least one shot, and top Japanese government health adviser Shigeru Omi said it would be "preferable" for the Olympics to be held without fans.

The Summer Games were originally scheduled to be held last year, but they were pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There had been discussion about canceling the Games, but the decision was made to go through with the Summer Olympics in 2021.

The Opening Ceremony is set for July 23 at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

United States sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is looking ahead after a positive test for marijuana kept her out of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Richardson explained her thoughts after getting left off the U.S. Olympic team in the 4x100-meter relay.

"Honestly, that news didn't bother me because me and my team were realistic, so we kind of figured that they would say that in the first place," Richardson said. "And plus, if my talent is good enough for me to run on a relay, why isn't it good enough for me to run in my open?"

She added: "I understand the situation that's going on. So, I'm accepting of it, and I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career."

Richardson won the 100 meters at June's U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, only to test positive for a banned substance. The 21-year-old has owned up to her decisions while providing context for the situation.

Richardson said she used marijuana after learning of the death of her biological mother. Officials with USATF released a statement about why she was held out of the 4x100:

First and foremost, we are incredibly sympathetic toward Sha'Carri Richardson's extenuating circumstances and strongly applaud her accountability - and will offer her our continued support both on and off the track.

While USATF fully agrees that the merit of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules related to THC should be reevaluated, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track & Field if USATF amended its policies following competition, only weeks before the Olympic Games.

All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances.

So while our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha'Carri, we must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team.

It's unclear what's next for one of the fastest women in the world, though she'll likely turn her attention toward the 2022 World Championships in Eugene next year.

The four-member United States Equestrian jumping team for the Summer Olympics was announced on Monday, and Jessica Springsteen is included in the field.

Springsteen is the daughter of musicians Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. Springsteen is a 20-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, and Scialfa, who has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Jessica Springsteen is currently ranked third on the latest U.S. Equestrian Federation show jumping ranking list and 27th in the world.

The U.S. Equestrian team also outlined some of her other notable accomplishments.

"Springsteen’s recent competitive highlights include first-place finishes at the 2019 CSI4* Sweden H&M Grand Prix, the 2019 KBC Bank & Verzekering 1.50m CSI5*-W in Mechelen, Belgium, the Prestige Speed Prize at Jumping Verona, Italy CSI5*-W the 2020 $137,000 FEI Grand Prix CSI3* at WEF 6, and the 2021 WEF $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI4* in Wellington, Fla., all with Volage du Val Henry, a Selle Francais mare owned by Stone Hill Farm. With RMF Zecilie, she won Longines Global Champions Tour and Prix of Ramatuelle/Saint-Tropez, France in 2019."

Per Chris Jordan of the Asbury Park Press, Springsteen also won the K 4* Grand Prix Hubside Jumping Tour equestrian event on June 13 in Saint-Tropez, France with a time of 36.16 seconds.

She will be riding Don Juan Van De Donkehoeve in her first-ever Olympic appearance. The competition will take place from Monday, August 2 through Saturday, August 7 in Tokyo’s Equestrian Park.

USA Basketball on Monday released the jersey numbers for the men's squad ahead of the 2021 Summer Olympics:

Damian Lillard will wear No. 6, as previously reported by Casey Holdahl of NBA.com. The six-time All-Star wears No. 0 for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kevin Durant will don the No. 7 he wears with the Brooklyn Nets, a change from the No. 5 he wore during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Durant was the team's leading scorer with an average of 19.4 points per game during its 8-0 run to the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.

With Durant, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is the only other returning player from five years ago and will once again wear his No. 14 jersey for Team USA.

The Americans have high expectations as always with a roster featuring elite talent. Top scorers Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum could be difference-makers at this level.

One of the biggest question marks could be fatigue after the condensed NBA season, especially with three of the 12 players set to play in the Finals (Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday). After the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns battle for the title, the players must come together to compete for another type of championship.

The U.S. has earned gold medals in each of the last three Olympics.