South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji, whose skill and nonchalance won the internet at the Paris Olympics, has landed her first acting role – as an assassin.
The 32-year-old took silver in the women’s 10m air pistol in July and her ultra-calm demeanour, combined with her wire-rimmed shooting glasses and baseball cap, turned her into a worldwide online sensation.
Continue reading...Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik reportedly placed under ‘ideological scrutiny’ and could face punishment if they fail to criticise inappropriate behaviour
For most observers, it was proof of sport’s ability, if only for a fleeting moment, to bring people together – even when they live on opposite sides of one of the world’s most heavily armed borders.
But one of the most celebrated images of the Paris Olympics – a selfie taken by medal-winning table tennis players from either side of the divided Korean peninsula – appears to have landed the North Korea duo in trouble back home.
Continue reading...French service sector drives growth but experts warn strong figures mask disappointing performance elsewhere
The Paris Olympics have provided a boost to the eurozone economy after a sharp rise in spending as athletes and spectators descended on the French capital for the summer sporting event.
Figures from a closely watched survey of businesses showed monthly French private sector output rose to its highest level in 17 months in August.
Continue reading...Eldoret forced to remove statues of runners deemed a poorly done ‘joke’ on eve of event to confer city status on town
Authorities in a Kenyan town known for its athletics prowess rushed to remove statues of runners on Wednesday night that some people had deemed shoddy, on the eve of an event to confer city status on the municipality.
The Rift Valley town of Eldoret, home to many great runners, had earlier this week put up a number of thematic pieces of art to showcase its agricultural and sports heritage. The sculptures included statues of athletes and one of a maize cob next to a wheat stalk.
Continue reading...Petition amassing more than 45,000 signatures repeats falsehoods about breakdancer’s selection for Paris 2024, says AOC
The Australian Olympic Committee has condemned an anonymous online petition that repeats falsehoods about how B-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn was selected to compete at the Paris Games.
Matt Carroll, the chief executive of the AOC, said the petition – which also criticised Australia’s chef de mission, Anna Meares – was “disgraceful” and amounted to bullying and harassment.
Continue reading...Defacing of Rome artwork celebrating Olympic champion Paola Egonu widely condemned across political spectrum
A mural celebrating the Italian Olympic volleyball champion Paola Egonu has become the target of “vulgar racism” after the athlete’s skin in the image was spray-painted pink.
The mural by the street artist Laika was defaced within a day of being unveiled on a wall close to the headquarters of the Italian Olympic committee (Coni) in Rome.
Continue reading...The Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016, has said that he considered quitting the Paris Olympics amid the controversy surrounding his participation.
Van de Velde and his beach volleyball partner Matthew Immers reached the quarter-finals in Paris, where they lost to Brazil in straight sets. The pair played four matches in the tournament and Van de Velde was subjected to a stream of boos and whistles.
Continue reading...Bare-chested climber had ascended halfway up north face of structure when he was intercepted by Paris police
A climber scaled the north face of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday, the last day of the Olympics, but was intercepted by police midway up, police said. “At 2.45 pm, an individual was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower,” a police spokesman said. “The police immediately intervened and arrested the individual.”
Videos showed the bare-chested man skirting the Olympic rings as he made his way up without ropes.
Continue reading...Plus ça change: after more than two weeks of frenetic competition across 32 sports involving more than 10,000 athletes, the US finished the Paris Olympics top of the medal table once again, although they required victory in the final event of the Games to do so.
The US entered Sunday with 38 golds, one behind China’s tally of 39, although they were heavy favourites for victory in women’s basketball, an event the Americans have won at every Olympics since 1996. The US also had chances for gold in track cycling, wrestling and volleyball, while China could add to their tally in weightlifting.
Continue reading...The runner, who has set a new British record, only took up sport again to stay fit during pandemic
Georgia Bell, an occasional runner during lockdown who made it to the Olympic final of the women’s 1500m, set a new British record to take bronze as a rush of success including silvers in artistic swimming and taekwondo took Britain’s rivalry with France in the medal table into the last day.
At the age of 30, this was Bell’s first Olympic appearance but in a lightning quick race in the Stade de France that saw Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon set a new Games record, the British runner stayed with the leading pack in the first 800m before finding the strength to kick on in the final leg.
