Summer Olympic Games 2024

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Horses show off in Versailles, keeping alive royal tradition at soon-to-be Olympic equestrian venue

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — The historic Versailles Palace Gardens will soon host the Paris Olympics equestrian sports.

https://apnews.com/article/paris-olympics-versailles-horses-equestrian-academy-fb4549eedeac3926366de0e8503ad18b?

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Ralph Lauren goes with basic blue jeans for Team USA’s opening Olympic ceremony uniforms

NEW YORK (AP) — When Team USA walks with the world’s athletes at the Paris Olympics’opening ceremony, they’ll be doing so in snappy tailored navy blazers from Ralph Lauren — and blue jeans.

https://apnews.com/article/paris-olympics-team-usa-uniforms-ralph-lauren-dc34f3424e0a562eed3c0c3d144c9d09?

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🏅 Seine too polluted for Olympics

The Seine. Photo: Laure Boyer/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

With only about a month left until the opening ceremonies, the River Seine is still too polluted to host Olympic swimming events, Axios' Ivana Saric writes. 🏊‍♀️ Organizers want the Seine to have a starring role in the Paris Games. It'll be the stage for the opening ceremony, and the plan has been to hold some swimming competitions in the river. 🤢 But bacterial tests show the water is too dirty for that to be safe. Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923 due to high pollution levels, but Paris has embarked on a $1.5 billion cleanup effort in preparation for the Games. Recent rains have hurt efforts to clean up the river, but organizers expect better weather will help their Seine-swimming dreams come true.

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👖 1 fun thing: Team USA's looks

Team USA's opening ceremony look, pictured at Ralph Lauren's New York headquarters. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP When Team USA walks with the world's athletes at the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony, they'll be doing so in snappy tailored navy blazers from Ralph Lauren — and blue jeans. Ralph Lauren, which this week unveiled its ninth iteration of Olympic parade looks for the Americans, is billing the pairing as "unexpected" yet classic, AP reports. "Nothing says America like blue jeans, especially when we're in Paris," David Lauren, the company's chief branding and innovation officer and its founder's son, told AP. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP The closing ceremony outfits, modeled above by Olympic sailor Daniela Moroz, feature sharp white, moto-style denim jeans with matching jackets designed in patriotic red, white and blue.

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US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris, undercutting environmental plan

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic team is one of a handful that will supply air conditioners for their athletes at the Paris Games in a move that undercuts organizers’ plans to cut carbon emissions.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-air-conditioning-paris-0f753df91956f3fe61ad4febaff0ebb9?

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The Olympics are more than fun and games The Olympics are the world’s largest celebration of sports, with about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions attending. But they’re also a proxy for geopolitical influence. Read more.

Things to know: It’s a business, not a charity: The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization that generates 91% of its income from selling broadcast rights and sponsorships, with the income for the latest four-year cycle of Winter and Summer Games bringing in around $7.6 billion. The IOC says it puts 90% of its income back into sports, though athletes get only a small slice.   Sports and politics mix: The IOC says the Olympics transcend politics. But in reality, they are highly political, as seen through standings in the medal tables, the presence of world leaders at the opening ceremony, and the national anthems serenading gold-medal winners. The IOC even has observer status at the United Nations.   Scandals and corruption: The Olympics have frequently been embroiled in scandals or corruption, likely due to the large amount of public money involved and rushed deadlines. The most recent Tokyo Games involved a bribery scandal over contracts, sponsorships and the bid itself.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Olympic champion swimmers tell Congress U.S. athletes have lost faith in anti-doping regulator   What to know and who to watch during the Olympics debut of breakdancing   Paris is aiming for the most sustainable Olympics yet

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🤖 1 for the road: AI to conjure Al Michaels

Photo: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Hall of Fame Olympics host Al Michaels, 79, will return as an AI voice for the Summer Games in Paris: Generative AI and AI voice synthesis technology will offer online fans a personalized compilation of feature clips, "Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock." The bot "was trained using his past appearances on NBC and matches his signature expertise and elocution," NBCUniversal announced yesterday. "When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious," Michaels said. "Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, 'I'm in.'" Michaels told Vanity Fair the result was "astonishing .... amazing." "And it was a little bit frightening," he added. "It was not only close, it was almost 2% off perfect." 🏒 Michaels made the iconic call in 1980 when the U.S. men's hockey team upset the USSR in Lake Placid, N.Y.: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" Go deeper.

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Tests show Paris’ Seine River still has unsafe E. coli levels with Olympics less than a month away

PARIS (AP) — Unsafe levels of E. coli have been found in the Seine River for the third consecutive week, according to test results published Friday, less than a month before the Paris Olympics.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-paris-seine-bacteria-ecoli-e69ad9a9f84ca988b1b5ba1a9f701e29?

