8:45 p.m.
The Fiji rugby sevens squad has secured the country's first Olympic medal, and will play Britain later Thursday to determine whether it's gold or silver.
The back-to-back world sevens series champions dented Japan's remarkable run in Rio with a 20-5 semifinal win before Britain rallied to beat No. 2-ranked South Africa 7-5.
Japan, which opened the tournament with a stunning, 14-12 upset win over New Zealand, will play for bronze against South Africa.
Rugby is back in the Olympics for the first time since a 15-a-side tournament was played in 1924.
8:40 p.m.
The IOC says three of the four cities bidding for the 2024 Olympics have been reprimanded for inviting media to their hospitality houses in Rio de Janeiro.
Los Angeles, Paris and Rome received the warning from the International Olympic Committee. The fourth bid city, Budapest, Hungary, was not involved.
The IOC says "three 2024 candidate cities have contacted media and invited them to their hospitality houses here in Rio."
They IOC adds: "They have all been reminded that this was not permitted and have subsequently stopped their activities."
Representatives of all four cities are in Rio to observe the Olympics and pitch their bids to IOC members, who will select the host city in September 2017.
8:25 p.m.
Venus Williams' Rio Olympics is still going - just barely.
Upset in the first round in singles and doubles, the four-time gold medalist faced two match points Thursday in her opening mixed doubles match with U.S. teammate Rajeev Ram.
They saved both - one on a reflex volley by Ram that went for a winner - in rallying from a set down for a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 10-8 tiebreak win over Kiki Bertens and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands.
Williams wasn't originally expected to play mixed doubles in Rio but was entered in the draw after her two early exits, which came while she was battling a virus. The 36-year-old was still coughing Thursday but didn't want to talk about her health.
She says: "What can you do except come back and play again?"
8:20 p.m.
The Iron Lady is back in the pool chasing her fourth gold medal at the Rio Olympics.
Katinka Hosszu of Hungary qualified fastest for the 200-meter backstroke in 2 minutes, 6.09 seconds Thursday. She already has won the 100 backstroke, along with the 200 and 400 individual medleys.
Hilary Caldwell of Canada had the second quickest time of 2:07.40. Maya DiRado of the United States, who has won gold, silver and bronze at her first Olympics, was third fastest in 2:08.60.
American Missy Franklin advanced to the semifinals with the 11th-fastest time of 2:09.36. She earned a gold medal as part of the 4x200 freestyle relay after swimming in the preliminaries.
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a two-time Olympic champion in the event, qualified ninth.
8 p.m.
Michael Phelps has opened defense of his Olympic title in the 100-meter butterfly.
He qualified fourth fastest in 51.60 seconds on Thursday, losing his preliminary heat to Joseph Schooling of Singapore, who had the fastest overall time of 51.41.
Phelps is seeking a fourth consecutive gold medal in the 100 fly. He'll swim the 200 individual medley final Thursday night in pursuit of a fourth straight title in that event and return 33 minutes later for the 100 fly semifinals.
Hungary's Laszlo Cseh had the second-best time of 51.52. American Tom Shields qualified third in 51.58. Also advancing was Chad le Clos of South Africa, James Guy of Britain and Santo Condorelli of Canada.
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7:55 p.m.
Former Brazilian volleyball star Marcelo Negrao is taking so much pride in the Rio Olympics, particularly the volleyball played on home soil.
Negrao won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games and is taking in the matches at Maracanãzinho arena. Once he was spotted outside the venue Thursday, a swarm of cheering fans chanting his name and begging to meet him surrounded the 43-year-old star from Sao Paulo - and Negrao obliged with photos, selfies and smiles for the crowd.
He called it "a great experience" adding that "it's been 30 years I've been playing volleyball and Brazil to me is the champion."
7:40 p.m.
Katie Ledecky has set an Olympic record with the fastest time in the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries.
The 19-year-old American swam the 16-lap event in 8 minutes, 12.86 seconds Thursday, bettering the old mark of 8:14.10 set by Rebecca Adlington of Britain in 2008.
Ledecky's time was nearly seven seconds faster than anyone else. She will swim the final Friday night, seeking to complete a sweep of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles for the first time since the 1968 Mexico City Games.
