Tag: Olympic Games

2024 Olympics: Amid scandal, Canada edge New Zealand 2-1; Coach sent home

Defending champions Canada defeated New Zealand 2-1 in their Paris Olympics opening game on Thursday in a match overshadowed by a spying scandal that has engulfed the women’s tournament.

Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens scored on a night which might have been a routine group win for Canada, before being pushed into the global spotlight due to a spying scandal.

The situation saw manager Bev Priestman sitting out Thursday’s game and two staff members sent home amid allegations of drone use at two New Zealand practice sessions.

Assistant Andy Spence acted as coach, while Priestman, who had removed herself from the game after New Zealand’s complaint, watched it from the team hotel.

The full fallout from the scandal is yet to be known, as Canada Soccer has launched an independent external review into the matter.

Global football’s governing body FIFA has also begun disciplinary proceedings.

Joseph Lombardi, one of the staff members sent home, was handed an eight-month suspended jail term and his material was confiscated, a French court said.

New Zealand coach Indiah-Page Riley, meanwhile, said the scandal “lit a fire in our bellies.”

Mackenzie Barry shocked the Canadians by opening the scoring with a goal in the 13th minute when she fired home off the underside of the crossbar after Katie Kitching’s corner-kick.

But Canada eventually proved too strong for the women’s football minnows, whose best Olympic finish was a quarter-final appearance in 2012.

Lacasse levelled in first-half added time, stabbing home from close-range after some exquisite passing.

Viens netted the winner in the 79th minute in front of a sparse crowd at Geoffrey-Guichard Stadium.

This Wasa when she ran onto a pinpoint long pass from Jessie Fleming and fired first-time into the far corner from a tight angle.

France beat Colombia 3-2 in Thursday’s late Group A match, while Spain beat Japan 2-1 in their Group C opener.

Canada football coach sent home from Paris Olympics

Canada has sent home their women’s Olympic football coach, Bev Priestman, following allegations of drones being used to spy on their opponents.

Canada are the women’s Olympic champions from Tokyo 2020 and had already sent home two members of staff on Wednesday.

That was after drones were used to spy on a New Zealand practice in France.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said in a statement on Friday it had now removed Priestman from the team due to her suspension by Canada Soccer.

“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Canada Soccer chief executive Kevin Blue said.

“In (the) light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“This will also be in place until the completion of our recently-announced independent external review.”

Assistant coach Andy Spence will take the reins for the remainder of the Olympic Games.

Canada defeated New Zealand 2-1 in their tournament opener on Thursday.

Priestman had earlier removed herself from coaching the match on Wednesday.

July 26, 2024
Paris 2024: Morocco beat Argentina in chaotic opening football match

A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos.

But former champions Argentina were eventually beaten 2-1, following a video assistant referee (VAR) review after play was suspended with the scores tied at 2-2.

Argentina’s Cristian Medina scored deep in injury time to salvage what looked like a 2-2 draw, but the decision ruling out the goal was delivered about two hours after play was suspended.

That was when the teams re-emerged on to the pitch to finish the match in an empty stadium.

The teams played for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its review and disallowed the goal.

After order was restored in Saint-Etienne and the teams had left the field following the fan invasion, they discovered that the match had not been completed but suspended by officials.

The venue manager told Reuters the game had been interrupted, adding that a decision about whether the match would be completed was being discussed.

The teams re-emerged just before 7 p.m. local time and warmed up a second time so the final minutes could be played.

The gold medal winners in 2004 and 2008 were not at their best in spite of lining up with recent Copa America winners Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli.

Soufiane Rahimi put Morocco ahead after Achraf Hakimi set him up from the right following a superb passing move in the final seconds of the first half.

Rahimi doubled the advantage and netted his second from the penalty kick spot in the 49th minute before Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for Javier Mascherano’s side in the 68th minute.

Medina then found the net 16 minutes into stoppage time before fans stormed the pitch and objects were thrown at players as chaos erupted in the eastern French city.

Spain beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in their opening match of Group C at the Parc de Princes.

Spain, who struggled to hit their stride in the opening stages of the game, took the lead in the 29th minute against Uzbekistan with a close-range finish from Marc Pubill off Abel Ruiz’s flick.

Uzbekistan, cheered on by an ecstatic crowd, equalised just before half-time, thanks to Eldor Shomurodov’s penalty kick following a VAR review for a Pau Cubarsi foul.