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Simone Biles will return to the Olympics. Here’s who else made the USA Women’s Gymnastics team

Three years after she memorably pulled out of multiple finals to protect her mental health and safety — a decision that came with a backlash that still litters her social media feed — Biles headlines a U.S. women’s gymnastics team filled with familiar faces eyeing a shot at redemption in Paris.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-usa-gymnastics-women-simone-biles-08ffe983d92224c583980735e196d963?

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🥇Gender parity achieved

By Analis Bailey

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

For the first time in Olympic Games history, an equal number of men and women will compete. Why it matters: Following an economic boom in women's sports and more visibility for women athletes, the Paris Games will be another milestone for women. What they're saying: "For so long, the spotlight often felt uneven, and frankly, it wasn't uncommon to hear whispers about the legitimacy of women's athletics," Team USA track-and-field athlete Chari Hawkins told Axios. "Having an equal number of competitors on the field this year completely changes that narrative, and I am honored to be a part of it," she said. International Olympics Committee president Thomas Bach said this achievement will be "one of the most important moments in the history of women at the Olympic Games, and in sport overall." Flashback: When women competed for the first time in 1900, they made up 2.2% of all athletes. In March 2017, the IOC, Summer and Winter International Sports Federations, and National Olympic Committees launched the Gender Equality Review Project. At the Tokyo Games, gender parity was close with 48% women athletes participating. By the numbers: Twenty-eight out of the 32 sports on the Paris 2024 program are fully gender-balanced. There are 152 medal events for women, 157 events for men and 20 mixed-gender events. Yes, but: When the Olympics tweeted about the achievement, it was met with some opposition. Responses questioned sex parity vs. gender parity, challenging the inclusion of trans athletes. Trans athletes saw the 2020 Tokyo Games as their watershed moment when at least four openly trans and nonbinary athletes competed for the first time, Axios' Ina Fried reports. What we're watching: The Paralympics hasn't reached gender parity   👀 Olympians to watch By Maxwell Millington     Clockwise from top left: Victor Montalvo, Fred Richard, Kate Douglass, Sophia Smith. Photos: Zheng Huansong/Xinhua, Elsa, Soobum Im, and Soobum Im via Getty Images   Here are some Olympians to watch throughout the Paris games. The big picture: While Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Sha'Carri Richardson and Katie Ledecky are among the most popular American athletes we're watching, there are a few lesser-known names to keep on your radar. These rising stars are contenders to win gold for Team USA. Archery: Casey Kaufhold, Lancaster, Pennsylvania Last year, Kaufhold became the first American to rank No. 1 in the world in women's recurve at 19 years old. Breaking: Victor Montalvo, Kissimmee, Florida Montalvo was introduced to breaking at 6 years old by his father and uncle, who were enthusiasts of the sport in Mexico. Gymnastics: Fred Richard, Stoughton, Massachusetts Stunning stat: In 2023, the University of Michigan gymnast became the first American man to win a world medal in all-around since 2010. Rugby: Ilona Maher, Burlington, Vermont Maher, who is headed to her second Olympics, has grown a sizable social media following for promoting body positivity. Skateboarding: Gavin Bottger, Vista, California The 17-year-old's impressive resume includes three X Games medals, a world skate championship and the No. 3 ranking in park skating. The first-time Olympian told Axios that Brazil and Australia are the United States' biggest competitors. "They're just gnarly," he said. Soccer: Sophia Smith, Windsor, Colorado By the numbers: The National Women's Soccer League's leading scorer has contributed to 25% of Team USA's goals this year. Swimming: Jack Alexy, Morristown, New Jersey Driving the news: The Cal-Berkeley senior beat seven-time gold medalist Caeleb Dressel in the 100-meter freestyle to secure a spot in his first Olympics. More athletes to watch   💬 Olympic buzzwords By Carly Mallenbaum     Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images   We'll save you from Googling buzzy terms at this year's Olympics. Here are some sports and terms to know. Artistic swimming Context: Formerly a women-only event called synchronized swimming, artistic swimming now allows up to two men per country to compete in the team aquatic event that combines dance and gymnastic moves. (The duet competition is still women-only.) Between the lines: Despite the rule change, the U.S. still has an all-women team this year, and one of the sport's pioneers is noticeably absent from it: Bill May. Breaking Context: New for this Olympics, breaking will have competitors called B-Boys and B-Girls showcase fast footwork and acrobatic moves — like windmills and freezes — in solo battles to music. Between the lines: Don't call it "breakdancing." DD or difficulty score Context: DD stands for "degree of difficulty," a factor in an athlete's score for such sports as diving and gymnastics. The higher the Difficulty Score, the more points are on the table. Between the lines: Gymnast Simone Biles is known for doing the most difficult routines, which give her a baked-in scoring advantage. Goofy stance Context: In surfing and skateboarding, goofy footing describes leading with your right foot. Between the lines: Leading with the left foot is slightly more common in board sports — and is known as a regular stance. "What is goofy stance in skateboarding/surfing" were common search questions during the Tokyo Games. More terms to know   🗓️ Key dates to know By Analis Bailey     Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios   The 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is July 26 and can be watched on NBC and Peacock. Telemundo will also provide live coverage of the opening ceremony. By the numbers: Over 16 days, there will be 329 medal events across 32 sports. Here are some major competition dates: View full schedule here. Soccer: July 24 – Aug. 10 Artistic Gymnastics: July 27 – Aug. 5 Basketball: July 27 – Aug. 11 Beach Volleyball: July 27 – Aug. 10 Swimming: July 27 – Aug. 4 Track and Field: Aug. 1 – Aug. 11 Breaking: Aug. 9 & 10 What's next: The Paralympic Games opening ceremony will take place Aug. 28. View full Paralympic Games schedule here.

