Thread: 2024 Paris Olympic Games

• Matt Anderson takes charge as USA win big match with Slovenia

Unites States remained the only undefeated team in Pool B of the men’s FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers and are getting closer and closer to snatching one of the two Olympic tickets from Tokyo to Paris. With star opposite Matthew Anderson leading the way, they handed Slovenia their first loss of the tournament, as the two teams got into a head-to-head battle for the top of the current pool standings on Friday.

The Americans registered a 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 25-19) victory over Slovenia to improve to a 5-0 win-loss record and full 15 points. They established total domination on the court to win the first set and had control of the scoreboard until 20-18 in the second, when the Slovenians mounted a six-point run to reach set point and then won the set. Riding the momentum, the Europeans took an early two-point lead in set three and held on to it until 7-5, after which the rest of the match was pretty much all about USA. They cruised on to win the third and the fourth sets, with outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke scoring the match winner with an ace.

• Brazil, Colombia win Olympic tickets as final fours set in Santiago

Ana Machado and Ana Maria Rendon have won Olympic quota places for Brazil and Colombia by making the semifinals of the recurve women’s event at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

The other two archers in the final four (defending champion and top seed Alejandra Valencia and world number two Casey Kaufhold) are not eligible to win places as their countries, Mexico and the USA, have already qualified at least one women’s ticket to Paris 2024.

It means the two individual slots available at this event can already be assigned.

“I can’t believe that this is happening,” said 24-year-old Machado. “I’m so nervous, I’m still really, really nervous. It’s my first Pan American Games and I’m in the semifinals. I’m really happy.”

Rendon, who has twice been on the podium at this event having won bronze in 2007 and silver in 2015, called the ticket motivation to work harder.

The 37-year-old went to three Olympics from 2008 to 2016 but missed out on Tokyo.

She’ll face the Mexican number-one qualifier in Sunday’s semifinal. Already a two-time winner at this event in 2011 and 2019, Alejandra Valencia has a chance to become the first archer in history to win the individual title at the Pan American Games on three occasions.

• Toronto sailor Sarah Douglas qualifies a spot for Canada at 2024 Paris Olympics

Canadian sailor Sarah Douglas qualified a spot for Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Saturday after finishing in 24th position overall in the women's dinghy competition at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands.

The Toronto native qualified Canada one spot in the women's one-person dinghy category ILCA 6, which will get underway next August at the Marseille Marina in France.

"I'm really happy to have qualified Canada in ILCA 6 for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," Douglas said in a release. "It's great to know that Canada will have a boat on that starting line and, hopefully, it will be me. It was a tough event, but hopefully, better for the future and I'm glad to have achieved that goal."

While the 29-year-old clinched a spot for Canada, no individual athlete met the Sail Canada selection process criteria to automatically qualify themselves in ILCA 6 for the 2024 Games.

• Towering inferno: Olympics organisers stick to Tahiti site amid coral reef fears

Paris 2024 organisers are sticking to their choice of Tahiti’s Teahupo’o for the Olympics surfing competition despite local opposition amid a dispute over the construction of an aluminium tower that residents say will damage the coral reef.

The idyllic lagoon-side village has long hosted some of the best contests on the professional World Surf League’s (WSL) championship tour, using a modest wooden tower for judges on the reef that is dismantled after each event.

Paris 2024, which has highlighted its ambition to minimise the Games’ environmental impacts, plans to spend nearly $5m (£4m) to build a much larger tower with toilets, air-conditioning and space for 40 people that it says is needed to meet safety standards.

An online petition calling for the scrapping of plans for the 14-metre aluminium scaffolding and 800m service channel through the reef had gathered more than 150,000 signatures by Wednesday. French Polynesia president, Moetai Brotherson, on Wednesday said the surfing events for the Summer Games could be moved to Taharuu, on Tahiti’s west coast.

“That would have enabled us to avoid the problems we have today. At the time, it wasn’t possible. In view of the issues at stake and the protests today, perhaps we can revise this option,” Brotherson was quoted as saying by French media at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Paris 2024 said it wished to find a solution through dialogue. “As our president, Tony Estanguet, recently pointed out, our priority today is to find a solution that will enable us to organise the surfing events of the Olympic Games in Tahiti, at the Teahupo’o site, in the best possible conditions,” Paris 2024 organisers said in a statement to Reuters.

