youve got a guy who is not 100 per cent, its a concern,"

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Taking the Olympics to Rio de Janeiro was always considered a bit of a risk. Now that South Americas first games are drawing to a close, the question is: Did the gamble pay off?The answer, according to experienced Olympic officials and experts, is a mixed bag.Yes, Brazil managed to pull it off under difficult economic and political conditions, with the sports competitions, venues, athletes, friendly hosts, television images and Rios scenic backdrops all rising to the occasion.Yet, behind the scenes, these were also troubled Olympics that fell short in other areas -- empty seats, ticket fiascos, organizational mishaps, spread-out venues, green water, street crime, traffic chaos and lack of a clear Olympic feel in the parks.The Olympics on TV are never the same as the Olympics on site. Thats been the case more than ever this time, reminiscent of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where great sporting moments contrasted with lost buses, failures in the technology system and other off-the-field problems.This has been probably a little below the expectations of the experts, but will have televised well for the 99.9 percent of the population of the world that experiences the Olympics, senior Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said.International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates of Australia acknowledged the games have not run as smoothly as desired.Its been difficult, he said. To be fair, some of that was because of the economic and political background on which the games are being held.For Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, attending his 17th games, the shortage of volunteers, lack of Olympic signage and other logistical glitches have outweighed the well-run competitions and welcoming Brazilian people.I think these games will be seen in the continuum of Atlanta, Athens, Rio -- the ones that didnt work out, he said. One just hopes the lessons are learned.But the games must also be judged from a local perspective. Many Brazilians and Rio residents -- known as Cariocas -- will feel pride over how theyve put on the worlds biggest sports event and will cherish their moments on the global stage.And, for the host country, the games are ending on a delirious high- with a gold medal in mens soccer. Brazilian fans wanted more than anything to finally win the top Olympic prize that has eluded them in their national sport.Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said the Olympics have been a catalyst for building new public transport lines and renovating the port area, insisting that no white elephants will be left behind. Comparing Rio to the richer cities that lost out for the 2016 Games would be misguided, he said.We come from a tropical experience, the Latin ways of Brazil, which sometimes made the IOC members a little bit crazy, Paes said. If you want to be fair to Rio, you cannot compare us to Tokyo, to Chicago, to Madrid. These are cities that have much better infrastructure. They come from developed countries. You have to compare Rio to Rio.When Rio was chosen as host city seven years ago, IOC members were convinced the time had come to take the games to South America. Brazil was a rising economic force at the time. But local organizers quickly fell behind in preparations and were forced into an Athens-like mad dash to catch up.Then, over the last two years, the economy plummeted into its worst recession in 80 years, the country was engulfed by a massive corruption scandal centering on the state-run oil company Petrobras, and the president was suspended and sent for impeachment.Its also a games in the middle of reality, not organized in a bubble, IOC President Thomas Bach said Saturday. They were games in a city where there are social problems and social divisions. ... The IOC has shown that it is possible to organize games also in countries which are not at the top of the GDP rankings.The athletes produced the goods -- Bolt with three more gold medals to take his career tally to nine, Michael Phelps with five more golds for a total of 23, and gymnast Simone Biles with four golds. But the games also were marred by the bad behavior -- and concocted stories -- of Ryan Lochte and his U.S. swimming teammates.For all the drumbeat of bad news in the months ahead of the Olympics, two of the biggest issues caused barely a ripple. The Zika virus, which had led some scientists to call for the games to be postponed or moved, was hardly mentioned. Worries over Rios sewage-filled waters did not hamper the competitions, with only a handful of athletes falling ill.Elsewhere, there were embarrassing setbacks, mostly during the first week: the green water that marred the diving and water polo events; the windows of a media bus shattered in an attack; foreign team officials and government ministers mugged in the street; volunteers who never showed up or just quit.Its just not acceptable with seven years in advance not to signs ready, not to have volunteers who know anything, as friendly as they may be, Wallechinsky said.Arguably the most damaging drawback was the lingering issue of empty seats. Some venues, such as tennis, basketball, swimming and