Paris Olympics News

Bilquis Mir from Jammu and Kashmir is set to become the first woman from India to represent the country as a jury member at this year's Summer Olympics, which is to be hosted by Paris from July 26 to August 11. Gir's appointment as a jury member for the Paris Games was official conveyed through a letter from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to the Jammu and Kashmir administration. «Bilquis Mir, water sports promoter, developer, athlete, jury member of Indian Kayaking and Canoeing association has been nominated as the member of the jury to officiate at the Paris Olympics games. She is the first person from India to be appointed as a jury member at the Paris Olympics,» the IOA stated in the letter to the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

France's government increased its security alert posture to the highest level Sunday after the deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and the Islamic State's claim of responsibility. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the decision in a post on X, saying authorities were «taking into account the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats weighing on our country.» The announcement came after Presiden t Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting prompted by Friday's attack in a Moscow suburb that killed more than 130 people. The attack was claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. France has repeatedly been hit by deadly Islamic State attacks, including the Bataclan theater massacre in 2015 in which extremists opened fire on concert-goers and held hostages for hours. French troops have also fought against Islamic extremists in the Middle East and Africa.

Gabriel Attal made this announcement after a meeting with top security and defence officials alongside President Emmanuel Macron. Attal shared on social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), that the decision to elevate the alert level was made "in light of the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats facing our nation". "Following the attack in Moscow, a Defense and National Security Council was convened this evening at the Elysée by the President of the Republic.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) has mandated a vetting process for Russian and Belarusian athletes who have qualified successfully for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This decision comes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after which the IOC worked on issuing a ban from participating in IOC-affiliated competitions including the upcoming Paris Olympics. However, the IOC later allowed them for qualifying at the Paris Olympics but they will be allowed to participate after following a vetting process. They will also be called for participation on the basis of individual neutral athletes which will see them participating in the Olympics without their country's flag, emblem or anthems.

Paris Olympics quota winners Akhil Sheoran and Anish Bhanwala as well as Niraj Kumar shone the brightest as Indian rifle and pistol shooters ended their Polish Grand Prix campaign with six medals, including two gold on Monday. Some members of India's 50m rifle and 25m rapid-fire pistol squad are currently on an exposure tour to Europe to compete in various established international Shooting events, in the build-up to Paris 2024. Akhil Sheoran won gold for India in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) match two, when he shot a scorching 468.4 to leave Patrik Jany of the Czech Republic a distant 2.2 behind in second at the Grand Prix Wroclawia & Dolnego Slaska. Both those scores were however higher than the existing world record of 466.1, held by Jany's countryman Jiri Privratsky, as per a press release from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

The French government says that several of its services are being targeted by cyberattacks of «unprecedented intensity» and a special crisis center was activated to restore online services

PTI. Punia suffered a crushing 1-9 defeat in the men's freestyle 65kg semifinal against Rohit Kumar. The following defeat was after he barely managed to win against Ravinder (3-3 on criteria) in the opening round.

French Open badminton crown for the second time with a dominating straight game win over Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the men's doubles final here on Sunday. The world No. 1 Indian pair had finished runners-up in the French Open in 2019 before winning the title in 2022. On Sunday, the Asian Games champions outwitted Lee and Yang 21-11 21-17 in 37 minutes to regain the Super 750 tournament title and also win their first crown of the season after reaching the summit clash for the third time in 2023. The Indian duo had finished second best at Malaysia Super 1000, India Super 750 this year, while signing off as runners-up at China Masters Super 750 as well last year.

AFP. This incident took place at the capital's Gare du Nord station, police sources informed on Tuesday. It was found that a bag containing a computer and two USB memory sticks that had confidential police security plans for the Summar Olympics 2024 were stolen from a train on February 26.

Striking workers have again closed down the Eiffel Tower

The Indian Express, Janneke Schopman said, I come from a culture where women are respected and valued. I don't feel like that here. I think it's very difficult.

Malaysia for her comeback tournament. PV Sindhu was silently confident about her return to competitive badminton having put in the hard yards all of January 2024. For any sportsperson, a comeback from injury is always the most difficult challenge of all.

Lionel Messi vs. Kylian Mbappé showdown on a global soccer stage to follow their epic World Cup final in 2022. The men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics starts July 24 and Argentina has now joined host France in the 16-nation lineup. After Argentina earned its Olympic place late Sunday, beating two-time defending champion Brazil, talk turned toward luring Messi to compete for a second gold medal 16 years after his first.

Cori Broadus is making a gradual recovery following her recent disclosure of a severe stroke. Cori Broadus is 24-year-old and is the daughter of Snoop Dogg with his wife Shante Broadus. Cori Broadus has offered a recent update from her hospital bed. She posted a video on her Instagram Story and in caption wrote, «They took me off heaprin tonight (blood thinner) & most likely can go home tomorrow.»

Man Singh became only the second Indian man to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Marathon Championships as he won the race with a personal best time here on Sunday. The 34-year-old Man Singh clocked two hours, 14 minutes and 19 seconds (2:14:19) to win the competition.

Olympic medal hopes from badminton have always been resting on the shoulders of its women players. They were, expectedly, realised too. Saina Nehwal brought home the first one in 2012 and Sindhu two, in 2016 and 2020 respectively.

HS Prannoy is enjoying the best phase of his career and would be one of the dark horses at the Paris Olympics, reckons Denmark's head coach Kenneth Jonassen. Prannoy had a phenomenal season in 2023, winning a maiden bronze medal at the Asian Games and World Championships, and also sealed his first super 500 title at the Malaysia Masters besides finishing runner-up at Australia Open. Jonassen, who has coached the likes of world no.

Savita Punia, captain and goalkeeper of the Indian women’s hockey team, who was still trying to wrap her head around the fact she will not be going to the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a lump in her throat. India needed to beat Japan in the thirdplace match of the Olympic qualifers in Ranchi on Friday to book a berth in the Paris Games. But, they lost.

Indian women's hockey team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics after going down 0-1 to Japan in the third-fourth place match of the FIH Olympic Qualifier here on Friday. Kana Urata scored for Japan off a penalty corner in the first quarter and they kept the lead intact till the end of the match while Indians failed to find the target.

₹3,397.32 crore to this sector, including a substantial boost to Khelo India with ₹1,045 crore. Punit Balan, Chairman & Managing Director of the Punit Balan Group, highlighted the government's commitment to fostering athletic talent.

Japan skipper Yuri Nagai on Sunday said they made a few changes to their squad following a heart-breaking loss to India in the Asian Champions Trophy final and picked themselves as a top contender for the Women's Olympic qualifiers. Japan and New Zealand, the final two remaining teams, arrived here on Sunday for the highly-anticipated Olympic Qualifiers beginning on January 13. «Among the Asian representatives, Japan and India are the sole contenders in this tournament.