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LONDON -- The Ukrainian city of Lviv withdrew its bid for the 2022 Winter Games on Monday, becoming the third contender to drop out of the race for an Olympics that no one seems to want. Lviv pulled out because of the continuing political and security crisis in Ukraine, where government forces are battling an insurgency by pro-Russian separatists. Lviv officials said they would now focus on bidding for the 2026 Winter Games instead. The decision to withdraw, which had been widely expected, followed talks between Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and IOC President Thomas Bach. "We concluded that it would be extremely difficult to pursue the 2022 bid under current circumstances but that a future bid would make sense for Ukraine and Ukrainian sport," Bach said in a statement. The announcement came exactly one week before the International Olympic Committee selects a short list of finalists for the 2022 Games. Three cities remain in contention: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing, and Oslo. With Lviv out, the IOC executive board is likely to retain all three and not cut any of the candidates. The host city will be selected by the full IOC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015. "We have always said that we will only continue if we can be certain to deliver on all our promises," Lviv bid CEO Sergei Goncharov told The Associated Press. "Due to the current circumstances in Ukraine, we, however, felt that a bid for 2026 would make more sense. We remain convinced of the positive impact that hosting Olympic Games would have for the city of Lviv and the whole country." Lvivs withdrawal follows the earlier pullouts of Stockholm and Krakow, Poland. The Swedish capital dropped out in December after politicians declined to give financial support. The Polish city withdrew last month after 70 per cent of residents rejected the bid in a referendum. The future of Oslos bid also remains uncertain. The Norwegian government has yet to back the project and wont make a decision until the autumn. In addition, recent polls have shown that more than half the population opposes the games. If Oslo drops out later, that would leave only two cities standing. Almaty, commercial capital of the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, hosted the 2011 Asian Winter Games and would shape up as the favourite. Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympics, is bidding to become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter Games. Beijing proposes holding Alpine events 120 miles (190 kilometres) away in the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou. And with Pyeongchang, South Korea, hosting the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo the 2020 Olympics, the IOC would normally be reluctant to send the games to Asia for a third straight time. Even before the start of the official 2022 campaign, two potential serious contenders stayed away. St. Moritz-Davos and Munich cancelled proposed bids after voters in Switzerland and Germany voted "no" in referendums. The troubled race poses a crisis for the IOC, which is running out of potential sites for the games. Potential host cities, especially in Western Europe, are concerned about the financial costs of the games. Many have been scared off by the $51 billion price tag associated with Februarys Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russia spent much of the record sum on long-term infrastructure projects for the entire region. Rio de Janeiros delayed preparations for the 2016 Olympics are also a major concern. Changes to the bidding process and efforts to reduce the cost of the games are among the key issues being addressed by the IOC as part of Bachs "Agenda 2020" -- his blueprint for the future of the Olympic movement that will be voted on in December. Despite their withdrawal, Lviv bid officials have travelled to Pyeongchang this week for debriefings on the Sochi Games. Bach said the IOCs preliminary assessment of the Lviv bid found "a huge potential for future development." "We will continue to pursue our dream," Goncharov said. "We have learned a great deal during our first ever bid and we will come back stronger." Zapatillas Asics Baratas .com) - The collective hearts of Chicago Bulls fans sank on Friday night when Derrick Rose went down with a leg injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Zapatillas Asics Baratas España . Leaning forward with both hands on his knees, Buffon appeared to be resting or somehow trying to withstand the rain. Or perhaps the 36-year-old goalkeeper and Italy captain was reflecting on this: He is only the third player in history to be part of five World Cup squads, along with Germany great Lothar Matthaus and former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal. http://www.baratasasics.es/ . 