ERST LESEN! » second half with a 13-2 run mostly led by Fair, who hit

BELEK, Turkey -- The head of Olympic summer sports federations called for urgent action Tuesday to tackle the critical delays facing the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and accused the Brazilian government of neglecting the crisis. In an interview with The Associated Press, Francesco Ricci Bitti said Rios troubled preparations are reaching a stage where some sports may need to consider "Plan B" options for their venues. "Its getting very serious," the Italian said. "We have an organizing committee with good people but without the leverage to cope with the problem. ... We are scared. This is not a country like China where you can ask people to work by night. In Brazil, this could not happen. The government has to change speed." Ricci Bitti heads the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, which represents the 28 sports in the Rio Games. He also leads the International Tennis Federation and serves on the IOC co-ordination commission for Rio, which made its latest visit to Brazil two weeks ago. "We can be flexible in the infrastructure but surely not in the sports venues, and we are at risk at sports venues," Ricci Bitti said. "Even for the ones that dont consider themselves at risk, we dont see a sense of urgency." The timetables are so tight that backup plans may need to be considered by some sports, he said. "We have to sit down and to start looking at some Plan Bs," Ricci Bitti said. Rios problems dominated discussions at the ASOIF general assembly, which took place during the SportAccord convention in this Mediterranean resort in southern Turkey. Rio will also top the agenda for meetings of the International Olympic Committee executive board, which meets here Wednesday and Thursday. "We need to act now because if we wait another six months, as it could be looking at the inactivity of the government, I think it will become very serious," Ricci Bitti said. "The organizing committee is doing its best, but the government is not supporting enough." Brazil is also struggling with delays ahead of hosting the World Cup this summer. With the country focusing on the World Cup, Ricci Bitti said, the Olympic preparations risk falling further behind. "We cant always hope in the fact that in the end we will solve the problem," he said. "This time we have the style and the habits of the South Americans. They are not used to managing big events like this. The Olympics is a very different problem from the World Cup. The World Cup in the end is one stadium, one hotel, in many cities. Rio has a lot of problems." Rio organizing committee chief Carlos Nuzman and CEO Sidney Levy were meeting in Brasilia on Tuesday with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseffs chief of staff to discuss the Olympics. It was left to Rios executive sports director, Agberto Guimaraes, to report to the federations in Turkey. "I still think we can pull this thing together and can have great games," he told the delegates. "The moment I dont I will (give) my resignation. I still believe we can do it. Please help me get through this alive and well." Christophe Dubi, the IOCs deputy executive director for the Olympic Games, said the IOC would be sending special task forces to Rio to monitor the situation. The first group will consist of construction experts, he said. "We have to have special measures in place," he said. Dubi noted that Gilbert Felli, the IOCs long-time executive director, has been assigned to work with Rio after he steps down from his post later this year. The meetings in Turkey come amid a daily drumbeat of troubles in Brazil. On Monday, striking construction workers and security personnel clashed at Rios Olympic Park. Random gunshots were fired but no injuries were reported. Workers also went on strike Monday at the Olympic stadium that will be used for track and field at the games. The venue has been closed since last year to fix problems with the roof. Guimaraes said the repair work would completed by December. The greatest concerns centre on the Deodoro complex, an area that is to host venues for eight sports. Work has yet to begin on the site. In addition, work on the Olympic golf course is far behind schedule, raising concerns for the sports return to the games after more than a century. Guimaraes said grass would begin to be laid on the course later this month and the venue would be ready by September 2015. Zapatillas Adidas Baratas España . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. Adidas España Outlet . When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game. http://www.zapatillasadidasbaratas.es/ . The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. Zapatillas Adidas Baratas Chile . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. Zapatillas Adidas Outlet España . Philbin said Thursday he wants players to treat one another with civility and he wont tolerate anything less. In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up.LAHAINA, Hawaii -- The Maui Invitational is built on celebrating upsets. No. 8 Syracuse avoided one against Minnesota on Monday with a gritty early-season finish. A frenzied sequence that included three blocks and a missed dunk ended with less than two minutes left when C.J. Fair calmly hit a pull-up jumper, giving the Orange a four-point lead. That led to a 75-67 win and an inside track to the early-season tournaments title as the favourite among eight teams playing in Hawaii. Fair scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds Syracuse held off Minnesota. The reward: A game against California on Tuesday, then either No. 11 Gonzaga or No. 18 Baylor on Wednesday if both teams win later Monday. "The danger is when you get pressed for 40 minutes, its difficult to bounce back," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Well be ready. Well bounce back." The Orange (5-0) pushed through a late run by the Golden Gophers, who pulled within 67-65 with little more than two minutes left.But Minnesota (5-1) committed four turnovers in the final two minutes, scoring only once more when Austin Hollins hit a meaningless layup in the games final moments. Trevor Cooney scores 15 points all on 3-pointers, while Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant scored 12 points each. "It was a good test. Going forward we can still keep getting better." Fair said. Malik Smmith had 16 points for Minnesota.dddddddddddd Andre Hollins had 14 points while Austin Hollins had 11 points. Elliott Eliason led the Golden Gophers with nine rebounds. Syracuse -- which moved up one spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll earlier in the day -- led by only three points at halftime. But the Orange started the second half with a 13-2 run mostly led by Fair, who hit two jumpers, two free throws and a tip-in as Syracuse tallied 10 straight points. Minnesota stopped short of fully coming back from the 14-point hole, though it cut the lead to 5 points in less than four minutes and got even closer on two free throws each from Austin Hollins and Andre Hollins. "When you are building a program and you are at the early, early stages you want to show that you can compete on every single possession. Our guys did that tonight," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. The game was filled with big runs by both teams. Syracuse had two 7-0 runs and a 5-0 run in the first half, while Minnesota had a 12-0 run and a 7-0 run to take the lead 34-33 with just over two minutes remaining before halftime. Syracuse will play California in the winners bracket of the Maui tournament, while Minnesota will play Arkansas in the consolation bracket. The tournament began Monday with eight teams, including No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 18 Baylor. ' ' '