'Nova's Bell stars in U-19 hoops win

Villanova's James Bell had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the U.S. team to an 83-54 victory over Canada on the opening day of the second round of the FIBA Under 19 World Championships in Riga, Latvia. The United States (4-0), the defending champion and the only undefeated team left among the 12 remaining countries, plays Lithuania (3-1) today.

* IOC president Jacques Rogge says the huge demand for tickets to watch the 2012 London Olympics means it's "unavoidable" that some people will be left disappointed. There were 22 million requests for 6.6 million available tickets.

* The IOC approved the inclusion of men's and women's slopestyle events in snowboarding and freestyle skiing for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

* Nasser al-Shami, a Syrian heavyweight boxer who shared the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, was in stable condition after being hit by shotgun pellets in the city of Hama. He was among at least 20 injured as President Bashar Assad's regime swept through several cities and towns to crush a pro-democracy uprising, activists said.

* UEFA says Croatian football federation president Vlatko Markovic has lost his appeal against being fined $14,500 for making anti-gay remarks. Markovic, 74, said in an interview that a gay player wouldn't play for Croatia while he led the federation, and that he never met a gay player because "only healthy people play football."

* Tyler Farrar became the first American to win a Tour de France stage on July 4, dominating a sprint finish in the third leg as teammate Thor Hushovd, of Norway, kept the yellow jersey. Farrar also became the first American to win a Tour stage since 2007.