Tag: Paris

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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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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