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence. Asics Baratas Chinas Online . A broadcast source said the deal is for five years. The agreement calls for a minimum of 17 regular-season games as well as the East and West Division finals being broadcast annually on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNEWS. Asics Baratas España . "Yes, Id like to get them in," Detroits rookie manager said. "Mother Natures going to have a say in that." Sure enough, the Tigers had their game against the Kansas City Royals postponed because of rain on Thursday.PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- It had been so long that Brittany Lincicome didnt quite know what to think about her spot atop the LPGA Championship leaderboard. Lincicome opened a three-stroke lead Friday in the wind-swept tournament, the LPGA Tours fourth major championship of the season, as Americans moved into position for their fourth straight major victory of the year. "I feel like Ive been doing a lot of really good things," Lincicome said. "I feel like Ive been playing really well, driving it far, which is awesome. But its just not coming together." It has at Monroe Golf Club. The long-hitting Lincicome followed her opening 67 with a 68 to reach 9 under as she chases her first title since 2011. She won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco for her lone major title and has five LPGA Tour victories. Lexi Thompson, tied for the first-round lead with Meena Lee, dropped into a tie for second with defending champion Inbee Park of South Korea. Thompson had a 72, and Park shot 66. That gave the United States two players at the top with majors already on the trophy shelf. "Its a great leaderboard so far," said Thompson, who won the Kraft Nabisco to start the major run. "Today was a little more difficult than yesterday. Just didnt hit it as well, but I did make some good putts, so Im going to take a positive out of it." Its the first time Americans have won the first three majors since 1999, and they havent won four since 1992. Michelle Wie won the U.S. Womens Open, and Mo Martin surged to victory in the final round at the Womens British Open. A fifth major, the Evian Championship in France, was added last year. Seventeen-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a 69 to join Lee, from South Korea, and Jane Park at 5 under. Lee had a 73, and Park shot 69. Top-ranked Stacy Lewis sputtered again with a 1-over 73 to finish the two rounds at even par. Jennifer Kirby (79), from Paris, Ont., dropped from second in the first round to 54th on Friday at a 2-over par. Lincicome had an eagle and three birdies to go with one bogey for her second solid day. She averaged 277.5 yards off the tee on the two measured holes and needed only 26 putts for the second straight day. "Its been incredible," Lincicome said. "I havent been here in a while, especially in a major." Thompson reached 8 under after a birdie at the par-5 14th hole but followed with bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9 to drop into a tie with Lincicome at the turn. Lincicome, who started the day one shot off the lead, birdied the par-5 12th hole to gain a one-shot advantage while Inbee Park slowly clawed her way back into contention after shooting even par on the first day. Park had two birdies and chipped in from a greenside bunker for an eagle on her first five holes on the back side, and three birdies in the first three holes on the front put her att 6 under.dddddddddddd "Quite different from yesterday," said Park, who won three majors last year. "I thought I need to change things a little bit and get a little more aggressive, and thats what I did." Thompsons birdie at No. 3 forged a tie with Lincicome and Meena Lee at 7 under, but it was short-lived. Moments later, Lincicome notched the sixth eagle of the day at the par-5 14th hole to put her two shots ahead and then parred out. Unable to string any sort of run together as she did on the first day, Thompson dropped into a tie for second after a bogey at the par-3 sixth hole, statistically the sixth-most difficult hole on the day. Locust Hill had been LPGAs host in the Rochester area for 37 straight years before the tour made the switch this year to nearby Monroe. The Donald Ross-designed course is about 300 yards longer at 6,717 yards, and the wider fairways favoured long hitters. "Right now, the fairways are generous. You can just bomb it off the tee," said Suzann Pettersen, tied for seventh at 4 under after a 69. "You can risk the extra few yards. Even if you miss it (the fairway), youll still be able to get to the greens somehow." A gusting wind strafed the course all day, sending leaves and bits of bark onto some greens and making each shot an adventure. Pettersen, who averaged over 276 yards off the tee, second-best over the first two rounds, was in the morning group and managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. It wasnt easy. "It is playable out there, but youve got to hit some great golf shots," Pettersen said. "The wind is a bit choppy. Its bounding up and down all the time. Youve got to try and find the pocket, try and hit the right shot that gives you the highest percentage." Ko, already a four-time winner on her LPGA Tour career, hit all 14 fairways and reached 15 greens in regulation in notching six birdies with three bogeys in an up-and-down day. Ko needed 31 putts to complete the round -- six more than the first day -- in part because of a three-putt bogey at No. 2 and then failing to get up-and-down at No. 4 in making another bogey. Both holes are par 4s. "I just give myself as many opportunities as I can," said the low-key Ko, who didnt touch a club during a recent five-day stretch because her swing was "on holiday." "I wish I was a long hitter," Ko said. "Im just trying to play to my strengths." Ko, a two-time winner this season, remained focused on the moment and just shrugged at the possibility of becoming the youngest winner of a major in LPGA Tour history. "I think about winning at the end of the week," Ko said. "Im going to go out there and just have some fun. Theres still two more days. Im pretty confident. Its good to be in this position." ' ' '