Page 32 - Olympics

France files charges against teen accused of plan to attack Olympic fans

French authorities on Friday raised preliminary terrorism charges against an 18-year-old accused of a plot targeting spectators attending soccer games at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The interior minister said it was the first such thwarted plot targeting the Games, which start in eight weeks as France is on its highest threat alert level. The man is accused of planning a 'violent action' on behalf of the Islamic State group's jihadist ideology, the national counterterrorism prosecutor's office said in a statement Friday. The man, who was not identified, is being held in custody pending further investigation. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne. According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the ...

French security officials foil plan to attack soccer events during Olympics

The French interior minister said Friday that security authorities have foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the Paris Olympics. Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that an 18-year-old man from Chechnya was arrested on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon. The Paris Olympics will run from July 26-Aug 11. Soccer matches will take place in cities across France before the final in Paris' Stade de France.

Uber to offer Seine river cruises, day trips in Paris during Olympics rush

Uber also plans to make a significant investment in driver incentives and discounts for riders

Ex-Olympic pole vault champion Braz banned for doping, to miss Paris Games

Olympic pole vault gold medalist Thiago Braz was banned for 16 months for doping and will miss the Paris Games, track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit said on Tuesday. Braz won the Olympic title at his home Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 and took bronze in Tokyo three years ago. The 30-year-old Braz's ban expires in November and he has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the AIU said. Braz claimed his positive test for ostarine was caused by a contaminated nutritional supplement and the anti-doping tribunal judges accepted by a 2-1 verdict he was not at significant fault, the AIU said. The track and field investigation unit said it would consider an appeal to CAS after asking the first tribunal to impose a four-year ban. Braz was reckless and acted with indirect intent, the AIU said, because he was aware of concerns with Brazilian pharmacies and manifestly disregarded that risk. He tested positive at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm last July, several

Olympics 2024: Indian relay team's plan for qualification revealed by Jacob

Determined to improve its time and qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's 4x400m relay squad had planned to shadow the formidable USA team at the World Athletics Relays, sprinter Amoj Jacob had revealed. The Indian men's squad comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Arokia Rajiv and Jacob qualified for the Paris Games after finishing second in their heat at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month. The Indian quartet finished with a collective timing of 3 minutes and 3.23 with USA (2:59.95) expectedly topping the heat. "We knew that we had the US in our Heats and they mostly run below 3 minutes. So, our plan was to stay close to them in the race, which will not only improve our time but also help us qualify for Paris Games," Jacob told SAI Media. "Our target was to register a time between 3:00 and 3:10 so that our confidence is high going into the Paris Olympics," he added. The Indian team was in third position when anchor-leg runner Jaco

Paris Olympics 2024: Rohan Bopanna to pair with either Balaji or Yuki

India's top doubles player Rohan Bopanna will pick either N Sriram Balaji or Yuki Bhambri as his partner for the Paris Olympics and All India Tennis Association (AITA) will most likely approve his choice even as the combinations will be discussed by the selection committee. Ranked four in the world, 44-year-old Bopanna, being a top-10 player, can pick a player of his choice as per the rules. The men's doubles draw at the Paris Games will be a 32-team affair, where one nation can have a maximum of two teams. The qualification criteria gives top-10 players the privilege to pick their partners, who should be inside top-300 on the ATP and WTA ranking charts. The rankings of June 10 after the conclusion of the French Open will be considered for qualifications. According to AITA sources, Bopanna had recommended names of Balaji and Bhambri to the national federation for inclusion in TOPS as his potential partners for Paris Olympics. "Usually, it's the player's choice (to pick his partne

Paralympics opens in 100 days; Paris organisers push ticket sales

With 100 days until the Paralympics begin, Paris organizers are delivering a message from the athletes in a bid to boost ticket sales: I am not missing anything, except you. The countdown campaign for the August 28-September 8 Paralympic Games begins Monday. It features three Paralympic athletes, each of them alone in an empty stadium. The campaign slogan Il ne me manque rien, sauf vous (I'm not missing anything, except you) is a rallying call to get people to come along and watch them compete. The French athletes featured in the campaign are Arnaud Assoumani, a long jump and triple jump specialist who won gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing; wheelchair tennis player Pauline Droulde, and blind soccer player Gal Rivire who was a European championship winner two years ago. He plays at club level for Bondy Ccifoot Club in the same suburb where France star Kylian Mbapp grew up. National broadcaster France Tlvisions will show the campaign in a bid to raise awareness and ultimately bo

