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The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris begin with opening ceremonies on July 26, 2024, and will run through August 11, 2024, with closing ceremonies.
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2024 Paris Olympics: Team USA medal recap for July 28
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Day 2 of the 2024 Paris Olympics has come and gone, and the United States finds themselves with the most total medals.
The U.S. is the favorite to take home the most medals in this year’s Games, and multiple athletes added to the count that now stands at 12 in Paris.
The next closest? The host country, France, with eight. Japan (seven), Australia (six) and South Korea (six) round out the top five.
However, Australia and Japan both have more golds, as they tallied four to the United States’ three thus far.Let’s take a look at which athletes medaled on Sunday:
FENCING HISTORY
The first All-United States women's foil fencing final came on Sunday, as Lee Kiefer defeated her compatriots Lauren Scruggs, 15-6, to win gold.But this battle in fencing was one the United States could sit back and take in, as both women were guaranteed precious hardware. Kiefer also won gold in Tokyo.
WOMEN’S 100M BUTTERFLY
Torri Huske came flying down the final 50 meters in the 100-meter butterfly final to capture gold, upsetting her teammate Gretchen Walsh, who was favored to win the event.Walsh, though, was right behind her to win gold.
VETERAN HARDWARE
Nic Fink, the oldest athlete on Team USA’s swim squad, tied Great Britain’s Adam Peaty for silver in the 100-meter breaststroke with a 59.05 time. It was a nail-biter, as the top three times in the race were just 0.02 seconds apart.
FIRST OF MANY?
Carson Foster was chasing France phenom Leon Marchand like the rest of the group in the 400-meter individual medley final. But he managed to come from behind during the final 50 meters, which was swam freestyle, to secure bronze.Japan’s Matsushita Tomoyuki touched the wall just four one-hundredths of a second before Foster, but the American still captured his first career Olympic medal.
Posted by Scott Thompson
When was the last time that the Olympics was held in Paris?
Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages
The last time the Olympics were held in Paris was exactly a century ago in 1924.
In those games, there 126 trials for 17 sports. Just 135 of the 3,089 athletes that competed were women.
The Olympic Games were starting to gain more relevance globally, as 44 countries sent representatives to Paris. All continents were represented in the 1924 Olympic games.
The 1924 Games were historic because it was the first Games where the Olympic Village was built. Later that year, in the winter of 1924, France was host to the first ever Winter Olympics. The competitions held in Chamonix are considered the inaugural Winter Olympic Games.
The history of Paris and the Olympics dates back further than 1924.
Greece was the host of the first Olympics, but Paris hosted the second ever Olympic Games in 1900.
In fact, they were not even called the Olympics yet. “The Games of the II Olympiad” took place over the course of five months from May to October 1900.
The Paris 2024 games will make history as well: they will be the first carbon-neutral games, and the first gender-equal games.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
Posted by Scott Thompson
What is Sport Climbing?
Zhe Ji/Getty Images
Sport Climing made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and like breaking took its first steps to becoming an Olympic sport at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games.
The sport was not only approved for Paris this year, but it has already been approved for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
There are two Olympic events in sports climbing: speed, boulder and lead.
The speed event is a one-on-one competition that shows the athletes trying to climb the 15-meter wall faster than their opponent. For the bouldering part of the event, athletes try and climb a 4.5-meter wall without any ropes. The lead part sees climbers try and scale a 15-meter wall in under six minutes with having seen the wall beforehand.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Steve Kerr: 'I felt like an idiot' not playing Jayson Tatum in Team USA's Olympic opener
Jesse D. GarrabrantNBAE via Getty Images
Team USA men’s basketball had their best game this summer in its Paris Olympics opener against Serbia, as they won, 110-84, to start their tournament on the right foot.
But, while there were lots of things to be happy about if you’re rooting for Team USA, Jayson Tatum not touching the floor during the 40-minute contest turns a lot of heads.
Head coach Steve Kerr was asked about Tatum’s absence from the rotation in the opener after the win, and he was very blunt about his own mistake in not having him play.
"I felt like an idiot not playing him," Kerr said, via ESPN.
Kerr sent out 10 total players on Sunday afternoon, including Tatum’s Boston Celtics teammates, starting shooting guard Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, who was a late addition to Team USA earlier this year.
"40-minute game, you can’t play more than 10 [players]," Kerr said. "So, I think [Tatum’s] an amazing guy, great player and handled it beautifully. He’ll be back out there next game."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Paris officials confident Seine River can be used for triathlon despite canceled practice day
Huang Liang/Beijing Youth Daily/VCG via Getty Images
The 2024 Paris Olympics saw its practice run for the triathlon canceled on Sunday due to water quality in the famed Seine River, where part of the competition is set to take place.
Water quality in the Seine has been a problem for the swimming portion of the triathlon, but Paris officials are confident that will improve enough for them to compete. The men’s triathlon is set for Tuesday, while the women’s event is Wednesday.
Poor water quality has been closely linked to the weather in Paris, which included heavy rains seen during opening ceremonies and several events on Saturday, including cycling that had several competitors falling off their bikes in the wet streets.
However, there isn’t expected to be rain in the forecast this week, which is the main reason for the organizers’ optimism that the Seine can be used for one of the Olympics’ signature events.
“We’ve seen what were the dynamics of the Seine over the past few weeks, and that’s what makes us confident,” Paris Deputy Mayor Antoine Guillou said, via the Associated Press, at a news conference on Sunday.
Guillou added that similar rain has led to safe water quality in the Seine after 24 to 48 hours in the past.
But water quality was a concern before the Games arrived in Paris, which is why a giant basin was constructed earlier this year to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from getting into the river. Still, daily water tests in early June showed unsafe water quality levels, which included E. coli.
To show the people of Paris, and around the world, that the water was safe, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river less than two weeks before the Olympics began.
As of this past Tuesday, Eau de Paris, which monitors water quality, said levels in the Seine were acceptable.
If water quality does not improve by the time the triathlon is set to begin on Tuesday, the backup plan for the Olympics is to, first, postpone the event a few days to wait it out. If the conditions still don’t improve, the swimming portion of the triathlon will be canceled, and only running and biking will be performed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Scott Thompson
USWNT dominates Germany, 4-1, to pick up second Olympic group stage win
Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images
The United States women’s soccer team is victorious once again in Paris, as they dominated Germany, 4-1, to win its second Olympic group stage match.
Star forward Sophia Smith scored twice, both of which came in the first half as the U.S. put up three goals to Germany’s lone score in the first 45 minutes to take a commanding lead.
Smith’s first goal came in the 10th minute, as Trinity Rodman’s cross into the box from the right side landed right at her foot and she delivered the perfect strike to put the U.S. up on the scoreboard first.
Then, after Germany hit the equalizer, Mallory Swanson, who had two goals in the team’s opening Olympic match against Zambia, a 3-0 victory, found the back of the net yet again to give her team the lead once more.
Smith would find the back of the net again in the 44th minute, where her shot deflected off a German defender, hit the right goal post, and redirected over the line to put the U.S. in the driver’s seat.
The second half was a bit more defensive for the USWNT, but that changed when Swanson took off with the rest of her teammates on a transition run with a few minutes left to play.Lynn Williams took a perfectly placed assist from Swanson and buried it with her left foot to the right side of the net.
This was the start the USWNT wanted to have in Paris, and they’ll look to keep things going on July 31 when they take on the tough Australia team at 1 p.m. ET.
Posted by Scott Thompson
USA's Kelly Cheng-Sara Hughes beach volleyball duo defeats Czechia in Pool C match
LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes kicked off their 2024 Paris Olympics with a bang on Sunday night with a victory in Pool C over Czechia.
With the Eiffel Tower in the background, Cheng and Hughes defeated Barbora Hermmanova and Marie-Sara Stochlova in straight sets, 21-16, 21-11, to begin the Games on the right foot.
With match point in the second set, the duos were going back and forth, as Czechia was just trying to stay alive with desperation sprawls on the sand to keep the volleyball in the air.
But Cheng punched one of those saves from Czechia to the back right of their opponent’s side and it was the dagger. The crowd roared as Cheng and Hughes celebrated their victory.
Cheng and Hughes are not the only Americans in Paris for beach volleyball, as Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss took down the Canadian duo of Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec on Saturday in Pool B play.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Team USA's Lee Kiefer takes home gold in women's individual foil
Lee Kiefer of Team United States reacts after winning the the Women's Foil Individual Gold Medal Bout between Lauren Scruggs of Team United States and Lee Kiefer of Team United States on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Grand Palais on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
American Lee Kiefer won her second consecutive gold medal with a 15-6 victory over Lauren Scruggs in the individual foil fencing competition at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Kiefer had topped Canada’s Eleanor Harvey to get to the final and now has two gold medals to show for it.Scruggs had topped Italy’s Alice Volpi in her semifinal and was hoping to upset Kiefer in the final for her first gold. But she’ll have to settle for a silver medal.
