Forum » n the opening two fixtures. Havin

The British Olympic Association is confident that the most talented team it has taken to an away Games can create history at the Rio Olympics. Aleksander Barkov Jersey . BOA officials expect to send a team of just over 350 to Rio and are targeting a medal haul in excess of the 47 won in Beijing, which is currently the highest number won at an away Games.The build-up to the Games, 100 days away on Wednesday, may have been overshadowed by concerns over doping, the Zika virus and security, but the BOA is satisfied with Team GBs preparations and is focused on delivering medal success. It would be a huge ask for the British team to match the 65 medals won as host nation at the London 2012 Games but BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney welcomes the high expectations London created.London set the bar so high in terms of medals legacy but its been a good thing - the impact it had on the nation and the sports, said Sweeney, who revealed that the BOA had invested double the amount spent on Beijing preparations.There is a possibility for us to exceed the 47 medals overall in Beijing. It is a target for us.BOA chef de mission Mark England added: Its not only a big team but Im confident it is the most talented team weve taken away to a Games.Whether the British athletics team will face Russian counterparts in Rio remains to be seen, with the International Association of Athletics Federations Council meeting in Vienna on June 17 set to decide whether Russian athletes can compete. Jessica Ennis-Hill was heptathlon champion at London 2012 Russia was suspended by the IAAF in November after being accused of state sponsored doping in a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.There is no higher profile topic than drugs going into the Games, said Sweeney. But we honestly dont know if it [the IAAF decision] will go one way or the other.It would be bad for the Games not to have a level playing field but on the other hand, you dont want to see a nations athletes banned.The BOA has appointed a head of security to co-ordinate security for British athletes in Rio.The safety of our athletes is our number one priority and we will work closely with the Foreign Office, said England. The assessment on threat and risk will dictate how many people go. Hope are high for Britains athletes this summer in Brazil While security is of paramount importance, there is also a strong focus on giving British athletes a potential edge on rivals with the preparation facilities that are in place.The Team GB pre-Games training camp in Belo Horizonte will enable track and field and swimming athletes to train together at the same base and the British School Performance Centre, situated close to the Olympic Park and the Athletes Village, will provide a training base in Rio at Games time.Olympic sport venues are spread across four zones - Barra, Deodoro, Maracana and Copacabana - with travel between the zones likely to be challenging. Also See: Team GB website Rio 2016 Olympics About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Vincent Trocheck Jersey . The Thornhill, Ont., native, who is ranked 11th in the world, said hed hoped he would be ready when Canada begins its World Group first-round tie against Japan in Tokyo on Friday. Evgenii Dadonov Jersey . There was little fanfare, though, when the Yankees captain was taken out of his final regular-season Subway Series game in the eighth inning. Jeter watched the last four outs from the bench, pulled off the field during a double switch Thursday night as the Yankees held off the Mets 1-0. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/customized/ . - The Kansas City Royals are hoping All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will be back in a few days. CUIABA, Brazil -- Blundering Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was bailed out by teammate Alexander Kerzhakov in a 1-1 draw with South Korea in the World Cup on Tuesday that exposed both teams deficiencies. Akinfeev had already looked suspect in dealing with long-range shots before spilling Lee Keun-hos speculative effort into his own net in the 68th minute, gifting South Korea the lead at the Arena Pantanal. Kerzhakov, though, came to Akinfeevs rescue by turning in a shot from close range six minutes later -- just three minutes after coming on as a substitute -- to earn Russia a point from a poor-quality Group H match. Akinfeev stayed on the ground inside his own net, head in his hands, after making his error, clearly embarrassed after dropping what was a routine save from a shot from about 30 yards. He was consoled by a couple of teammates, who patted him on the back. "It was a kids mistake," Afinkeev said. "The goalkeeper of the national team shouldnt make mistakes like this one." Russia coach Fabio Capello has remained loyal to Akinfeev this season despite some patchy form, and stood by him again. "He is a great goalkeeper," Capello said. "There can be mistakes, of course -- some can get a penalty wrong ... and its logical for a goalkeeper to make a mistake as well. "We were able to make up for that and we can accept a mistake by a great keeper like Akinfeev." The explosive six-minute spell that featured both goals was not in keeping with the rest of a fairly mundane game characterized by slow build-up play, poor passing and wayward finishing. A point leaves both teams behind Belgium, which beat Algeria 2-1 earlier Tuesday, but the group appears wide open based on the opening two fixtures. Having lost four of its last five games heading to Brazil, the South Koreans came into their eighth straight World Cup with concerns over their flimsy defence andd a lack of goal threat. Florida Panthers Jerseys. A 4-0 thrashing by Ghana in a warm-up in Miami last week highlighted those worrying deficiencies perfectly. There was no hiding their toothless attack here, either, with the experienced Park Chu-young starting as the lone striker but justifying fears that he has lost his way after three ineffective years with Arsenal in the English Premier League. He was substituted in the 56th and his replacement, Lee, scored South Koreas goal. Russia, led by former England coach Fabio Capello, was just as lifeless in attack -- at least until Kerzhakov and Alan Dzagoev came off the bench -- and too functional in midfield. A dire first half was marked by the large contingent of Brazilian fans in the crowd doing slow hand clapping but South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo was satisfied by what he saw. "In such a tournament, the first match is the most difficult," Hong, who captained the nation to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, said through a translator. "There is a lot of pressure on it so I thought the players played very well." Save for a shot by Son Heung-min that flew over the bar in the 39th when the forward was free at the edge of the area, there was barely a chance created in the first half. Capello stood with his hands on his hips in the technical area throughout the first 45 minutes, looking distinctly unimpressed. There was a major improvement after the break, although it required the mistake by Akinfeev to really get the game going. However, South Korea couldnt hold on and when Dzagoevs cross-shot was spilled out by goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong and defender Hwang Seok-hos clearance went straight at Andrei Yeshchenko, Kerzhakov was on hand to bundle home from inside the six-yard box. "I thanked them for their reaction," said Capello, who turns 68 on Wednesday. "It was the greatest birthday present I could receive." Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. Roma Jerseys Wholesale Atletico Madrid Jerseys Wholesale Chelsea Jerseys Cheap Barcelona Jerseys Bayern Munich Jerseys For Sale Cheap Borussia Dortmund Jerseys Cheap Inter Milan Jerseys Juventus Jerseys From China Leicester City Jerseys For Sale Discount Liverpool Jerseys Wholesale Manchester City Jerseys Manchester United Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Paris Saint-Germain Jerseys Real Madrid Jerseys From China Cheap Sevilla Jerseys Authentic Tottenham Hotspur Jerseys ' ' '