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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- With the Rio de Janeiro Olympics set to open, worried IOC members grilled top organizing officials about traffic jams, water pollution, security, and the absence of signage that gives the games its own distinct look.
International Olympic President Thomas Bach also turned up the pressure Wednesday by talking straight to organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman and CEO Sidney Levy, who tried to soothe almost 100 IOC members.
"It's delivery time," Bach said. "Here we go now. It really starts. We are very confident we will celebrate great games here in Rio and the world will be surprised to see what will happen here."
Bach also cautioned: "All praise is premature now. ... It's too early to celebrate."
Prince Albert of Monaco asked about Rio's severe water pollution, which soils Olympic venues for sailing, rowing, canoeing, triathlon and open-water swimming. Rio treats about half of its raw sewage, dumping the rest into the waters surrounding the area of 12 million people.
"The media has said a lot about the preparations of these games, and they say a lot about the levels of pollution," Albert said. "How worried should we be?"
Rio spokesman Mario Andrada repeated assurances that bacterial pollution levels fall within World Health Organization guidelines. However, organizers have been criticized for the astronomical viral levels in the waters, and for not testing for this kind of pollution.
Then there's surface debris.
"We do have a few problems with the floating garbage," Andrada acknowledged, explaining plans to use a dozen garbage collection boats in the sailing venue. Rio is also using barricades to block the flow of garbage from streams, and helicopters to spot garbage flows.
Swiss IOC member Denis Oswald asked about traffic jams in the run-up to the games, which open Friday.
"Those who've had the opportunity to get to some of the venues have had lots of difficulties," Oswald said.
Rio official Leo Gryner said there were "some constraints" getting the Olympic lane system to work. The lanes are to help get athletes and officials around town quickly. He said city officials were making changes.
"They are making the flow quicker and making sure all the athletes get to training and competition on time," Gyrner said.
Rio commercial officer Renato Ciuchini was asked why there was so little signage - signs that give the games it distinct look and help direct fans to venues. It was suggested the number installed only reached 15 percent.
"We are very confident the supplier will now install everything, but I believe a few will be installed a bit late," Ciuchini said. IOC officials said Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games executive director, was holding an emergency meeting with the supplier.
IOC member Alex Gilady asked Levy about his three largest worries. Levy listed transportation, security - despite a force of 85,000 police and soldiers - and finances.
He said transportation was going well between the two largest venue clusters - the Olympic Park and the northern cluster of Deodoro. He said that comprised 75 percent of the trips. The problem area was in urban Rio around Copacabana Beach and the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon where rowing takes place.
"It's a real challenge," Levy said.
He also acknowledged the operating budget is under stress. That is a budget of 7.4 billion reals ($2.3 billion) for operating the games themselves, but not for building venues and roads.
Rio organizers have been getting cash advances from the IOC but still maintain their budget is balanced. Several reports say the IOC recently turned down a $70 million loan to Rio.
Away from the venues, Brazil is in its deepest recession since the 1930s. Separately, President Dilma Rousseff has been replaced by interim president Michel Temer as she awaits an impeachment trial in the federal senate.
A look at what's happening all around the majors today:
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BEST OF THE BEST
Baltimore goes for a three-game sweep of visiting Texas in a series between first-place teams. The AL East-leading Orioles are 39-16 at home, the top mark in the majors. Left-hander Wade Miley (7-8, 4.98 ERA) makes his Baltimore debut after he was obtained Sunday in a trade with Seattle. A.J. Griffin (4-1, 3.99) faces the Orioles for the first time since 2013. AL West-leading Texas is 9-4 in his 13 starts.
GETTING HEALTHY
Jordan Zimmermann (9-4) comes off the disabled list from a neck injury to pitch against the White Sox as host Detroit seeks its ninth straight victory. And teammate J.D. Martinez is expected to make his first start since missing seven weeks with a broken elbow. Martinez returned with a bang Wednesday night in a 2-1 win, breaking an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit homer off Chris Sale on the first pitch the slugger had faced since mid-June. Martinez's timely drive helped the streaking Tigers move within two games of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central.
HELP WANTED
Mike Napoli has homered in five straight games for Cleveland, matching Chris Davis and Jay Bruce for the longest streak in the majors this season. But the Indians have been wasting Napoli's power surge lately, losing three consecutive home games to Minnesota while getting outscored 35-16. The last-place Twins are 8-4 against the AL Central leaders this year and will go for a four-game sweep when left-hander Hector Santiago, acquired from the Angels at the trade deadline, makes his Minnesota debut in the series finale. Mike Clevinger will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start for Cleveland.