Two more medals for the United States made it 12 for the Americans overall in Paris. It’s the third gold medal for the team as Kiefer joined the men’s swimming 4x100-meter freestyle team and swimmer Torri Huske with top prizes in France.Harvey picked up the bronze medal over Volpi, 15-12.
She lost to Kiefer in the round of 16 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and lost to Kiefer in the semifinals of this year’s event before eventually making the podium.
This is an excerpt from Fox News' Ryan Gaydos' article.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Team USA's Nic Fink secures silver medal tie in 100-meter breaststroke
Nic Fink of Team United States competes in the Men's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Getty Images)
The men’s 100-meter breaststroke came down to the wire at the Paris Olympics and it was Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi who topped Team USA’s Nick Fink and Great Britain’s Adam Peaty by 0.02 seconds to take home the gold.
Fink and Peaty tied with 59.05 seconds and will both get the silver medal for their respective countries.
Peaty was the defending champion in the 100-meter breaststroke after he won during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was the favorite going into the breaststroke final but just came up short.
Fink was also a favorite to take home the gold. He won the gold in the 2024 World Championships and silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.
For Martinenghi, it was the third Olympics medal of his career. He won bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke and was a part of the Italian team that won bronze in the 4x100-meter medley in the Tokyo Olympics.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Sophia Smith scores twice as USA ahead of Germany, 3-1, in group stage match
Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images
USWNT star Sophia Smith put in work during the first half of their group stage match against Germany on Sunday.
After defeating Zambia, 3-0, to kick off their Paris Olympics journey, the USWNT got off to another hot start after Smith buried a goal in the 10th minute on a Trinity Rodman assist.
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made a crucial save a few minutes earlier, as Germany got behind the defense, to keep the game scoreless.
Germany ended up scoring a goal of its own, though, as Giiulia Gwinn buried a low ball past Naeher. But the USWNT answered just four minutes later, with Mallory Swanson scoring in the 26th minute.
Smith would add another goal to further the U.S. lead in the 44th minute, as her shot deflected off a Germany defender, hit the top of the right post and redirected into the net.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh go 1-2 in 100M butterfly
Torri Huske, of the United States, competes in the women's 100-meter butterfly semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Getty Images)
Torri Huske captured the first Olympic gold medal of her career with a narrow victory over Gretchen Walsh as the Americans went 1-2 in the event. Walsh had to settle for the second silver medal of her Olympic career.
Huske touched the wall at 55.59 seconds and Walsh touched at 55.63 seconds. China’s Zhang Yufei took home the bronze medal.
Huske and Walsh were the favorites going into the event but USA hadn’t won a medal in the event since the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when Dana Vollmer won bronze. Vollmer was also the last American to win gold in the event, having won in 2012 in London.
Huske had the third quickest heat with a 56.72 and finished in second place in the semifinals in 56 seconds flat.Walsh set an Olympics record in the semifinals, clocking in at 55.38. Walsh also owns the world record in the event, which was set in June at U.S. Olympic trials.
This is an excerpt from Ryan Gaydos’ Fox News article.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
USA swimmer Carson Foster wins bronze, but misses silver by 4 one-hundredths of a second
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Team USA swimmer Carson Foster needed just a fingertip to win silver in the 400-meter individual medley final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday.
As Foster came flying down the final 50 meters in the race, swimming freestyle, the entire pack was competing for silver as France star Leon Marchand was well ahead of his competition as she chased his own world record. Marchand won his first gold medal of his career.
Foster and Japan’s Matsushita Tomoyuki were jousting for silver and bronze coming down the stretch, and it was looking to be who had the longer arms in the end.
As both swimmers reached out, it was Tomoyuki who touched the wall first, finishing with a final time of 4:08.62.
Foster came in with a time of 4:08.66 – four one-hundredths of a second was the difference between silver and bronze.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson.
Posted by Scott Thompson
USA women's rugby runs away with opening matches against Japan and Brazil
CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images
The USA women’s rugby team destroyed Brazil in its second match on Sunday, 24-5, to start their 2024 Paris Olympics on the right note.
USA owned a 12-5 first-half lead, and one of their stars Ilona Maher try scored to make it 17-5.
Later, Alex Sedrick ran away with the match by crossing the try-line to make it 22-5 just as the seven minutes past in the second half.
Earlier Sunday, USA Rugby dominated Japan as well for its first win in Paris. They won 36-7 after Japan initially scored the first seven points on a conversion kick.
Team USA will be back on the field Monday.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Coco Gauff dominates Australia's Alja Tomljanovic in first round match
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
American Coco Gauff, the No. 2-ranked women’s tennis player for these Olympic Games, made quick work of his first-round opponent at Roland Garros to begin her journey in Paris.
Gauff defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-3, 6-0, to advance to the second round on Sunday.The match was much closer in the first set when Tomljanovic owned a 4-3 lead.
However, Tomljanovic wouldn’t win a single game after that, as Gauff simply overpowered her and unforced errors threw off the Aussie’s game completely.
Gauff matched her compatriot Jessica Pegula, the No. 5-ranked player in Paris, who defeated Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in straight sets in the first round as well.
Posted by Scott Thompson
All-American fencing individual final at Paris Games
Lee Kiefer of Team United States (L) celebrates during the Women's Foil Individual Semifinal Bout between Lee Kiefer of Team United States and Alice Volpi of Team Italy on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Grand Palais on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France.
Team USA was guaranteed a gold medal in the women’s individual foil competition at the Paris Olympics on Sunday as both competitors won their semifinal matchup.
Lauren Scruggs started with a victory over Canada’s Eleanor Harvey. She defeated Harvey 15-9 to earn a place in the gold medal match. Scruggs’ teammate, Lee Kiefer, defeated Italy’s Alice Volpi in the other semifinal match, 15-10.
Kiefer is the defending gold medalist champion. She defeated Russian athlete Inna Deriglazova in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Scruggs didn’t make the Olympics then.
Kiefer is the veteran out of the two. She has three individual gold medals and three gold medals as part of the U.S. team in the Pan American Games.
Scruggs is a two-time Junior World Fencing champion, having won individual gold medals in 2019 and 2022. She also won an individual and a team gold at the Pan American Championships in 2024.The final takes place on Sunday evening.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Team USA men's basketball starts off Paris Olympics hot
LeBron James, right, of the United States,, right, shoots as Marko Guduric, of Serbia, defends in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP)
The U.S. men’s basketball team started its goal of getting another gold medal on the right foot on Sunday with a dominant victory over Serbia, 110-84.
Kevin Durant had 21 of his 23 points in the first half as he came back to the floor following a calf issue he was dealing with during their tune-up games. He nailed each of his five 3-point attempts.
LeBron James led the way with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting with nine assists and seven rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 15 points and Anthony Edwards added 11.
The Americans will have a game against South Sudan next.
Team USA is the defending gold medalists in the sport. The Americans defeated France during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The Americans have won four gold medal in a row since the “Redeem Team” helped get the U.S. back on the map globally following a bronze medal in 2004.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Dutch men's beach volleyball Olympian, convicted of child rape, booed before match
Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes in the beach volleyball match between the Netherlands and Italy at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP)
A Dutch men’s beach volleyball competitor was booed as he took the sand for warm-ups ahead of his first Paris Olympics match against Italy on Sunday.
Steven van de Velde was convicted of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in 2016. He didn’t speak to reporters after the three-set loss but team spokesman John van Vliet was asked if they were protecting a convicted child rapist.
“We are protecting a convicted child rapist to do his sport as best as possible and for a tournament which he qualified for,” Van Vliet said. “The general matter of sex conviction and sex-related crime is definitely a more important issue than sport. In his case, we’ve got a person who has been convicted, who did his sentence, who did everything afterwards which he can do to be able to compete again.”
Van de Velde served 13 months in prison over the conviction. He previously called the incident the “biggest mistake” of his life.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
South Sudan men's basketball picks up first Olympics win after anthem mix up
Members of the South Sudan team pose after they defeated Puerto Rico in a men's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP)
The South Sudan Olympic men’s basketball team nearly upset Team USA before the Paris Olympics began and on Sunday the squad picked up its first ever victory at the Games.
South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico 90-79 in Group C play. Carlik Jones led South Sudan with 19 points as they put together a second-half rally to top Puerto Rico. Marial Shayok scored 15 points in the win.
“We’re not a secret anymore,” South Sudan head coach Royal Ivey said after the game.
South Sudan’s Nuni Omot scored 12 points in the win. He said the mix up with the national anthem helped fuel the team to a win.Officials played the wrong national anthem before tipoff.“It gave us fuel. It gave us fuel to the fire,” Omot said.
“Obviously, we felt disrespected when that happened. ... I feel like for us we’ve got to continue to show the world what we’re capable of.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Paris 2024 official defends controversial opening ceremony
A laser show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
A Paris 2024 official defended the opening ceremony at the Olympics amid an uproar over the depiction of The Last Supper during the event.
The ceremony’s segment appeared to resemble a depiction of The Last Supper, famously painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The performance ensemble included drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer who was stylized to resemble the Greek god Dionysus.
Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps spoke about it on Sunday.
"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance," Descamps told reporters,via Reuters."We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry."
The ceremony sparked criticism from American and world leaders and figures in the sports world, including Super Bowl champion kicker Harrison Butker.
An LGBT leader in France also defended the ceremony.
"We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to do in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity they are forced to be on trial," Inter-LGBT president James Leperlier said."If you saw the opening ceremony last night you’d think it was like that normally, but it’s not. France tried to show what it should be and not what it is."
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
American mountain biker Haley Batten wins silver in women's cross-country event
Haley Batten of Team United States competes during the Women’s Cross-Country Cycling Mountain Bike Gold Medal race on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 28, 2024 in Elancourt, France. (Getty Images)
American mountain biker Haley Batten won the silver medal in the mountain bike women’s cross country on Sunday at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind France’s Pauline Ferrand Prevot and ahead of Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds.
It was the first medal for Batten in her cycling career and the first for Team USA on Sunday as they looked to maintain pace with South Korea and Australia for the most medals of the Games.
Batten had a time of 1:28:59 and was nearly three seconds behind Ferrand Prevot.
Batten qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the mountain bike women’s cross country. She finished in ninth place as Swiss riders Jolanda Neff, Sina Frei and Linder Indergand took home the first three places on the podium.
She won gold at the Pan American Championships in 2019 in the U23 cross-country competition and took home bronze in the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in France.The United States now has six medals in total.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Serena Williams' husband plays it cool after being identified as an 'umbrella holder'
Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian and their daughter Adira River attend the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at the Trocadero on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
Alexis Ohanian, the husband of Serena Williams and the co-founder of Reddit, was mistakenly introduced for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony red carpet as an “umbrella holder.”
British sports reporter Lauren Woods made the remark as she covered the event on Friday, according to Page Six.
“(Williams) looks absolutely incredible. She’s got someone just behind us holding an umbrella,” Woods said. “Those are the levels you aspire to. To have an actual umbrella holder behind you.”
Ohanian appeared to laugh it off in a post on X.“I'm also Olympia's personal umbrella holder,” he wrote on X.
Williams and Ohanian married in November 2017 and just had their second child nearly one year ago. The tennis great is among those taking in the action at the Paris Olympics.
She won a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics and was the last American tennis player, man or woman, to achieve the feat.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Katie Ledecky celebrates bronze medal in 400-meter freestyle
Katie Ledecky of Team United states celebrates her bronze medal after the women's 400m freestyle final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Getty Images)
American swimming champion Katie Ledecky showed off her bronze medal on Sunday in a post on X, after finishing behind Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.
Ledecky took a selfie with Titmus and McIntosh with their medals.
“In the 400! Always an honor to race the best in the world and earn a medal for @teamusa,” she wrote on X. “Let’s keep going.”
The 400-meter freestyle isn’t Ledecky’s top event – even though she won gold in the 2016 Olympics. She will defending her 2020 Olympic gold medals in the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyles later in these Games.
Ledecky’s third-place finish was among the five medals the Americans finished with on the first medal day of the Paris Olympics.
The United States didn’t win gold until Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy, Hunter Armstrong and Chris Guiliano led the team to a victory in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
LGBTQ group executive says there's 'much progress to do in society' amid Olympics ceremony backlash
The Olympic Rings are illuminated during a light show during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
The president of an LGBTQ group in France defended the performances in the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies as criticism has risen over the mocking of The Last Supper.
The opening ceremony featured drag queens, ménage à trois and the parody of one of the most revered moments in Christianity. However, Inter-LGBT president James Leperlier said the country still had a ways to go on inclusivity.
“We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to do in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity they are forced to be on trial,” Leperlier said.
“If you saw the opening ceremony last night you’d think it was like that normally, but it’s not. France tried to show what it should be and not what it is.”
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening ceremony, also responded to the criticism.
“It feels like the words of somebody who didn’t get on the guest list. We could all be laughing together. It’s sad to me, honestly,” Jolly said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Retired MLB All-Star Roy Oswalt slams Paris Olympics opening ceremony
The Olympic Games of Paris 2024 are realizing the historical opening in Paris, France, on July 26, 2024. (Getty Images)
Former Major League Baseball star Roy Oswalt was among those who spoke out after a performance during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony mocked The Last Supper.
"Going out on a limb here, but I’m guessing this will be the least watched Olympics in decades with that insulting opening!" he wrote on X.
Oswalt played for the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies, among other teams, during his 13-year MLB career. But he was far from the only person who tuned in and was appalled by what they saw on Friday.
The performance, which also included a young child, drew harsh criticism.
Other acts during the opening ceremony also received mixed reviews from viewers on social media. In one scene, a woman and two men were seen embracing – seemingly suggesting a ménage à trois.
United States and world leaders also weighed in on the controversy of the course of the first weekend of the Games.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Simone Biles pushes through injury to finish women's gymnastics qualification round
Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics at Bercy Arena, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Simone Biles earned top scores in the balance beam, floor exercise, vault and uneven bars as she looked like she was back to her old self on Sunday at the Paris Olympics.
All eyes were on Biles as she returned to Olympics competition three years after suffering through the twisties. She scored a 14.733 on the balance beam, 14.600 on the floor exercise 15.33 on the vault and 14.433 in the uneven bars.Biles was nearly flawless during her uneven bars routine and smiled big after sticking the landing.
Even with the apparent injury, she was still the best on Team USA in those disciplines.
She appeared to tweak something in her lower leg and performed in floor, vault and uneven bars exercises with a taped-up ankle. After he finished off the uneven bars and stuck the landing, she was all smiles.
Biles showed her toughness and will be competing for more gold later in the Olympics.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Simone Biles performs floor exercise with ankle taped up; Jade Carey stumbles
Simone Biles of Team United States prepares to compete on the balance beam during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Qualification on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
Simone Biles powered through an apparent left ankle issue to complete her floor exercise in the women’s gymnastics qualification round on Sunday at the Paris Olympics.
Biles was warning up for the competition following a successful run on the balance beam and appeared to tweak something around her ankle and lower calf on her left leg. Biles lost a point performing one of her signature moves, but the difficult was so high already that any missteps on her top moves weren’t doing to cost her too much.
She scored a 14.600. Even with the injury, it was the highest on the team.
Meanwhile, defending floor exercise gold medalist Jade Carey fell trying to compete one of her moves and didn’t score high enough to get to the finals for the event. She scored a 10.633.Carey was expected to get back to the final of the floor exercise after he success in Tokyo last year.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Simone Biles returns to Olympics competition, gets looked at by trainers
Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Simone Biles officially returned to Olympics competition on Sunday – three years after she was forced to miss some events at the Tokyo Games because of the twisties.
Biles scored a 14.733 on the balance beam as the Americans started their rotation. She finished first on her team. Suni Lee scored a 14.033, Jordan Chiles had a 13.600 and Hezly Rivera had a 12.633. It was all Smiles for Biles after she stuck the landing. She’s looked back to her old self.
As Biles warmed up for the floor exercise, Biles appeared to tweak something on the lower part of her leg. Biles was seen talking to trainers and receiving tape around her foot on the sidelines.
"This is definitely our redemption tour," Biles said after she wrapped up U.S. trials and secured a spot on the Olympics team. "I feel like we all have more to give."
Biles is still determined to get back to the podium this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
What's on tap for the Paris Olympics today
Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel of Team USA posing after winning the gold medal on Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Finals on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Getty Images)
China added another medal overnight as Xie Yu won the 10-meter air pistol men’s final over two Italian competitors, Federico Nilo Maldini and Paolo Monna.
China has three gold medals to its tally as Sunday’s portion of the Paris Olympics began. There are several events that will award medals over the course of the day.
The women’s 10-meter air pistol women’s final, women’s cross country mountain biking, women’s team archery, judo, women’s skateboarding street final, women’s kayak single final, men’s 400-meter individual medley in swimming, women’s 100-meter butterfly final, men’s 100-meter breaststroke final, women’s foil gold and bronze medal matches and men’s epee individual gold and bronze medal matches.
The United States and Australia are tied for the most total medals at this point. But China and Australia each have three gold medals.
The lone U.S. gold came in the 4x400-meter freestyle relay on Saturday. Caeleb Dressel, Chris Guiliano, Jack Alexy and Hunter Armstrong all picked up the win.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
2024 Paris Olympics: Team USA medal recap for July 27
John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images
The first full day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has come to a close, and many medals were handed out on Saturday to various countries to kick things off.
As expected, the United States is at the top of pack, collecting five Olympic medals across several competitions. They share the lead spot with Australia, though the Aussies own more gold medals, tallying three to the States’ lone gold.
In total, the United States won one gold, two silver and two bronze medals to kick off their Olympics. Let’s take a look at each victory:
GOLD: MEN’S 4X100-METER FREESTYLE RELAY
Chris Guiliano, Jack Alexy, Hunter Armstrong, and the veteran Caeleb Dressel as the anchor leg blew past their competition to secure the first Olympic gold for the U.S. in these Games.
