President Vladimir Putin has hit out at the decision to ban Russian track and field athletes from the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio. Putin described the exclusion of the athletes as discrimination and part of a deliberate campaign.And Putin also said that medals won in Rio would be devalued due to the absence of Russian participation. Your colleagues from other sports powers realise that the value of their medals will be different, Putin told track and field stars such as Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergey Shubenkov.This victory will have a different taste - or no taste at all.And the Russian president added: The current situation does not only go beyond the legal sphere, it goes beyond common sense.We cannot accept indiscriminate disqualification of our athletes with absolutely clean doping histories. We cannot and will not accept what in fact is pure discrimination. Pole vaulting great Yelena Isinbayeva will have to sit out the Rio Olympics Putin was speaking after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had confirmed that the ban on the athletes would remain in place.The suspension was imposed in November due to systematic state-sponsored doping by Russia and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld that decision last week.Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko wrote to the IAAF on Monday in an attempt to get the ban overturned but was told there were no grounds for further review.Putin spoke to the Russian team on Wednesday, before they fly out on Thursday, and dozens of the track and field athletes who are not eligible to compete in the Rio Games also attended.Its obvious that the absence of Russian competitors, leaders in many disciplines, will lower the intensity of the fight and that means the spectacle at the upcoming events, said Putin.More than 100 Russian athletes - including all but one of the track and field team - will miss the Olympics but the country has avoided being totally excluded. Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with Russian athletes at the Kremlin The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sparked fierce criticism on Sunday when it resisted a blanket ban in favour of allowing individual sports federations to make the call on which Russians can go to Rio.And Russias Olympic team could number more than 200 after fencing, triathlon and volleyball became the latest sports to declare the countrys athletes eligible to take part in the Games on Wednesday. Also See: Russian judo team get all clear Pavey: IOC sending wrong message IOC opts against Russia ban Russian swimmers to miss Rio Nmd r1 Norge . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Nmd_r2 Sko Norge . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. http://www.nmdnorgesalg.com/ultra-boost-sko-norge.html. 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward. Nmd_r1 Sko Hvit . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season. Adidas Gazelle Tilbud . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar.DENVER -- An elbow to the chin staggered Timofey Mozgov for only a moment. Shaking off the blow, the 7-foot-1 centre went on to match his career high with 23 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-99 on Wednesday night to win consecutive games for the first time this season. "Its OK. Its basketball. You just have to keep playing, if you can," said Mozgov, who fell to the floor but quickly scrambled to his feet after taking an inadvertent elbow from Jordan Hill when the Lakers forward went in for a jump hook during the third quarter. "He was like a good, old Russian boxer, didnt give in," said teammate Nate Robinson. "I just love the way he plays, he competes. He doesnt complain, just plays hard." Mozgov also had nine rebounds and four blocked shots to help first-year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, who was part of five championship teams with the Lakers as a player and assistant coach, beat Los Angeles in his first matchup against his former team. "We played big and pretty much just dominated inside and kept the pressure on them by running the floor," Shaw said. Kenneth Faried joined Mozgov in mixing it up in the paint, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. "Theyre good players," Hill said. "It was their night. Defensively, we didnt help each other the way were supposed to and it cost us." Ty Lawson added 19 for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight against the Lakers, their longest winning streak against Los Angeles since 1994. "They just came at us," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "We didnt react very well to their speed and athleticism. That was a recurring theme throughout the game, their athleticism. They just beat us to the ball. Their foot speed was more than ours most of the time." Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 25 points. Both teams have been impacted by injuries, though the Nuggets were bolstered by the return of forward Wilson Chandler, who saw his first action of the season after missing the first six games with a strained left hamstring.dddddddddddd Chandler scored 12 points, making a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Lakers are still without Kobe Bryant, who continues to recover from surgery last spring to repair to a torn Achilles tendon, and Steve Nash remains sidelined by a nerve problem in his back. Nuggets centre JaVale McGee is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left leg and Danilo Gallinari is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery stemming from an injury late last season. Mozgov jammed home a dunk to put the Nuggets up by 10 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Lakers scored six straight points to close the period, starting with a 3-pointer by Nick Young to pull to 83-79 going into the fourth. The Nuggets again pulled away, scoring 10 of the first 13 points starting the final period, including a layup by Robinson off a stolen inbounds pass, putting Denver in front 93-82. After a basket by Gasol and a free throw by Hill helped the Lakers narrow the gap to 93-87, the Nuggets responded with a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Chandler and a pair of free throws by Mozgov for a 16-point cushion with about 5 minutes remaining. It was more than the Lakers could overcome. The Lakers pulled to 60-54 at halftime after trailing by as many as 13 points earlier. Chandler also hit a couple of 3-pointers in the last 4 minutes of the second quarter to help offset a 7-0 run that the Lakers used to get close. NOTES: The 60 first-half points and the final points total both represented season highs for the Nuggets. ... Mozgov has come off the bench to score in double figures in five of the first seven games. ... The Lakers lost the back end of a back-to-back after beating New Orleans the night before. ... Gasol has had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the same game 54 times in his career. ... Mozgov also had 23 points on Jan. 30, 2011 against Detroit while with the New York Knicks. ' ' '