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Communist societies of eastern Europe dominated the Olympic Games. In 1988, for instance, the German Democratic Republic , with a population of some 16 million, outscored the United States, 15 times its size. While anabolic steroids and other banned substances contributed to the East Germans’ triumph, credit must also be given to their relentless application of scientific methods in the search for the ultimate sports performance. Sports, then, can be defined as autotelic physical contests. On the basis of this definition, one can devise a simple inverted-tree diagram. Despite the clarity of the definition, difficult questions arise.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Several months after the basketball world collectively assumed Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers were definitely headed for a breakup, the guard reported to training camp Monday wearing the same gold jersey. CANTON, Mass. — As the longest-tenured player on the Celtics, Marcus Smart has been in Boston long enough to appreciate what Bill Russell meant to the team, the city and the country. “We’ve heard things like ‘pioneer,’ ‘trailblazer,’” Smart said Monday while wearing a patch honoring the Celtics Hall of Famer who died this summer.

The Amateur Athletic Association, which emphasized track-and-field Sports, was founded in 1880, the Amateur Rowing Association in 1882. Archery matches, some of which were arranged months in advance and staged with considerable fanfare. When town met town in a challenge of skill, the companies of crossbowmen and longbowmen marched behind the symbols of St. George, St. Sebastian, and other patrons of the sport.

For example, in 2010, full-body, non-textile swimsuits were banned by FINA, as they were enhancing swimmers' performances. In the dramatic global diffusion of modern sports, the French have also played a significant role. The first Paris–Rouen race took place in 1869; the Tour de France was inaugurated in 1903.

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CHICAGO — A man climbed five stories of a fire escape to infiltrate a Chicago police facility Monday while officers were undergoing a SWAT training exercise and grabbed at least two guns before he was shot and wounded by police, the chief said. LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams almost certainly wouldn't be such consistent winners if this team hadn't stayed relatively healthy over the past half-decade. The Rams' overall health is much worse than normal this September after a spate of early season injuries, yet it hasn't stopped Sean McVay's team from recording back-to-back victories. ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A former Alaska attorney general pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he sexually abused a minor three decades ago when he was the alleged victim’s high school coach. Clyde “Ed” Sniffen, 58, entered his plea through his attorney, Jeffrey Robinson.

As early as the late 17th century, quantification became an important aspect of sports, and the cultural basis was created for the concept of the sports record. The word record, in the sense of an unsurpassed quantified achievement, appeared, first in English and then in other languages, late in the 19th century, but the concept went back nearly 200 years. Zulu football players rely not only on their coaches and trainers but also on the services of their inyanga (“witch doctor”). Sports science is a widespread academic discipline, and can be applied to areas including athlete performance, such as the use of video analysis to fine-tune technique, or to equipment, such as improved running shoes or competitive swimwear. Sports engineering emerged as a discipline in 1998 with an increasing focus not just on materials design but also the use of technology in sport, from analytics and big data to wearable technology. In order to control the impact of technology on fair play, governing bodies frequently have specific rules that are set to control the impact of technical advantage between participants.

Kawhi Leonard was in the Los Angeles Clippers’ facility on Monday. The International Team kept all five matches close on the second day of the Presidents Cup, but it was unable to win any of them. Aaron Judge's quest for his 61st home run of the season was met with thunderstorms on Sunday night as the New York Yankees' win against the Boston Red Sox was called early. Adrian Martinez strung together one of the best games of his college career on Saturday night as he helped Kansas State upset No. 6 Oklahoma. Lakers willing to deal first-round picks Russ Westbrook stresses professionalism at Lakers media day as Los Angeles remains non-committal about his place on its roster.

Marty Snider, Jeff Burton and Kyle Petty analyze a chaotic playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, where Tyler Reddick earned the win, William Byron spun Denny Hamlin under caution and more. With 15 games remaining, Aaron Judge has 60 home runs and only needs two to break Roger Maris' American League record. Robbie Ray wins a national anthem standoff with Luke Weaver before the Mariners-Royals game, but both are tossed. Former NFC North and Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams is not happy with his new team's 0-3 start. Despite a tighter wild card race than just a week ago, the Phillies remain favored to make the playoffs.