“Tahiti was chosen because of the Teahupo’o site and its legendary wave, one of the most beautiful in the world. Discussions and studies will continue over the coming weeks to find a solution for organising the events on the Teahupo’o site.

• Argentina seal Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification

Hockey at Pan American Games 2023 came to an end today with Argentina men and women claiming the gold medals and securing qualification to the Olympic Games Paris 2024! Both the Argentine teams defended their titles from the 2019 edition of the games. The men’s team were the first to win their gold medal, defeating Chile 3-1 in the finals. The women’s team faced USA in the finals and came away with a thrilling 2-1 win to secure their 11th gold medal at the Pan American Games.

Following Argentina's victory in the men’s competition, second placed Chile and third placed Canada will now move on to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 where they will get a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Following Argentina’s victory in the women’s competition, USA, Chile and Canada will now move on to the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 where they will get a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

• USA boxer Morelle McCane: "Discipline is self-love and I’m the captain of my ship"

Boxing can at times be an unglamorous sport, centred around blood and sweat. But all changes when Morelle McCane enters the ring.

The Team USA welterweight is a natural-born entertainer, with a vibrant personality, uncompromising fighting style, and a passion for fashion that she shares on her aptly-named Instagram handle @million_dollar_mo.

It’s a devastating combination that saw McCane land the 2022 USA Boxing International Invitational, 2021 USA Boxing Elite National Championships, 2021 National Golden Gloves, and 2020 USA Boxing Elite National Championships.

These achievements laid the foundation for perhaps her biggest achievement in boxing to date: winning the 66 kg silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, to secure a quota for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

• Bach: Paris 2024 Olympics Will Not Be Canceled Due to War

The Olympics have been called off in the past on three occasions — in 1916, 1940, and 1944, all due to war — but International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said Monday that the Paris 2024 Olympics will not be cancelled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the war between Israel and Palestine.

“We have a very strong geopolitical tension,” Bach said at a German forum. “To say that we are sacrificing the Games, that would be completely the wrong approach.

“We have had many wars between governments and countries, but the athletes have always taken part in the Games,” he continued. “This is in line with the Olympic mission.

“I don’t know that we’re having a world war,” Bach added. “To betray the basic idea of sport is not something that can be done with the International Olympic Committee. According to the U.N. definition, we have 28 wars in the world at the moment. Our mission is a humanitarian mission for athletes and sport. We try to take that into account. People also need something that connects them.”

Bach has previously said that athletes should not be punished for the actions of their government, but he acknowledged “it’s a dilemma” whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in Paris. In September, World Aquatics approved their participation as neutrals, and a few Belarusian swimmers competed at the final stop of the World Cup series in Budapest, Hungary.

• Turkish wrestler Yavuz's 2024 Olympic golden mat aspirations soar

During Serbia's 2023 World Wrestling Championships, one name stood out among the rest – Evin Demirhan Yavuz, who did not just aim to secure her spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but to also to make history.

After returning from Serbia to her hometown of Siirt, Yavuz, in a chat with Anadolu Agency (AA), reminisced about her humble beginnings.

"My home was right next to the gym," she recalled. "During my childhood summers, I would wander over with my friends, and fate introduced me to the world of wrestling. Little did I know that this chance encounter would shape my destiny."

Yavuz's wrestling journey started in 2009, and her accolades quickly piled up.

She mentioned her golden debut at the Turkish National Championships and the subsequent invitation to join the national team camp.

As she put it: "That's when the story of my wrestling adventure began. I had never ventured beyond my hometown before wrestling, the chance led me to explore new cities and embark on a global odyssey. I was privileged to introduce 'firsts' for my country."

Commercial for the 2024 Paris Olympics. I was looking for the one which was shown during the Jets game but couldn’t find it. So.....

• Track Champions League: Britain's Katie Archibald reclaims women's endurance title

Britain's Katie Archibald hopes a triumphant end to this year's Track Champions League series will propel her to Olympic glory at Paris 2024.

