Much of the narrative surrounding the incipient Rio Olympics - before the IOC's pathetic fudging of the decision to ban Russia from the Games - was around golf, and the fact that a succession of top-level golfers are refusing to compete as proof that the sport does not belong in the Games.
Football in the Olympics has faced wide-scale apathy from many countries for years now, with one notable exception: Brazil. The Olympics is the one major tournament Brazil haven't won, and as a result, the pursuit of a gold medal at the Olympics has become a nigh-existential pursuit.
In case you were unaware, the sixteen nations who compete at the Olympics bring an under-23 squad, while permitted to bring three players over the age of 23.
The undoubted star of the competition will be Neymar, with his Barcelona team-mate Rafinha the other recognizable name in the hosts' squad.
The German squad looks to be the strongest, with the Bender brothers, Sven and Lars alongside Dortmund's Matthias Ginter, Arsenal's Serge Gnabry and Bayer Leverkusen's Julian Brandt.
Elsewhere, John Obi Mikel is in the Nigeria squad, while Spurs' Heung-min Son is the star of South Korea squad, and Liverpool's Tiago Illori is a member of the Portuguese defence.
While Neymar will aim to light up the tournament, his clubmate Leo Messi won't be there, as Atletico Madrid's Angel Correa is the only member of the Argentina squad based in Europe.
[ESPN]
