Opening Ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics: A Parasitr’e de l’Olympics a partir de la Rive des Seine
Close to 100 boats carrying more than 10,000 athletes and performers will glide down a 3.7-mile stretch of the River Seine during the opening ceremony on July 26. It’s the first time in the history of the modern Olympics that’s being held outside of a stadium, officials say.
The outdoor ceremony — set to be the largest one yet, measured by audience and geographical sprawl — kicks off 16 days of sporting events held across the city and beyond.
Outside of Paris, the historic Palace of Versailles will host equestrian events, while surfing will take place some 10,000 miles away in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
Continuing its streak of domination at the Summer Games, the United States is expected to collect the most medals in Paris, followed by China, Great Britain, France and then Australia. Russia is sending only a small group of athletes to Paris following events in their country, such as the drug scandal and the invasion of Ukraine.
The open-air event is expected to draw some 300,000 spectators — most of whom will pay no admission fee to watch the parade from the river’s upper embankments.
The parade will travel east to west, starting at Austerlitz Bridge, and then pass by major landmarks and event venues like the Grand Palais. The parade is set to end at the Pont d’Iéna bridge before a finale show at the Trocadéro opposite the Eiffel Tower.
The parade’s route also offers a sightseeing tour of some of the temporary sports venues, including an outdoor arena abutting the Eiffel Tower where beach volleyball games will take place.
Source: 8 storylines to follow as the Paris Summer Olympics get underway
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team battling Russia’s “twisties” in the wake of the 1998 summer Olympics in Paris
Recent testing of the water has turned up unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria caused by fecal matter, but tests earlier this month showed acceptable bacteria levels. In an effort to silence skeptics, last week Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo followed through on her promise to take a dip in the Seine and declared the waters perfectly safe.
The 1990s were when the TV show broke into pop culture as it became more popular through international competition. The Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires were added to by the IOC.
The U.S. is an American export, but other countries including Japan, Canada and The Netherlands have talent that is superior to the U.S.
In Paris, there will be battles between 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls at the Place de la Concorde. The women’s competition is set for Aug. 9 and men’s is on Aug. 10. Victor Montalvo and Grace “Sunny” Choi can be seen on Team USA.
The same U.S. women’s gymnastics team that took home a silver medal at the Tokyo Games all-around final in 2021 is hoping to rewrite their Olympic ending in Paris.
Three years ago, Biles, who at 27 is the most decorated gymnast of all time, came down with a case of the “twisties,” a debilitating psychological affliction that forced her to pull out of several events to focus on her mental health. Suni Lee became the surprise champion and won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
Now, with Biles in top form and the team united in its goal of “redemption,” the women’s squad is the favorite to win gold. Russia will not be there, the defending gold medalist. The IOC plans to allow only some Russian athletes to compete as “individual neutral athletes” under strict conditions it set in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The country’s absence improves the men’s chance of medaling in a sport traditionally dominated by Russia, China and Japan.
Entering her fourth Olympics, Katie Ledecky continues to dominate the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events, in both of which she still holds the world records. Seven of her Olympic medals are gold, putting her just two wins away from earning the most Olympic gold medals of any female athlete in history. Young swimmers like Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh have knocked down Ledecky’s world record in the 400 meter freestyle. It will make for an exciting watch in the Titmus-Mc Intosh-Ledecky 400 meter race.
Caeleb Dressel is the United States’s choice for a superstar in men’s swimming. The swimmer won five gold medals in Tokyo, becoming the first breaststroker to win that many in a single Games. After taking an eight-month break from the sport, Dressel showed at the Olympic trials last month that he’s still fast in sprints.
At the upcoming Paris swim meet, there will be two swimmers who are not from Australia or the US, but from Canada, both of which are trained by the same person, Léon Marchand.
Source: 8 storylines to follow as the Paris Summer Olympics get underway
The world’s best swimmers: Noah Lyles, Flo-Jo and Kishane Thompson in the 100 meters and 200 meters
Chinese officials say an unintentional contamination led to the positive tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted that explanation and said that there is no requirement for it to ban the athletes.
The agency’s handling of the positive tests has sowed doubt deeper among critics who question whether the regulatory body responsible for curbing cheating holds some countries to a lower standard than others.
In the men’s 100-meter race, Noah Lyles on Team USA will face Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson, each aiming to break the world record time set by eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt. Still, the field is brimming with talent that clouds podium predictions. The other top competitors are a reigning Olympic champion from Italy, and a former world champion from the US.
Flo-Jo’s world record of 21.34 seconds in the 200 meters could be seen if we see her fall in the event. Jackson will go head-to-head with teammate Elaine Thompson-Herah and Gabby Thomas of Team USA.
