French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes that the river will be clean enough for competitors at the Paris Olympics, which start in less than two weeks. The 46-year-old was joined by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be France's flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on 28 August.

The postponed rehearsal for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on the River Seine has been rescheduled for 16 July, France's Ministry of Sport and the Olympic Games said on Friday. When Paris 2024 begins with a waterborne parade down the river on 26 July, it will be the first Olympics in history to take the opening ceremony out of its traditional setting of the main stadium.

Alexander Ekman, head of choreography and staging for the Paralympic opening ceremony, spoke about carving "a new future" through "greater inclusion" in the development of the event, which will take place on 28 August.

On 12 July, the Torch Relay set off on a historical, gastronomic and cultural journey. The route revealed the secrets of the Côte d'Or, from the beauty of Semur-en-Auxois to the wine gems of Clos de Vougeot, including Saulieu and the archaeological site of Alise-Sainte-Reine.

Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh, expected to be one of the stars of the Paris Olympics, has already made her mark in swimming, and nobody in her family or entourage is surprised. The 17-year-old swimmer is already a four-time gold medallist at the World Championships —in the 200m butterfly and 400m medley in 2022 in Budapest and in 2023 in Fukuoka.

Karsten Warholm insisted on Thursday he would not be using a magic wand in his bid to defend his Olympic 400m hurdles title at the Paris Games in three weeks. Warholm, 28, smashed the world record to win gold in the Tokyo Olympics, clocking a stunning 45.94 seconds to win ahead of American Rai Benjamin (46.17) and Brazil's Alison Dos Santos (46.72).

The figure marks a negative record: Ukraine will be represented at the Paris Olympic Games by a total of 140 athletes. This is the lowest number of athletes the country has presented in its history at the Olympics and in international sporting competitions.

The hosts have already prepared their two flag bearers for the grand opening ceremony of the Paris Games, and they will be none other than former Olympic swimming champion Florent Manaudou and discus thrower Melina Robert-Michon.

Despite growing criticism from many in the sport world and American groups specifically, the International Olympic Committee validated the World Anti-Doping Agency’s independent report in the case of 23 positive tests from China and expressed its "full confidence" in the global watchdog.

 According to data provided by the organising committee to the AFP news agency, over 8.6 million tickets have already been sold for the Olympic Games. This figure surpasses the record of 8.3 million tickets sold for the Atlanta Games, which until now had held the highest number.

Skateboarding —along with surfing, its fellow Olympic newcomer— boosted the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games' viewership with brands eager to capture a share of the sport's youthful fan base. The urban sport is set to captivate a global audience once again with some of the youngest Olympians at the Paris Games.

Paris City Hall announced on Friday that the River Seine has been clean enough for swimming for the majority of the past 12 days, a positive sign just weeks before the Olympic Games begin.

Sport climbing aims for higher ground at the upcoming Paris 2024. Its debut at the Tokyo Games was a bittersweet experience, marked by criticism from athletes about the event's format. 

As Samia Achoui, a secretary residing in the Francs-Moisins estate, peers out of her window, she can already envision the roars and cheers reverberating from the nearby Stade de France. Less than 500 meters separate her world, plagued by poverty and crime, from the sparkling center of the Olympics.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has named the 592-member Team USA 2024 for the upcoming Olympic Games, with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for Friday 26 July in Paris. To date, 138 Para athletes have qualified for the Paralympics, which begin on 28 August.