Sports Briefs

Smaller Swiss team

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP):

The Swiss Olympic tennis team is a "little smaller" than initially expected, as Timea Bacsinszky put it. And with a lot less star power.

With Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic all out because of injury issues, Bacsinszky and Martina Hingis are now the only two players on the squad. Hingis was originally supposed to play doubles with Bencic and in a highly anticipated pairing mixed doubles with Federer. Now she's just playing doubles with Bacsinszky, who will also compete in singles.

"Of course I was very excited," Hingis said of the plan to join forces with Federer.

She said Thursday after arriving in Rio de Janeiro that she was somewhat prepared for the phone call that Federer was taking off the rest of the year because of a knee problem.

CAS says rule 'unenforceable'

The Court of Arbitration (CAS) for Sport says an IOC rule barring Russian athletes with a prior doping sanction from competing in the Olympics is "unenforceable."

CAS says the rule "does not respect the athletes' right of natural justice."

The court decision came in the appeal of two Russian rowers, Anastasia Karabelshivo and Ivan Podshivalov, who both received two-year doping bans in 2008.

CAS rejected the rowers' appeal to force the rowing federation and the IOC to accept their entry in the Rio de Janeiro Games.

CAS said it should be up to the rowing federation "to determine their eligibility or not, without delay."

Proud moment for Murray

Andy Murray calls being chosen to carry Britain's flag in the opening ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics "by far the proudest moment in my professional career."

This from someone who owns three Grand Slam tennis titles, along with a pair of Olympic medals.

Murray said being a flag bearer today will be "inspiring" and said he thinks it will help him perform well with a racket in his hand during the Rio Games.

Murray, who won Wimbledon for the second time last month, is seeded No. 2 for singles in the Olympic tennis event. He won a gold medal in singles and a silver in mixed doubles with Laura Robson at the 2012 London Games.