gymnastics, drew good crowds and produced a lively atmosphere. But others suffered from lesser turnouts and lack of buzz. The track and field stadium was a quarter- or half-full for some sessions; the stands were not even completely packed for Usain Bolts gold medal races.The long distances and travel times between the three main venue clusters meant there was no single area where large, colorful crowds could congregate and produce a Carnival atmosphere.For the future, Olympic officials believe greater oversight and concrete benchmarks are needed to make sure organizers are on time and delivering as promised. Pound said the IOC and international federations should carry out a forensic analysis after Rio on what worked, what didnt and why.Going forward, the IOC has to learn from the experience in Rio if it wants to take the games to places other than settled, affluent cosmopolitan cities, IOC vice president Craig Reedie said. We should train the city well in advance. We have to work out how better to prepare them and help them. Connor McGovern Womens Jersey .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Larry Allen Cowboys Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Larry-Allen-Jersey/ . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Troy Aikman Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Daryl Johnston Womens Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move.INDIANAPOLIS -- Miami forward Chris Andersen grudgingly accepted his punishment from the NBA on Saturday morning. Hes not about to let Saturday nights suspension change him -- or the way he plays. Less than 24 hours after league officials upgraded Thursday nights flagrant one foul call to a flagrant two and suspended him for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, the guy better known in basketball circles as the "Birdman" told reporters he doesnt regret what happened. "It doesnt matter at this point," Andersen said when asked what led to the first-half skirmish in Game 5. "It was the heat of the moment. A guy pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I let it get to me. I cant regret anything. It is what it is, bro. At the time it was a flagrant one, now its a flagrant two." Andersen was called for a foul after knocking Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough to the floor with a blind-side body check. When Hansbrough got up, Andersen shoved him in the chest. Following a replay review, both players were called for technical fouls and Andersen drew the flagrant one. But when league officials took another look, they rescinded Hansbroughs technical and upgraded Andersens flagrant foul to what would have been an ejection had it been called that way on the floor. The body check and shove even had David Stern saying "I dont know what he was doing." Hansbrough is still befuddled, too. "Theres nothing I do differently against this team, I just come out and play my style," he said after the Pacers shootaround. "This one, Im not sure what happened. Its just playoff intensity, I guess." The loss of Andersen could have a major impact Saturday night. Miami won Game 5 thanks in part to Andersens presence inside, which helped the Heat get Indianas dominant inside game under control. Miami leads 3-2 and can clinch a third straight trip to the NBA Finals with a win Saturday in Indy where theyre 1-3 this season. Without Andersen, the Heaat loses one of their more physical players.dddddddddddd Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that backup forward Joel Anthony will get some of the minutes usually reserved for Andersen. What else will the Heat be missing? A player who has made his last 17 shots and all 15 in this best-of-seven series. "Id say maybe finishing around the rim," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said when asked about the difference between Anthony and Andersen. "Obviously, anything less than 100 per cent is less than Chris Andersen." Vogel said he also expects Miami to make other adjustments such as using Chris Bosh inside more and giving Udonis Haslem more minutes. Haslem has gone 8 of 9 from the field in each of Miamis last two wins. As for Andersen, Spoelstra said the two discussed the play and the punishment Friday after the ruling was handed down. When asked about details of the discussion, Spoelstra said he was keeping that private. "Weve moved on and anything now is about getting this done tonight," he said. Vogel has his own concern. Team doctors have diagnosed starting forward David West with an upper respiratory infection. West missed Saturday mornings film session and after watching the first portion of the shootaround, Vogel said he sent West home early to get some additional rest. West has had a major role in the Pacers success all season and particularly in this series, in which he has averaged 18.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and if hes not at 100 per cent, it could be problematic as the Pacers attempt to send this series back to Miami for Game 7 on Monday night. "Any time, youve got a guy who is not 100 per cent, its a concern," Vogel said. "But hell get rested this afternoon and hell be ready to go." The Heat wont have that luxury with Andersen -- until next week. "Ill deal with the repercussions of it and miss this g