“For me, Uzbekistan were no surprise,” Spain coach Santi Denia said.

“We have achieved our objective, but it’s been a very difficult game and now it is time to improve. That’s my job, I have to transmit better.”

“I told the team at half-time to improve ball circulation, which was what we were missing. We have to improve that. If we do it we will have more options to achieve victory.”

Spain wasted a golden chance to restore the lead after the break when Sergio Gomez’s penalty kick effort was saved by Abduvohid Nematov.

But the Real Sociedad player redeemed himself and found the net in the 62nd minute.

July 25, 2024
Olympic Games: World number one forced out of Paris 2024

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has pulled out of the Olympic Games in Paris due to illness.

The current world number one announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he was suffering from tonsillitis and was “not feeling well.”

His doctor had urgently advised him not to take part in the Olympic tennis tournament, which runs from Saturday to Aug. 4.

Sinner wrote that the cancellation was “a big disappointment” because participation at the Games had been one of his main goals of the season.

“I was looking forward to representing my country at this important event.”

Sinner was one of the main rivals for Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev, who is one of the favourites in Paris.

He said he would now “support the Italian athletes from home”.

The 22-year-old was also entered for the doubles competition with Lorenzo Musetti, where the pair were also seeded number one.

July 25, 2024
Paris 2024: Israel’s opening football match passes security test

Israel’s opening Olympic football match against Mali on Wednesday passed the first major security test ahead of the Games’ official opening ceremony.

This was as fans from both sides sought to play down the political context and enjoy the action.
France deployed about 1,000 police officers backed by Israel’s own internal security service, Shin Bet, to welcome thousands of supporters for the evening kick-off.

They cordoned off the streets around the Parc des Princes in western Paris and set up a perimeter a few kilometres away from the stadium.

The Paris 2024 Summer Games is taking place amid pronounced security concerns and heightened geopolitical tensions, including the one generated over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say.

But the Group D match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and was attended by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was spared of any major incidents.

This was helped by both sets of supporters seeking to put to one side the politics.
Malian and Israeli flags were abundant and the pre-match was good-natured with supporters mingling.

Inside the stadium, Malian supporters appeared to out-number and out-sing their Israeli rivals.

The Israeli national anthem was initially booed before those cries were drowned out, while a few supporters waved Palestinian flags.

A handful of people at the start of the game stood near the pitch wearing white t-shirts each with a letter to read out “Free Palestine.”

After a minute, stewards intervened.

“I don’t really care about the minority who don’t want Israel here,” said Michael Levy, 50, whose nephew Ethan plays in the Israeli team.

He added that he was at the stadium to have fun and enjoy the football.

“Anti-semitism is a disease and I’m not here to be the cure.”

Other Israeli fans also said they wanted an Olympic truce to forget the war in Gaza and enjoy the festivities.

Mali, a mainly Muslim state, broke off ties with Israel in 1973 after the Yom Kippur war.

As a former French colony, there is a large Malian diaspora in France and they came out in force to back their players.

Aisha Cisse, dressed in a traditional dress in the yellow, green and red colours of Mali, had travelled from Bamako and follows the country’s football teams at all international tournaments.

She danced and sang her support, saying she was simply in France to watch The Eagles, the team’s nickname, win.

The heavy security presence appeared to dampen any hope of protests against Israel’s participation in the Games as some, including French far-left lawmakers, had urged.

“We are here for the football and we shouldn’t mix politics with football,” said Franco-Malian Kouma, 31, who works in the restaurant business.

The Israel-Mali match offered a first snapshot of how other competitors and the wider public respond to Israeli participation in the Games.

The Paris 2024 Games take place five decades after Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

At their training headquarters in Croissy, some 20 kilometres west of Paris, the Israeli players on Tuesday sought to come across as relaxed, but there was some tension in the air.

Media minders yelled “only football” when reporters attempted to ask questions about the political backdrop.

“We came here to win and achieve things with this team and are very excited,” Omri Gandelman, a midfielder who plays for Belgian side Gent, told reporters. “We have a job to do.”

July 25, 2024
Paris 2024: Brazil coach, Elias urges team to beat Super Falcons today

Brazil’s head coach, Arthur Elias, is eagerly anticipating his team’s opening Group C match against Nigeria’s Super Falcons in the women’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The match will take place at the Matmut Atlantique Stadium in Bordeaux on Thursday.