The series concluded with two rounds in London this weekend and Archibald, 29, reclaimed the women's endurance title.

She now aims to add to the Olympic gold medals she won in team pursuit (Rio 2016) and madison (Tokyo 2020).

"I'm really glad I left with the jersey and some good morale to go forward with," Archibald said on Eurosport.

"I think it's important to have good morale as we go through this next phase of building foundational work to try to take it to the next level in August.

"That was always going to be the risk of coming to an event like this. If you put yourself on a low note everybody can pull themselves up and say 'this is a sign you need to work harder'. I really take a lot of momentum from success."

• United States secured qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The United States breathes a sigh of relief after securing a last-minute equestrian jumping ticket for Paris 2024. They risked everything on the last opportunity available to them, the Pan American Games. Their success allows them to defend many of the achievements they obtained in the last Olympic events.

The Pan American Games and the Nations Cups in eventing and equestrian jumping were the last chance for countries to obtain team tickets for Paris 2024.

There is one remaining spot for the dressage team, which is likely to be allocated to the highest-ranked country that has not yet qualified.

The United States, which has won six equestrian jumping medals in the last five Olympics, did not qualify through the Nations Cup finals and the 2022 World Championships. This meant that the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games were the last opportunity for the country. The United States is one of the strongest equestrian jumping nations in the world to secure a team ticket for Paris. After finishing the first day in provisional fifth place, the team climbed the rankings to win gold and qualify for Paris.

"There's a great sense of relief," said U.S. team chef d'équipe Robert Ridland. "We really brought this down to the wire in terms of qualification," he added. "I don't think people have talked about how competitive the Pan American Games have become, and it's very stiff competition for all the teams. For us, this gold is just the icing on the cake because our priority was to secure our qualification, so now the team can enjoy this moment, but we have to immediately start shifting our focus and planning to Paris," the official explained.

• Michael Hooper is going for gold in Paris

Michael Hooper has joined Australia’s Sevens squad in a bid to cap his glittering career with an Olympic gold medal.

The 32-year-old, who was controversially overlooked by former coach Eddie Jones for the Wallabies’ ill-fated World Cup bid, has signed up to play in the newly-revamped global Sevens series in the build-up to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

It follows the news that France captain Antoine Dupont is set to sit out the upcoming Six Nations to prepare for the big event in his home nation.

A four-time winner of the John Eales Medal as the best Wallaby player of the year, the 125-time capped flank Hooper will join the Sevens program full-time in January, and hopes to play his first tournament at the inaugural Perth SVNS event over the Australia Day long weekend.

A Wallabies’ captain on a record 69 occasions, the announcement almost certainly spells the end of Hooper’s national ambitions in the XV-a-side game.

But he says he is looking forward hugely to his new challenge in what he called a “massively exciting year with the Olympics on the horizon”.

“The transition is something I have thought a lot about and I’m extremely motivated by the challenge of playing Sevens and trying to earn my way into this team,” Hooper said in a Rugby Australia statement.

“I’ve started making a few changes to my training in preparation and can’t wait to get started in January.

​

• Team GB has a new track bike for 2024 Olympics that's 3D printed and costs PS55,000

Great Britain riders could be set to compete on a new bike for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, with details emerging of a 3D printed frame that costs £55,000.

The bike appears almost identical to the striking Hope x Lotus HBT track bike used by Team GB since the last Olympics in 2021. However, the design and manufacturing have come in-house under the technical experts at the UK Sports Institute (UKSI), with the frame dubbed the UKSI-BC1.

The UKSI website confirms that it has been constructed using additive manufacturing, which is a type of 3D printing. There are currently constraints on which materials can be used for additive manufacturing, so the frame is most likely titanium or scalmalloy.

• Teahupo'o Outrage Sparks Change: Paris 2024 Plans 'More Moderate' Olympic Tower

Paris 2024 has made a decision regarding the controversial judging tower planned for Teahupo'o.

A "more moderate" aluminum judging tower will be constructed on the reef at Teahupo'o, according to a press release posted online today.

