Australia sailing body pressures Rio over water pollution

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Olympic sailing boss Peter Conde has called on the sport to pressure Rio Olympics organisers to clean up water pollution ahead of next year’s Games.

The water quality of Guanabara Bay, where Olympic sailing and other aquatic events will be held, has long been criticized and come under the microscope amid reports of athletes falling ill after competing there.

“It would be good if everyone in the sport kept the pressure onto the government to do what it really needs to do — to tidy the place up,” Conde said in comments published by News Ltd media on Sunday.

An independent study commissioned by the Associated Press and reported in July found the waters were so contaminated with bacteria and viruses from human sewage that athletes could become ill and unable to compete.

MARQUEZ WINS

PHILLIP ISLAND: Spanish Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez slipped past Jorge Lorenzo on the final lap to win a thrilling Australian MotoGP as the race for the world championship tightened at Phillip Island on Sunday.

Defending world champion Marquez, coming off the pole, pipped his fellow Spaniard by 0.249 seconds for his fifth win of the season, with Italian Ducati rider Andrea Iannone third.

Valentino Rossi finished fourth and had his world championship lead cut to 11 points over his Movistar Yamaha teammate Lorenzo with two races left at Malaysia’s Sepang and Valencia.

Lorenzo had looked as if he would hold on for victory until Marquez swept beneath him on turn 10 and went on to win his first premier-class race at Phillip Island.