Tag: Olympics

Andy Murray uncertain if he’ll play in Paris Olympics

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FILE–Britain’s Andy Murray gestures to the public after playing against Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during their men’s singles match on day one of The French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at The Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 26, 2024. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

Andy Murray said Sunday he was “not 100 percent sure” he will play at the Paris Olympics despite being selected just hours earlier for his fifth Games.

Murray, who has said he intends to retire later this year, was granted an International Tennis Federation (ITF) place to compete at the Games despite his lowly singles ranking of 97 because he is a former Grand Slam winner and Olympic champion.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will represent Team GB in the men’s doubles and the pairing of Murray and Dan Evans has been nominated for an additional space in that competition, which will be determined by the ITF — the governing body of world tennis who run the tournament — on June 25.

The 37-year-old Murray said his participation at the Games was partly dependent on whether he was involved in the doubles, as well as singles, competition.

READ: Andy Murray named for fifth Olympics

“I am not 100 percent sure,” Murray told reporters at Queen’s Club, while dressed in a Team GB tracksuit. “It depends a little bit physically how I am doing. How the next few weeks go as well. Yeah, my plan just now is to play, but it is not straightforward.

“I’ll find out in the next 10 days or so on the doubles and what’s going to happen there. Hopefully me and Evo get the chance to play.”

Murray, who won Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio in 2016, was one of four British male singles players selected alongside Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans.

It was a landmark day for Draper, the incoming British number one, as just hours later the 22-year-old won his maiden ATP tour title, beating former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in the final of the Stuttgart Open.

Team GB was also notified on Thursday that 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu would be in the mix for an ITF place, but she turned down the chance because of the multiple changes in surface over the coming weeks and after only recently returning from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Katie Boulter — who beat Raducanu in the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open on Sunday — was the sole female player included in the British team.



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Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio to carry PH flag in Paris Olympics

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FILE–Nesthy Petecio.–POOL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Boxers Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio will carry the Philippine flag in the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Paalam and Petecio, who both secured silver medals in the previous Olympics in Tokyo, were designated flag-bearers by the Philippine Olympic Committee for the opening rites of the global sports showpiece on July 26.

The 25-year-old Paalam got the silver after a split-decision defeat to Galal Yafai of Great Britain during their men’s flyweight finale three years ago while Petecio, 32, earned the distinction as the first Filipino woman boxer who reached the podium in the Olympics.

READ: Carlo Paalam hurries to be 100 percent battle-ready for Paris Olympics

Carlo Paalam qualifies for Paris Olympics

FILE–The Philippines’ Carlo Paalam reacts after winning against Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov during their men’s fly (48-52kg) quarter-final boxing match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / POOL / AFP)

The silver finish of both Paalam and Petecio plus the bronze medal of boxer Eumir Marcial in the middleweight division broke the country’s medal drought in the sport since Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco claimed a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.

A total of 15 Filipinos have already booked their spots in Paris headed by pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, Levi Ruivivar and weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, Elreen Ando and John Ceniza.

READ: Hard work continues for Nesthy Petecio after clinching Paris Olympics berth

Joining them are fencer Samantha Catantan, rower Joanie Delgaco and boxers Hergie Bacyadan, Aira Villegas and Marcial.

Several more athletes from athletics and swimming are expected to qualify after the Olympic qualification door closes on June 30.



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Mbappe rules out representing France at Paris Olympics

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France’s forward #10 Kylian Mbappe looks on during an MD-1 training session at Paul Janes Stadium in Duesseldorf on June 16, 2024, on the eve of their UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match against Austria. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

France captain Kylian Mbappe on Sunday admitted that he will not represent his country at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“For the Olympics my club has a position which is very clear so that means I think I will not participate in the Olympics. That is how it is,” Mbappe said.

The 25-year-old, who was speaking ahead of France’s opening Euro 2024 game on Monday against Austria, has just signed for Real Madrid and will join the European champions for the new season under freedom of contract from Paris Saint-Germain.

READ: Kylian Mbappe finally joins Real Madrid

The men’s Olympics football tournament begins on July 24, with the final on August 9.

The Spanish season is due to start a week later, while Madrid is also due to play Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on August 14.

“Joining a new team in September would not be the best way to begin my adventure,” admitted Mbappe, who had previously stated a wish to be able to play for Thierry Henry’s French Olympic team.

READ: PSG, French football prepare for challenges of post-Mbappe era

“I wish the best to the France team. I will of course watch all their games as a spectator rather than an actor, and I hope they bring back the gold medal.”

This week Lionel Messi confirmed he would also not go to the Olympics, turning down the chance to win the gold medal with Argentina for a second time.



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Andy Murray named for fifth Olympics

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Britain’s Andy Murray gestures to the public after playing against Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during their men’s singles match on day one of The French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at The Roland Garros Complex in Paris on May 26, 2024. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

Andy Murray was on Sunday named as one of the four British singles players for the Paris Olympics, which will be his fifth Summer Games.