Paris Olympics: Opted for athletics due to father's passion, says Jyothika

An academically-inclined child is a dream realised in most Indian households and that's why Olympic-bound runner Jyothika Sri Dandi aspired to be a doctor before she realised that her father would be happier seeing her excel in sports. The 23-year-old from Tanuku town in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, secured 97 per cent in Class X while studying at the Montessori School at her home town. But, her father Srinivasa Rao, a body-builder in his younger days, nudged her into taking interest in sports as he wanted to see her in the Olympics some day. That dream is going to be a reality in less than three months' time. Jyothika was part of the Indian women's 4x400m relay team that qualified for the Paris Olympics during the World Relays in Bahamas earlier this month. "I got 97 per cent in class X and when I was in school I actually wanted to be a doctor. But, once I started doing sports, I could not go back and think about becoming a doctor," Jyothika, who is taking part in the

Aman Sehrawat seals Paris 2024 Olympics quota; Deepak Punia crashes out

Sehrawat, a U23 world champion, beat Chongsong Han of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 12-2 in the semi-final for India's sixth quota in wrestling for the Paris 2024 Olympics

Neeraj Chopra to compete before Indian fans for first time in 3 years

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's presence will turn the National Federation Cup, starting Sunday, into a high-profile domestic competition though several top athletes have decided to skip the four-day Senior Championships. The 26-year-old Chopra will be competing in a domestic event for the first time in three years, after featuring in the 2021 edition of the same event. It will also be the first time that Chopra will compete in India after winning a historic gold in Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Chopra last took part in a domestic competition at the same Federation Cup in March 2021, when he won a gold with a throw of 87.80m. Since then, he has mostly been training and competing abroad, accumulating silverwares and titles. He became a world champion, won three individual Diamond League titles, one DL champion's trophy and defended his Asian Games gold in China. The superstar Indian, who is hoping to defend his Olympic gold during the Paris Games, is heading to India from Doha where he

Nisha Dahiya secures India's fifth Paris Olympic quota in woman wrestling

Nisha Dahiya became the fifth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Paris Olympics after prevailing over Romania's Alexandra Anghel in the 68kg semifinals at the World Olympic Qualifiers here on Friday. This will be the first time India will have five women wrestlers at the quadrennial extravaganza. This was a day after all six Greco-roman wrestlers came up with forgettable performances. Nisha, a World U-23 bronze medallist and Asian Championships silver-medal winner last year beat Anghel 8-4 by points to enter the final and secure another Olympic quota for India. This will be the first time that five Indian woman wrestlers will be competing in the Olympics. Against Anghel, Nisha zoomed to a 8-0 lead with a flurry of attacks in the first period. She began with a right leg attack and converted that into a takedown. She quickly followed that up with a two-pointer and rolled her rival for a comfortable 6-0 cushion. Before the end of first period, she had taken what became an ...

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, will Schengen visa woes ease?

While France is the most sought-after destination amongst all Schengen countries, the wait time for its visa and the rejection rate for Indians are high

Shooting trials for Olympic selection set to commence in Bhopal on 11 May

A total of 37 pistol and rifle shooters will resume their quest for a spot in the Indian squad for the Paris Olympic Games when Olympic Selection Trials (OST) 3&4 commence here on Saturday. The Indian shooters have secured 16 Paris quota places (the maximum possible) in pistol and rifle and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is conducting trials among the top-five in the country in each event to select the squad for the Olympics. In shooting sport, Olympic quotas are earned for the the country and individuals securing the slots are not assured of Paris berths unless they top the selection trials. The top two shooters in each event, based on the average of the best three trial scores out of four, will board the flight to Paris. The first set of two trials was held at the Karni Singh Ranges in New Delhi last month and the MP State Shooting Academy here will decide the Olympic fate of top contenders over the next few days. The first day of the trials will see the men's ..

