The athletes who have decided to attend may be competing under the arms of Christ the Redeemer, but it’s hard to find one redeeming feature to the Olympic Games in Rio, writes KATIE HOPKINS.

Herbalists and witch doctors in Rio de Janeiro say star athletes who skipped this year's Olympic Games shouldn't have worried about contracting Zika while in Brazil.

Torrential rain and high winds became the latest misfortune to hit the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with rowing events canceled and other athletes including cyclists forced to cope with the bad weather.

TeamGB taekwondo champion Jade Jones kicked her way Olympic history when she won gold to make her the most successful Briton in her sport.

Australian swimmer-turned-commentator, Giaan Rooney, has announced she's pregnant with her second child, just months after travelling to Brazil amid the Zika virus concerns

A leading global health scientist has said that it is 'very unrealistic' that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will take place next year unless a vaccine is discovered by then. 

The Queen had only one request for her appearance with James Bond at the opening of the 2012 London Olympics - that she could deliver the line: 'Good evening, Mr Bond.'

Laura Trott added the women's omnium world title to the team pursuit gold at the world championships in Melbourne on Saturday.

Double world champion track cyclist Laura Trott opens up to Sportsmail on her admiration for Victoria Pendleton, her love of Britney Spears and a strange chocolate habit.

Glenda Trott took her family to a cycling track because she was desperate to lose weight. She lost seven stone and introduced her daughter to a sport she excelled at.

In one phrase, petite Laura Trott, Essex girl and now double Olympic champion, became the embodiment of British Cycling. ‘Once I got that winning feeling that was it, I really didn’t want to not win,’ she said.

When I started cycling, Laura Trott was the Under 12 national champion and I was good friends with her older sister Emma. I remember telling Emma I'd heard how good she was.

Just over a year ago, Laura Trott was a promising youngster who thought she would get her chance at an Olympics in 2016. Today the twenty-year-old is the proud owner of TWO Olympic gold medals.

The blonde 5ft 4in cyclist from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire is lucky to be alive after she was born a month prematurely suffering from a collapsed lung.

They are the new king and queen of the track cycling. And it seems Laura Trott and Jason Kenny are ready to rule Britannia together for many years to come.

Laura Trott is as happy as it is possible to be. She has the Olympic rings painted on to her fingernails, a smile to illuminate the room and two, large gold medals hanging around her neck.

Hero cyclist Laura Trott has become the most successful female British Olympian of all time after claiming her third gold medal in the women's team pursuit.

Team GB will be targeting another clutch of medals as the Olympic Games enters its 11th day in Rio. Join Sportsmail's LUKE AUGUSTUS for all the action from Brazil as it happens.

Over the last two weeks the Olympics have provided moments of brilliance, joy and excitement across 28 sports in Rio. Sportsmail brings you the best 50 images from the games...

Laura Kenny's dream of winning three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics is in doubt after she was declared only fit enough to race in one event at next week's track cycling World Championships. 

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Sir Mo Farah has put the brakes on his marathon career to target a fifth Olympic 10,000m gold in Tokyo next summer.

Tokyo 2020 organisers have been forced to act in the face of serious warnings over the risk to the athletes in summer temperatures that regular exceed 35 degrees and 80 per cent humidity.

Olympic hurdles champion Sally Pearson (pictured) said she no longer feels the need to conform to other people's expectations of her no matter what they think.

The 29-year-old has spent much of the year battling back from a serious wrist injury, and was disappointed with her results on her comeback at meeting in Birmingham earlier this month.

IAN HERBERT: The cries are laughable if anyone could find it within them to raise a smile about this mendacious, risible, pariah sporting nation.

The iconic start to Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games will be held without spectators as it was announced the traditional torch-lighting ceremony will take place with no fans in attendance.

Richard Kilty hit out at Great Britain’s big name sprinters for their no-show in the Caribbean after they failed to qualify a team for the 4x100m at the Rio Olympics next year.

I can’t wait for Rio 2016! It’s come around so quickly – it feels like London 2012 was last week. But hopefully I’ll be in good shape next year, make that team and do everyone proud.

CHRIS MEARS - ROAD TO RIO: I’ve not made any New Year’s resolutions, I feel pretty on top of everything at the moment so I’m just going to carry on what I’m doing because I think I’m on to a winner.

I'm really looking forward to the Olympics - and it's crazy how quickly it's coming around - but at the moment I'm trying just to focus on the European Championships.

The 29-year-old Brit Greg Rutherford, also the reigning world and European champion, posted a season best of 8.31metres in the second round to dominate the event.

OLIVER HOLT - MAIL ON SUNDAY CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: A year to go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and, right on cue, the spectre of doping rides back into town.

Russia could be set for a new ban from major international sporting events like next summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games over claimed inconsistencies in anti-doping data.

Russia have been banned from the world's top sporting events for four years, including next summer's Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Qatar World Cup, for tampering with doping tests.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: American athletes are planning podium protests at the Olympics to express anger at the presence of Russian athletes if they win medals at next summer.

ROB DRAPER AND PETER ALLEN IN PARIS: A criminal trial will start on Monday with some huge names on the International Olympic Committee sweating to see if they are named in court.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: Russia has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport for more time to prepare an appeal against their four-year ban from international sport.

The international fixtures in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Soweto on July 4, 31 and August 7 will begin at 6pm local time - which is 1am in Japan where the Olympic Games are being held.

The spread of coronavirus has brought the world of sport to its knees after multiple multi-million pound tournaments were postponed or cancelled as the death toll continues to rise.

The current funding cycle ends in March 2021, so no longer covers the Olympics as intended, and the budget is yet to be set for the four-year period to Paris 2024, which many fear is going to be slashed.

The earning potential of Team GB stars could dramatically increase before Tokyo 2020 if the British Olympic Association gets approval to relax 'stifling' sponsorship rules.

LeBron James may have two Olympic gold medals to his name already but the NBA superstar has cast doubt about whether or not he wishes to compete for a hat-trick of titles.

Egypt have confirmed their plans to name Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in their squad for this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo, risking the wrath of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

The retired American swimmer, who is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, including 23 golds, suffered depression and has offered to support anyone who needs help.

The Commonwealth Games have moved to tackle a potential scheduling nightmare around Birmingham 2022 after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo were postponed until 2021.

The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government last month postponed the Games until July 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Australian Olympic Committee remains confident in south-east Queensland's bid to host in 2032.

Christine Ohuruogu runs her first outdoor 400metres of the year on Saturday when she will be reunited at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

When Lord Coe sold the legacy of a London Games for youth around the world to the International Olympic Committee he had in mind the effect it would have on youngsters like Joshua Ohuruogu.

When world 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu told her younger sister Victoria she intends to carry on competing until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she heard a slight groan.