The issue got heated in October when Tahitians peacefully protested the tower and launched a petition that gained over 160,000 signatures. Opponents say the tower will damage the reef, the ecosystem, and possibly the wave itself. They urged the organization to use the existing "minimal impact" wooden tower the World Surf League has used for decades.

Teahupo'o local and surfer Matahi Drollet posted the video above in October, explaining protesters' concerns.

According to the press release, the new judging tower plans include:

• Reducing the surface area of the new tower to bring it back to the size of the old wooden tower
• Reducing the weight of the new tower from 14 to 9 tons, bringing it down to the weight of the old wooden tower, reducing the load on the foundations
• Reducing the number of people and equipment on the tower during the Games to coincide with the number of people present for the WSL (25 to 30 people compared with 40 in the initial project)
• Adopting a temporary solution for the supply of fiber and electricity, with provision for the removal of the sublagonal cable after the Games
• Removing drinking water and wastewater connections
• Reinforcing measures to allow monitoring of the construction site by the public authorities responsible for environmental protection, environmental study organizations, and representatives of associations

• 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials For Boxing Seedings Now Confirmed

USA Boxing announced today the official seedings for next month’s 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Boxing, scheduled Dec. 4-9 at the CAJUNDOME in Lafayette, La.

Up to four boxers per weight category will receive seeds, according to the following prioritized performance criteria:

1. 2023 Elite High Performance Team Member.
2. 2022/2023 Elite Continental Championships or Pan American Games Medalist competing at the same weight or bordering weight category.
3. 2022 USA Boxing Elite National Champion.
4. 2022 Youth World Championships Medalist competing at the same weight or bordering weight category.
5. 2023 Youth High Performance Team Member.
6. 2022 USA Boxing Elite National Championships 2nd place finisher in same weight category.
7. 2023 USA Boxing Elite National Qualifier Champion in the same weight category.
8. 2023 Golden Gloves Champion in the same weight category.
9. 2023 USA Boxing Summer Festival Champion in the same weight category.
10. 2023 USA Boxing Last Chance Qualifier Champion in the same weight category.

After the top four seeds have been selected, the remaining boxers in that weight category are drawn randomly.

The remaining boxers within the weight category will be drawn at random during the draw on Sunday, Dec. 3.

If a weight category does not have four boxers that meet one of the criteria above, that bracket will be drawn with less than four seeds. Those who meet the criteria will be seeded and the remaining boxers will be drawn at random.

With over 150 boxers from across the country coming to compete in one of the 13 Olympic weight categories, the champions will advance to the second stage of USA Boxing’s selection process, excluding the women’s 54 kg, which will see the top two advance. Full selection procedures can be found here.

Here is how the entire top four rankings played out per each weight category.

• Meet Britain's teenage climbing sensation set to make Olympic history in Paris

One of Great Britain's most exciting Olympic prospects is ready to make his mark in Paris after perfectly carrying out a plan which started when he was 12 years-old.

Toby Roberts, now 18, won October's European qualifier in Laval and is now set to become the first-ever British male climber to compete on the Olympic stage.

The youngster's dedication has never been in doubt and he would be taken on six-hour drives to Malham in Yorkshire from their home in Elstead, Surrey, during his formative years by his dad and coach, Tristian.

The path to punching a Paris ticket has not been straightforward but having cleared every hurdle, Roberts can now start visualising life on the biggest stage.

• China women's football coach Shui sacked over Olympic failure

The former international player, the first woman to take charge of the Steel Roses, was named the Asian Football Confederation's women's coach of the year for 2022 just a few weeks ago.

But she has paid the price after a qualifying campaign for Paris 2024 ended in failure earlier this month, with fans turning on the coach.

"The contracts of the head coach and the original coaching team have automatically been terminated according to the agreement," a Chinese Football Association statement read.

An interim coaching team will take charge for two friendly matches away at the United States next month while the CFA gives "careful consideration" to her successor.

Japan men and women secure Olympic qualification in Osaka

There was double delight for Japan as both the men’s and women’s teams became the final regional qualifiers for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with victory in the Asia Rugby qualification tournament in Osaka.

