Basketball: (July 28) The USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team (1-0), which was slated to open preliminary round play against Venezuela (0-1) at the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament, was disappointed as the opposing team was unable to arrive in Halifax, Canada in time for the 10 p.m. (all times local) tip-off.

 Since Venezuela forfeited the contest, the U.S. was credited with a 20-0 win. (July 29) To show its support for United States military personnel serving around the globe, USA Basketball hosted approximately 3,000 servicemen and women from all branches of the military stationed in Jacksonville, Fla. The servicemen and women were treated to a behind the scenes look at the USA vs. Puerto Rico scrimmage, held at the University of North Florida. The Hoops for Troops program will be a part of the USA Basketball Senior Men’s National Team training camp as it continues in Germany, Turkey, and Serbia and Montenegro in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Games in Athens. (July 29) Behind a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds from Sean May (North Carolina/Bloomington, Ind.), the USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team (2-0) earned its first true victory at the 2004 FIBA Americas World Championship Tournament after besting Brazil (0-2), 87-64, in Halifax. Also posting stellar efforts at the Halifax Metro Center were Hassan Adams (Arizona/Los Angeles, Calif.) with 15 points, while Adam Morrison (Gonzaga/Spokane, Wash.) and P.J. Tucker (Texas/Raleigh, N.C.) checked in for 10 points apiece. (July 30) The Wake Forest University (N.C.) tandem of Justin Gray (Charlotte, N.C.) and Chris Paul (Lewisville, N.C.) combined for 28 points and 16 assists as the USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team (3-0) pushed past Puerto Rico (2-1), 92-79, at the World Championship Tournament. Played in front of 3,000 fans at the Halifax Metro Center, Sean May posted his second double-double in as many games with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Hassan Adams and Adam Morrison contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the win. (July 31) Behind 16 points from both Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) and Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), the USA (1-0) led from start to finish after sprinting out early against Puerto Rico (0-1) and rolled on to a 96-71 win in front of a sold-out Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena crowd of 14,034 and an ESPN national audience. (Aug. 1) The USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team (4-0) advanced to the gold-medal game at the FIBA Americas World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Tournament after putting host Canada (2-2) away in the fourth quarter for an eventual 86-63 win. Collegiate teammates Justin Gray and Chris Paul were deadly from the 3-point line, converting on a combined 9-of-15 (.600), while scoring 18 and 19 points at the Halifax Metro Center. Curtis Withers (Charlotte/Charlotte, N.C.) also had a strong game with 11 points and seven rebounds. (Aug. 1) On Aug. 5, the 2004 USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team will compete against an All-Star team of WNBA players in a contest dubbed "WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Game at Radio City," which will be aired live by ESPN. (Aug. 3) The USA Senior Men (1-1) saw first-hand why many consider the upcoming Olympic basketball competition to be the most competitive ever as Italy (1-1) led early in the first quarter and pushed on to post a 95-78 win over Team USA at the Kolnarena in Cologne, Germany. The loss snapped the 19 exhibition games win streak the USA seniors possessed and left USA with a 19-1 overall mark in exhibition games and a 69-3 record in official FIBA tournaments (not including exhibition games). For more information, log on to www.usabasketball.com.

Boxing: (Aug. 1) After arriving in Athens, the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team began training at the American College of Greece, a Greek version of the U.S. Olympic Training Centers, and the first facility of its kind in use by a U.S. team at an Olympic Games. The facility offers housing, dining and training facilities for several U.S. teams, giving them a home away from home in Athens. (Aug. 1) The results of the 2004 Women's Boxing National Championships have been posted online. For more information, log on to www.usaboxing.org.

Equestrian: (Aug. 2) The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is awarding a total of $50,000 in supplemental grants to members of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Dressage Team in further support of U.S. Equestrian’s High Performance Olympic preparations. The USET Foundation officers have approved these supplemental grants for the Olympic Dressage team members to help with costs incurred during their extended pre-Olympic stay in Europe. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.

Figure Skating: (July 30) The first Olympic-eligible figure skating event of the 2004-2005 season, the Campbell’s International Figure Skating Classic, will welcome 15 of the world’s top figure skaters to compete in St. Paul, Minn. on Oct. 1. The one-day competition will be held at the Xcel Energy Center at 7:30 p.m. (Aug. 3) Media looking to apply for credentials to 2004-2005 U.S. Figure Skating events can now do so by visiting U.S. Figure Skating online. All media are required to complete a media credential application. For more information, log on to www.usfsa.org.

Gymnastics: (July 28) All 30 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants from Lawrence, Kan. to Sedalia, Kan. donated one dollar from any appetizer ordered to the families of Kansas City area Olympians to fund their trips to Athens, Greece, to see their children compete for the United States. Those benefiting from the one-day fundraiser include the families of gymnasts Courtney McCool (Kansas City, Mo.) and Terin Humphrey (Bates City, Mo.), and track stars Muna Lee (Little Rock, Ark.) and Melvin Lister (New York, N.Y.). Applebee’s hopes to raise $40,000 to split evenly between the four families. (July 28) A local radio station raised more than $14,000 in less than five hours to help Courtney McCool's family go to the 2004 Olympic Games. For more information, log on to http://www.usa-gymnastics.org.

Hockey: (July 30) USA Hockey announced that after 20 years it is changing the name of its official publication from American Hockey Magazine to USA Hockey Magazine, beginning with the upcoming August 2004 issue, which will serve as the World Cup of Hockey 2004 preview. (July 31) The 2004 USA Hockey InLine National Championships, presented by Easton, crowned five team champions in the 12-and-under, 17-and-under and girls' 17-and-under divisions. (Aug. 2) USA Hockey announced the dates, location and 63-player roster for the 2004 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival. Participants in the festival are divided into three teams (Team Red, Team White, and an Under-22 Team) which will participate in daily practices and compete in a round-robin tournament Aug. 15-22 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. For more information, log on to www.usahockey.com.

Judo: (July 29) Real Judo Magazine, North America's judo source, has released its Olympic predictions for the 2004 Olympic Games in judo. Making the picks was the quarterly publication's editor, Jason Morris, a four-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000) and 1992 Olympic silver medalist. For more information, log on to www.usjudo.org.