Thanks to a fantastic third leg by Armstrong, Dressel dove into the water needing to just keep pace to collect his eighth career Olympic gold, and he did just that as he finished two seconds over the Australians, who won silver. Italy came in third for bronze, edging out China – another U.S. rival in Paris.
SILVER: WOMEN’S 4X100-METER FREESTYLE RELAY
The Australians won gold for the fourth straight Olympics in this event, but Simone Manuel made sure that the United States had silver around their necks, as she finished strong at 3:30.20, while China took bronze.
SILVER: WOMEN’S SYNCHRONIZED 3M SPRINGBOARD
The first United States medal of the Paris Olympics goes to divers Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon, as the long-time friends and teammates finished just behind China to get the medals started for their country.
Cook and Bacon have known each other since they were eight years old, and that connection bode well for their trip to the podium.
BRONZE: KATIE LEDECKY CLOSER TO HISTORY
It wasn’t the 27-year-old Ledecky’s best in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, but she still managed to collect a bronze medal to add to her illustrious career resume.
After finished 4:00.86 in the event – Australia’s Ariarne Titmus finished at 3:57.49 to secure gold for the second straight Olympics – Ledecky saw the 11th Olympic medal of her career around her neck.
Ledecky will be competing in more events throughout the Olympics, and the current record for most medals by a women’s swimmer is 12.
BRONZE: CHLOE DYGERT RECOVERS FROM CRASH
During the women’s individual time trial in cycling, Dygert was battling some rough downpours throughout the Paris streets as she raced.
At one point, Dygert took a hard fall on the road, but she managed to get back on her bike and finish strong. She was highly emotional after the race after dealing with several health conditions for years prior to competing in Paris, including various leg ailments.
“I'm just thankful that I'm here, you know?" Dygert said. "It's been a long road with my leg... and I'm just really grateful to cross the finish line."
Posted by Scott Thompson
Italy track star Gianmarco Tamberi apologizes to wife after losing wedding ring during flag-bearing
Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Flag bearing duties for Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi went a bit awry during the opening ceremonies of the2024 Paris Olympics, and it had nothing to do with the green, white and red flag he was waving.
He lost his wedding ring.
Tamberi revealed in anInstagram postthat the Seine River, where all the country’s boats had been traveling on during the opening ceremonies, is the new home for his wedding ring as it fell to the bottom.
Tamberi wrote an open letter apology to his wife, Chiara Bontempi, to whom he’s been married for two years.
"I’m sorry my love, I’m so sorry," he wrote in Italian on Instagram, which was translated to English. "Too much water, too many kilograms lost over the last few months and maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three things."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson.
Posted by Scott Thompson
C Spire pulls Olympics advertising after opening ceremony display many deem to be anti-Christian
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The2024 Olympic Ceremonyopened up the games in Paris, France on Friday night, providing spectators with a taste of French culture and blasphemous art, leading to Christians around the world being offended and at least one sponsor dropping out.
Mississippi-based telecommunications andtechnology companyC Spire posted on X that it had pulled all of its advertising from the Olympics over the ceremony’s mockery of painting created to show a biblical moment crucial to the Christian faith.
"We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics," the company posted. "C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics."
The four-hour spectacle was held along the Seine River, featuring global stars like Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, both of whom are considered icons for the queer community.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business' Greg Wehner
Posted by Scott Thompson
Hall of fame gymnast Wendy Hilliard’s reflection on representing the US
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Superstar American gymnasts Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and others have certainly helped shine a light on the sport in recent years.
A legendary American gymnast is doing her part to build off that momentum by making sure young athletes who are interested in the sport, particularly those who are growing up in underserved communities, are not left behind.
Wendy Hilliard rose to fame when she became the first Black rhythmic gymnast to represent the U.S. on the global stage. She later launched the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation in 1996. The organization seeks to "empower the lives of young people from underserved communities by improving physical and emotional health through the sport of gymnastics."
"I became a coach after I retired… moved to New York. My gymnast made the Olympic team in 1996, and then I wanted to go back to grassroots training because the sport was not so diverse. So I started a foundation and we were pretty quiet for a while," Hilliard told Fox News Digital.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Chantz Martin.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Rap legend Snoop Dogg celebrates first US gold with star swimmer's wife in heartwarming moment
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Team USA swim star Caeleb Dressel was leading the pack in the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay final on Saturday night at Paris La Defense Arena, as he chased his eighthOlympic gold medal.
And while Dressel was giving it his all in the pool for the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in theseParis Games, every U.S. supporter in the crowd was on their feet going wild.
Among them was legendary rapper Snoop Dogg and Dressel’s wife, Meghan, with their sleeping baby in hand going wild together as the race came to its dramatic finish.
A video that circulated on social media shows Dogg and Dressel screaming toward the pool, egging on Team USA to secure the gold. Luckily for Baby Dressel, earmuffs were on to keep his sleep intact.
Once it was certainthe U.S.would win the medal, Dogg and Dressel high-fived in elation for what they just witnessed.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson.
Posted by Scott Thompson
IOC apologizes after South Korea was introduced as North Korea in opening ceremony
JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
Olympic Games organizers said they “deeply apologize” for introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony on Friday. The South Korean boat was announced in both French and English as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korea is the Republic of Korea.
“We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast,” the IOC said in a post on X in Korean. IOC President Thomas Bach called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday and apologized over the incident, Yoon’s office said in a statement.
Yoon told Bach that the South Korean people were “very shocked and embarrassed” over the incident and asked for an apology and to ensure that the mistake does not happen again. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams called the error “clearly deeply regrettable.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Canadian women's soccer team penalized for drone spying scandal
Arnaud Finistre/AFP via Getty Images
The Canadian women’s soccer team was dealt a heavy blow Saturday after FIFA announced the women's national team would be deducted six points from the standings in theParis Olympicsafter staffers were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand during closed-door training sessions.
Following its investigation, the FIFA Appeal Committee announced theCanadian Soccer Associationwas responsible for failing to ensure its staff members were in compliance with Olympic rules.
FIFA said Saturday that head coach Bev Priestman and two staffers were banned "from taking part in any football-related activity for a period of one year." Canada Soccer was also fined $226,000.
Canada Soccer can appeal the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The points deduction, if upheld by the CAS judges, does not eliminate Canada from the tournament, but it could mean the team must win all three games in Group A to advance with three points, likely as a runner-up in the standings.Canada's next match is Sunday against France.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Paulina Dedaj.
Posted by Scott Thompson
Jillian Michaels blasts opening ceremony following Last Supper ‘mockery’
Jenny Anderson/WireImage
Fitness guru Jillian Michaels slammed the opening ceremony of the2024 Paris Olympicsfor what she called a "mockery" of "The Last Supper."
Michaels addressed the LGBTQ+ community on social media for the "hypocrisy" and "lack of understanding" that she says she saw in the parody of "The Last Supper," which featured several drag queen performers.
"Dear fellow gays… We demand tolerance and respect but then make a mockery of something sacred forover 2 billion Christians,"Michaels wrote in a post on X.
"This type of hypocrisy and lack of understanding is a bad look. We get outraged when the extreme right bashes us, but then we do this s---. What kind of reaction do you think they will have towards the LGBTQ+ community after this. This is NOT how we break down barriers, it's how you build them."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Paulina Dedaj.
Posted by Scott Thompson
What are Olympic medals made of?
Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images
The best athletes in the world all compete in the Olympics Games for one thing: a gold medal.
But what is the medal actually made of? It turns the gold medal is actually made up out of mostly silver. According toThe New York Times,the IOC has required that gold medals must be made of at least 92.5 percent silver. The gold medal only contains about six grams of gold, which encases the exterior part of the medal.
The silver medals are made of pure silver, while bronze medals are about 95% copper and 5% zinc. But the 2024 Paris Olympic Games medals will have their own special touch.
Each medal will contain an 18-gram, hexagonal piece of wrought iron from the monumental Eiffel Tower. The iron was removed from the Eiffel Tower in the 20th-century renovation and has been preserved. The back of the Olympic medals will have the standard Olympic rings and the Greek goddess of victory – Nike.
Posted by Scott Thompson
USMNT dominates New Zealand with 4-1 victory in group stage at Paris Olympics
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
TheUnited States men's soccerteam dropped its opening game at the Paris Olympics, but they bounced back on Saturday and cruised to a 4-1 victory over New Zealand.
The win was crucial for the men's team, as they entered Saturday's game needing to come out victorious in order to avoid an early exit from the Summer Games.
France shutout the U.S.earlier in the week, while New Zealand defeated Guinea — the USMNT's next opponent.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Chantz Martin.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Gretchen Walsh sets Olympic record in Summer Games' debut
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
In her Olympic debut, Gretchen Walsh set the Olympic record in the 100-meter women’s butterfly.
Walsh, 21, completed the semifinal in 55.38 seconds, just two-tenths of a second away from breaking her own world record that she set last month. In just the last year, Walsh has set American, U.S. Open and NCAA records in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly and the 100-meter freestyle while attending the University of Virginia.