Gymnast Simone Biles wants to turn her post-Olympic tour into celebration

Simone Biles is bringing back her Gold Over America Tour this fall, with a twist. This time, the guys are invited too. The decision to include the men on the 30-city tour that starts in Southern California on Sept. 17 and ends in Detroit on Nov. 3 was intentional. Biles, who will try to build on her haul of seven Olympic medals this summer in Paris, wanted to broaden the show. I think the first time we were very driven on female-forward cast and having the beauty in that and knowing that we can put on a show without the guys and just having the girls being in their feminine power and being beautiful and being the stars, Biles said ahead of the tour's announcement on Thursday. But this time around we're like OK, that worked but let's do it a little bit differently, let's invite the men.' That includes Fred Richard, 20, who became the first American man to medal in the all-around at the world championships since 2010 when he earned bronze in Belgium last fall. Richard, who is eyeing

Too many functions comes in way of training ,competing in India: Chopra

Based abroad for training most of the time, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Thursday acknowledged that his stardom sometimes comes in the way of training and competing in India. The 26-year-old superstar, who is the reigning world and Asian Games champion as well, is set to begin his season with the first leg of Diamond League here on Friday. "For me more important is my sport. It's good for my profile if I play in India but there are too many functions, marriage functions. I also want to join my family and friends but more than that, I want to train in an Olympic year," the youngster from Haryana told reporters at a pre-competition press conference here. "Before Tokyo (Olympics), I always trained in India but right now I just want to focus on my game. I will train in India later," he added. From here, he will fly to Bhubaneswar next week to compete on home turf for the first time in three years during the May 12 to 15 Federation Cup. He is aware of being a familiar face in Indi

Chopra to start Olympic buildup at Diamond league along with Kishore Jena

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's Paris Games preparations will be put through a stern test when he begins his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League one-day meet series against a star-studded but familiar field, here on Friday. The 26-year-old Indian javelin superstar, who is also the reigning world and Asian Games champion, will be up against the likes of former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Olympic and world-medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic. Asian Games silver-medallist and his compatriot Kishore Jena will also be in the fray as he makes his Diamond League debut. Jena has a personal best of 87.54m while Chopra's all-time best is 89.94m, which is also the national record. European champion Julian Weber of Germany, fourth in the Olympic Games and World Championships, will also compete in the 10-man field. The league will then move to Morocco on May 19. Chopra is also the defending champion here as he had set the tone for his title-laden

OMEGA ropes in Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra as sporting ambassador

Olympic and world championships gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been roped in as the sporting ambassador of Swiss luxury brand for watches OMEGA, which is also the Official Timekeeper for this year's Paris Olympics. The star Indian athlete was invited to the OMEGA boutique in Doha, ahead of his participation at the first leg of Diamond League on Friday. Speaking on the partnership, Chopra said, "I am very excited to be a part of such an iconic brand that plays such a huge role in timekeeping at the Olympic Games. I am looking forward to a great association with OMEGA and the upcoming spectacle in Paris." Chopra is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin and the first Asian to win gold in his event at the World Championship. OMEGA has been the Official Timekeeper at almost every Olympic Games since 1932. Paris 2024 will mark OMEGA's 31st occasion as Official Timekeeper of the Games. After competing in the Diamond League, Chopra will head

Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra says belief key to success in Paris Games

The 26-year-old will defend his crown at the July 26-Aug. 11 Games and will be joined by compatriot Kishore Jena, while DP Manu also has a chance of qualifying for Paris

Olympic torch arrives in France's Marseille amid fanfare, high security

Excitement is building in the southern French city of Marseille, where a majestic three-mast ship carrying the Olympic torch arrived from Greece ahead of a welcoming ceremony at sunset Wednesday. Paris Games organizers have promised fantastic" celebrations in the city, where the Old Port has been placed under high security. The torch was lit in Greece last month before it was officially handed to France. It left Athens aboard a ship named Belem, which was first used in 1896, and spent twelve days at sea. More than a thousand boats will accompany the Belem's parade around the Bay of Marseille. The ship will dock on a pontoon that looks like an athletics track in the Old Port. The welcoming ceremony at dusk on Wednesday will include a demonstration by the jets of the Patrouille de France, the acrobatic team of the French air force. "The return of the Games to our country will be a fantastic celebration," said Paris 2024 Olympics Organizing Committee President Tony Estanguet. As a f

Taylor Swift draws five times as many US luxury travelers as Olympics

Now, Swift fever is reaching Europe, where many cities-including Paris-maintain limitations on ticket resales, preventing prices from reaching the five-digit sums that some consumers have paid in US