Brazil holds a flawless record against Nigeria, having won both of their previous encounters. Elias is optimistic about his team’s prospects in the competition, expressing confidence in their ability to go far.

“The team’s commitment is outstanding. We have an increasingly strong group of players and a unity of thought,” Elias told FIFA.com. “This is a crucial factor for advancing in such a challenging competition and achieving success in the knockout stages.”

The match is scheduled to start at 6 pm Nigerian time.

July 25, 2024
Amusan, Opeyemi lead Team Nigeria at Paris Olympic Games

The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports Development, have appointed Tobi Amusan as the Nigerian flag bearer and Anuoluwapo Opeyori as the General Team Captain at the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Tony Nezianya, the Public Relations Officer of NOC who will serve as the Press Attaché to the team said this in a Statement on Tuesday in Awka.

Amusan was the reigning world champion in the 100m hurdles and one of Nigeria’s brightest medal prospects in Paris.

Anuoluwapo Opeyori, on the other hand, is an experienced badminton player who has been representing Nigeria since 2017.

Nezianya said as the General Team Captain, Opeyori would play a crucial role in providing leadership and guidance to the Nigerian team contingent in Paris drawing from his international experience to inspire his teammates.

“The decision to appoint Amusan and Opeyori to these prestigious positions reflects the high expectations the country has for its athletes at the upcoming Olympic Games,” he said.

Nezianya said both of them had proven their mettle on the global stage and are poised to lead Nigeria’s charge for glory in Paris.

According to him, Opeyori, 26, won the African Championships and African Games in the singles event in 2019 and also competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“Earlier this year, Amusan set a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (with a 0.9m/s wind), highlighting her impressive form heading into the Olympics.

“She narrowly edged out two-time world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica, who finished second with a time of 12.46 seconds,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Games will officially open on Friday, July 26 in ‘the city of love’ Paris.

July 23, 2024
IOC promises “spectacular” Paris Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Monday in Paris promised a “spectacular” Olympic Games in the coming weeks.

Bach said the sports event was a symbol of hope for people around the world.

“For billions, the Olympic Games are the only event that still brings the whole world together in peaceful competition,” Bach said at the opening of the IOC General Assembly in the private museum of the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

Bach somehow referred to the difficult times in which the Paris Games are taking place.

“Whenever you talk to people, everyone is fed up. People are fed up with all the hatred, aggression, killing, war and confrontation,” the IOC President said.

Olympic values such as solidarity, equality and human dignity for all are therefore more important than ever, Bach underscored.

The Summer Games in Paris open on Friday, and athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be competing, as well as another IOC refugee team.

Bach added that it was going to be a spectacular Olympic Games, saying the future of the Olympic Movement was secured.

With the help of sponsors and media partners, the IOC can already count on revenue totalling 7.3 billion dollars for the period from 2025 to the next Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

A further 6.2 billion dollars can be expected for the following four years.

Earlier on Monday, a cross-section of Olympic athletes made a call for peace at the inauguration of the Olympic Truce mural for the Paris Games.

The athletes from all of the NOCs and the IOC refugee team wore scarfs and held flags with the slogan “Give peace a chance” at the event in the Olympic village.

“The athletes were the peace ambassadors of our time,” Bach later told the international gathering.

“You, the Olympic athletes, will show us how our world would be, if we all lived in the same Olympic spirit of peaceful co-existence,” he said.

“You will compete fiercely against each other. At the same time, you are living peacefully together under one roof, here in the Olympic Village.

“You are respecting the same rules and most importantly you are respecting each other. In this way, you are sending a resounding message of peace from Paris to the world.”

The IOC president wished that their united call should “inspire all the political leaders of the world to take action for peace.”

The Olympic Truce mural has been present in athletes’ villages since the 2006 Winter Games in Turin and has been signed by thousands of athletes.

The Olympic Truce was originally in place for the Games in ancient Greece to allow safe passage for athletes and spectators.

It was re-established in the 1990s, with a first United Nations-endorsed Olympic Truce in 1993 under the name “Building a peaceful and better world through sports and the Olympic ideal.”

The truce for the Paris Games and Paralympics was adopted last November.

July 23, 2024
Olympics: Player amputates finger to compete at Paris Games

Australian field hockey player Matt Dawson has gone to extraordinary lengths to compete at the Paris Olympics.