NEW GIANT
Left-hander Matt Moore makes his first start for the San Francisco Giants in Philadelphia. The skidding NL West leaders acquired Moore from Tampa Bay for infielder Matt Duffy and two minor leaguers to help get back on track. Moore's arrival has bumped veteran right-hander Jake Peavy to the bullpen.
NOTHING FREE
Cardinals pitcher Mike Leake (8-8) has a streak on the line when he faces his former Reds team for the second time. Leake hasn't walked a batter in his last 30 innings spanning five starts, a career best. It's the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest this season behind Matt Shoemaker's 30 1/3 innings without a walk for the Angels.
ICHIRO UPDATE
Ichiro Suzuki lined out softly to shortstop as a pinch-hitter Wednesday during Miami's loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He remained two hits shy of 3,000. Suzuki and the Marlins are off Thursday before opening a three-game series at Colorado on Friday night.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Michael Phelps has a lot of memorable moments at the Olympics.
This one ranks right up there.
Adding another honor to his remarkable career, Phelps was chosen to carry the U.S. flag in Friday night's opening ceremony at Maracana Stadium.
The pick seemed obvious - Phelps, after all, is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history and will be competing in his fifth Summer Games - but he was clearly overwhelmed Wednesday after being selected in a vote of American athletes representing each sport.
"To lead our country into this Olympics is something, honestly, that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do," Phelps said.
In fact, this will be the first time he's participated in the opening ceremony, which can be a grueling experience requiring athletes to spend hours on their feet.
As a 15-year-old, his handlers thought it best that he not take part even though he qualified in only one event at the 2000 Sydney Games. At the last three Olympics, Phelps skipped the ceremony to rest up for his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, which was held the next day.
With the 400 IM no longer part of his program, he was available to lead the American team into one of the world's most iconic stadiums.
Phelps got word of his selection Tuesday night.
"I think I had the biggest smile on my face that you could possibly find," he said. "A little bit of emotion came over me. I probably shed a little bit of tears, just of joy."
Phelps will be only the second swimmer to lead the U.S. delegation in the opening ceremony. Gary Hall carried the flag at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Phelps has captured 18 golds and 22 medals overall, far more than any other Olympic athlete, and he'll be the first U.S. male swimmer to compete in five Summer Games.
While Phelps did have some concerns about the physical toll of marching in the opening ceremony rather than spending a relaxing night in front of the television, he couldn't pass up the chance to carry the flag.
"It's a no-brainer," he said. "I have to do it. I want to do it."
Phelps will certainly be hard to miss at the Maracana. Ralph Lauren has come up with an ensemble for the U.S. team that provides the flag bearer with an extra touch of flash - a jacket in which the letters "USA" light up across the back.
"I kind of want to steal that jacket," said Ryan Lochte, who is Phelps' roommate in the Olympic village.
While more than half his life has been spent as an Olympian, the 31-year-old Phelps said he can still remember watching coverage of the opening ceremony as a child. Those images of smiling athletes from around the world entering the Olympic stadium always stuck with him.
"As a kid, you're like, 'Yeah, it would be pretty sweet to be able to carry the flag,'" Phelps said, beaming.
In a way, this is a perfect capper to Phelps' career, no matter how many medals he adds to his already staggering total in Rio. He has become a true leader of the U.S. swimming team, mentoring younger athletes and eagerly embracing the chance to be a role model.
For the first time, Phelps is serving as a team captain at the Olympics.
Now, he's received an even bigger accolade.
"It feels so right," said 21-year-old teammate Missy Franklin, one of many swimmers inspired by Phelps during their early years at the pool.
The 31-year-old Phelps, who retired from swimming after the London Games but quickly reversed that decision, will compete in three individual events at Rio and could be a member of all three relay teams. But he has continually stressed that his desire to compete in another Olympics had little to do with collecting more gold.
Phelps skimped on his training before London and, frankly, didn't really want to be there. After taking a yearlong break, he rediscovered his love of training and competing, sparking a desire to close his career the right way.
Then there's his personal life, which has endured a series of missteps including a second drunken-driving arrest in 2014. Since then, Phelps went through six weeks of inpatient therapy, gave up alcohol, reconnected with his estranged father, got engaged and became a father for the first time with the birth of his son, Boomer.
"I've been able to experience things that I probably didn't really notice or I took for granted in the past," Phelps said. "This has been the greatest two years of my life for a lot of reasons."
And, after insisting all along this truly would be his final Olympics, Phelps dropped a tantalizing hint that he might not be done.
Talking about how much he looks forward to having his infant son along for the ride in Rio, Phelps called it "my potential last Olympics."
"Just so you guys don't beat me to death if I come back," he told a packed interview room at the Main Press Center. "I'm not. But I'm going to say that."
