Olympic golf test event takes place in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Olympic golf test event began Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro, although only low-ranking Brazilian players were taking part.

Nine Brazilians — five men and four women — are playing the course after the PGA Tour was unable to persuade any of the world’s top players to participate. Alexandre Rocha, the top-ranked men’s player at No. 588, teed off the stroke-play exhibition match on the course, which is sandwiched between a sewage-polluted lagoon and luxury apartment towers in the western Rio neighborhood known as Barra da Tijuca.

Golf is making a return to the Olympics after 112 years, but the delivery of the course in Rio has been dogged by delays involving environmental lawsuits and land ownership disputes.

Part of the course was built on an environmentally protected area and its construction was funded by a developer who received the right to build luxury apartments on the land in return, and critics contend the golf course was used as an excuse for a land-grab by an area property mogul. KANHAYA STRIKES

KOLKATA: Muslim Institute beat West Bengal Police 1-0 in the first division group A of the hockey league here on Saturday. Kanhaya Singh scored the matchwinner. CCFC drew 2-2 with Port Trust; Vinayak Patel getting a brace for CCFC with Kanwaljit Singh and Pargat Singh being on target for Port Trust.

FCI, Easter n Zone, beat Customs 2-1. Neeraj Kumar and Rakesh Barman scored for the winners and Sangam Singh was on target for Customs. HOWRAH WIN

KOLKATA: Howrah ABS beat East Kolkata Table Tennis Promotional Organisation 4-2 on the first day of the WBTTA Stag Premier League here on Wednesday.