In brief: World Rowing to seek viral testing in Rio Olympic waters

The head of the governing body of world rowing said Tuesday he will ask for viral testing at the rowing venue for next year’s Rio Olympics, and he expects all other water sports in Rio de Janeiro to follow suit.

The move comes after an Associated Press investigation last week showed a serious health risk to about 1,400 Olympic athletes who will compete at water venues around Rio that are rife with human waste and sewage.

The Rio Olympics open in one year, Aug. 5, 2016.

Following AP’s study, the World Health Organization advised the International Olympic Committee to analyze viral levels in Rio waters.

Smith said he has been in touch with his counterparts and expects the federations for canoeing, swimming and triathlon to also back viral tests.

Olympic canoeing and rowing will be held in the Rodrigo de Freitas lake in central Rio, and triathlon and distance swimming will take place by the famous Copacabana Beach.

In AP’s study, all Olympic water venues were shown to have dangerously high viral levels, according to water safety experts who reviewed the data.

In Rio, much of the waste and sewage goes untreated and runs down hillside ditches and streams into Olympic water venues that are littered with floating rubbish, household waste, and dead animals. The problem becomes acute with heavy rains.

AP tests did not include a lagoon bordering the Olympic Park being built in the Rio suburb of Barra da Tijuca, the heart of next year’s Olympics. The government’s own data shows that it’s one of the most polluted bodies of water in Rio.

Smith spoke at the World Rowing Junior Championships, which begins Wednesday. The event at the Olympic venue is a test event for next year’s games.

Smith said the event will go ahead despite concerns. He said the conditions were suitable, according to bacterial tests, which is all that was required until the WHO issued new guidelines following the AP study.

Smith said there was no “B Plan” for the Olympics if viral tests show the Rodrigo de Freitas lake poses health dangers.

Smith said it was likely that the Rio de Janeiro state government would be asked to do the testing. However, Peter Sowrey, the chief executive of the ISAF sailing body, told AP last week he would seek “independent tests to get the facts about what’s in the water.”

Six sailing courses are planned for next year’s Olympics in Guanabara Bay.

Stosur records 500th career match victory

TENNIS: Sam Stosur recorded her 500th career victory, moving into the second round of the Citi Open hard-court tournament at Washington by beating Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-2.

Stosur is a 31-year-old Australian who won the 2011 U.S. Open. She is the seventh active woman with at least 500 match wins – across all levels, including at ITF, WTA, Grand Slam events, main draw and qualifying – and at least one Grand Slam singles title.

Stosur’s career singles record is 500-336, a .598 winning percentage.

Ledecky lowers world mark in 1,500 free

SWIMMING: Katie Ledecky of the United States has lowered her own world record by 2.23 seconds in winning the 1,500 freestyle at the world swimming championships at Kazan, Russia.

The 18-year-old swimmer led all the way and touched in 15 minutes, 25.48 seconds. That improved her mark of 15:27.71 set in the preliminaries of the non-Olympic event on Monday.

• Peaty takes world mark from Van der Burgh in 50 breast: Adam Peaty of Britain has set a world record in the 50-meter breaststroke at the world swimming championships.

He won the first semifinal heat in 26.42 seconds, bettering the mark of 26.62 set by Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa in the morning preliminaries.

It was the second men’s world record to fall at the worlds after four women’s marks were set in the first two days.

• Simpson wins high diving gold at world championships: The United States won gold and silver in women’s high diving at the world championships as Rachelle Simpson beat defending champion Cesilie Carlton to the top spot.

Diving last into the Kazanka river off the 20-meter board in the final round, former gymnast Simpson landed the highest-scoring dive of the competition – earning 102 points for a total of 258.70 from three rounds.

Judge denies request to question tipster

MISCELLANY: A Fall River, Massachusetts judge says a lawyer for former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez can’t question under oath an anonymous tipster who raised concerns about a juror in the murder case.

Superior Court Judge Susan Garsh ruled that such a step is premature.

Defense attorney James Sultan says the tipster called him several times about a juror after Hernandez was convicted in April of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.

Garsh says if Sultan wants to question her under oath, he first has to submit an affidavit from her.

• NHL entrusting live-game app, network to baseball: The National Hockey League is passing its digital puck to Major League Baseball in an unusual sports partnership.

Major League Baseball will distribute the hockey league’s Internet streaming service and run the NHL’s cable-television network as part of an alliance announced.

Terms of six-year contact between the two sports leagues weren’t announced.

• Program to help family travel in football playoffs: The College Football Playoff is expanding its program to help pay travel expenses for parents and guardians of players to also include the national semifinal games as well as the championship.

For the first national championship game in the new playoff last January, CPF distributed $500,000 – up to $2,500 for each player from Ohio State and Oregon – to assist families with travel, food and hotel costs associated with attending the game in North Texas.

• Univ. of Oregon settles lawsuit over rape allegations: The University of Oregon has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a student who claimed she was sexually assaulted last year by three basketball players.

The unidentified 18-year-old woman dismissed all claims against the university. Last week, she also dismissed all claims against head basketball coach Dana Altman.

According to the settlement, the school will also waive her tuition, housing and student fees for four years.

• WAC, Big West and West Coast joining alliance: The basketball officiating alliance between the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences in place the past two seasons, will now include the Big West, West Coast and Western Athletic conferences, starting with the upcoming season.

Bobby Dibler, officiating coordinator for the Pac-12 and Mountain West, will serve the same role with the five-conference alliance.