Alex Turnbull, Associated Press | Posted April 30 - 10:03 a.m.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters have called on Olympic officials to limit Israel's participation at the Summer Games in the French capital. About 300 people rallied Tuesday at the headquarters of the Paris Olympics' organizing committee, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against Israel's "institutional participation" in the Games because of the war in Gaza. The protesters said that Israeli athletes should compete in Paris under a neutral flag, similar to the rules the IOC applied to Russian athletes because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron said Israeli athletes will compete in Paris under their country's flag.
Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press | Updated April 29 - 8:19 a.m.
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The historic Versailles Palace Gardens will soon host the Paris Olympics equestrian sports. Meanwhile, the select riders in the National Equestrian Academy who handle the palace's famed royal stables are continuing to care for their beloved horses. The elite academy, founded by French horse trainer and impresario Bartabas, who decided to revive the splendid building in 2003, has only 12 riders. After years of hard work, they take part in a prestigious show at the Great Stables of Versailles every weekend to the delight of spectators. Though not participating in the Games, they look forward to seeing Olympic riders galloping in the Versailles gardens.
The Associated Press | Posted April 29 - 3:23 a.m.
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Top British gymnast Ondine Achampong says she feels "devastated" after suffering an ACL tear that should rule her out of competing at the Paris Olympics. The 20-year-old Achampong, who was part of the British women's team that took silver at the world championships in 2022, posted on message on social media Monday saying she sustained the injury during a competition ahead of the European championships. Recovery from a torn ACL can take up to a year. Artistic gymnastics at the Paris Olympics start on July 27. Achampong recently won four gold medals at the British championships.
Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News | Posted April 28 - 4:05 p.m.
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Utah's bid to host the 2034 Winter Games is seen as a "role model" for other bidders by Olympic officials, but a decision on permanent locations may be a decade — or more — away.
The Associated Press | Updated April 27 - 7:54 p.m.
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Gabby Douglas is officially back. The 2012 Olympic gymnastics champion posted an all-around total of 50.65 at the American Classic, her first competition since the 2016 Olympics. The 28-year-old Douglas showed some rust, particularly on floor exercise and uneven bars, but also was solid on vault and balance beam. Douglas is aiming for a shot at making the five-woman team that will represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympics this summer. Jade Carey, who won gold on floor exercise at the 2020 Tokyo Games, captured the all-around title. Reigning Olympic champion Sunisa Lee dazzled on uneven bars as she eyes an Olympic return.
The Associated Press | Updated April 26 - 11:59 a.m.
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The flame that will burn at the Paris Olympics has been formally handed over to French organizers. The ceremony on Friday was held in the all-marble stadium where the first modern Games were held in Athens in 1896. The flame will depart for the southern French port city of Marseille on Saturday on a 19th century French sailing ship, to make landfall 12 days later after a journey across the Mediterranean Sea. The flame was kindled on April 16 at Olympia in southern Greece, where the ancient games were held for more than 1,000 years. The Paris Games open on July 26.
The Associated Press | Posted April 25 - 7:43 p.m.
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Georgia has hired Cecile Landi, the longtime personal coach of Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles, to help lead the GymDogs. Landi will serve as a co-head coach alongside Ryan Roberts, who spent the last two years as an assistant under Courtney Kupets Carter. Kupets Carter was fired last week after seven seasons with the program. Landi, who competed for France at the 1996 Olympics, has served alongside her husband Laurent as the leader of the elite program at World Champions Centre, the Houston-area gym owned by the Biles family. They began coaching Biles in 2017, helping her win three world all-around titles and two medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Graham Dunbar, Associated Press | Updated April 25 - 1:33 p.m.
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The World Anti-Doping Agency has been heavily criticized this week for its secretive oversight of positive tests by 23 Chinese swimmers before the Tokyo Olympics. Now the agency has appointed a veteran Swiss prosecutor to review how it handled the case in 2021. Prosecutor Eric Cottier was attorney general for 17 years until December 2022 of Vaud. That's the home canton (state) of the International Olympic Committee and swimming's governing body World Aquatics. WADA says Cottier will have total access to its files. He should report to WADA within two months. The Paris Olympics open July 26.
John Leicester, Associated Press | Posted April 25 - 1:30 p.m.
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Special anti-terrorism measures being put in place to safeguard the unprecedented opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the River Seine will also apply to all buildings along the route. The Paris police chief said Thursday that will mean people who work and live along the route and their guests will be subjected to background security checks. The wildly ambitious July 26 ceremony is proving to be a huge security challenge. Athletes will be paraded through the heart of the French capital on 94 boats along a 6-kilometer stretch of the Seine. All of the parade route will be inside a high-security zone that the police chief described as an "anti-terrorism perimeter."
Terry Tang, Associated Press | Updated April 23 - 10:22 p.m.