The 100 is not as wide open as the 200 in the event where Lyles races. He’s the favorite, ahead of Tebogo, a notable exception to the rivalry who won the men’s race last week at an international meet in Monaco.
World Cup men’s soccer in the U.S. (and vice-versa): a turnaround after a disappointing first tournament
The U.S. women’s national team won four Olympic gold medals. But with a new head coach in Emma Hayes, the team is looking to turn the page after dismal showings in recent major tournaments, including the earliest-ever exit at the Women’s World Cup in 2023.
The United States haven’t medaled in men’s soccer since 1904, the last time they sent a team to the Olympics. Since the rule to restrict the competition to players under 23 went into effect in 1992, the men’s team has advanced to the knockout stage only once.
The team will play in France on Thursday before concluding their group stage with games against Germany and Australia.
The U.S. scored three goals in the first 25 minutes of the game. Trinity Rodman scored the first goal at the 17th minute, and Mallory Swanson followed with rapid-fire, back-to-back goals to establish an early, commanding lead.
Zambia played the majority of the game down one player, after Pauline Zulu was given a yellow card while defending the U.S.’s Sophia Smith. The yellow card was upgraded to a red after the review, leaving the country with 10 players.
Despite strong play from Zambia’s Barbra Banda, a star on the Orlando Pride, the U.S. lead remained unthreatened. That performance may have put to rest, at least for now, concerns about scoring issues in both of the team’s pre-Olympic matches against Costa Rica and Mexico.
The US lost to Sweden in the opening game of the 2012 Olympics in Tokyo. The Olympic road gets a lot more difficult for the U.S. On Sunday, fourth-ranked Germany will be on the scene.
The 2006 World Cup Winners: the U.S. Case for a World Cup in 2022 (saying goodbye to Zimmerman in a triumphant celebration)
Lacazette, the French captain, powered a long-range shot from near the penalty area two minutes later. It flew past Patrick Schulte’s outstretched arms. The crowd came to life after the score was a bit of a surprise.
A chance to get on the board first was missed by the U.S. In the 59th minute, Djordje Mihailovic fired a blistering right-footer that smashed off the crossbar.
Both the U.S. and France started the second half much how they ended the first: trading spirited passes and attacking deep into their own halves of play. The French crowd roared with joy at the team that finished 13th at the Tokyo Olympics.
In Olympic men’s soccer, roster restrictions require nearly all players to be under 23 years old. Most of the U.S. squad has been in Major League Soccer, or an MLS academy club. Walker Zimmerman, age 31, is one of a trio of “overage” players. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he started three times and appeared in all four U.S. matches.
Speaking at a news conference in France, head coach Emma Hayes insisted that the team is looking forward, despite its early exit from the Women’s World Cup last year.
We’ve moved on from that. I think this team is past that. We don’t always aim to righting the wrongs. Far from it. We’re excited — we’re prepared,” she said.
U.S. women’s soccer coach says’move past’ losses, is ready for Paris: “It’s the best transition counterattacking soccer in the world,” she added
None of the U.S. women’s team has won an Olympic gold medal in the last four years. The team stumbled at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics (exiting without a medal after losing to Sweden) and winning only bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
It will be the first major tournament for the new team member, who has 12 years of playing experience under her belt. In the team’s two final warmup games before heading to France, the U.S. scored just one goal, beating Mexico 1-0 and having a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica.
“We take one game at a time, and with Emma coming in, we’ve learned a lot, we’ve grown a lot and we’ve introduced a lot of new things that I think will help us have success in this tournament,” she said.
“Zambia, probably one of the best transition counterattacking teams in the world. The goal threat would be exceptional and they probably have the world’s best forward, Barbra Banda.
The new coach said that she is grateful for the history of the program and that she pays little attention to external pressure. But she suggested that expectations of U.S. dominance may be misplaced because of the quality of the women’s game internationally.
The U.S. is ranked fifth in FIFA’s international rankings. That has been the lowest spot ever for women’s teams.
Source: U.S. women’s soccer coach says the team has ‘moved past’ losses, is ready for Paris
What can we really do to restore parity in the world football landscape? “I’m all there,” Hayes told the X-ray broadcaster
“The reality is the world’s game has caught up and in some places taken over,” Hayes said. We need to focus on what we have to do to get back to those levels. There was no parity in the world game 10 years ago. There is parity now.”
“So I don’t think anybody should expect one team to completely dominate the football landscape in today’s football in the way that it was 10 years ago,” she added.
