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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nine Australians have been fined about $A4100 each for tampering with their Olympic accreditation but have avoided a conviction and potential jail sentence.But the Australian Olympic Committee says its not the fault of the athletes, saying they are disappointed the group was detained by Brazilian authorities for about 10 hours.However, Australias chef de mission Kitty Chiller says the athletes knew their accreditations had been tampered with ahead of trying to enter an Olympic venue to watch the Boomers basketball semifinal on Friday night.Very disappointed that our athletes had to go through what they did go through last night, Chiller told reporters on Saturday.I think its very important to note that the athletes were definitely not at fault.And we have, and continue to, provide as much support and counselling to them and their parents and that has already commenced.I cant be any more specific at this point in time until we have completed our own investigation.The nine Australians, charged with falsifying a document, have also been placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.They are cyclists Ashlee Ankudinoff and Melissa Hoskins, rugby sevens player Ed Jenkins, archers Alec Potts and Ryan Tyack, rowers Olympia Aldersey, Fiona Albert and Lucy Stephens, and hockey player Simon Orchard.Cyclist Matthew Glaetzer was not charged but was detained as a witness.International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was told of the incident on Saturday morning.We respect fully here the laws in Brazil and the legal authorities, Bach told reporters.With regard to the Australian swimmers (sic) ... it happened obviously last night, I got only information this morning, I cannot yet comment.Australias Chiller, asked how it could not be the fault of the athletes, replied: I will repeat: We will complete our own internal investigation about how the circumstances arose that the athletes arrived in the venue with accreditations with a different access code to their own.Chiller again repeated the same answer when asked if there were other people involved in the tampering.Stickers were placed over the original accreditations of the athletes.Its unfortunately a practice that has been traditional not only in Australia but other countries as well for many Olympic Games, putting a sticker on your accreditation with another venue access code on it, Chiller said.The athletes must pay the fines - 10,000 reais ($A4100) each - before they are allowed to leave Rio, with their passports surrendered to a Rio court.But the AOC said it would pay the fines and hoped the athletes would be able to leave Rio with the rest of the Australian team on Monday night.The athletes were charged after attempting to gain entry to Olympic venue Carioca 1 for the Australian mens basketball semifinal against Serbia on Friday night. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Chris Froome was the young British upstart at the London Olympics four years ago when compatriot Bradley Wiggins was fresh off his Tour de France triumph and targeting time trial gold.Now, it is Froome is trying to pull off the rare double.The reigning Olympic bronze medalist is coming off his third victory on the Champs-Elysees in four years, accomplished in part by his ability to race against the clock, and is one of the heavy hitters in the time trial on Wednesday at the Rio Games.I was really chuffed to get bronze four years ago. It was really important to me, Froome said, and to be able to medal here after the summer Ive had, it would just be incredible.The path to Olympic gold is significantly easier than it was for Froome in London.Wiggins has largely retired from road cycling and will instead chase gold with the mens pursuit squad on the track. Australian rival Richie Porte broke his scapula in Saturdays road race and will not start, and several contenders such as Nelson Oliveira of Portugal also crashed during the race.Perhaps the biggest roadblock to Froomes double is Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands, who broke his wrist in the final week of the Tour de France. He jumped off the bike early during the road race so that he wouldnt aggravate the injury and has pronounced himself ready to compete.Other threats include Froomes trade teammate Vasil Kiryienka, the reigning world champion, and Taylor Phinney, the American rider who has spent the past six weeks preparing for the time trial.Like Dumoulin, Phinney also pulled out of the road race early.Ive been training really specifically for this course and the kind of effort Im going to need for Wednesday, he said. Theres guys coming off the Tour de France and people are motivated -- its the Olympics -- but I do feel confident and proud of the work and sacrifice that Ive put in.Before the menn tackle the course, which uses the same Grumari circuit featured in the road race, the women will take on a slightly shorter version of the same route.ddddddddddddAnna van der Breggen of the Netherlands will try to follow her road race title with another medal Wednesday, though teammate Ellen van Dijk may have the better chance at gold.Both will have to better two-time and reigning Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong.The American rider retired for the second time after her victory at the London Olympics, but she decided early this year to chase more gold. Her selection to the team was not without some controversy, though, after she eschewed racing internationally to spend more time with her family.Armstrong was picked despite facing the weaker competition, and two other American riders tried to replace her on the team through arbitration. Armstrongs spot was ultimately confirmed.The only (American) female athlete in an individual sport who has medaled three times in the same event is Bonnie Blair, Armstrong said of the speed skater. So yeah, if I were to pull off a third gold then that would be history. I mean, come on, Bonnie Blair.One of the big questions heading into the time trial is how much the brutal road races took out of the field. A few riders pulled out early but many others completed the course, the men logging 150 miles of hard riding and the women dealing with some wet, slick conditions.Froome was among those who said there should be ample time to recover.I actually think it is better to race hard on the Sunday and have some tension in my legs for the time trial, said world champion Linda Villumsen of New Zealand, who escaped injury in a fall of her own in the road race. Some prefer the other way round but I like this. ' ' '