Reuters Sports News Summary

The following are some of the biggest surprises so far from the Tokyo Games: Athleta, sponsor of U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, says it stands by her Athleta, sponsor of U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, said in a statement on Tuesday that it stands by her after she dropped out of the women's team final at the Tokyo Summer Games, saying she had to focus on her mental health.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics-Gymnastics-Biles praises 'brave' team mates for stepping up

American gymnast Simone Biles praised her team mates on Tuesday after they went on to capture a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics following her stunning decision to withdraw from the women's team final after a disappointing vault. Biles, who later said she needed to focus on her mental health, posted a message of thanks on Instagram along with a photo showing her and team mates Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and Sunisa Lee showing off their smiles and silver medals.

NBA-Obama joins NBA Africa as strategic partner

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner to help advance social responsibility efforts across the continent, the National Basketball Association said on Tuesday. Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership programs across Africa.

Olympics-Volleyball-U.S. down China, world champions Serbia beat Japan

The United States dealt China a second consecutive straight sets defeat in women's volleyball on Tuesday to leave the defending Olympic champions in danger of missing out on the knockout stages. The Americans, bronze medallists at Rio in 2016, have won five Olympic medals in the event but never gold. Their 29-27 25-22 25-21 victory moved them to the top of Pool B without dropping a set, having beaten Argentina in their opener.

Soccer-Bordeaux name Petkovic as head coach on three-year contract

Vladimir Petkovic has left his job as Switzerland coach to take over at Girondins de Bordeaux, the French Ligue 1 club and Swiss FA said on Tuesday. The 57-year-old Petkovic, who helped guide Switzerland to the quarter-final of the European Championship this month, has signed a three-year contract with the French club.

'Pathetic and disgraceful': U.S. lawmakers blast Coca-Cola, Visa and others over Beijing Olympics

A bipartisan Congressional panel blasted U.S.-based corporate sponsors of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Tuesday, including Coca-Cola, Visa Inc. and Airbnb, accusing them of putting profits ahead of accusations of genocide in China. Republican Congressman Chris Smith told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing that the sponsors needed to reconcile their "ostensible commitment to human rights" with subsidizing an Olympics where the host country is "actively committing human rights abuses".

Olympics-Biles fails in gold bid as Osaka exits Tokyo Games

Simone Biles' bid to launch a history-making goldrush at the Tokyo Olympics fell apart after a single gymnastic vault on Tuesday, and her future at these Games was in doubt after she spoke of the need to protect her mental health. The American superstar pulled out https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/gymnastics-biles-out-team-event-can-still-get-medal-2021-07-27 of the evening's team event, as her American team mates surrendered gold and their title to Russian gymnasts.

Olympics-Softball-Japan shuts down USA to win gold; Canada take bronze

Hosts Japan hoisted their coach and waved to mostly empty stands to celebrate their second straight gold medal in softball on Tuesday by beating the United States 2-0 at the Tokyo Games, on the strength of Yamato Fujita's bat, ace Yukiko Ueno's arm and their usual all-around sharp defensive play. The result left the United States with the silver medal, a repeat of 13 years earlier, when Japan stunned them in the most recent prior edition of Olympic softball. Canada earlier took bronze by edging Mexico 3-2.

Surprise Olympics: Simone Biles adds to the drama in Tokyo

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles dropped out of the women's team event after a single vault at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, ramping up the drama at Games that have already seen a number of shocking upsets. The following are some of the biggest surprises so far from the Tokyo Games:

Athleta, sponsor of U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, says it stands by her

Athleta, sponsor of U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, said in a statement on Tuesday that it stands by her after she dropped out of the women's team final at the Tokyo Summer Games, saying she had to focus on her mental health. "We stand by Simone and support her well-being both in and out of competition," Athleta Chief Brand Officer Kyle Andrew said in a statement. "Being the best also means knowing how to take care of yourself. We are inspired by her leadership today and are behind her every step of the way."

Gymnastics-Biles says gymnastics not everything, 'we also have to focus on ourselves'

In the end, Simone Biles decided to pull out of the Tokyo 2020 team gymnastics finals on Tuesday because things just did not feel right after her vault, saying mental health is more important than sports. Biles, who wrote on her Instagram just a day before about feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, decided that rather than risk injury - and a medal for the rest of the team - she needed to just stop.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)