Touch football is not part of the Olympics. But its role in one of Australias most glowing achievements at the Rio Games should not be under-estimated.As Australian Rugby Union officials were celebrating their womens sevens success, so too were their Touch Football Australia counterparts; understandable considering the core of the victorious team came from their ranks.In the 12-member Australian gold medal-winning contingent were seven notable touch footballers, many of whom converted to rugby as the Olympics was such a compelling drawcard.Four -- Charlotte Caslick, Nicole Beck, Alicia Quirk and Emilee Cherry -- were Australian touch football representatives, with 51 Test appearances between them. Gemma Etheridge was a national mixed open representative, while Evania Pelite and Emma Tonegato were Australian Youth representatives.What they learned and developed on the touch football field, including exceptional ball-handling and passing skills as well as knowing how to elude opponents, were vital elements in the Australian womens sevens triumph.There was also an understanding of success, especially as the Australian womens touch football team boast one of the most impressive winning streaks in Australian sport- victors in all eight World Cup tournaments held since 1988. Its exactly the same with the Australian mens touch football team. Eight out of eight over their chief rival New Zealand.The amateur world of Australian touch football, which has strong links with the National Rugby League competition, has power in numbers -- with more than 700,000, people, including 320,000 women, playing the game nationally. Touch Football Australias target is one million participants in Australia by 2020.Their officials realise the masters of their game are bound to be attracted by those able to dangle Olympic medals and professional programs in front of them- - such as the ARU. However, they argue their aim is to continue developing quality male and female athletes -- including those who can become notable rugby league performers and rugby gold medallists.Touch Football Australia chief executive officer Colm Maguire said the organisation was very proud of the success of their past stars in Rio, who were able to use their touch football skills to represent Australia on a different stage and win gold medals.Then there was the publicity boost for their sport.It has been amazing that there has been so many references since the sevens win to where theyve learnt the game, Maguire told ESPN.So good news week for both womens rugby and touch football. As the Olympics heads into its second week and Australias achievements in Rio continue to inspire, the womens sevens triumph remains a standout.Not since the Wallabies appearance in the 2015 World Cup final has Australian rugby enjoyed such a flourishing moment, with the womens team captivating the nation during the event and then for days afterwards. Now they even boast their own postage stamp.While the Australian women indicated back in 2009 when it won the first Sevens World Cup tournament in Dubai that it was a formidable force, the masterstroke was an ARU talent identification program aimed at making their first Olympic appearance a success. This brought to the team many from other sporting pursuits, including hockey, basketball, athletics, and in particular the touch football ranks -- not surprising considering its attacking and passing qualities are also at the heart of the sevens game.What was then required was for a number of the newcomers to learn proper tackling techniques so they became the complete rugby sevens performer. It took time, but it all began to gel well before the team arrived in Brazil, as shown by their No. 1 world ranking going into the Olympics.Maguire said an important skill the touch football contingent provided the Australia sevens team with was the long passing game.I thought the difference between the teams was the ability of our girls to see space, throw that long pass to open space, and have players run into the hole, Maguire said.Our sport is different to a lot of others in being an evasion game. So our girls are always looking for space. They are always looking to score.They develop an attacking mindset. Their high fitness level is another key element, and helps them to handle the workload.There will be a lot of people now talking about playing sevens football, but those girls (in the Australian team) wouldnt play the way that they do if they hadnt had their skill development in our game.Maguire also believes those who had been enticed elsewhere will probably not be lost to touch football.It is a sport you can play for life. So Ive no doubt that those girls will someday return and again play touch football for Australia, potentially in an over-age category, or definitely at the park level.We have a very strong high performance program, but were really focused on ensuring that more people participate. Touch football usually ends up being a lot of peoples second sport. They play rugby league and touch, or netball and touch, or rugby union and touch. Its the way weve grown.And with it, provide a different pathway to gold. Luol Deng Timberwolves Jersey . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Gorgui Dieng Timberwolves Jersey . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.timberwolvesgear.com/authentic-andrew-wiggins-timberwolves-jersey/ . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Kevin Garnett Timberwolves Jersey . 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Bach opens the International Olympic Committees three-day general assembly by seeking formal backing from the full membership of the executive boards handling of the Russian doping scandal.- HOUSTON -- They have crisscrossed the country, their Olympic preparations taking them from coast to coast. Now the U.S. basketball teams take the flight they really want, departing Tuesday for Rio, with gold expected on the other side.- BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- The U.S. womens soccer team makes its Olympic debut on Wednesday looking to show it can continue to dominate despite losing some key players ahead of the Rio Games, where it will try to become the first nation to win the Olympics after succeeding at the World Cup.- PARIS -- Gustavo Kuerten has not been able to play tennis in years, thanks to problems with his hips that have required multiple operations. Still, the three-time French Open champion and former No. 1-ranked man is an important figure in his native Brazil, where he has inspired plenty to pick up a racket. Kuerten will be a correspondent for local TV during the Rio de Janeiro Games.- BALTIMORE -- Help is en route as the AL West-leading Rangers begin a three-game series at AL East-leading Baltimore. Texas acquired outfielder Carlos Beltran, catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress on Monday, bolstering a club that already has the ALs best record and has won four straight games. Baltimore welcomes an old friend, Steve Pearce, and new arm, Wade Miley, in its quest to reach the pplayoffs.ddddddddddddYu Darvish (2-2, 3.09) pitches for the Rangers against youngster Dylan Bundy (3-3, 3.46). Game starts 7:05 p.m.- INDIANAPOLIS -- Marvin Harrison often stood silently in the corner of the Indianapolis Colts locker room. He didnt need to utter a word. The numbers spoke for themselves, and he was content playing the quiet, productive.- OXNARD, Calif. -- Tony Romo smiled and joked a lot in his first chat with reporters at the Dallas quarterbacks 14th training camp -- even about the fat memes that circulated over an unflattering and deceptive photo. Hes serious about chasing an elusive Super Bowl title, though.Whos No. 1? The Associated Press began asking the most important question in sports in 1936, and 1,103 times since then the AP college football poll has provided an answer that has only led to more questions, such as: What? Why? Are you kidding? Now the AP has crunched 80 years worth of poll data to come up with an all-time top 100. List being released at 2 p.m.North Carolina is scheduled Tuesday to respond to five NCAA charges tied to the schools long-running academic fraud scandal. UNC got a weeklong extension to its 90-day deadline to respond to the NCAAs Notice of Allegations sent in April.- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart acknowledges this has been an emotional year as the school has settled a Title IX lawsuit, mourned the death of former womens basketball coach Pat Summitt and has prepared for the pending departure of chancellor Jimmy Cheek.- SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Short on majors, but not class, Rickie Fowler went out to the 18th green at Baltusrol to congratulate close friend Jimmy Walker on winning the PGA Championship. Thats as close as Fowler as come to a major championship trophy in two years. ' ' '