Llegó a su final la primera temporada de Softball Femenil en Eagle Pass, donde participaron 13 equipos y donde la escuadra Pink Sox de J&K Loans fueron las campeonas.
El equipo esta formado por Pricila Torres, Cindy Galvan, Judith Puente, Carla Rocha, Ashley Zamarripa, Norma Villarreal, Alejandra Perez, Carmen Limon.
(arriba de isquierda a derecha) Gaby Rodriguez, Nancy Flores, Rosaura Dovalina, Magaly Lopez, El equipo es dirigido por Sergio Navarro y sus asistentes Jay Hernandez y Mauricio Chavarria.
Cuando inicie la proxima temporada el 1 de agosto se dará el trofeo al equipo campeon Pink Sox.
Christian Garcia and Ty Chisum, both EPHS alumni, participated in the Lone Star Conference Track N Field Championship this past weekend. Together the former Eagles propelled Texas A&M Kingsville past the competition. TAMUK tallied a total of 180 points to squeeze by Angelo State’s 173.5 as they blew past the rest of the competition in Stephenville, Texas. The young men both participated in two events each.
Garcia rocketed a gargantuan heave of 56’11” in the Shot Put to claim the Gold Medal as the L.S.C. Champion. Garcia followed that throw with a Discus toss of 155’, enough for even more points and a fourth place finish. Chisum, a TRUE Freshman at TAMUK, continued the good work and pulled in a crucial 8th place mark with a 22’11” Long Jump and a 10th place in his signature Triple Jump with a leap of 45’. This marks the second Conference Championship for Garcia and the First for Chisum. Garcia has now qualified to participate at the D2 National Track Meet in Tampa Bay, Florida on May 20th.
Together the boys hauled in 16 points for the TEAM effort. The narrow margin of Victory only emphasizes the importance each participants’ effort and understanding that every point counts. We would like to congratulate our local boys and their school Texas A&M Kingsville with the Lone Star Conference Championship. Keep up the Good Work!
A.D. Ibarra
Staff Writer
District Champion Eagle Pass Lady Eagles are in Laredo this weekend to take on the Weslaco Panthers in a Bi-District showdown for the ages.
According to head coach Coca Ruiz, he expects to face lefty Taylor Tafolla who is coming back from an injury and pitched well in their series against Brownsville Veterans last week.
"Our girls are hitting well overall, but Heather Ruiz is on fire with a 7 for 8 performance against La Joya where she had at least one RBI at each at bat. Senior Amanda Appleton was four for six in the last series and Sairah Gonzalez was 3 for 4 in the last game, but if Melanie Mendoza can begin to produce, we'll be hard to stop."
Another player Ruiz spoke highly of was Fab Frosh Brooke Diaz who he says is everything you're looking for in a catcher with cat-like reflexes a great arm and a good bat. The Lady Eagles are solid up the middle with nothing but freshmen including center fielder Leslie martinez and Lady Eagle Ace Kaitlin Galvan who will also be in the circle for Eagle Pass.
"We've done really well against lefties this season so I hope our bats keep producing runs."
Adrián Ibarra
-Escritor
Los días 16 y 17 de Abril en el Five Mile Dam Park en la ciudad de San Marcos, TX se llevó a cabo el Torneo de Distrito de el South Texas Cup para definir los equipos que lograrían el pase para el torneo estatal de soccer a realizarse en San Antonio, Tx.
El equipo Pumas FC de Eagle Pass logro su pase invicto y este fin de semana pasado Abril 30 y Mayo 1, en el Mission Soccer Complex en SA se coronó campeón estatal, derrotando en el camino a los equipos San Antonio Lonestars por un marcador de 3 a 0, al New Braunfells Ajax por goliza 5 a 1 y al Georgetown Force 4 a 1.
Los jugadores campeones de Pumas FC U16 son: G Fco. Almanza, 2 Dario Silva, 3 Gerardo Zuñiga, 4 Diego Carrasco, 5 Gabriel Castillo, 6 Arturo Gonzalez. 7 Cristian Acevedo, 8 J. Carlos Serrato, 9 Juan C. Romero, 10 Jerry Estrada, 11 Derek Brosig, 12 Aaron Limon, 13 Ivan Cantu, 14 Jose Lazaro, 15 Erik Tarin, 16 Cesar Moreno y el Coach Ricardo Brosig.
Felicidades a los Papás, Mamás y familiares por el esfuerzo y apoyo para este logro mas de los jugadores de Pumas FC, ahora Campeones estatales.
A.D. Ibarra
-Staff Reporter
Eagle Pass' Nayla Telles has done what not many can say they have when it comes to showing at the gigantic Houston Stock Show and Rodeo, win First in Class out of over 700 entries from across the state when she took her Duroc on the road and came back all the better for it outlasting every last one of those entries for this incredible accomplishment.
