Lindsey Vonn plans to make Salt Lake City's 2034 Olympics better for athletes' families (2024)

The Dutch beach volleyball player who served time in prison for rape received a mixture of boos and applause when he was introduced before his opening match at the Paris Olympics. Steven van de Velde was convicted in 2016 of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in England. His record resurfaced last month when he qualified for the Olympics as one of the top two Dutch teams on the international tour. Van de Velde was greeted with a handful of boos when he first took the sand for warmups. The hooting was louder for the more formal prematch introduction. His teammate, Matthew Immers, received nothing but cheers.

The Palace of Versailles offers equestrian sports one of the most attractive venues of the Paris Olympics. On Sunday, riders and horses got a memorable gallop around the sumptuous-looking gardens where the team and individual eventing competition have taken place. Under a bright sun, about 40,000 fans enjoyed the spectacular setting along the woods, fountains and Grand Canal, the largest basin in the park, for the cross country section of the eventing, one day after the dressage test. The final showjumping section was scheduled for Monday.

Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee says tennis player Anhelina Kalinina withdrew from the Games because she caught a cold following rainy weather in Paris. She says they waited for competition to start on the courts where it was raining Saturday and woke up Sunday with a sore throat. During the Olympics opening ceremony Friday, athletes from around the world paraded on boats as heavy rain fell, soaking their uniforms. The showers continued Saturday. For Kalinina, the Games in Paris were supposed to be her Olympic debut.

Limping on her left ankle after saying she had an issue with her calf, Simone Biles dominated during qualifying with the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. U.S. coach Cecile Landi said only that Biles’ injury was minor, has been bothering her for a few weeks and there was no discussion of sidelining the seven-time Olympic medalist. Landi said there’s been no discussion of pulling Biles from the Paris Olympics. The team final is set for Tuesday.

Paris Olympics organizers have apologized to any people who were offended by a tableau during Friday’s opening ceremony evoking Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The ceremony’s tableau featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch flanked by drag artists and dancers. The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops deplored “scenes of derision” that they said mocked Christianity. But Paris 2024 executive director of communications Anne Descamps says “there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that "if people have taken any offence we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Many high-profile fans are attending the return to the Olympics of Simone Biles. She is competing in the women's qualification with her U.S. teammates. Among the high-profile fans are Hollywood star Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain seating under the roof of the packed arena. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats while Greta Gerwig, Ariana Grande, John Legend and Anna Wintour also attended Biles’ competition. Biles competes in the team’s qualifying alongside U.S gymnasts Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey.

Simone Biles says she has discomfort in calf but continues with Olympic competition.

Simone Biles and the 5-woman US gymnastics team are on the Olympic floor.

Simone Biles’ quest for a return to the top of the Olympic podium is officially underway. The 27-year-old American and the five-woman U.S. gymnastics team took the floor during the second qualifying subdivision for the Paris Games on Sunday. The Americans are heavily favored to win the team gold after finishing runner-up to Russia three years ago in Tokyo. Tom Cruise posed for selfies with fans while the packed and electric Bercy Arena crowd waited for Biles’ debut. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend and Anna Wintour were also on hand.

From the dazzling opening ceremony to warmup songs, music is intrinsic to the Paris Olympics now underway. Athletes from around the world are competing in dozens of disciplines among 32 sports. For those watching at home, do you know what you’re going to listen to during commercial breaks, while making snacks, or to distract you in moments where your team isn’t doing that hot? We’ve got you, with a cheeky musical guide to each sport — some picks more literal than others. Our selection features songs from Taylor Swift and Drake to Lorde, Eminem, Billie Holiday and Bad Bunny.

Cardboard beds might be Paris’ solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But some 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, it’s a cruise ship. While media has been restricted from boarding the ship, athletes have shared photographs and videos on their social media giving the public a tour of what the Olympics say is the first-ever floating athlete village.

Simone Biles has arrived for the start of her third Olympics in front of a star-studded crowd.

The 2024 Olympics are underway. Winners from every country are being added to the list every day from July 27-Aug. 11.

Concerns over the water quality of Paris’ Seine River have continued into the 2024 Olympics, with a pre-race triathlon event there canceled Sunday. Organizers said they nixed the swimming leg of the triathlon familiarization scheduled for Sunday morning after a meeting about water quality among authorities tasked with carrying out water quality tests. That included representatives of World Triathlon, as well as city and regional authorities.

Terminated again: Titmus hands Ledecky another Olympic defeat, claiming gold in the 400 free

The NCAA Notice of Allegations Michigan received last December regarding an investigation into impermissible contact during at COVID-19 recruiting dead period in 2021, has been released by the university with some redactions and few surprises.

Canada was tested, then held on to get its first Olympic win in 24 years. RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 and Canada survived a big effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat Greece 86-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams in Group A play on Saturday night. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points for Greece. Other winners on Day 1: Victor Wembanyama and France over Brazil, Australia over Spain and World Cup champion Germany over Japan.

