Spain's women's football team and Aitana Bonmati were the big winners at the Laureus Gala held this Monday in Madrid, which honoured the best of 2023, while sports stars such as Novak Djokovic, Jude Bellingham and Simone Biles also received awards.

British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson has expressed "concern" about the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Games on the Seine after French president Emmanuel Macron said it could be moved to a stadium in the event of a security threat.

The visit is one of the anticipated steps for the French bid since it was selected by the IOC last November as the "preferred host" for the 2030 Olympics, while the American city of Salt Lake City was the only candidate for the 2034 Olympics.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics could be moved from the Seine to the national stadium in the event of a security threat.

During his visit to Paris on 2 and 3 April, Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvi Bidny told 'Le Monde' that Ukraine was closely following the International Olympic Committee's examination of athletes eligible to take part in the Olympic Games

In an interview with 'Le Parisien' published on Monday 8 April, the Minister of the Interior explained the plan put in place to secure the opening ceremony and the Paris Games in general.

Russian athlete Ekaterina Poistogova-Guliyev, 33, will almost certainly be stripped of her silver medal in the 800 metres at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Russian athletics federation, RusAF, has banned the athlete, who now competes for Turkey, for four years for past doping.

French President Macron warned last Thursday of the danger of Russian disinformation during the Paris Olympics, saying his country was ready for the challenge. "I don't doubt" that the Games will be targeted by Russia, "including in the field of information," Macron said at the inauguration of the Aquatic Centre, the largest sports facility built for next summer's Olympics.  

Paris 2024's payroll has increased by more than a hundred million euros since the bid was submitted, reaching 584 million euros, the Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP) announced on Wednesday.

The Executive Committee of the European Gymnastics decided on Monday to cancel the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Israel, scheduled for 2025 at Expo Tel Aviv.

The French government raised its terror alert to the highest level on Sunday in response to last Friday's attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow that killed 137 people.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed concern over what it describes as an intensified "disinformation and defamation campaign" emanating from Russia.

Europe's top human rights body on Wednesday called for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned from the Paris Olympics. Council of Europe President Theodoros Rousopoulos said it would be an "insult to Ukrainian athletes" if competitors from the two nations were allowed to compete.

French investigators have opened an inquiry into alleged racism against French-Malian pop superstar Aya Nakamura following reports she may perform at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the prosecutor's office said.