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Like many little girls, a young Kristi Yamaguchi loved playing with Barbie. So, it's surreal for the decorated Olympian figure skater to now be a Barbie girl herself. Mattel announced Wednesday that there will be a Yamaguchi doll as part of Barbie's "Inspiring Women Series." Yamaguchi was the first Asian American to win an individual figure skating gold medal at the Olympics. She says that having a Barbie is an honor and she hopes it can inspire Asian American kids. The doll's release is timed for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, in May. Mattel replicated the then 20-year-old Yamaguchi's outfit and look at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
The Associated Press | Posted April 23 - 1:27 p.m.
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Officials at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport have unveiled a new security baggage system and a dedicated baggage handling area ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The new equipment includes a revamped scanner system to allow a more detailed scan of passengers' baggage, so that travelers won't have to remove items such as electronic devices, aerosols or liquids from their bags. As the first gateway to the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Charles de Gaulle Airport expects to process over 114,000 baggage from delegations and the media and it's expected to receive an estimated 47,000 pieces of sports equipment.
Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press | Posted April 23 - 10:08 a.m.
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Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she is confident water quality will be up to the Olympics standards this summer. She said she'll be be swimming there, possibly alongside President Emmanuel Macron. The Seine River is the venue for marathon swimming at the Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon. An environmental group recently denounced the river's poor water quality. Hidalgo mentioned new facilities that have been specially built to clean up the Seine. She said she invited top officials, including Macron, to swim in the Seine at an event dubbed "the big dive" to be staged at the end of June or beginning of July.
Jade Le Deley And Nicolas Garriga, Associated Press | Updated April 23 - 5:57 a.m.
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French police have evicted migrants from a makeshift camp in Paris a few steps away from the Seine River. It's the latest operation in what aid groups call a campaign of "social cleansing" ahead of the Summer Olympics. Around 30 teenage boys and young men from West Africa were awakened by police officers and urged to pack their tents and belongings. The operation came days after police carried out a large-scale eviction at France's biggest squatter camp. Such evictions happen every spring. But aid groups say these efforts are intensifying ahead of the Olympics. Paris police say the operation was carried out for security reasons.
Doug Feinberg, Associated Press | Posted April 23 - 3:30 a.m.
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Allisha Gray is glad to be back playing 3x3 with an eye towards being a member of the team at the Paris Olympics this summer. She's the only player returning from the foursome that took home the gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago. That was the inaugural appearance of the sport at the Olympics. Gray was one of eight players selected from the 15-person training camp over the weekend to participate in a 3x3 tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts at The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. She's on a team with Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink and Linnae Harper. The other U.S. team in the tournament features Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, Lexie Hull and Hailey Van Lith.
Graham Dunbar, Associated Press | Updated April 22 - 12:19 p.m.
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The world's top anti-doping regulator says after reviewing a documentary and other media reports that it stands by its decision to clear 23 Chinese swimmers to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned heart medication. The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a statement Sunday following the release of a German documentary on the cases. In an earlier statement WADA said it agreed with Chinese authorities and ruled that the swimmers' samples had been contaminated. The New York Times reported that Chinese anti-doping authorities found the results of the tests were Adverse Analytical Findings, but cleared the swimmers without any penalties after finding that the samples were flagged as positive as a result of contamination.
Eddie Pells, Associated Press | Posted April 20 - 1:44 p.m.
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Revelations of nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers whose positive doping tests went unpunished have sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the head of the U.S. drug-fighting organization. WADA says it will turn to legal counsel to address a statement released by Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Tygart says WADA and anti-doping authorities in China failed to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.
The Associated Press | Updated April 20 - 9:33 a.m.
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The world's top anti-doping regulator says 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned heart medication because it agreed with Chinese authorities and ruled that their samples had been contaminated. The World Anti-Doping Agency said Saturday that the swimmers tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine in the months leading up to the start of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The Daily Telegraph in Sydney and The New York Times reported that Chinese anti-doping authorities found the results of the tests were Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) but cleared the swimmers without any penalties after finding that the samples were flagged as positive as a result of contamination.
The Associated Press | Updated April 19 - 3:58 p.m.
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The flame that will burn at the Olympics is spending the night at the ancient Acropolis in Athens, a week before its handover to Paris 2024 organizers. Ceremoniously lit at the ruined birthplace of the ancient Games, Olympia in southern Greece, the flame is being carried around Greece by a string of torchbearers. Parts of the relay are being made by ferry or plane. Late Friday, the champagne-colored torch for the Paris Games was brought to the Acropolis, the ancient citadel that dominates the Athens skyline and is Greece's top tourist attraction. On Saturday, the flame will travel to Delphi and central Greece.
Kelvin Chan, Associated Press | Updated April 19 - 2:08 p.m.
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Olympic organizers have unveiled their plans to use artificial intelligence in sports, joining the global rush to capitalize on the rapidly advancing technology. The International Olympic Committee outlined its agenda for taking advantage of AI. Officials said it could be used to help identify promising athletes, personalize training methods and make the games fairer by improving judging. IOC President Thomas Bach said the committee is "determined to exploit the vast potential of AI in a responsible way." The IOC revealed its AI strategy as it gears up to hold the Paris Olympics, which are set to kick off in just under 100 days.