Boglarka Kapas of Hungary qualified second in 8:19.43. Others moving into the final are Jazz Carlin of Britain, American Leah Smith, Lotte Friis of Denmark, and Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain, who won the 200 butterfly on Wednesday.
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7:20 p.m.
CEO of the Rio Olympics says "we're feeling pretty good" despite complaints about South America's first games.
Speaking with The Associated Press on Thursday, Sidney Levy acknowledged the games have had "some challenges" every day and "a lot of glitches in the first week." But he says he thinks "we are also able to recover pretty fast. So I'm feeling pretty good about the first week of the games."
The games has been hit with complaints ranging from empty seats and too little food for fans at the venues, to snarled transportation and violence taking place on the edge of the festivities.
A police officer was shot in the head on Wednesday after he and two others working security at the Olympics got lost near a slum and encountered gunfire.
In other incidents, a media bus was attacked Tuesday, and stray bullets have hit the equestrian venue. There were no serious injuries in either incident.
Levy says he's been out talking to athletes "and they're mostly ecstatic. They're getting the full passion of the Brazilian people; sometimes against, sometimes in favor."
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7:10 p.m.
The IOC says more than 2,000 drug tests have been conducted so far at the Olympics, with no positive cases as yet reported.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams says 2,097 doping controls have been carried out since the opening of the athletes village.
The number includes 1,775 urine tests, 201 biological passport checks and 121 blood controls.
Overall, the IOC plans to conduct more than 5,000 doping tests during the games.
Any positive tests will be dealt with by a special division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
6:45 p.m.
Two Olympic boxers who were arrested on allegations of sexual assault have been released and one is set to fight on Thursday.
Rio organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada says Jonas Junius of Namibia and Hassan Saada of Morocco were released from police custody on Thursday morning.
He says "that doesn't mean the legal process is over" but that Junius "is able to compete."
IOC spokesman Mark Adams says Junius, a middleweight, went to the weigh-in Thursday for his fight later in the day against French boxer Hassan Amzile.
Adams says "he is free to compete, he's not been found guilty."
Junius, who was Namibia's flag at the opening ceremony, was arrested Monday and accused of sexually attacking two housekeepers in the athletes village. Saada was arrested last Friday on allegations he sexually assaulted two Brazilian housekeepers in the village.
6:45 p.m.
An average final shot was not enough to stop Barbara Engleder from capturing her first Olympic gold medal.
The German hit 9.0 on her final shot, but had just enough cushion to edge China's Zhang Binbin for gold in women's 3-position rifle.
Zhang hit 10.4 on her final shot, finishing 0.2 points behind Engleder. China's Du Li earned her second bronze medal of the Rio Games, with the one she won 10-meter air rifle.
Competing in her third Olympics, Engleder was third after the kneeling rounds and moved atop the standings after prone. She was fourth following the standing portion, but surged ahead with three straight shots in the 10-ring, giving her the wiggle room she needed on the final shot.
American Ginny Thrasher did not qualify for the finals and finished 11th after winning the first gold medal of the Rio Games in air rifle last Saturday.
6:20 p.m.
Rafael Nadal is into the quarterfinals at the Olympics in his first tournament in 2½ months.
The 14-time major champion beat 15th-seeded Gilles Simon of France 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a match delayed a day by rain. He also plays doubles and mixed doubles later Thursday.
The 2008 gold medalist withdrew from the French Open because of an injured left wrist and has said he wouldn't be playing this week if it weren't the Olympics. Nadal was supposed to be Spain's flag bearer in 2012 but missed the London Games because of a bad knee.
He finally led out the delegation at last Friday's opening ceremony. In his toughest test of his three singles matches so far, Nadal had 28 unforced errors in the first set but just 12 in the second.
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6:20 p.m.
The coach of Russia's lone Olympic track and field athlete tells The Associated Press there's no need for her to take on the entire world on her own.
Long jumper Darya Klishina will open her Olympic stay next Tuesday.
She was the only Russian cleared to compete after track's governing body suspended the team for the Olympics because of widespread doping within the program. Klishina got clearance because she lives and trains in Florida and all her drug testing has taken place there.
Her coach, Loren Seagrave, says Klishina is well aware of the situation but she's focusing on herself, not the politics surrounding her presence in Rio. Says Seagrave: "She's real good at being Darya Klishina, and not taking on the entire world on her own."