The 30-year-old amputated part of a finger to ensure he will be fit for his third appearance at the Games.

Dawson, a silver medallist at the Tokyo Games of 2020, was a doubt for Paris after recently breaking the ring finger on his right hand.

Doctors gave him a choice of amputating part of his finger or letting it recover. But, only one way would ensure he got to Paris.

“I didn’t have much time to make the decision,” he told Australian broadcaster Seven Network.

“I made the decision, then I called my wife and she said, ‘I don’t want you to make a rash decision’.

“But I guess I had all the information I needed to make a decision for not only playing in Paris, but for life after and giving myself the best health.”

The Seven Network showed footage of Dawson wearing a protective black guard over his finger.

The Australian men’s coach praised Dawson for his courage and commitment, while admitting he was not sure if he would do the same.

“The best way of recovering from it was to just chop the end of the finger off,” coach Colin Batch said.

“So, that’s what he decided to do. It’s not something a coach can decide for a player.

“Full marks to Matt. Obviously he’s really committed to playing in Paris. I’m not sure I would have done it. But he’s done it, and so (that’s) great.”

Australia, runners-up up to Belgium at Tokyo, will hope to go one better in Paris where the hockey tournament starts on July 27.

July 20, 2024
Olympics: Paris 2024 opening ceremony will be different – Organisers

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26 will be a joyful, daring and atypical show, the ceremony’s organisers have said.

The organisers assured on Friday that the event was going to be one in which artists and athletes together celebrate Paris, France and the Games alongside the river Seine.

Unlike for previous Olympics, the Paris 2024 opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium.

Instead, dozens of boats will carry thousands of athletes and performers on a six-kilometre route along the Seine.

“We know the importance of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games.

“It’s key for the athletes, it’s key for the country which organises it,” Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris Olympics Organising Committee, told reporters.

“That’s why, from the start, we have been very ambitious, because we really want this opening ceremony to embody all the ambition of Paris 2024: daring, atypical Games, which shows the best of France.”

Details including some of the artists taking part, who will last carry the torch and light the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games, have been kept secret.

The ceremony’s artistic team said they had been rehearsing in private to keep it all under wraps.
But what is known is that there will be a floating parade, departing from Austerlitz bridge, sailing by Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and arriving near the Eiffel Tower.

The show will also be using nearby monuments and mixing music, light and dance.

“We’ll have some clichés (about France) but also we are going to share what is Paris, what is France today,” Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, told reporters.

More than 300,000 spectators will be watching from the riverbanks, with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on TV or on social media.

“I’m very impatient … I want to share it now because (we’ve been) working on this ceremony for two years … and I’m so impatient to share it with the world,” Jolly said.

“About the artists (who will take part in the ceremony), we are not going to say anything.

“But it will be a beautiful night with a lot of important people who have something to celebrate with us about Paris.”

Jolly said the show would last about three and three-quarter hours and be “a large fresco” which will “inter-weave the parade of athletes, the artistic paintings and the elements of protocol which are staged.”

“That is the moment to celebrate the relationship that Paris, that France maintains with the world at the moment when the world enters Paris and when the world will look at Paris,” he said.

Maud Le Pladec, the ceremony’s choreographer, said: “There will be this total show, everything will be mixed.”

“This is a popular show, but (you’ll see) how we can make it chic also, how we can make it à la Francaise.”

The 2024 Olympics will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, while the Paralympics will be held from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

July 19, 2024
Paris 2024: D’Tigress to play Japan in warm -up game

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has announced additional friendly games for D’Tigress, the country’s women’s basketball team, as part of their preparations for the Olympic Games. Initially, the NBBF scheduled games against Germany on July 19th and Serbia on July 21st. Now, D’Tigress will also face Japan in France in their final test game before the Olympics.

Head coach Rena Wakama has expressed confidence in the team as they continue their training camp in Germany. Speaking to NBBF media, Wakama stated, “Things have been going well in the camp over the last few days. We’ve had great practice sessions, and the girls are in high spirits. They are responding well to training and improving daily. That’s what matters.”

Wakama, who led D’Tigress to their fourth Afrobasket title in Rwanda, added, “I’m confident that the girls will display their talents when we get to Paris. I’m excited and looking forward to the games.”

July 12, 2024