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DOHA, Qatar -- IOC President Thomas Bach defended his handling of the Russian doping scandal, attacked critics of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and claimed no cities would have bid for the 2024 Games without his Agenda 2020 reform program.In a speech to the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees on Tuesday, Bach appeared determined to counter the negative public perception surrounding the Olympic movement following a turbulent year of doping crises, the troubled buildup to Rio and continuing concerns over the costs of hosting the games.Bach cited media headlines in the months ahead of the Rio Games about security, water quality, the Zika virus and allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia. Citing Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. presidential election last week, Bach said the Rio Games were a case study in the difference between published opinion and public opinion and between perception and reality.Bach said the Rio Games were a great success, citing record global television viewership and social media interest, though he made no mention of the empty seats and organizational glitches that also affected the event. Bach said the success of the games was a miracle in light of the severe recession and political turmoil that Brazil has been going through.He also went to great lengths to defend the International Olympic Committees decision not to impose a total ban on Russia from the games, saying he has received support from dozens of world leaders on the issue.The World Anti-Doping Agency had called for the complete ban following a report by investigator Richard McLaren that detailed systematic, state-assisted doping in Russia. The IOC instead allowed international sports federations to decide which Russian athletes could compete.Bach said he has met with many heads of state and government since the games and all backed the IOCs position.They appreciated and acknowledged we did not take a political decision but we took a decision that took in the interest of sport and respected justice for clean athletes and protecting the clean athletes worldwide, he said. To see this acknowledgement and this appreciation by so many political leaders was a confirmation of our decision and is a great encouragement for all of us.McLarens final report is due out next month and will focus on allegations of Russian doping and manipulation of samples at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Two IOC commissions are also looking into the allegations, which could lead to calls for sanctions on Russia for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.Bach said once the investigations and hearings are completed, the IOC will take the necessary measures and all the sanctions because if only part of this would be true, it would be an unprecedented attack on the integrity on the Olympic Games and on the Olympic competitions.On a separate issue, Bach said no cities would have come forward as candidates to host the 2024 Summer Games had the IOC not passed his Olympic Agenda 2020 project, which aims to reduce the cost of hosting the games and insists on maximum use of existing and temporary facilities.Several cities pulled out of bidding for the 2022 Winter Games over financial and political concerns. Last month, Rome withdrew from the 2024 race because of opposition from the citys new mayor. That decision leaves Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest, Hungary, as candidates.Without `Olympic Agenda 2020, we would have had zero candidates, Bach said. There would have been none. All of the candidates who you will see now and the others who were in the race or considering in the race, they can confirm this to you. They told us this.Bach also said that high-ranking Olympic official Patrick Hickey, who was arrested during the Rio Games on ticket scalping charges, deserves the presumption of innocence pending the resolution of his case. Hickey, who is not permitted to leave Brazil, has temporarily stepped down as a member of the IOC executive board and president of the European Olympic Committees.Bach said Hickeys arrest shows Olympic officials are not immune and must obey the laws and rules in other countries.What was in the past something that just concerned us in an organization is now concerning the rules and the laws of a country, Bach said. 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"Its still the same cranky Phil.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Everyone in American basketball circles understands that there will never, ever be another Dream Team.Thats easy to accept.Far less pleasant for the latest assemblage of Team USA hoopsters to stomach is the growing realization that even their dream scenario here at the Summer Olympics, which was presumed to be pretty attainable, continues to dribble out of reach.Winning in style is no longer the target.Winning, period, is the sole aim now.USA Basketballs Rio roster is unquestionably stronger than the one stocked with fill-ins that dominated the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, but opposition continuity is proving to be a stubborn and dangerous equalizer a mere two years later down here in South America. Although a clutch of perennial powers have all creakily descended from their respective peaks -- namely Spain, Argentina and the hosts Brazil -- no longer is Team USA expected to roll like so many know-it-alls worldwide presumed when we got here.Not after three successive struggles for Mike Krzyzewskis squad.Not after three very jittery fourth quarters in a row against teams from Australia, Serbia and France that really look like t-e-a-m-s.Obviously everybody wants us to win by a lot of points, but its not how its gonna go this time, Team USA star forward Kevin Durant conceded Sunday after Tony Parker-less France refused to cave and fell just shy of a momentous upset in a 100-97 escape for the Yanks in these teams Group A finale.Weve gotta be prepared for a grind-out game, Durant continued. I think we showed the last three games we can grind it out.Give the Americans that much. They are finding ways to prevail even though defensive struggles continue to plague a group that legitimately believed as recently as five days ago that this was a shutdown outfit that would snuff out anyone and everyone.Theyve still got a team full of All-Stars, France center Rudy Gobert said. Today they didnt play very good and still won. So theyre still the favorite.Added French veteran Boris Diaw, Goberts new teammate with the Utah Jazz: They havent been dominating, but they havent lost either. Theyre still unbeaten, so we cant say that theyre struggling.Except that we most certainly can.The French entered Sundays play as the second-rated defensive team in the tournament. They certainly havent been flowing at the other end like Australia or Serbia, yet managed to make a run at triple digits despite the fact that Parker was forced to watch the whole game from the bench in a white team hoody, held out as a precaution after a toe bruise he suffered Friday night against Venezuela.Kyrie Irving (12 assists, zero turnovers) was clearly more intent on getting teammates involved Sunday -- especially after Durant mustered just four field-goal attempts Friday niight against Serbia -- while Klay Thompson busted out of his hard-to-believe shooting slump in a vintage Klay way.dddddddddddd But weve seen precious little progress from the Americans over these past three games, starting with the Australia scare.Thats the worry.Its probably unreasonable to expect them function like a true team after essentially a month together. Comparing these Yanks to this generation of French players -- whove largely been a unit for six years, as wily coach Vincent Collet pointed out -- is harsher still.Yet it seems more than fair to have expected Team USA in one of these last two games, against either Serbia or France sans Parker, to look more like a unit than it has.Or to expect the Americans to register more than the whopping two blocked shots theyve managed in the past two games.This isnt a tournament that were going to just dominate, Team USA swingman Paul George said. Theres talent around this world and theyre showcasing it. For us, its just figuring out how were going to win. Were having spurts of dominating, but were just not finding ways to put a full 40 minutes together.Krzyzewski lamented what he described as a fourth-quarter letdown when the Americans felt like we had the game won. George spoke of squandering that moment when we looked like we were gonna steamroll em.Down 16 late in the third quarter, playing loose and free to use Krzyzewskis words and undoubtedly inspired by the troubles Australia and Serbia caused the heavy favorites, France uncorked a rally that clinched yet another uncomfortable postgame round of whats-wrong probing from the assembled media before the medal round.Team USA wont know who it faces in Wednesdays quarterfinals until after Mondays final round of games in Group B, but France looms a potential semifinal opponent.With Parker surely back at the controls.And lets not even start with the stuff about all the various studs back home who, for whatever reason, either couldnt be here or chose not to. There certainly are several top American stars who arent here, but it should be an official IOC rule: No one who plays, coaches or roots for Team USA is ever allowed to complain about what the roster might be missing.At the end of the day, no one will ask you anything else except if you won [gold], Krzyzewski said. While youre approaching that winning the whole thing, youre asked a whole bunch of other things.I think were getting getting better offensively and we have to get better defensively. Just a succinct comment in that regard.Translation: Coach K essentially just confirmed that this tournament has already been too tough to worry one whit about style points], Krzyzewski said. While youre approaching that winnJerseys[/url] ' ' '