Page 6 - Paris

Paris Olympics 2024: All about tickets, stays, ways to get around Paris

Paris Olympics 2024 is set to be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Check details about tickets, stays get around and other things

Paris 2024: Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi ready to run at her 3rd Olympics

Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi is preparing to compete at her third Olympics after being selected for the Paris Games from her training base in Australia. Yousofi, Afghanistan's flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Tokyo, has been living in Australia since 2022. The Australian Olympic Committee on Tuesday congratulated Yousofi on her selection for the women's 100-meter sprint. It's an honor to represent the girls of my homeland once again, she said in a statement released by the Australian committee. Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one. I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don't have the authority to make decisions as free human beings they don't even have the permission to enter a park. She said she's deeply grateful to all those who have stood by me on this journey and made this possible ... who helped us for every step, for coming to Australia and joini

Roadmap for 2036: PM seeks athletes' inputs on conduct of Paris Olympics

Confident that India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics will be successful, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged athletes bound for this month's Paris Games to share their views on the arrangements in the French capital to help the country's ambitious push to bring the showpiece here. In an interaction with Paris-bound athletes, conducted both in person and online on Thursday, Modi said those travelling to the French capital would do the country a huge service by providing inputs from their experience. "We are hoping to host the Olympics in 2036, it will help in creating a sporting atmosphere. Work is in progress to prepare infrastructure for it," he said in the interaction, which was attended by the national men's hockey team, the shooting contingent, boxers and track-and-field stars such as Neeraj Chopra. The interaction's complete video was shared by Prime Minister's Office on Friday. "I won't ask you to do anything in the middle of your events but when you are free, I would urge

Election anxiety curbs Olympic enthusiasm among Parisians ahead of Paris 24

Just three weeks before the Olympics, the excitement that was building up in the host city is now mingled with anxiety about France's political future. The far-right National Rally's strong results in the first round of a rushed election has darkened the ambience for many in Paris, a left-wing stronghold that is one of the few places in France where the party failed to break through. Just imagining the far-right leading the country gives me panic attacks, 54-year-old Fabienne Martin said after finishing lunch with her son on the upscale Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honor. I was excited when the Olympic flame arrived in Marseille, but this election has completely killed the mood. Though the outcome is uncertain, the second round of the legislative elections on July 7 could mark a significant shift in France's political landscape, with Marine Le Pen's National Rally poised to potentially gain power. In Paris, where the National Rally received only 10% of the votes in the first round Sunday

India launches UPI payments at world-renowned Galeries Lafayette in Paris

India has launched the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at Paris' historic department store Galeries Lafayette after a successful launch at the iconic Eiffel Tower. This significant step is towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of globalising UPI, which is an Indian instant payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. "On July 3, 2024, the UPI became live at the flagship store of the world-renowned Galeries Lafayette in Haussmann, Paris. This expands the acceptance of UPI in Paris after a successful launch at the iconic Eiffel Tower," the Indian Embassy in France said in a release on Thursday. Ambassador of India to France and Principality of Monaco Jawed Ashraf launched UPI by live use at the store in the presence of Nicolas Houze, CEO of Galeries Lafayette, and Alain Lacour, Chairman of Lyra Group, the release said. "Delighted to launch @UPI_NPCI in the world-famous @Galeries_Laf in Paris. After the launch in the Eiffel

High costs, safety worries hurt Paris Olympics turnout; hotel bookings drop

Flight bookings to the French capital - an indicator of tourist activity - are expected to increase by 10 per cent year-on-year from June 6 onwards

French man pleads guilty to charges of collecting military data in Russia

A French citizen arrested in Russia has pleaded guilty to criminal charges involving illegally collecting information on military issues in the country, state news agency Tass reported Wednesday. Laurent Vinatier was arrested in the Russian capital in June as tensions flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron's comments about the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine. Russian authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information about Russia's military and military-technical activities, which could be used to the detriment of the country's security. They did not provide details of the accusations beyond alleging that Vinatier repeatedly travelled to Russia to collect information. Under Russian law, the criminal offense is punishable by up to five years in prison. Russia's Investigative Committee said Wednesday that it questioned seven witnesses with whom the accused held meetings to collect .

