As the Paris 2024 Olympics continues, America's Simone Biles secured her third gold medal of the Games with an impressive vault performance. In the women's vault final, Biles showed her dominance yet again, as Great Britain's Max Whitlock secured a spot in the pommel horse final. Only available for viewing to UK users, check out highlights of Biles' gold-winning routine and catch up on her thoughts on the competition thus far.
The highly anticipated Hockey FIH Pro League is back for its sixth season, promising more thrilling matches and changes to the format. After an exciting Paris Olympics 2024 hockey tournament, the winners of both the men's and women's divisions will earn direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. In addition, all participating teams will host matches in their home countries, bringing fans closer to the action. A new scheduling system will also make it easier for fans to follow the league, with matches split between December/February and June. With the inclusion of new teams like Spain and Ireland for the women's and men's divisions respectively, the upcoming season is shaping up to be the best one yet.
Yogeshwar Dutt expresses his disappointment over Vinesh Phogat's joining of Indian National Congress ahead of elections in Haryana, stating that she should have apologized to the entire country for her disqualification in the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Dutt also criticized her for creating a negative atmosphere in the country during the protests last year, and for blaming false conspiracy theories, including involving the Indian Prime Minister. He believes that instead of apologizing, Phogat's actions have only damaged India's image internationally.
Tech giant Samsung has announced its plans to support para athletes at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris through its partnership with the Olympic committee. The company has set aside 5,000 units of its latest phone, the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition, to provide to each para athlete and will also have experience stores at various Olympic venues to promote its new phones with Galaxy AI. With a strong focus on accessibility, Samsung has been supporting a roster of Team Galaxy athletes from all over the world and will also offer fans a chance to participate in pop-up experiences and win prizes such as a Galaxy Z Flip6 or a round-trip package to the next Olympic games.
After successfully hosting the Paris Olympic Games 2024, France is gearing up to host its first-ever Paralympic Games. The opening ceremony promises to be a sensational event, with a grand 4,500-square-meter podium at the iconic Place de la Concorde. 184 delegations, including a record-breaking Indian contingent, will take part in the traditional parade, with Bollywood legend Jackie Chan carrying the Paralympic flame. India, who won 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics, will be aiming for a stellar performance once again in 12 sports at the Paris Paralympics.
In the Diamond League athletics meeting in Lausanne, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo emerged victorious in the men's 200m event. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi made a strong return to the track after the Paris Games, coming just 0.20 seconds shy of breaking David Rudisha's world record in the 800m race.
The 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony ended with a bang as Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise made a grand entrance in true "Mission: Impossible" style. As he descended from the Stade de France, Cruise was joined by athletes from the Games, and was handed the Olympics flag by Simone Biles and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The hand-off symbolized the transition from Paris to the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which Cruise further highlighted with a pre-recorded clip of him riding through LA and arriving at the iconic Hollywood sign displaying the Olympic rings. This surprise performance from Cruise added an element of excitement and Hollywood glamor to the closing ceremony, leaving viewers eagerly anticipating the next Olympics in Los Angeles.
As the 2024 Paris Olympic Games come to an end, attention now turns towards the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee has announced that five new sports will be added to the Olympic program, including cricket, lacrosse, and baseball. This will be cricket's first appearance in the Olympics since 1900, and it is expected to greatly boost the value of India's broadcasting rights. Lacrosse, which hasn't been included in the Games since 1948, will be played in the fast-paced Sixes format. And baseball, a popular sport in the United States, will also make a return to the Olympics after decades of absence.
LeBron James, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, recently secured his third Olympic gold medal with Team USA's victory over France at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Reflecting on his Olympic career, LeBron shared his thoughts on which of his three gold medals holds the most significance for him. While each win holds a special place in his heart, LeBron specifically highlighted his first gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, which was seen as a major comeback for Team USA. With this latest victory, LeBron continues to solidify his status as a legend in the sport.
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan made a statement and silenced her critics by winning the Olympic Games marathon in a record-breaking time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 55 seconds. Despite running three previous races and having already covered over 12 miles in Paris, Hassan sprinted past Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa in the final 200 meters to break the 12-year-old Olympic record and claim her third gold medal of the Games. This unprecedented triple gold in the middle distances and marathon solidifies Hassan's status as the greatest female distance runner ever.