6:05 p.m.
Shiva Thapa was easily identifiable as an Indian boxer with his country's designation on the back of his vest.
The first two Indian fighters in the tournament did not have IND on the back of the fighting vests.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) asked for the country name to be placed on the vests. Wearing a vest with the country's designation is required in Olympic boxing.
An AIBA spokesman said Indian fighters would have worn neutral vests had the problem not been resolved. There was never a threat of Olympic expulsion.
5:40 p.m.
Sailing's governing body says Evi van Acker of Belgium reported feeling ill after competing in the Laser Radial class on polluted Guanabara Bay.
World Sailing spokesman Darryl Seibel says van Acker, the bronze medalist at London, was evaluated by the chief medical officer after her races on Wednesday, and then evaluated further by medical officials from the Belgian team that night.
It's not immediately clear whether the illness is because of the polluted water.
Seibel said Thursday that this appears to be an isolated case and van Acker is the only sailor who has reported feeling ill in the opening days of the regatta.
Van Acker, a favorite to return to the podium in Rio, has had consistently worse performances. She was second and 12th on Monday, second and 29th Tuesday and then 16th and 15th in tough conditions on Wednesday.
An independent study by The Associated Press has shown high levels of viruses and sometimes bacteria from human sewage in the water.
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5:10 p.m.
Switzerland has won the lightweight men's four in the final medal race of the day at the rowing regatta.
The Swiss four crossed the line in 6 minutes, 20.51 seconds, with Denmark getting the silver medal and France the bronze.
Six medal races were completed on the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon on Thursday after Wednesday's races were canceled due to windy conditions.
4:50 p.m.
Brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic clinched Croatia's first Olympic gold medal in rowing on Thursday by winning the men's double sculls.
The double world champions persevered in a tight race against Lithuanians Mindaugas Griskonis and Saulius Ritter.
The Croatians are the third sibling pair to win Olympic gold in either the men's or women's double sculls.
Kjetil Borch and Olaf Tufte finished third to collect Norway's first medal at the Rio Olympics.
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4:40 p.m.
Rower Katherine Grainger has become Britain's most decorated female Olympian after winning a silver medal in the women's double sculls.
Grainger, competing in her fifth straight Olympics, and Victoria Thornley were beaten to the finish line by Poland's Magdalena Fularczyk-Kozlowska and Natalia Madaj. Lithuania got the bronze.
Grainger won a gold medal in London four years ago and silver medals in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. She is the only British woman with five Olympic medals.
4:05 p.m.
New Zealand rowers Eric Murray and Hamish Bond have defended their Olympic gold and extended their winning streak in the men's pair.
The six-time world champions, who are undefeated since they first started competing in the event in 2009, finished more than a boat-length ahead of silver medalist South Africa. Italy's pair placed third.
In the first medal race of the Rio regatta, defending Olympic champion Germany held off Australia at the finish line to win gold in the men's quadruple sculls. Estonia got the bronze.
Germany also won the women's quadruple sculls thanks to a late surge that pushed the German boat past Poland, which had led the race from the start.
The Netherlands also sprinted past the fading Poles, who had to settle for bronze. The United States, world champion in the event last year, finished in fifth place.
3:20 p.m.
Large posters with the image of Kuwaiti shooter Fehaid al-Deihani clasping his gold medal hang in one of Kuwait's most popular malls and government officials are praising his win in Rio, despite not playing for the Kuwaiti flag.
Kuwaiti athletes are not competing under their national flag this year due to a suspension by the International Olympic Committee, which deemed certain provisions in the country's sports legislation as government interference in Olympic autonomy.
The state-run Kuwait News Agency Thursday quoted officials saying al-Deihani's win in double-trap demonstrates the capabilities of Kuwaiti athletes in the face of "hardships."
Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah said despite Kuwait's suspension from the games, Kuwaiti athletes insisted on competing under the Olympic flag to prove "they are able to represent their country."
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2:50 p.m.
A police officer is recovering after he and two others sent to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics were shot after getting lost near a slum.
The officers from Brazil's national security force were using a GPS device to navigate unfamiliar streets when they took a wrong turn off a highway leading to Rio's international airport.
The truck they were traveling in was met by gunshots and one officer was shot in the head. The Justice Ministry said Thursday that the officer is recovering from a four-hour surgery and was in stable condition but that the next 48 hours would be key.