She is the younger sister of fellow Team USA Olympian Alex Walsh, who won a silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the women’s 200-meter individual medley.
Fox News’ Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Breaking News
US secures first Olympic gold medal in men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay
Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Team USA has earned its first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, and Hunter Armstrong came out on top with an official time of 3:09.28.
They defeated silver medalist Australia by one 1.7 seconds, followed by Italy with a time of 3:10.70.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Olympics postpone first event due to poor weather
JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
The first event of the skateboarding competition at the Paris Olympics was postponed after rain continued overnight and into the morning on Saturday.
The rain was steady throughout the opening ceremony on Friday while boats made their way up the Seine River.
Skateboarding is played at the outdoor venue of La Concorde Urban Park in Paris. The sports governing body, World Skate, cited adverse conditions for the move. The men’s street skateboarding has been moved Monday, while the women’s event is unaffected and scheduled for Sunday.
No other events have yet to be disrupted by the rain.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Breaking News
Katie Ledecky wins Team USA's first swimming medal in 400m free
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
American swim legend Katie Ledecky has kicked off her Olympics journey in Paris with a medal in her first swimming final on Saturday, earning a bronze medal in the women's 400-meter free.
She finished behind first place winner Ariarne Titmus of Australia and Canada's Summer McIntosh. Ledecky finished with an official time of 4:00.86, more than three seconds behind Titmus.
Her bronze medal finish followed heartbreak on the men's side after first time Olympian Aaron Shackell failed to podium in the men's 400-meter free.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
US Tennis star Tommy Paul sets sights on Paris Olympics
Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Tommy Paul will be officially representing the Stars and Stripes this month in Paris for the second time - but that's nothing new for him.
Paul is a one-time Olympian (he was ousted in the first round back in 2021 in Tokyo), but after a Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance earlier this month, he likes his chances this time around.
"I'm so excited. The last time, I didn't go into the Olympics super prepared. I was coming off an injury, so I'm looking at it like the last time I went to be an Olympian - this time, I'm trying to bring back a medal," Paul said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
Sure, if he wins gold in Paris, it'd be the first time Paul would hear the national anthem after a victory in an individual setting. Again, this is where he officially represents his United States.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ryan Morik.
Posted by Ryan Morik
Peyton Manning stops by US men’s basketball practice
Team USA’s men’s basketball team certainly doesn’t need any words of encouragement, but if Peyton Manning is offering, that’s a different story.
The Hall of Fame quarterback stopped by to see the men’s national team in Paris before they take the court in their first game against Serbia on Sunday.
Team USA is by far the most successful Olympic basketball team. They have a 138-5 record, including 16 gold medals, one silver and one bronze. The Americans have won four straight gold medals in the last four Summer Games.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
What are the different fencing blades used in the Olympics?
Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Fencing is one of the five sports that permanent fixture at the Olympic Games since the modern Games inception in 1896.
The lamé is an electrically conductive garment worn over the scoring area for each fencing sword type. The lamé enables hits to register automatically.
The lamé may cover more or less of the body depending on which blade the fencer uses. There are three different kinds of blades used in the modern fencing: foil, épée, and sabre.
The foil blade weighs a maximum of 500 grams (1.1 lbs.) and is a thrusting weapon. When using the foil only the tip of the blade counts with the target area of the torso, which is covered by lamé.
The foil is the most familiar of the three disciplines. It has the smallest target area and is light, allowing for numerous different attacks.
The épée is also a thrusting blade but has a maximum weight of 775 grams (1.7 lbs.). Only the tip of the blade counts when making contact with the opponent, but your own target area is the entire body so there is no lamé.
The main differences from the épée and the foil, is that you cannot use the “flick attack” with the épée blade because it is so much heavier. The other difference is the whole body is a scoring area.
The sabre is a cutting and thrusting weapon with a maximum weight of 500 grams (1.1 lbs.). The entire blade can be used to score with the target area being the upper half of the body, that includes face mask and neck bib. The entire upper half is covered by lamé.
The main difference with the sabre blade is that the body of the blade scores in addition to the tip.
The first to 15 points wins with the action taking place in three three-minute periods, with one-minute intervals as breaks.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Samoa boxing coach dies in Olympic village after suffering cardiac arrest
SASNOC/ Getty Images
Lionel Fatu Elika, the national boxing coach of Samoa, died at the2024 Paris Olympicson Friday after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest while at the Olympic village.
He was 60 years old.The Samoa Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC) released a statement confirming the news of his death.
"Lionel was one of Samoa’stop boxing coachesand a great believer in the Olympic ideal," Samoa NOC president Pauga Talalelei Pauga said.
"Our thoughts and those of the entire Samoan sporting community are with Lionel’s family, his boxers, and friends. He will be greatly missed."
According AFP, he suffered cardiac arrest while at the Olympic village, where he was treated by emergency services. His cause of death was listed as "natural causes."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Paulina Dedaj.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
What is the EOR Olympic team?
David Burnett/IOC via Getty Images
There are technically no countries competing in the Olympic Games, but rather athletes from National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
There are 206 NOCs and the IOC’s Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) taking part of the 2024 Paris Games.These Games will be the third Olympics for the EOR team. The EOR team made their Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with 10 athletes on the team.
The IOC created the team to make sure people displaced from their country would have access and funding to participate in sports at the highest level.
Despite COVID, the EOR had 29 athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The 2024 EOR team consists of 37 athletes from 11 different nations.
These are the nations the athletes come from:
- Iran
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Eritrea
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Cameroon
- Ethiopia
- Venezuela
- Cuba
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
American cyclist Chloe Dygert claims bronze despite crashing out in women’s time trial
Alex Broadway/Getty Images
Two-time Olympic medalist Chloe Dygert earned another medal at the 2024 Paris Games after winning bronze in the women’s cycling time trial with an official time of 39:38.24 on Saturday.
Dygert’s third medal came amid heavy rains in the streets of Paris which made for a slick course. The reigning time trial world champion, who was the favorite heading into the event, had to quickly remount after crashing out hard on a left-hand turn.
She finished behind gold medalist Grace Brown of Australia, and Anna Henderson of Britain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Which sports will be excluded from the 2024 Summer Olympics?
Harry How/Getty Images
Though the Olympic Games are filled with a number of entertaining sports, there are some excluded from the summer events that might be a surprise to many.
Baseball, America's favorite pastime, has been part of the Olympics before. However, it will be absent this year as the typical162-game MLB seasonis within the same time as the Olympics. Because of this, scheduling conflicts for professional players have halted the game from being played.
Softball is also excluded from the 2024 Summer Olympics. This is due to the popularity of the sport, as host cities are the ones allowed to add sports to their program, according to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rules.
Karate debuted as an Olympic sport in 2020, but will not be returning in 2024, as organizers felt the sport "lacked entertainment value and the ability to attract a younger audience.”
In 2028, the United States will be hosting theSummer Olympics in Los Angeles, California,and although karate still didn’t make the cut, baseball and softball will be included.
Fox News' Gabriele Regalbuto contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
NBA star Anthony Edwards challenges Team USA table tennis squad
Not many would be able to shut out Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, but the U.S. table tennis team thinks they could easily do so on their own court.
While doing an interview during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, Team USA teammate Steph Curry interrupted to tell Edwards that members of the table tennis squad were doing a little friendly trash talking.
“They said they can smack you 21-0,” Curry said
“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it,” Edwards responded. “I’m not having it… I’m scoring one point.”
The U.S. has four athletes competing in table tennis: Kanak Jha, Rachel Sung, Amy Wang, and Lily Zhang.Their events begin Saturday.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
USWNT's Lindsey Horan shares her national anthem ritual ahead of Paris Olympics
David Berding/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
Every athlete has a process for getting mentally prepared for the task ahead, especially those getting ready to represent their country in the Paris Olympics.
For United States women's national soccer team captain Lindsey Horan, she uses the national anthem to get focused every time she steps foot on the pitch.While the national anthem has been a controversial topic for the U.S. women's national team, including this past year's Women's World Cup, Horan has been spotted singing the anthem while lined up with her teammates before a match.
Ahead of this year's Paris Olympics, Horan explained why she loves singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as it rings out through stadiums all over the globe, and how it gets her mind right before a competition.
"I think obviously it’s an individual choice," Horan told Fox News Digital, while discussing her partnership with Francis Ford Coppola Winery and its Diamond Collection launch earlier this week.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Scott Thompson.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Chiefs’ Harrison Butker calls Paris Olympics parody of Last Supper 'crazy'
Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker slammed the Paris Olympics opening ceremony after one of the performances included drag queens among other performers parodying “The Last Supper.”
Butker, who went viral back in May for sharing his faith-based views during a commencement speech at a Catholic college in Kansas, took to social media to share his take.
“This is crazy,” he wrote on a post in his Instagram Stories.
In a clip of the scene shared by Butker , several drag queens and other performers can be seen mocking the scene famously painted by Leonardo da Vinci which depicts Jesus and his apostles sharing a final meal before the crucifixion.
