Copa America Swap; IAAF Relay Rankings; Olympic Football Qualifying Update

Brazil Gives Up 2015 Copa America

Staging the 2013 Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics is apparently enough for Brazil right now.

According to a CNN report, the new president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) agreed Monday to give up hosting rights of the 2015 Copa America to Uruguay.

Jose Maria Marin said in a statement on the CBF website that delivering the South American championships in between the FIFA showpiece and Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro makes "no sense" and would also unduly interfere with domestic competitions.

Hosting the Copa America works on a rotation system with Brazil’s turn coming in 2015 and Uruguay in 2019, designations that would be reversed should the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) approve.

IAAF Publishes Relay Rankings

USA, Jamaica and Russia top the IAAF’s first rankings for teams trying to qualify for relay events at the London Olympics.

Jamaica’s men are well ahead in the 4x100 standings after setting a world record at the 2011 World Athletics Championships.

USA’s men lead in the 4x400m and their women in the 4x100, both thanks to first-place finishes at the world champs.

Russia’s women rank tops for the 4x400m after clocking the top combined times in Daegu despite only winning bronze.

The list is based on the sum of the two fastest times run by national teams from the beginning of last year through the cutoff date of July 2, 2012 and will be updated next in May.

The top 16 teams in each of the four events will compete at the Games.

Asian Football Qualifying

Men’s football teams from Oman, Syria and Uzbekistan are battling in a round-robin playoff to keep their Olympic dreams alive.

Oman and Syria drew 1-1 on Sunday in the first of three matches scheduled in neutral Hanoi, Vietnam. Syria and Uzbekistan meet Tuesday with Oman and Uzbekistan to follow Thursday.

The countries are the three runners-up from the third round of Asia’s qualifying for London 2012. The winner of this week’s playoffswill then play African counterpart Senegal with a single spot at the Games on the line.

USA Out, El Salvador Still Alive

A late goal from El Salvador will keep USA’s men from the Olympic football tournament for the second time in three Games.

Coach Caleb Porter admitted his squad was "seconds away" from winning Monday night in Nashville, Tennessee and reaching Saturday's semifinals in Kansas City, Kansas.

Instead, a stoppage time goal from Jaime Alas found the back of the net for a 3-3 tie, and USA was bounced from COCANCAF’s qualifying tournament.

Canada, Cuba, Mexico and El Salvador are the four teams leftcompeting for North and Central America’s two spots at the Summer Games.

African Beach Volleyball Qualifier Set

Preparations are underway for the finals of the Men's Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in Flic en Flac, Mauritius.

A post on the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) website says work started Sunday for the tournament, scheduled for April 13 to 15.

The winner will be assured a spot in London, with the second and third place teams earning the right to compete for a spot at the World Cup event in Italy this June.

Eight countries are expected to compete at the Continental Cup: Algeria, Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. CAVB says each participant will have two teams in the tournament.

Media Watch

The Montreal Gazette previews this week’s Olympic swimming trials for Canada with help from Swimming Canada CEO and national coach Pierre Lafontaine.

Written by Ed Hula III and Matthew Grayson

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.