Poop protests and political turmoil: Paris facing many messes as Olympics nears
With all the tumult surrounding the 2024 Summer Olympics — problems both large and small — it isn’t entirely surprising that Parisians have threatened to stage a “poop protest.”
Their anger focuses on a plan to have triathletes and marathon swimmers compete in the Seine River, which has been fouled by sewage and trash for centuries.
It didn’t help when Mayor Anne Hidalgo offered to take a dip in the iconic waterway. A website with a poop emoji as its mascot sprang up to coordinate hundreds, if not thousands of people defecating along the banks on the day of her swim.
While it remains to be seen if the mayor — and her constituents — will make good on their respective pledges, the Paris 2024 organizing committee has plenty more issues to address. With the opening ceremony less than two weeks away, the list includes budget increases and worrisome poll numbers, a government investigation and political upheaval both at home and abroad.
Paris Olympics sells a record 9.7 million tickets, but more tickets are available.
PARIS — After getting off to a rocky start last year, Olympics 2024 organizers said the Paris Games have broken the record for the most number of tickets sold or allocated in the event’s history. And yet, tickets are still available.
Organizers say 9.7 million tickets were sold or allocated for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 8.7 million sold for the former and 1 million for the latter.
For Paris, a total of 10 million tickets were put on sale for the Olympics — meaning that despite the historic popularity of the sporting events and unprecedented scale of this year’s competitions, there will still be many empty seats remaining.
The total ticketing figure will, however, likely rise because tickets are still on sale for some of the 45 sports.
The previous ticket sales record was held by Atlanta in 1996, when 8.3 million tickets were sold.
Team USA House in Paris gives athletes and customers a chance to relax
Los Angeles Times reporter David Wharton gives us a quick tour of the Team USA House at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is where athletes, their families, officials and the paying public can come, have a beer, watch sports and buy expensive merchandise.
U.S. men’s soccer already in must-win mode after opening loss
MARSEILLE, France — The Paris Olympics don’t officially open until Friday. The Games, however, already have begun.
And that’s not necessarily a good thing for the U.S. men’s soccer team, which returned to the Olympics after a 16-year absence Wednesday, falling 3-0 to France before a crowd of 67,000 at the Orange Velodrome, the largest attendance for an Olympic soccer match since Brazil’s opening match at home in 2016.
The goals, all in the second half, came from Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise and Loic Bade. But for the U.S. coach Marko Mitrović, the game wasn’t so much a loss as it was an opportunity.
LeBron James and Coco Gauff selected as U.S. flagbearers for Paris Olympics
LeBron James is set to compete in his fourth Olympics.
Like the previous three times, the Lakers superstar will participate in the opening ceremony.
But for the official start of the Paris Games on Friday night, James will have a role that neither he nor anyone else who has played for the U.S. men’s basketball team has held before.
James and Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old tennis star participating in her first Olympics, were selected by their fellow American athletes as the U.S. flagbearers for the opening ceremony, which will take place in boats along the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower.
Rain is in the forecast for the Olympics opening ceremony
PARIS — Will weather wreak havoc with the grandiose opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the Seine River?
According to the latest weather forecasts, there is a chance of rain Friday.
Meteo-France, the French weather service, is forecasting overcast skies from midday onward, with light rain anticipated in the morning. The weather should improve in the afternoon, but the weather service warned Thursday that showers could hit the Paris region in the evening, when the cermony takes place.
If it rains, the ceremony is expected to go on as planned. It starts at 10:30 a.m. PDT and should last more than three hours.
“For the moment, the risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out,” Meteo France said. “Forecasts have yet to be confirmed.”
There was some good news, though, with a balmy summer evening looming. Temperatures will be close to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 10,500 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 3.7 miles. Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as the athletes float by.
Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber to retire after Olympics
PARIS — Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber announced Thursday that she will retire after the Paris Olympics.
The 36-year-old German player won majors at every tournament except for the French Open at Roland Garros — on the same clay courts where she will bid farewell to tennis after the Paris Games. She faces four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round.
“Before the Olympics begin, l can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player,” Kerber posted on Instagram. “And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and l’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.”
Kerber later confirmed her retirement when speaking briefly on stage after the Olympic tennis draw. Men’s and women’s first-round play begins Saturday.
Kerber won the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2016 — the year she reached No. 1 in the rankings — and won Wimbledon two years later.
Britain’s Andy Murray withdraws from singles tournament
PARIS — Two-time Olympic tennis gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out of singles competition at the Paris Games on Thursday and will compete only in doubles, with Dan Evans.
Murray, a 37-year-old from Britain, has said these Olympics will be the final event of his career.
He’s dealt with a series of injuries, including a hip replacement in 2019, and most recently needed surgery last month to remove a cyst from his spine.
Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie.
“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan. Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together,” Murray said Thursday. “Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”
Murray won singles gold medals at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, making him the only tennis player with two.
Paris Olympics TV listings for Thursday
Thursday’s live TV broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login.
All times Pacific
HANDBALL
Women’s group play
Midnight — Slovenia vs. Denmark | USA
2 a.m. — Netherlands vs. Angola | USA
10 a.m. — Hungary vs. France | USA
RUGBY SEVENS
Men’s pool play
1:30 a.m. — Fiji vs. United States (delay) | USA
5 a.m. — Samoa vs. Kenya | USA
5:30 a.m. Argentina vs. Australia | USA
6 a.m. — United States vs. Uruguay | USA
6:30 a.m. — Fiji vs. France | USA
7 a.m. — South Africa vs. Japan | USA
7:30 a.m. — New Zealand vs. Ireland | USA
How to watch every Paris Olympics event and the opening ceremony
Amid concerns about protests, strikes, security and whatever might be floating in the Seine, the City of Light is about to strike a pose on its years-long Olympics runway. For the next 19 days, Paris will be in front of the international lens as more than 10,000 athletes and seemingly countless fans converge on France to witness and revel in the first Summer Games held in front of crowds in eight years.
That group will include the nearly 600 athletes competing for Team USA, many of whom are favorites for gold across the 329 events slated to be held.