Murray, who has said he intends to retire later this year, was granted an ITF place to compete at the French Open at Roland Garros despite his lowly singles ranking of 97 due to being a former Grand Slam winner and Olympic gold medalist.

Team GB was also notified on Thursday that 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu would be in the mix for an ITF place, but she turned down the chance due to the multiple changes in surface over the coming weeks and after only recently returning from a lengthy injury lay-off.

READ: ‘Proud’ Andy Murray’s French Open career ended in first round

Murray, who won Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio in 2016, is one of four male singles players selected alongside Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans, with Katie Boulter the sole female participant for Britain.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will represent Team GB in the men’s doubles and the pairing of Murray and Evans have been nominated for an additional space in that competition, which will be determined by the ITF – the governing body of world tennis who run the tournament – on June 25.



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Joel Embiid says he’s feeling well, on track for Paris Olympics

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FILE–Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers said he is ready to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP

DALLAS — Joel Embiid was at the NBA Finals, and said his next stop is the Paris Olympics.

The Philadelphia 76ers center, who missed more than half of the regular season and then was hobbled in the playoffs because of a knee injury, said in a televised interview that his recovery is going well and he believes he’ll be ready to play for the U.S. at the Paris Games starting next month.

“I’m doing great. Just getting ready for the Olympics,” Embiid said in an appearance on ABC’s pregame show before Game 4 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. “It’s going to be big for me because I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a kid.”

READ: NBA: 76ers waste another season of Joel Embiid’s prime

Embiid’s health has been one of the questions surrounding the U.S. roster since it was revealed earlier this spring. He’s one of three centers on the roster, along with Miami’s Bam Adebayo and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis.

Other injury questions in recent weeks have revolved around the status of Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, both of whom were either hobbled or sidelined during the playoffs. The Pacers expect that Haliburton — who dealt with a hamstring problem — will be ready for the start of USA camp in Las Vegas on July 5; Leonard missed 12 of the Clippers’ final 14 games this season with right knee inflammation.

READ: Joel Embiid decides to play for USA—not France—in Paris Olympics

Embiid had options on which team to play for this summer. He could have played for France, and even his native Cameroon — which still has a chance to qualify for the 12-team field. But in October, he chose to play for the U.S., in part because his son is American.

“For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family,” Embiid said last year when revealing his decision. “My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the U.S., with my son being born here … I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”



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Unsafe E. coli levels found in Seine River ahead of Olympics

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FILE PHOTO: Athletes dive and swim in the Seine River from the Alexander III bridge on the first leg of the women’s triathlon test event for the Olympics Games in Paris, Aug. 17, 2023. Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday, June 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

PARIS — Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday.

Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci beyond limits judged safe for athletes.

The report was published by monitoring group Eau de Paris one day after a senior International Olympic Committee executive said there were “no reasons to doubt” races will go ahead as scheduled in in a historic downtown stretch of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.

The first Olympic event in the cleaned-up Seine is men’s triathlon, including a 1.5-kilometer (under 1 mile) swim, on the morning of July 30. The women’s triathlon is the next day and a mixed relay event is on Aug. 5.

READ: No Plan B for Olympics events in murky Seine

Marathon swimming races over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) for women and men are scheduled on Aug. 8 and 9, respectively, in waters that were historically polluted before a $1.5 billion investment ahead of the Olympics

“We are confident that we will swim in the Seine this summer,” IOC official Christophe Dubi said Thursday at an online briefing after hearing an update Paris from city officials and Olympic organizers.

Despite the IOC’s publicly expressed confidence, the final decision on approving the events safe for athletes should rest with the governing bodies of individual sports, World Aquatics and World Triathlon.

The safety of the Seine water for the Olympics has been in doubt since some test events scheduled last August were cancelled, also after unseasonal heavy rains.

READ: Paris holds its breath for Olympic swimming events in murky Seine

According to European standards, the safe limit for E. coli is 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. The World Triathlon Federation uses the same criteria to determine sufficient water quality for competitions.

During the first eight days of June, test results showed that E. coli levels frequently exceeded these thresholds. Enterococci levels were better, mostly staying within safe limits. The tests indicated an improvement, from high contamination levels on June 1 to more acceptable levels by June 9, mainly due to improved weather.

Rainwater infiltrates the sewer system, and to prevent street flooding, the excess water, carrying fecal bacteria, is diverted into the Seine. To address this, a massive reservoir capable of storing 50,000 cubic meters of water during heavy rainfall was inaugurated in May.

Water quality of rivers in major cities can be impacted by many things, from runoff to dumping of chemicals, sometimes illegally, and boat traffic.



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Earlier this week, Paris’ mayor Anne Hidalgo doubled down on her promise to take a dip in the river before the start of the competition. On Tuesday, she confirmed that her swim was postponed until after the snap elections in France, which end on July 7.