This is an excerpt from a report written by Fox News' Paulina Dedaj.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Track star Noah Lyles discusses his struggle representing Team USA
Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Not only is Noah Lyles the face of track and field in the United States, he just might be the face of the sport around the globe.
The 26-year-old is fresh off three gold medals in the World Championships last year in Budapest, and now he is gearing up for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Lyles is the heavy favorite to win the 200-meter, and he's a candidate to break Usain Bolt's world record of 19.19. He's set to compete in four events: the 100-, 200-, 4x100- and 4x400-meter races.
However, Lyles says representing the country is "contradicting."
"It’s a bittersweet moment. I’m American, and I truly believe that we are the best in the world, especially when it comes to sports. We have definitely been proving that dominance. … And it feels good to add on to that collection that the U.S. is the best," Lyles said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ryan Morik.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Katie Ledecky sends strong message in women’s 400m free prelim
Al Bello/Getty Images
American swimming legend Katie Ledekcy took first place in the women’s 400m free prelim on Saturday, out pacing Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in the final lap of their heat.
The win comes amid a heated rivalry between Team USA and Australia. Earlier this year, comments made by Australian swimmer Cate Campbell resurfaced just before the Olympic trials.
In an interview after the 2023 World Championships, Campbell characterized the U.S. competitors as "sore losers" after Australia captured more gold medals at the event.
"Australia coming out on top is one thing, but it is just so much sweeter beating America," Campbell said. "There were a couple of nights, particularly the first night of competition, where we did not have to hear the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ ring out through the stadium, and I cannot tell you how happy that made me. If I never hear that song again, it will be too soon. Bring on Paris, that’s all I have to say. U.S., stop being sore losers."
Campbell failed to qualify for Paris after finishing in seventh place in the 50m freestyle last month.
The women’s 400m free final is scheduled for 2:52 p.m.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
A look at the first medal events for the Paris Olympics
The first Olympic events started roughly 48 hours before the opening ceremony, and now, just mere hours afterward, medals are about to handed out.
Soccer and rugby began on Wednesday, while handball and archery started their competitions on Thursday; Friday marked the start of shooting.
Here's a look at all the medal events slated for Saturday.
Cycling
Both the men's and women's road final take place early Saturday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Judo
The women's 48kg and men's 60kg divisions will crown their champions on Saturday.
Skateboarding
It's the men's street final coming and going early - competition starts at 11 a.m.
Rugby Sevens
The winners of South Africa and France, and Fiji and Australia, will go right back at it on Saturday to try for gold.
Fencing
The women's individual épée men's individual sabre winners will both be crowed in the 3:00 p.m. ET hour.
Swimming
One of the most popular sports in the Olympics will already be hot and heavy on Saturday, as we will have both the women's and men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Team USA's Brody Malone struggles on horizontal bars, falls twice
LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images
Three-time national champion Brody Malone is off to a rough start at the Paris Olympics.
The 24-year-old former Stanford standout fell twice during his routine on the men’s horizontal bars – an event where he won gold in the 2022 World Championships and 2022 Pan American Championships.
He got back up and finished with a score of 12.233 in the men's qualifying heat for that event.
Malone returned to competition after his career was nearly derailed by a devastating right knee injury in March 2023 that required three surgeries.
"It was just a rough day, there's really no other way to put it," Malone told NBC's broadcast after the event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Who is Caeleb Dressel? USA's Men's Swimming Olympian
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Caeleb Dressel, 27, is a two-time Olympian making his debut at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and then later in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
Dressel is a seven-time gold medalist: in 2016 he won gold in the 4 x 100m men’s freestyle relay, 4 x 100m men’s medley relay, and the 100m men’s freestyle. In 2020 he won gold in the 100m men’s butterfly, 100m men’s freestyle, 4 x 100m men’s medley relay.
Dressel went to the University of Florida, where he was a 28-time All-American selection – the most that can be achieved in a four-year career. He is also a 10-time NCAA champion, surpassing Ryan Lochte’s eight for the most in school history on the men’s side. Dressel has one of the greatest college swimming resumes of all time.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Team USA wins silver in women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard
Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of Team United States acknowledge the fans prior to the Women's Synchronised 3m Springboard Final on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Aquatics Centre on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
Americans Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook took home the first medal for the United States in the Paris Olympics on Saturday as they finished with a silver in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard event.
Bacon and Cook finished behind China’s team of Yani Chang and Yiwen Chang and ahead of Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen. They had 314.64 points in the event.
Bacon and Cook missed out on the Olympics last year. But Cook competed in the 3-meter springboard competition in the 2016 Olympics and finished in 13th.
Both divers are renowned on the world stage with multiple medals. Bacon won a gold in the 2019 World Championships in the 1-meter springboard.Chang and Chen dominated the event with 337.68 points. The two divers picked up their first Olympic medals of their careers and add more gold to their resumes. They have multiple gold medals on the world championships.
China already picked up a gold medal in shooting earlier in the day and now have two on their total.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
China wins first gold medal of Paris Olympics
Sheng Lihao L and Huang Yuting of China pose for photos after the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Gold Medal Match of Shooting at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 26, 2023. (Getty Images)
China’s Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao picked up the first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday as they topped South Korea’s Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team, 16-12.
It’s China’s 68th medal in the sport of shooting and 27th gold medal. It was Huang’s first medal in the sport and Sheng’s second medal. Sheng won a silver medal in the 10-meter air rifle at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The Chinese pair’s win in Paris followed their gold medal victory in the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan last year.
It’s the first Olympic medals for the South Korean pair. Keum won a gold medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle at the World Cup earlier this year.
Kazakhstan took home the bronze medal in the event earlier in the day. It was the country’s fourth medal in the sport – its second bronze. They topped Germany 17-5. Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev were the representatives for Kazakhstan.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos
Kazakhstan picks up first medal of Paris Olympics
Kazakhstan's Alexandra Le and Kazakhstan's Islam Satpayev compete in the shooting 10m air rifle mixed team Bronze Medal during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Chateauroux Shooting Centre on July 29, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev were awarded the first medals of the Paris Olympics on Saturday as they defeated Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team.
The Kazakhstan team won the match 17-5. Le and Satpayey topped Great Britain’s Seonaid McIntosh and Michael Bargeron on Thursday.
Kazakhstan took home eight medals, all bronze, at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The team had 17 total medals, including 10 bronze, five silver and two gold, at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
The Kazakhstan team only had three medals in the sport going into bronze medal match. The team won two silver and a bronze and now have more bronze to add to their total.
Sergey Belyayev had two silver medals in the men’s 50-meter rifle prone and the men’s 50-meter prone meter rifle three positions in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Vladimir Vokhmyanin won the men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol.
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Paris Olympics' first medals to be handed out
Katie Ledecky of Team United States trains during a Swimming Training Session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Paris La Defense Arena on July 25, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
The Paris Olympics are officially off and running after Friday night’s incredible opening ceremonies that saw athletes float down the River Seine.
On Saturday, the first official medals will be handed out. Several events were underway as Americans and others in the Western Hemisphere began to wake up.
Competitors in shooting, cycling road, judo, rugby sevens, fencing and swimming will be receiving the awards over the course of the day. A bronze medal match started the events in 10m air rifle mixed between Kazakhstan and Germany. The gold medal match was immediately after between China and South Korea.
Later in the day, a medal in women’s 400-meter freestyle will be given out. It will be an event most people will be tuning in to watch. Katie Ledecky, Ariane Titmus and Summer McIntosh will certainly look to steal the show on Saturday afternoon.
“I'm looking forward to the 400 free, day one. I like my chances,” Ledecky said, via the Olympics’ website. “I'm prepared and ready to race.”
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Who stays at the Olympic Village and what are the rules?
AP Photo/Thibault Camus
The Olympic Village is comprised of 10,000 athletes, and a dining hall that can accommodate 3,500 people that will be open around-the-clock.
The dining hall will offer an array of diverse cuisines or grab-and-go options for athletes who are on the go.Some of the athletes are sleeping on cardboard beds with a mattress on top of them. A main theme of the Paris 2024 Games is sustainability, and all the cardboard beds will be recycled and reused.
The Olympic athletes must reside with their country's team, there are no sharing apartments with another country.The security is airtight, no friends and family are allowed in the Village. The only people residing in the Village are athletes, coaching staff, medical personnel, and security.
Athletes who are minors, must room with only other minors on the team.
Quiet hours are enforced daily from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time.
This year the Olympic Village will be located north of the center of Paris in the communes Saint-Denis, Île-Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen, just five minutes away from Stade de France.
Following the Games, the Olympic Village will turn into a place for 6,000 inhabitants, as the city is using the Olympic Games as an opportunity for urban development.
For the first time in Olympic Games history, there will be a ‘Floating Olympic Village’ on a 230-passenger ship named Aranui 5 for those athletes who taking part in the water-based events in Tahiti.
The same rules regarding who can enter the ship will be the same for those staying in the Village at Paris.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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What is the Olympic Village?
AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File
The Olympic Village was created a century ago, at the Paris 1924 Olympic Games.
“In bringing young people from every nation together, (the Olympics will) help foster this sense of cordiality that teaches men to become acquainted with each other better first and then hold each other in higher esteem,” Frantz Reichel, the secretary general of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games Paris 1924, said in the Official Report of the Games.
Fast-forward to present day, and now most Olympians cannot imagine what the Games would be like without it. The Olympic Village serves as a melting pot for all the athletes from all across the world to mingle and make friendships.
“If you get rid of the Olympic Village, you get rid of a part of the Games,” Henri Specht, the director of the Olympic and Paralympic Village project at SOLIDEO, said, via the IOC.
“It’s probably the only place and the only time on the planet when you have so many countries coming together at the same location. I think that every nation is very attached to the Village and the athletes who have in it have come out with a unique life experience.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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What do the Olympic rings stand for?
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
The Olympic rings are plastered all throughout the world during Olympic times. But what do they actually stand for?
The logo was designed and hand-drawn in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
The five rings were drawn to pay tribute to Games’ athletes. Each ring was representing a region of the world where the athletes came from: Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia.
The rings colors – from left to right – are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. They are put over a white background to symbolize the Olympics universality.
While the iconic design was done in 1913, and the flag with the logo coming a year later in 1914, it was not until 1920 where the rings made their Olympic debut.
“These five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to the cause of olympism and ready to accept its fecund rivalries.” Founder of the Olympic Movement Pierre de Coubertin said.
“What is more, the six colors this combined reproduce those of all nations without exception.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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What is the Olympic motto?
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The Olympic motto comes from before the official Olympic Games began.
The original motto was first said in 1881 by the Dominican priest Henri Didon in the opening ceremony of a sports event.
In Latin, the motto is, “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” In English that translates to “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympic movement, was in the crowd for Didon’s speech and adopted those words as the Olympic motto in 1894.
“It expresses the aspirations of the Olympic Movement,” the IOC said. “Not only in its athletic and technical sense but also from a moral and educational perspective.”
The motto was changed during a session of the International Olympic Committee in July of 2021.
It now reads in Latin, “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter.” Which in English translates to “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.”
The change was made to recognize the “unifying power of sport and the importance of solidarity.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Harrison Butker, Riley Gaines speak out on opening ceremony's Last Supper parody
The2024 Olympics opening ceremonyin Paris has sparked international outrage with drag-queen themed imagery of religious and historical figures.
One display on Friday showed what appear to be numerous performers, including drag queens and a large woman in an aureole halo crown, parodying "The Last Supper," a universally recognizable painting by renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci of Christ and his apostles.
Harrison Butker, an NFL football player who made headlines withhis speech about Catholic faithquoted scripture to condemn the display, writing, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.’ Galatians 6:7-8."
"Men in wigs front & center at theOlympic Games,"OutKick's Riley Gaines wrote in a social media post of her own. "No one ever tell me this group is ‘oppressed’ or ‘marginalized’ again."
This is an excerpt from a report written by Fox News' Alexander Hall.
Posted by Ryan Morik
How will the Summer Olympics impact France’s economy?
AP Photo/David Goldman
The Summer Olympics may only take place for a couple of weeks, but the impact they have on France’s economy can stretch out for years.
A study done by the French Center for Sports Law and Economics back in 2016 said that the 2024 Olympics “may generate at up to $11.6 billion and up to 247,000 jobs.”
“Of the $11.6 billion, approximately $1.5-$3.79 billion (13-33%) is attributed to tourism-related economic impact,” the study said.
This study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in inflation, so you must take the above numbers with some caution.
Hotel rooms have been at a premium, and with that the cost of hotels in and around Paris have skyrocketed. Three-star to five-star hotel prices have risen anywhere from 41%-64% above the yearly average during the Olympic Games.
To go along with the price increase, the tourist tax is now up to 200%. The tax brings room prices from $2.82 to $16.23 per night per Oxford Economics.
The hope for the French is that the tourists who visit during the games may come back and see things they did not get a chance to see during the Games.
France will draw about 101 million international tourists this year, the most of any Europe destination and up from 98 million tourists in 2023 according to Oxford Economics. However, most of those tourists are coming for the Olympic Games.
International tourism from before and after the Olympic Games is down compared to what it normally is. The high tourism tax’s duration is not just for the Olympic games and could be deterring travelers from visiting France outside of when Games occur.
The IOC understands the ramifications of what the Olympic Games can mean to a city and a country in the long term.
“As the first Olympic Games aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020, Paris 2024 is proving that the Games can bring substantial economic benefits to their hosts, while being socially and environmentally responsible.” Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said via the IOC.
“These are Games that truly adapt to the needs of their host and to the times we live in, creating an impactful legacy before the Opening Ceremony and long after the sporting competitions have ended.”
Per the IOC, about 181,000 people are currently working or set to work in roles connected with the Games.
“Eighty per cent of the public investment is going to Seine-St-Denis, one of the youngest and most disadvantaged departments in France. The Olympic Village, for example, situated in Seine-Saint-Denis, will provide 2,800 housing units and two new schools, benefitting 6,000 residents.”
The goal for the IOC is for the Olympics not to just have a short-term impact on the economy, but a long-term one that leaves the host city in a better place after the games than before.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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How expensive is it for a country to host the Olympics?
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How expensive is it to host the Olympics? In short, quite expensive.
Paris has already spent $9.7 billion on Olympic expenses, and the French taxpayers are paying for about $3.25 billion of that according to The Associated Press.
There is no guarantee you end up making that money back either.
The IOC projects Paris’ will receive $12.2 billion of economic benefit from these games, leaving them in the black should they come true.
The IOC says that the “economic benefits for the city, region, and country and predicted to far outweigh the Games-related investments.
Yet the numbers from past games tell a different story.
In 2012, London spent $14.6 billion and generated $5.2 billion. In 2010, Vancouver spent $7.6 billion yet only brought in $2.8 billion.
In 2008, Beijing spent a whopping $42 billion and only brought in $3.6 million.
According to the University of Oxford, every Olympics since 1960 – except for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles – has been over budget by an average of 172%.
The reason the 1984 Olympics were profitable for Los Angeles was because most of the infrastructure required for the Games were already built.
A lot of cities that were over their budget built brand new stadiums for the Olympic Games. Those stadiums have been seldom used since the Games left their respective cities.
Paris has only built one competitive venue for the 2024 Games, relying on previously built infrastructure and temporary venues to avoid having to build so many new venues.
Time will tell if the 2024 Paris Games can join the 1984 Los Angeles Games as being the only Olympics that has been profitable in the last 64 years.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Céline Dion wows with stunning performance at Olympics amid ongoing health issues
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Singing atop the Eiffel Tower, Céline Dion performed Edith Piaf's "Hymne à l'amour" to close out the opening ceremony. It was her first live performance since announcing her ongoing battle with stiff-person syndrome.
Dion was diagnosed with SPS in late 2022, causing her to postpone a tour. It is described by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a rare and progressive neurological disorder which causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms.
The beloved singer has opened up in the past about how the condition has affected her ability to sing and walk.
Onlookers, including Kelly Clarkson on NBC’s broadcast, were left speechless and brought to tears by the Olympic performance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Paulina Dedaj
Breaking News
2024 Paris Games officially begin with Olympic cauldron lighting
Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images
The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially begun after the Olympic cauldron was lit by a pair of French Olympians, three-time Olympic Judo gold medalist Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field.
About 10,000 people were chosen to carry the flame across France from the southern city port of Marseille, where it arrived on May 8, to the opening ceremony on July 26.
In the final leg of the relay, tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams were among the group of athletes that took the torch by boat back up the Seine River where French tennis legend Amélie Mauresmo would take over and run it through the streets of Paris to the Louvre.
Several other French athletes, including the oldest living French Olympian Charles Coste, got a chance to pass the torch before the cauldron - a hot air balloon - was lit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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IOC president Thomas Bach opens Olympics with message of solidarity
Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach officially welcomed the more than 6,800 athletes that participated in the opening ceremony on Friday night with a strong message about “solidarity.”
“You have come to Paris as athletes, now you are Olympians. Stepping into the Olympic village like generations of athletes before you: now I’m part of something bigger than myself. Now we all are part of an event that unites the world,” he said.
“As olympians we care for each other. We not only respect each other, we live in solidarity with each other.”
“In a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together tonight."
There are 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating in the Paris Olympics.
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USA track star Noah Lyles paints 'ICON' on fingernails for opening ceremony
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
The face ofU.S. men's track and fieldis reminding everyone that that is still the case.
Noah Lylesis the overwhelming favorite to win the 200-meter race at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (he's even going for the world record), and he's very likely to medal in the 100-meter, as well.
The 27-year-old Gainesville, Florida, native has yet to bring home Olympic gold (he earned bronze in the 200-meter in 2021), but he tore it up in the world championships recently to make himself a force to be reckoned with.
