RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic athletes have been competing in near empty venues and before thin crowds in other locations during the opening days of the Rio Games -- a problem that can be traced to long security lines, traffic and a lack of familiarity in some sports.Rugby and equestrian venues have been devoid of fans, and a Brazil volleyball match on famed Copacabana Beach had lots of empty seats Sunday. Scattered seats were open early during the basketball game Saturday night between China and star-studded Team USA, usually one of the biggest draws of the Olympics.Rio organizers said long lines at airport-style security checkpoints prevented fans from getting into events. The line for the beach volleyball venue stretched down the Copacabana promenade to the Olympic rings display several blocks away, though the venue has not been full for any of the matches.Organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada the problem was being addressed, and hes hopeful that lines would move quicker as the Summer Games entered its first full week.We believe that most of the issues ... have been solved, Andrada said Sunday. That doesnt mean we rest ... Security overall remains our main priority, and were going to keep an eye on it.There were long lines at bus stops on Saturday, the first full day of the Games. Lines at concessions stands were slow at the Deodoro venue, where events like rugby and shooting are being held, in large part because workers were stuck on security lines to get in the grounds.But I must emphasize, even when we have some empty seats in the some stadiums, we never had a low atmosphere, Andrada said.Crowds were loud and enthusiastic for fencing. Swimming made a splash, as usual. The stands were nearly full with cheering fans when the U.S. womens gymnastics team took the floor for preliminaries on Sunday.Boxing and rugby didnt fill the stands, though those who were there were vocal. Brazilian fans led soccer-style chants at the U.S.-China basketball that brought a lively atmosphere at times to the blowout.Im a bit bummed to be honest, because especially these women have worked really hard to get here, said Nikki Diggs, a fan from California who watched Sundays rugby match between the United States and Australia. The Olympics mark the first time womens rugby has been in the games.Its their first Olympics so its a bit of a bummer but I think a lot of people were scared off and they shouldnt have been because everything has been really great, Diggs said.Any problems with security lines seemed to have dissipated at the main Olympic Park venue by Sunday afternoon.We literally got out of a cab, walked in. Breezed right in, said fan Rochelle Taylor of Detroit. She and her friend waited in a security line for an hour on Saturday.Security isnt necessarily the only reason that could be keeping people from their seats. Logistical issues can often slow things down early in an Olympics.Traffic has been a problem, so much so that Mayor Eduardo Paes has pleaded with locals to share car rides until Aug. 21.Andrada said about 82 percent of the 5 million tickets for the Olympics were sold as of Sunday. About 75 percent attendees are Brazilian.Hoping to boost slow sales, organizers in mid-July opened up their local ticket website to the rest of the world, meaning that fans outside Brazil could buy tickets at local rates.As for Brazilian fans, theyre getting exposed to sports other than their beloved soccer and volleyball.Sometimes we spot that they dont know exactly how to behave in some sports because theyve become fans of (soccer) for many years, Andrada said. And one of the legacies of these games is to break the mold of either volleyball or football, for people to assess different sports.---AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen and John Pye contributed to this story.---Online:AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org/Matt Wieters Cardinals Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Vince Coleman Cardinals Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/1284t-tony-cingrani-jersey-cardinals.html .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. Brett Cecil Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Junior Fernandez Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. The New Zealand Breakers have avenged last years four-match losing streak to the Illawarra Hawks with a scrappy 100-85 win in Auckland on Friday.The Breakers, who led by as much as 25 midway through the second spell, had to fend off a third-quarter revival from the visitors before they secured their sixth win from 10 starts this season.The victory was anchored by an outstanding first quarter, won 33-16 by the Breakers, and provided an encouraging welcome for new signing David Stockton.The American point guard top-scored for the Breakers with 17 while former Hawks shooting guard Kirk Penney and Tom Abercrombie chipped in with 16 apiece.Corey Webster and Alex Pledger each contributed 14 to a strong all-round New Zealand shooting performance.Rotnei Clarke led the way for Illawarra with 17 points, while Marvelle Harris and Andrew Ogilivy each added 16.The Breakerss dominated the offensive boards, opening out to a 12-0 lead before the Hawks finally found their range.ddddddddddddIllawarra improved their damage control in the second quarter, but the Breakers were still finding plenty of space on the shot and extended their lead to 57-38 at halftime.Illawarra lifted their defensive intensity to launch a spirited comeback in the third stanza, taking the spell 31-23 to reduce the Breakers lead to 80-69 at the three-quarter mark.Harris led the way with an 11-point haul in the third quarter, while Kenny White underlined the Illawarra comeback with an emphatic three-pointer on the buzzer.But the Breakers maintained their composure to outscore the Hawks 20-16 in the closing spell and secure the win. 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