Continue reading...The Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, has said the 2028 Olympics will be a “no-car Games” as the city prepares to host the event in four years’ time.
Bass and Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the LA 2028 organizing committee, highlighted some of the planning that has already been completed. Bass was preemptive about the city’s notorious traffic, addressing the issue in her opening remarks at a press conference in Paris on Saturday.
Continue reading...The rapper was arrested for an incident involving a hotel security guard while he is in the city for the Olympics
Rapper Travis Scott was arrested at a Paris hotel after an altercation with a security guard, French prosecutors said Friday.
The arrest occurred after police were called to the Georges V hotel early Friday to arrest a man “nicknamed Travis Scott for violence against a security guard”, according to a statement from the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
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Wong endorses call from Blinken for de-escalation in Middle East
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she endorsed Antony Blinken’s call for de-escalation in the Middle East.
We continue to add our voice to the support for the ceasefire outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the security council.
Thank you for an incredibly productive day.
Continue reading...Romania’s prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said he will boycott the Olympic closing ceremony after his country were denied a medal in the women’s gymnastics.
Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her bronze for the floor event on Monday when coaches for Jordan Chiles, of the United States, entered an appeal to judges over Chiles’s score. The inquiry resulted in a 0.1 boost for Chiles, enough to overtake Barbosu for the last spot on the podium.
Continue reading...Pledges of pesos, property and pasta as ‘Caloy’ makes history for his country with floor exercise and vault victories in artistic gymnastics
The Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo’s historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics has been celebrated across the Philippines, with businesses showering the athlete with gifts – from cash and a new home, to a lifetime supply of mac and cheese.
Ferdinand Marcos, the president, said the Philippines had “witnessed history” when Yulo became the first Filipino man to win an Olympic gold medal after competing in the artistic gymnastic floor exercise on Saturday. He is only the second Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold, after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in 2020. On Sunday, Yulo soared to the top of the podium again in the vault, thus becoming the first Filipino to win two golds – and at a single Olympics.
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For more on this, Daniel Hurst looked into the issue yesterday. A spokesperson for the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, had said the government was “firmly committed to minimising harms from online wagering”.
The government continues to engage with stakeholders regarding the recommendations from the online wagering inquiry as we formulate our response.
I hope that’s not the case. I hope the long consultation is because the government’s actually going to do the right thing and make gambling ads history, just like we did with tobacco. We live in hope it’s not too late, but the rumors are not encouraging.
Continue reading...Sprinter Julian Alfred and triple jumper Thea LaFond both win gold on Saturday
There was jubilation in the Caribbean on Sunday after St Lucian sprinter Julian Alfred and Dominican triple jumper Thea LaFond secured their countries’ first ever medals, both golds.
From entering the Games as a little-known competitor, Julian Alfred demonstrated immense athletics prowess by winning the women’s 100-metre finals on Saturday, in 10.72sec.
Continue reading...Mission: Impossible star pre-taped stunts in Paris and Los Angeles for the 11 August ceremony, reports suggest
Tom Cruise is reportedly set to assist with the ceremonial Olympic Games handoff between Paris and the 2028 host, Los Angeles.
The closing ceremonies will get a boost from the Mission: Impossible actor who has filmed stunts in both cities as part of a pre-taped segment for 11 August, according to TMZ.
Continue reading...Guns, for understandable reasons, should be treated with extreme caution. So it’s a surprise that one of the best marksmen in the world treats the pinnacle of his sport like it’s a casual day at the park.
Rather than the hi-tech gear that many of his fellow Olympians have worn in Paris this year, Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç competed in a baggy T-shirt, with one hand in his pocket and glasses that looked like they were bought on discount at the local opticians.
Continue reading...City officials say they have ‘reversed the tide of history’ thanks to completion of €1.4bn sewerage system
French city officials have hailed a “historic day” after the Olympic triathlon competitions were held in the River Seine just a day after it was deemed unsafe for swimming.
Tests on the water showed the men’s and women’s competitions could go ahead on Wednesday morning, resulting in victory – against all odds – for the city as well as for French athletes who took medals in the women’s and men’s events.
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