Lyles has taken home six golds in worlds, including three last year in Budapest (100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay). Understandably, he's confident in what he can do in Paris.
So, prior to heading out on Team USA's boat for the opening ceremony, he put one word on his fingernails: "ICON."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ryan Morik.
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Olympic Champion Ryan Crouser commends Paris Olympics for promoting unity
Seeing sports as unifying is not a new concept.
Earlier this week, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach spoke to an audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron and other officials, addressing the importance of promoting "Olympic values" during a period of overwhelming global conflict.He later met with hundreds of Olympic athletes in the Olympic Village to share a message, "Give peace a chance."
"When our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, revived the Olympic Games 130 years ago — right here in Paris — he saw it as a way to promote peace among all nations and people of the world. He was a true ambassador for peace. Today, you — the Olympic athletes — you are the peace ambassadors of our time," Bach said.
It's a sentiment two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser shares.
"It's been a long time since we, as the world, have kind of had a proper Olympics," Crouser told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Paulina Dedaj.
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Katie Moon, LeBron James shoutout Ohio from Parade of Nations
Olympic gold medal pole vaulter Katie Moon shouted out her home state of Ohio on social media in a selfie with NBA great LeBron James.
James, also an Ohio native and Cleveland Cavaliers legend, was selected alongside rising tennis star Coco Gauff to be the flag bearers for Team USA.
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Rainy weather can't dampen Olympic spirit in opening ceremony
Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Olympic organizers were expecting unpleasant weather for the opening ceremony on Friday, but the constant rain didn’t appear to dampen the mood for the roughly 6,800 athletes participating in the Parade of Nations.
An intermittent drizzle cleared up before the parade began, but as the boats made their way down the Seine River, it picked back up again.
Comfortable temperatures in the upper 60s are more than enough to keep spirits high.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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What is Olympic breaking?
Breaking, more commonly known as breakdancing, can be traced back to the Bronx, New York, during the 1970’s.
Breaking is a part of hip-hop culture which is shown through a combination of dance moves, spins, flips, and other techniques. The term “breaking” comes from the instrumental breaks in song that are usually accompanied by beats.
The 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires was the event to put Breaking on the map, and it is now in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The athletes are called “B-Boys” and “B-Girls” and the matches are called “battles.”
The inaugural Olympic competition will take place on Aug. 9-10.
Thirty-two athletes qualified for the event. As the host country France was offered two host quotas (one per gender) while four universality places (two per gender) were on offer.
To be eligible for a universality place the athlete must have competed in the Olympic Qualifying Series (OQS) and placed in the top 24.
The other 26 athletes qualified through their performances in last year’s world championships, the respective continental Games (Africa, Asia, Europe, Pan Am, and Oceania) and the OQS held in Shanghai and Budapest in May and June, respectively.
The scoring is made up of five categories: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique, and execution. Each category makes up 20% of the judge’s score.
The battles are best-of-three, and each athlete has 60 seconds to complete their routine. Athletes can be penalized for misbehavior at the judge’s discretion.
Each day starts with a round-robin phase consisting of four groups of four. The top two in each group advance to the quarterfinals followed by the semi-finals and into the final battle for medals.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Headless Marie Antoinette display receives mixed reaction on social media
Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images
A heavy metal-opera mash up featuring the French band, Gojira, and opera singer Marina Viotti received mixed reviews on social media after the opening ceremony performance included a headless woman dressed in red, symbolizing Marie Antoinette.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, said the inspiration behind all performances was to reinterpret the way the world sees France.
“The extraordinary thing is that everyone in France and the rest of the world has an idea of what France is all about. And I want to play with that, that's where I want to start from - breaking down clichés, because clichés come along other things,” he said, according to the Olympics website.
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Presidential seal of approval: Obama cheers on Team USA
Former President Barack Obama took to social media on Friday to voice his support for the American delegation competing in Paris, adding “You represent the best of the best in our country.”
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Simone Biles skips out on opening ceremony to rest for competition
Elsa/Getty Images
Simone Biles will not be present at the opening ceremony in order to “rest up” for Sunday’s qualifying events, her family revealed during an interview with NBC.
Biles, 27, is the most decorated gymnast of all time. She has four Olympic gold medals, one silver and two bronze.
More than 10,000 of the world’s best athletes set sail in nearly 100 boats on the Seine River on Friday evening. The 3.7 mile parade route highlights some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks.
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Greece leads the Parade of Nations in opening ceremony
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Greece led the Parade of Nations for the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, which has been a tradition held since 1928. The tradition is a nod to the birthplace of the Olympics.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee has 101 athletes in its delegation, including NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Why did the Paris mayor swim in the Seine river ahead of the Summer Olympics?
AP Photo/Michel Euler
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo went for a swim in the Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling her promise to show the river was clean enough ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Since 2015, organizers have spent $1.5 billion trying to clean up the Seine River before the Olympics.
People were banned from swimming in the river for over a century due to concerns about the rivers flow and pollution. Even as recent as early June tests done by the monitoring group Eau de Paris indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria until recent improvements.
After taking a dip, Hidalgo called today “a dream” and a “testimony that we have achieved a lot of work.”
Cleaning up the Seine River has been a longtime goal for the French. Former French President Jacques Chirac vowed to clean up the river back in 1988 when he was the Paris Mayor but to no avail.
Hidalgo was initially supposed to swim the Seine River in June, but it had to be delayed due to snap parliamentary elections in France.
When the date was announced of Hidalgo’s swim, the French people got “I’m pooping in the Seine” trending online to protest the Olympic games by defecating upstream before the mayor’s swim.
Despite the threat, today’s event went without incident as numerous city officials and athletes invited to swim were throwing a ball around in the water and having fun.
The Seine River will be featured during the opening ceremony and will be the host of several open water swimming events during the Olympic Games including marathon and swimming and swimming legs of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Who are the US flag bearers for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris?
AP Photo/Mark Terrill
Team USA has two flag bearers: LeBron James (basketball) and Coco Gauff (tennis).
For the American side, team captains and fellow players normally choose flag bearers.
The Paris Games will be James’ fourth Olympics. The NBA legend made his Olympics debut in 2004. The 39-year-old helped team USA win gold in 2008 and 2012, and was named the 2012 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.
When he steps on the court for his first game, he will join Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant as the only three players to ever play in four Olympics for Team USA men’s basketball.
Gauff is only 20 years old and is a rising star in the tennis world.
The U.S. Committee selected Gauff to play alongside Jessica Pegula in the 2020 Tokyo Games but she had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19. The Paris 2024 Olympics will be Gauff’s Olympic debut.
Gauff won her first grand slam title when she won the U.S. Open in 2023.
Sue Bird (women’s basketball) was the flag bearer for Team USA in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Regan Smith is a proud American heading to Paris 2024 Olympics
U.S. swimmer Regan Smith is an Olympic medalist, a world record holder, a world champion and even an adoring cat owner. But the 22-year-old former Stanford swimmer might best describe herself as a proud American.
Smith qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after her dominating performance in the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke and the 200-meter fly at the recent U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials in Indianapolis. She set the world record in the 100-meter.
She described it as a "gratifying" experience, one that has again given her the chance to wear a swim cap with the American flag alongside her name.
Ahead of her second appearance in the Summer Olympics, Smith told Fox News Digital that she first got the opportunity to represent the U.S. when she was 15.
"It almost moved me to tears," she said.
In Smith’s retelling of this moment, she didn’t make mention of medals or records, just the pride she felt.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Paulina Dedaj.
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What time is the Opening Ceremony in Paris 2024?
AP Photo/David Goldman
Even though some of the Games began on Wednesday, the Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
For the first time in Olympic history, the ceremony will not take place or lead into a stadium. The opening ceremony will be a boating parade through the recently cleaned Seine River. Since 2015 organizers have spent $1.5 billion to clean up the river before the Olympics began.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently swam in the river to prove that the Seine River was once again safe to swim in again after people were banned from doing do due to health concerns.
The parade will run about 3.7 miles, taking the 10,500 athletes participating in the games through the center of Paris. The parade route will conclude in front of the Trocadéro, where the rest of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.
The Opening Ceremony will be the largest attended in the history of the games, as residents of Paris along with tourists from around the world can go along the river and watch.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Who is Katie Ledecky? Most decorated female in world championship history
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Katie Ledecky, 27, is already one of swimming’s all-time greats.
With her seven Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship titles, Ledecky holds the most medals of any women’s swimmer in history. The Maryland native won her first gold medal at age 15 in the 2012 London Olympic Games defeating reigning world champion Kate Ziegler in the 800m freestyle.
In the 2016 Rio Olympic Games her success in the 200m, 400m, and 800m, saw her claim the most individual titles in the pool. She also set new records in the 400m and 800m that year.
Ledecky is also the most decorated woman in World Championship history. She is the only swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event, the 800m freestyle. No one has beaten Ledecky in the 800m freestyle in over a decade. She has been honored with the USA Swimming Golden Goggles Award for Female Swimmer of the Year seven times.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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