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Paris mayor swims in Seine ahead of Olympic Games opening

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took her long-promised swim in the River Seine Wednesday in an effort to demonstrate the river's cleanliness ahead of the opening of the Paris Games next week.

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/17/olympic-games-paris-seine-river-swim-clean?

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🏅 Olympics open 1 week from today

Photo: David Goldman/AP Passengers in the back of a taxi film themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower decorated for the Olympics, which begin next Friday in Paris. Go deeper: 12 Team USA athletes to know.

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Even with restrictive rules, swimsuit wars heat up in an Olympic year

The iconic LZR Racer, the swimsuit that Michael Phelps wore while winning eight golds medals at the Beijing Olympics, is still revered around Speedo’s design center.

https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-swimsuits-0c61daa0c18548a589d5a9032b938b27?

Olympics security

 

Final preparations are underway for the 2024 Paris Olympics set to kick off in one week. French officials are ramping up security measures in the capital as the Olympic Village begins to welcome the first athletes into their housing facilities. On Thursday, however, a police officer was attacked and injured in central Paris, sparking alarm ahead of millions of tourist arrivals. The attack occurred in the eighth arrondissement known for iconic sites including the Champs Elysées. This is the second violent incident against French security agents this week after a soldier was stabbed on Monday in a Paris train station. French officials said they will continue to strengthen security ahead of the Games, which are expected to draw around 15 million visitors, according to the European Union.

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🥇 Charted: Powerhouse colleges

Data: U.S. Olympic Committee. Chart: Rahul Mukherjee and Tory Lysik/Axios A majority of the gymnasts and swimmers who have represented America in the Olympics and attended college have hailed from the same handful of schools, Axios' Tory Lysik and Rahul Mukherjee report. Why it matters: The U.S. women's gymnastics is prolific, winning the all-around gold medal seven times, and the swim team is dominant, with three times as many medals as any other country's team. Powerhouse colleges feed the talent pipeline that keeps both teams strong. UCLA leads gymnastics and has sent 17 men and women to the Olympics. California schools also reign supreme in swimming, with Stanford, Berkeley and USC in three of the top four spots. Data: U.S. Olympic Committee; Chart: Rahul Mukherjee and Tory Lysik/Axios More on Olympic gymnastics and swimming.

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🇫🇷 Parting shot! David Ramos/Getty Images The Olympic Rings adorn the Eiffel Tower in this photo captured from the Arc de Triomphe last night. NBC coverage of the opening ceremony begins Friday at noon ET.

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👢 1 fun thing: Fashion Olympics

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

When the Olympics take place in the "fashion capital of the world," expect the uniforms to be fit for a runway, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes. Why it matters: The world will be watching the summer games in Paris for sports — and fashion — starting with the opening ceremony on Friday. Team USA's opening ceremony uniform. Photo: Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren is providing Team USA's outfit for the fifth-straight Summer Games. Athletes will wear navy wool blazers for the opening ceremony and moto-style white denim jackets for the closing, all made in American factories. Canadian Olympic athletes (from left) Cindy Ouellet, Damian Warner and Leylah Fernandez. Photo: Lululemon via AP The Canadian team will wear Lululemon uniforms and Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean is dressing Haiti's athletes, AP reports. Italian athletes will wear Emporio Armani uniforms. South Korean athletes will wear North Face-branded uniforms.

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Olympics

 

With just days until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, France is finalizing its massive security operation as flocks of visitors head to the city. While there are a handful of sporting venues in different parts of France — and even further afield — Paris is hosting a fairly compact Games, with the majority of the facilities located within a 3.1-mile radius of the Olympic Village. Fans will be able to walk or cycle between the sites or get around via Paris' metro system. In a unique event, the Opening Ceremony on Friday will be held along the Seine River, marking the first time that the ceremony has not taken place inside a stadium. Notably, some athletes are also traveling from war-torn countries to fight for titles. Take a look at other times in modern Summer Olympics history where war and political unrest played out as the world's greatest athletes took center stage, and how it impacted the Games.