"You can make a difference, you have a chance. You can do what you want if you put your mind to it," said the vibrant young future Texas A&M alum who plans on beginning her future career in College Station after commencement, "That's something I have learned throughout the 4H program. Don't give up. Don't ever give up. Life is going to be difficult. I'm not going to say it's not. But it's how you take it that will make you a stronger person. I hope you all work hard at everything you do and thank you for allowing me to come up here to share my thoughts and impressions with you."
Nayla thanked Olga Ramos and Myrna Rodriguez and all those who guided her for their assistance along the way as she relishes in this grand achievement and prepares to see what lies in store after graduation.
Telles gana el mejor de su clase en Houston Stock Show
Naila Telles ha hecho lo que no muchos pueden decir cuando se trata de mostrar en la gigantesca Houston Stock Show y Rodeo, ganar primer lugar en su clase de más de 700 participantes de todo el estado ya que ella llevó su Duroc en la carretera y volvió todo lo mejor por haberlo hecho.
"Tu puedes hacer una diferencia, tu tienes una oportunidad. Puede hacer lo que quiera si pones tu mente en ello," dijo la joven vibrante y futura alumna de Texas A & M que planea comenzar su carrera futura en College Station después de graduarse, "Eso es algo que he aprendido a lo largo del programa 4H. No te rindas. Nunca te des por vencido. La vida va a ser difícil. No voy a decir que no es. Pero es la forma de tomarlo que te hará una persona más fuerte. Espero que se entreguen completamente en todo lo que hacen y gracias por permitirme venir hasta aquí para compartir mis pensamientos e impresiones con ustedes."
Naila dio las gracias a Olga Ramos y Myrna Rodríguez y todos los que la guiaron por su asistencia en el camino mientras saborea este gran logro y se prepara para ver lo que hay en su futuro después de la graduación.
A.D. Ibarra
Staff Writer
The Eagle Pass Eagle tennis Program which is in good hands under the direction of former Eagle standout and University of Houston Cougar Robert Gonzalez, traveled to Laredo last week where they placed third in District 29-AAAAA this season.
Both Mens and Womens Divisions at the District 29-6A Tennis Tournament in Laredo were able to place third.
"We didn't play with the same line-up one time this year due to injuries and players having other commitments; Its quite astonishing that these kids came together and were able to pull through at the end of the year," said Coach Gonzalez.
Leslie Riojas and Ale Rueda were the number 2 seed and won their first match against Laredo United handily 6 - 1, 6 - 2. In the Semi-final they defeated Laredo Alexander 6 - 0, 6 - 2. In the thrilling final facing Laredo United South, Rueda and Riojas took the lead winning the first set 6 - 1. The Top seeded team from United South Hundsnurcher/Sanchez took the 2nd and third sets 7-5, 7-5.
Kevin Pua and Emily Chavarria were the number one seeds and won their first match against Laredo United South 6 - 3, 6 - 1 in mixed doubles. Then they defeated Laredo United 6 - 3, 6 - 3 in the semi final match. In the final they defeated a tough LBJ team 7 - 6, 7 - 6. Winning the mixed doubles district title for Eagle Pass thus advancing to Region IV play.
Eivan Ramirez placed 3rd in Mens Singles. Valeria Romero placed 3rd in Womens Singles, Jacob Wright placed 6th in Mens Singles. Chance Rodriguez/Conrado Jimenez plced 6th in Mens Doubles. RJ Aguirre/Jose Lerma placed 8th in Mens Doubles. Caitlin Hancock/Norma Leos won Consolation Champions in Girls Doubles and Savannah Moreno was a Consolation Finalist in Girls Singles.
Several of the Eagle Pass Eagle Tennis Squad qualified to participate in the Region IV Tennis Tournament in San Antonio on April 18 - 20.
A.D. Ibarra
Staff Writer
Hurdle specialist Rich Flores did it again, this time at the District 29-6A Championships with an incredible 15.15 in the 100 meter highs and a 39.1 in the 300 meter intermediate hurdles to advance to Area with a bullet.
Iram Gaytan won district with a toss of 52' 1 1/2" and teammate Luis Hernandez placed 2nd with a 46' 3 1/2".
Eli Guardiola placed 3rd in the 400 meter dash with a 51.5. Nathan Kowalski placed 4th in the 3200 meter run with a 10:05.86. Ryan Rodriguez came in sixth and Mike Huitron was seventh.
Huitron placed 4th in the 1600 meter run with a 4:34.48. Kowalski was fifth and Rodriguez placed 9th.