Antoine Dupont has helped France finally end Fiji’s dominance of Olympic rugby sevens. Dupont scored two tries and set up another after going on as a second-half replacement and leading France to a 28-7 victory and a coveted title. Fiji had never lost a sevens rugby match at the Olympics, taking a 17-game winning streak into the final. Dupont is rated the world's best player at the traditional 15-a-side game and is now an Olympic champion in the shorter, sharper rugby sevens format. South Africa won the bronze medal despite conceding two late tries in the third-place match, with Shaun Williams making the most of an overlap in the last moments to beat Australia 26-19.

PARIS — Young couples go through stretches like this. Work gets busy and life gets hectic, there isn't enough time to spend together.

Lindsey Vonn made her name at the Winter Olympics. Now at the Summer Games in Paris, she already has her sights set on improving the Olympics in Utah that are a decade away. The retired ski racer is part of the group that made Salt Lake City the 2034 host. Her role is helping athletes behind the scenes figure out logistical concerns like how their families are treated after having a rough go during her competition days. Vonn is responsible for the planned family village at the Olympics 10 years from now.

An era-defining winning streak in Olympic fencing has been snapped in a shocking upset as Hungarian fencer Aron Szilagyi lost his opening bout while chasing a fourth consecutive gold medal. Szilagyi won gold medals in men’s individual saber in 2012, 2016 and 2021. Oh Sanguk of South Korea went on to win the men’s saber gold with a 15-11 victory over Fares Ferjani of Tunisia in the final. Italian Luigi Samele, the silver medalist in 2021, took the bronze. Vivian Kong Man Wai beat Auriane Mallo-Breton of France 13-12 in overtime to win women’s epee fencing gold.

Olympic athletes in Paris dried themselves off after Friday night's soggy-but-celebratory opening ceremony and got to business on Saturday.

Fresh off the year’s most extravagant wedding, Nita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics. The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house that opened Saturday is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, founded and chaired by Ambani. India House is one of several hospitality houses that spring up around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands.

The Polish state broadcaster has suspended a television journalist who during the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris reacted to a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by saying it was a “vision of communism.” TVP, the broadcaster, issued a statement Saturday saying that the sports commentator would not be allowed to comment on air anymore during this summer’s Games. Lennon’s song asks to imagine no heaven or hell, no countries, and no possessions. The Polish state broadcaster said that tolerance was a basic idea of the Olympics, and of state television. State media has been an ideological battleground in Poland for years. Poland was under communist rule from the end of World War II to 1989.

Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze has become the first woman to compete at 10 Olympic Games in a career which began representing the Soviet Union. Salukvadze has competed at every Summer Olympics since 1988, when she won gold as a 19-year-old Soviet prodigy. She set a record when she stepped into the shooting range for qualification in the women’s 10-meter air pistol Saturday. Salukvadze placed 38th and didn’t advance to Sunday’s eight-shooter final. She gets another shot at a medal Friday in the 25-meter pistol event.

Ah Paris, the Olympic gold medalist of naughtiness. Revolution ran like a high-voltage wire through the wacky, wonderful and rule-breaking Olympic opening ceremony used to astound, bemuse and, at times, poke a finger in the eye of global audiences on Friday night. That Paris put on the most flamboyant and diversity-celebrating of opening ceremonies wasn’t a huge surprise. Anything less would have seemed a betrayal of the pride that the French capital takes in being a home to all humanity. And the audacious show’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, who is gay, says being bullied as a child drove home early on how unjust discrimination is.

The friendly warmup games are over. Now the U.S. women's basketball team has to deal with the pressure of history. Led by 42-year-old Diana Taurasi and two-time WNBA MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, the U.S. starts its quest at the Paris Games for an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal on a 55-game Olympic winning streak. The program hasn’t lost since 1992 in Barcelona. Taurasi isn’t focused on the big picture of what the U.S. has accomplished over the last three decades in the Olympics. Her eyes are fixed solely on getting another gold in Paris, which would be her sixth.

Ukraine opened a hospitality house Saturday at the 2024 Olympics in Paris — its first during any Games. It will bring concerts from the country’s most beloved artists and a tasting of traditional cuisine in a bid to promote local culture and raise awareness about the war with Russia. About 100 members of the public were invited to the official opening, shouting “Viva la France” and “Glory to Ukraine” in a show of support. The opening of Ukraine’s house started with its national anthem and a minute of silence for its fallen soldiers, a tradition for opening events widely spread in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials thanked French government.

Days before they’re set to plunge into the Seine River during the Paris Olympics, triathletes are holding out hope that the famous waterway’s bacteria levels would be safe enough for swimming. The swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event are both expected to be held in the river that flows through the heart of Paris. Water quality in the French capital is closely linked to the weather, and heavy rains during the Olympic opening ceremony Friday resurfaced concerns about the river’s fitness for swimming. American triathlete Taylor Spivey said Saturday that she and her teammates have been trying to take measures to protect themselves.

A Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted in 2016 of having sex with a 12-year-old girl in England will make his Olympic debut on Sunday at the Eiffel Tower Stadium. Steven van de Velde and teammate Matthew Immers will play Italy on Sunday. Rape victim advocates and some Olympic officials said he should have been left home. The head of Australia's delegation said he wouldn't have been allowed to compete if he were from there because of rules in place to protect younger athletes. Van de Velde has said he knows he must live with the consequences of what he called “the biggest mistake of my life.”

FIFA deducts 6 points from Canada in Olympic women’s soccer standings, bans 3 coaches for 1 year in drone-spying scandal.

Spain’s Rudy Fernandez has become the first male basketball player to compete in six Olympics. The 39-year-old achieved the milestone Saturday when he checked in at the 5:18 mark of the first quarter during Spain’s matchup with Australia to open the Paris Olympic tournament. Diana Taurasi will join Fernandez as the first female basketball player to compete in six Olympics when the U.S. women open play against Japan on Monday. Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro, Puerto Rico’s Teofilo Cruz, Australia’s Andrew Gaze, Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt and Argentina’s Luis Scola have all played in five Olympics.

In an unprecedented display of inclusivity, drag queens took center stage at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, showcasing the vibrant and influential role of the French LGBTQ+ community. But it also attracted criticism over a tableau reminiscent of “The Last Supper.” Among their bold performances was a scene seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” featuring the drag queens in the roles of Jesus Christ and his apostles. This segment drew significant attention and backlash from religious conservatives. But “Drag Race France” winner Le Filip said the segment surprised them and made them proud.

China won its first gold medal in diving on the first full day of competition in the Paris Olympics, a perfect start for the team of Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen. China has ruled diving for decades, and three years ago in Tokyo it won seven of eight gold medals. It has never pulled off the elusive gold sweep. That’s the goal this time. The Chinese were first on Saturday in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard with 337.68 points on five dives. They were followed by Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the United States with 314.64 points and the British team of Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen with bronze and 302.28 points.

First lady Jill Biden has praised Paris’ “spectacular” Olympics opening ceremony and looked ahead to how the U.S. can similarly dazzle audiences when the Games are held in Los Angeles in four years. After attending the soggy ceremony along the Seine River, Biden made it clear Saturday that “the rain did not dampen our spirits.” Biden also mused how the U.S. could top the show in 2028, pointing to “the magic of Hollywood.” She also watched the men’s gymnastics qualifying round. American star Frederick Richard said he was “very thankful” to meet the first lady.

The Olympians were wet for hours. For some, it didn’t matter. Others had to navigate the unexpected conditions and make the most of it. Athletes from around the world gathered on boats, heads held high, flags hoisted above their rain-soaked uniforms during the soggy opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The four-hour-long event on the River Seine saw periodic rain all evening ranging from light showers to intense downpours. It made for less than ideal conditions for athletes preparing to begin intense competition across Paris.

Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after clocking the second best time in qualifying behind Max Verstappen, who faces a 10-place grid penalty for the race. Verstappen topped the time sheets in his Red Bull on Saturday on the rainy track in the forested hills of the Ardennes. But the Formula One leader will start Sunday’s race from 11th because of the penalty after Red Bull exceeded the allowed number of power units when they put a new engine into his car. Leclerc was next in his Ferrari, followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez in third. Lewis Hamilton was fourth, followed by McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Equestrian’s governing body has issued a warning to Brazilian rider Carlos Parro for potentially causing “unnecessary discomfort” to his horse Safira after receiving evidence from an animal rights group. The decision was handed down by the Federation for Equestrian Sports just days after the withdrawal of three-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin from the Paris Games. A letter and photos were sent to FEI president, Ingmar De Vos, from animal rights group PETA on Friday. One photo shows Parro hyper-flexing Safira’s neck in a prohibited movement called “Rollkur” — compromising the horse's breathing. The FEI says “the action of the athlete could have caused unnecessary discomfort to the horse” and that its stewards will remain vigilant.

Grace Brown of Australia has won the women’s Olympic time trial on the wet, treacherous streets of Paris. She safely stayed on her bike in the rainy weather to stop the clock in 39 minutes, 38.24 seconds in a dominant performance. Anna Henderson of Britain finished 1:31 back in second. American standout Chloe Dygert, the reigning time trial world champion, had to remount after crashing hard on a left-hand turn and finished with the bronze medal. The riders set off in the drizzle in 90-second intervals from the great gilded dome of Les Invalides on the 32.4-kilometer (20-mile) route, marking the first time that the women and men covered the same distance in an Olympic time trial.

Bridges along the Seine River are opening up, and police barricades are being taken down in Paris after the Olympics opening ceremony. But some locals say they are still struggling to get to work. The metal barricades blocking streets and closed metro stations were part of heightened security restrictions for the ceremony Friday, and they have left Parisians and visitors alike grumbling for weeks. Now that the dazzling show is over, many hope parts of the city center will open back up. On Saturday, some said walking across a bridge near the Eiffel Tower was exciting after struggling with transport in the past few weeks.