Day 1 of the North American Halo Championship Series is in the books and the relegation portion of the tournament is over. The weekend began with four teams vying for two spots in the HCS Pro League and after all was said and done both teams that were defending their spots were the two to qualify for the next season. Team Allegiance and Enigma 6 were able to fend off The MoneyMatches Team and 3sUP Enterprises in a double elimination format to retain their places, leaving their amateur counterparts empty handed.Enigma 6 met adversity early in the tournament during its first round match against 3sUP. The top amateur team was able to trade blows with E6 and take it to a tense Game 7 but it was the highlight plays of Jesse Bubu Dubu Moeller that put E6 in a place to win the series and advance to play against Team Allegiance for one of the two Pro League openings.Team Allegiance faltered during its match against E6 and was sent to the losers bracket finals where it awaited the victor of 3sUP and TMMT. 3sUP won its series 4-2 and sent TMMT home while it advanced to play Team Allegiance in a do-or-die series with the winner taking the final coveted spot available in the HCS Pro League next season. Team Allegiance took an early 2-0 series lead with wins on Fathom, Capture The Flag and Plaza Slayer. 3sUP responded with two wins of their own on Plaza Strongholds and Coliseum Capture The Flag. 3sUP had the momentum in its favor after those two wins but, as had become the pattern, Team Allegiance won the next two games to take the series 4-2 and reclaim its place in the Pro League.Nike Air Max Axis Canada . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Nike Air Max Tailwind 7 Canada . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-98-canada-sale.html . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Air Max 720 Canada .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Nike Air Max Plus Canada Sale . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year.LONDON -- When the judo events kick off at the Rio de Janeiro Games, the home team will send out a defending Olympic champion on the first day of competition.With five other top-ranked judoka on its Olympic team, Brazil has a particularly strong home advantage. Although judo has traditionally been dominated by the Japanese, who created the modern martial art, the combat sport has become truly universal. That means the Japanese team, which won only a single gold medal at London in its worst-ever Olympic showing -- is no longer the favorite.Marius Vizer, president of the International Judo Federation, said he expects to see more unexpected winners at Rio.I think Mongolia will be the big surprise of the Olympic games, he said. Vizer also noted strong fighters from the U.S., Greece, Georgia, France, Russia, Cuba and South Korea. There will also be two refugee competitors, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, competing under the International Olympic Committee flag.Vizer said some rule changes to judo -- including the outlawing of leg grabs -- were made to distinguish the sport from others like wrestling and will hopefully inspire more fighters to attempt the big throws judo is known for. Fights can be won instantly if judoka flip their opponents flat on their back with considerable force and speed.While some have criticized the rule changes arguing that they favor the Japanese style of judo, which focuses on throws rather than the groundwork component of judo, Vizer said the tweaks are necessary to modernize the sport.Countries with a strong wrestling tradition, such as those in Eastern Europe and Brazil, have typically produced judo fighters who win once judo fighters end up on the ground. Thats when competitors struggle to either pin their opponents for 20 seconds or force them to tap out by applying a stranglehold or an armbar, a move where the limb is hyperextended to the point it might break.In light of the Russia doping scandal, Vizer said that no sanctions were handed to Russian judoka and that clean Russian athletes should have a chance just like other clean athletes from any other country in a statement. Russias Presiddent Vladimir Putin is the honorary president of the judo federation.ddddddddddddRETURNING STARFrenchman Teddy Riner is simply the most successful judoka of all time. The 27-year-old heavyweight has won a record eight world championship titles, five European titles and two Olympic medals, including a gold at the London games. At 6-foot-8 inches, Riner strikes an imposing figure on the judo mat but moves surprisingly fast for a heavyweight. Riner tends to dominate by throwing his big right arm over his opponents head to take control of the fight, and very few of his competitors have been able to prevent Riner from securing a dominant grip on their uniforms.BEST RIVALRYAfter becoming the first American to win a judo gold medal, Kayla Harrison will be looking to defend her title in Rio. Her biggest roadblock might be longtime rival Brazilian Mayra Aguiar, who defeated Harrison at a Paris competition earlier this year with a match-ending throw. The two have now fought 16 times -- and split the victories evenly. At a world cup final in Sao Paolo several years ago where Harrison won over Aguiar on penalties, she was booed by the local crowd. Harrison described Brazilian judo fans as wild after the experience. Good thing I dont speak Portuguese, because if I did, I might cry.OLYMPIAN EFFORTTwo judoka athletes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be fighting as part of the IOC refugee team in Rio. Yolande Bukasa Mabika will be competing in the womens 70-kilogram division and Popole Misenga will be fighting in the mens 90-kilogram division. The two are currently training in Brazil. Misenga sought asylum in Brazil when he arrived to compete in the world championships being held there and credits the technical training he has received with making him a better fighter.You cant let people think that just because they are refugees, they have to stop what theyre doing, he said. Even though they are refugees, they need to continue practicing their sport.---Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report. ' ' '