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🕵️ Spies booted from Paris Olympics

The moon rises last night behind the Olympic rings displayed on the Eiffel Tower. Photo: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images ⛔️ 1,000 suspected spies have been blocked from attending the Paris Olympics, AP reports. French officials said they've conducted 1 million background checks ahead of the Games and have turned away about 5,000 people — the 1,000 potential spies and another 4,000 who were flagged for political extremism or other security concerns. 🇫🇷 "We're here to make sure ... that sport isn't used for spying, for cyberattacks or to criticize and sometimes even lie about France and the French," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.   1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French official says PARIS (AP) — Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France’s interior minister said about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling for a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Olympics — one of the security challenges that Paris is cracking down on in its goal to keep Games safe for athletes and fans. https://apnews.com/article/france-paris-olympics-olympic-games-security-e8f9b8812dc06dae22ffdfad9d15858e?

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Horses take to the air with passports and carryons ahead of equestrian eventing at Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Welcome aboard, hope you are standing comfortably. For the horses on the U.S. eventing team, the journey to France for the Paris Olympics was — quite literally — a four-legged journey.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-equestrian-horses-travel-flight-b562b67a362e77e7ebf3f9255ae33557?

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🇫🇷 Paris postcard: Empty cafés

Just days before the Summer Olympics open on Friday, the City of Love resembles a ghost town, Axios' Ina Fried writes in a postcard from Paris.

• Why it matters: A large swath of the city along the Seine — where the Opening Ceremony will be staged— is closed to all but those with permission or Olympics credentials.

The only people I encountered were a few workers putting finishing touches on stands for Friday's festivities, and an array of police on foot and in boats.

Photo: Ina Fried/Axios

Even outside the security zone, the city is eerily quiet, with an unexpected drizzle adding to the malaise. There was plenty of room at the city's many cafés, which would normally be packed.

Photo: Ina Fried/Axios

An exception: The Musée d'Orsay. I was told that while I could visit for free, I still needed a reservation — part of the city's crowd control.

• I headed instead to the Rodin Museum — also far from crowded.
• Vehicle traffic, though, was still heavy: Cars and taxis had to navigate restrictions even more stringent than those on pedestrians.

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Snoop Dogg aims to inspire global audience at Paris Olympics as torch bearer before opening ceremony

PARIS (AP) — When Snoop Dogg agreed to become an Olympic torch bearer, the hip-hop star recalled an emotional, iconic moment watching Muhammad Ali light the cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

https://apnews.com/article/snoop-dogg-olympics-torch-bearer-opening-ceremony-c03807effd42a14b8747ddbb80b677cb?

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📸 1 for the road

Photo: Ben Thouard/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Above: U.S. Olympic surfer Caitlin Simmers participates in a training session in Tahiti yesterday ahead of the Paris Games. ⛷️ The latest: The International Olympic Committee announced today that Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Olympics.

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Olympic soccer gets off to violent and chaotic start as Morocco fans rush the field vs Argentina

SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — The Olympic men’s soccer tournament got off to a violent and chaotic start Wednesday with Morocco’s shocking 2-1 win against two-time gold medalist Argentina.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-argentina-morocco-ed408ab5f6fa529ba63ad59aee082d75?

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📺 WOMEN'S SOCCER

WATCHLIST: USA VS. ZAMBIA

(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)

The U.S. women's soccer team plays its opener today against Zambia* (3pm ET, USA) at the Stade de Nice, 600 miles south of Paris. ‌ Getting back on track: The Americans have won four Olympic golds in women's soccer, but none since 2012 after failing to medal in Rio and settling for bronze in Tokyo three years ago. ‌ More to watch: ‌ 🏉 Men's rugby: USA vs. Uruguay (9am, USA) … One of six matches today to conclude the group stage. ⚽️ Women's soccer: Group stage (11am-3pm, USA/Peacock) 🤾 Women's handball: Group stage (8am-3pm, USA/Peacock) *A new opponent: This is the U.S. women's first-ever meeting with Zambia, which is just the third African nation they've ever played against (Nigeria, South Africa). ‌ Full schedule.

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I tried Speedo’s Olympic swimsuit. It’s fast in the pool, but takes forever to put on

PARIS (AP) — It’s usually not a good sign when a swimsuit needs instructions for how to put it on. More concerning? When you learn that even Olympians need about 10 minutes to get into Speedo’s new Fastskin LZR Intent and LZR Valor suits.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-speedo-fastskin-03e12715560774be45706712eed98422?