Both teams competed in the inaugural Olympic rugby sevens in Rio in 2016 and were present again as hosts in Tokyo in 2021, and they will now complete a hat-trick of appearances in the French capital next year.

The women were first to qualify with a 21-14 win against China before the men staged a dramatic comeback to beat Hong Kong China by an identical scoreline.

Hong Kong China men’s bid to qualify for their first Olympics is not over, however, as the runners-up and third place team will get another chance to book their place in Paris via the Final Olympic Qualification Tournament in 2024.

• Megan Thee Stallion stars in NBC Olympics promo for 2024 Paris Games

Three-time Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion stars in the latest NBC Olympics promo for the 2024 Paris Games, performing in front of a Palace of Versailles-themed backdrop.

In the spot that debuted Thursday, she was joined by dressage horses as backup dancers and a fire-breathing, talking horse at the palace, which will be the equestrian venue for the Paris Games.

“That is Thee Olympics, Hot Girl Style,” she tells a room of executives after the fantastical scene.

In making the promo, NBC Universal worked with elite equestrians, including 2016 Olympic team dressage bronze medalists Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass.

• Townsville’s Breiana Whitehead has made history today, becoming the first Kitefoil sailor to be selected for an Australian Olympic Team.

Kitefoil racing will make its debut at Paris 2024, with the discipline set to excite when competition commences on the waters of Marseille in July next year.

This will be Whitehead’s Olympic debut, as she becomes the first Australian sailor selected to the Australian Olympic Team for Paris.

Breiana says it’s hard to comprehend her journey from young athlete to the Olympic Games.

“I’m really excited to know that I have been selected to represent Australia in Kitefoiling,” she said.

“I’m stoked that I’ll be racing in the debut of Kitefoiling in the Olympics and keen for the world to have a front row seat of our high adrenaline sport.

“If you told the little girl from Townsville who was obsessed with sailing that she was going to the Olympics in 2024 I don’t think she would have believed you,” she concluded.

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• Riding the wave to history: B.C. teen first Canadian surfer to qualify for Olympics

Surfing isn't a sport most people associate with Canada. But when the 2024 Summer Olympics get underway next July, at least one Canadian will be there with surfboard in tow.

Earlier this week, Sanoa Dempfle-Olin from Tofino, B.C., became the first Canadian surfer to qualify for the Olympics.

"It's been an unreal experience so far. And now being home, I feel like it's just settling in," the 18-year-old told The Current guest host Duncan McCue.

Surfing made its Olympic debut in the 2020 summer games in Tokyo; 20 men and 20 women from across all continents qualified for those games, but none of them were Canadian.

Canada's surfing competition debut will come in 2024 though, thanks to Dempfle-Olin's performance in the 2023 Pan American Games. She secured provisional qualification by reaching Monday's women's final, where she subsequently snagged the silver medal in women's shortboard.

• The Mexican artistic swimming team is going to the 2024 Olympics

With their green, red and white flags in hand, the Mexican artistic swimming team made history at the 2023 Pan American Games.

With their recent gold medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, a few weeks ago, the Mexican team was able to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The Mexican team as a whole has not qualified for the Olympics since 1996.

Individuals from the team have qualified in previous Olympic Games in solo or duet events but this will be the first time the entire team has qualified in 27 years. With a gold medal in a duet category and a team event, Mexico made headlines.

Artistic swimming, also referred to as synchronized swimming, is when swimmers perform choreographic routines accompanied by music. The routines are done both under and above water. The sport requires both a physical and an artistic element.

• Tall Blacks Qualifying Pool For Paris 2024 Olympics Confirmed

Following the Draw for the FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024 this morning, the Tall Blacks now know which countries they will battle on the road to the Paris Olympics.

Today’s Draw in Switzerland has confirmed that the Tall Blacks will travel to Piraeus, Greece from 2-7 July 2024 to participate in one of four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Joining New Zealand in Piraeus will be opponents Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Egypt and Dominican Republic – with the team that finishes first in this tournament earning a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.

If New Zealand are able to finish first in this tournament, they will progress to the Olympics for the first time in 20 years; their last appearance coming in Athens in 2004 when they finished 10th overall.