A commando unit backed by a police helicopter was preparing Thursday to carry out an operation to apprehend those behind the attack.
12:45 p.m.
With one swing, Adilson da Silva of Brazil put golf back into the Olympics for the first time in 112 years.
The lone Brazilian in the 60-man field was chosen to hit the opening tee shot at Olympic Golf Course in a proud moment for the sport. His drive went right down the middle of the fairway, and da Silva smiled and removed his cap to wave at the crowd.
The grandstand was filled with more golf officials than fans.
Not since 1904 in St. Louis has an Olympic medal been awarded in golf. The sport has come under scrutiny because six of the top 10 players in the world chose not to play.
International Golf Federation Peter Dawson turned and flashed two thumbs up when the first group teed off. He called it a long journey and then added, "or the beginning of a new one."
12:20 p.m.
Former Olympic race walking champion Alex Schwazer is banned for eight years after losing another doping case days before he hoped to compete in Rio de Janeiro.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday it has imposed an eight-year ban on the 31-year-old Italian in a fast-track case after an appeal hearing held Monday.
Schwazer, the 2008 Olympic champion in the 50-kilometer walk, now misses a second straight Summer Games for doping.
He came to Rio seeking to overturn a provisional ban imposed last month by the IAAF governing body.
Days after Schwazer won the world championship in Rome in May, he tested positive for a steroid in further analysis of a sample given in January.
Schwazer briefly returned to competition after serving a three-year, nine-month ban for using EPO before the 2012 Olympics.
11:10 a.m.
A total of 21 gold medals are up for grabs in 11 sports at the Rio Olympics, with high-powered performances expected from American stars Michael Phelps and Simone Biles.
Phelps, competing Thursday evening in the 200-meter individual medley, is looking for his 22nd Olympic gold medal. Gymnast Biles hopes to add an individual all-around gold to her collection of three world championship titles and a team Rio gold.
In rugby sevens, Fiji goes against surprising Japan and South Africa faces Great Britain, all trying to get to the evening's gold-medal match.
Cycling moves indoors for the men's sprint team finals - and gear junkies will love seeing the high-tech equipment that helps athletes shave seconds off the clock.
Rowing, cancelled for two days due to high winds, will hand out six golds and the king of spin will be crowned in the men's table tennis singles.
Medals will also be awarded in fencing, judo, archery, canoe slalom and shooting.
10:10 a.m.
Gold is on his mind as Michael Phelps looks for his 22nd Olympic medal of that color in the 200-meter individual medley at the Rio Olympics.
Phelps, the top qualifier, will be seeking his fourth straight 200-meter IM Olympic title, swimming Thursday evening next to longtime rival and U.S. teammate Ryan Lochte. Before that showdown, Phelps swims in the qualifiers for the 100 meter butterfly, an event in which he holds the world record.
Medals also will be awarded in the women's 200 meter breaststroke, the women's 100 meter freestyle and in the men's 200 meter backstroke.
The seemingly unstoppable American Katie Ledecky is also back in the pool, this time to qualify for the 800 meter freestyle. She earned her third gold of the Rio games on Wednesday in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
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9:50 a.m.
Golf tees off for the first time at the Olympics since 1904 as the men start their first round of play at the Olympic Golf Course - although the top four players in the world won't be competing because of Zika fears.
The links-style layout stretches 7,128 yards (6,515 meters) and was built in the hopes it can both challenge some of the world's best in Rio de Janeiro and then grow the game in Brazil.
The first tee shot will be struck by Brazilian Adilson da Silva, who learned to play using tree branches for clubs.
The professionals competing at the Rio Olympics include Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson of the United States and Martin Kaymer of Germany.
9:15 a.m.
American Simone Biles heads into the women's individual all around gymnastics competition at the RioOlympics with a none-too shabby record: she has already won three world championships and a team Olympic gold just a few days ago.
Her floor routine also includes a move that is now named for her - how cool is that?
Aly Raisman, another American who won gold with Biles in the team competition, is also in the mix Thursday but teammate Gabby Douglas, the defending Olympic champion, will be on the sidelines.
On Wednesday night, Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura won the men's individual all around gold medal, adding to an amazing record that includes three world championship titles and gold at the 2012 London Olympics.