Wimbledon Cup 2024: Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek, Gauff taking over tennis

There is a real shift happening at the top of tennis, a youth movement that long seemed inevitable but never actually arrived until now. As the sport's attention shifts to the grass of Wimbledon, where play begins Monday, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the players whose names are on everyone's lips. Alcaraz is the defending men's champion and owner of three Grand Slam titles at the age of 21 after his triumph at the French Open. Sinner, 22, is the top-seeded man at Wimbledon and won the Australian Open in January. Swiatek, 23, is the top-seeded woman and just earned her fourth championship at Roland Garros and fifth major overall. Gauff, the youngest of the bunch at 20, is ranked a career-best No. 2, has reached at least the semifinals at the past three Slam tournaments and won her first such trophy at last year's U.S. Open. While Swiatek has entrenched herself at No. 1 in the women's game, and is now 11-1 against Gauff, neither has been past the ...

Jason Day set to finally play Olympic golf for Australia at Paris Games

Jason Day will finally make it to an Olympics while a brother-and-sister combination are two of the other three golfers set to play for Australia at the Paris Games. Day was ranked world No. 1 in 2016 when he decided not to play at the Rio Olympics, saying he was concerned about going to Brazil with the Zika virus spreading while his wife was pregnant. He said earlier this year that he regretted not going. I had one of those spots, and at the time we were having kids, and then obviously there was that (Zika) scare, so I was kind of like a little bit freaked out about that," Day said at a PGA tournament in May. The Australian Olympic Committee said Friday that Min Woo Lee would join Day on the men's team while Minjee Lee and Hannah Green would form the women's team. The two Lees are brother and sister. Minjee Lee will become the first Australian golfer to compete at three Olympics, Green returns for her second Games while Min Woo Lee will join Day in making his Olympic debut. The f

Inside Paris 2024: How the Olympic village plans to redefine city living

The Olympic Village, housing athletes during the Games, will later become offices and residences for thousands, addressing Paris's housing crisis

Paris Olympics: Geothermal rooms, hi-tech recovery space for athletes

Indian Olympic Association to organisers: Ensure all our rooms have fans

India to push its 2036 Olympic bid in Paris, seek inclusion of Indic sports

India's sports administrators would be "lobbying" hard during the upcoming Paris Olympics to brighten the country's chances of hosting the 2036 Games where they will push for the inclusion of indigenous disciplines like yoga, kho kho and kabaddi if their ambitious bid is successful. The Sports Authority of India's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) presented its detailed report on the measures needed for a successful bid to new sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday. In this document, MOC has identified six disciplines, including yoga, kho kho, kabaddi, chess, T20 cricket and squash for inclusion in the 2036 Olympics if the country gets to host the quadrennial extravaganza. "We met the new Sports Minister yesterday and handed him the report. The minister said he will need a few days to go through it. But he asked us to prepare another report on how sports can be a career option in the country, how to build interest among youth, how to bring private players into sports," a senior memb

Olympic Games: A billion-dollar business with political overtones

The Paris Olympics involve about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries or regions. But the Olympics are more than just fun and games. They are a giant business that generates billions of dollars in income for the International Olympic Committee. They're also a proxy for geopolitical influence seen through the standings in the medal tables, the presence of world leaders at the opening ceremony and the national anthems serenading gold-medal winners. Here's a look at how the IOC and the Olympics operate. It's a business, not a charity The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental body based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It generates 91% of its income from selling broadcast rights (61%) and sponsorships (30%). Income for the latest four-year cycle of Winter and Summer Games ending with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was $7.6 billion. The IOC says it returns 90% of its income back into sports, although athletes directly get only a small slice. There may be a move afoot

Paris loses its crown to London as the biggest stock market in Europe

President Emmanuel Macron's shock announcement of a snap election sparked a rout that wiped off about $258 billion from the market capitalisation of French firms last week

Quota belongs to country, not to athlete: Bindra backs Olympics' selections

Olympics gold winner Abhinav Bindra on Thursday said promising shooter Rudrankksh Patil was unfortunate to miss the flight to Paris Games, but emphasised that the quota belongs to the country and not to one athlete. Patil, who had bagged a 10m air rifle quota for the Paris Olympics, could not find a place in the 15-member Indian squad for the quadrennial extravaganza after finishing behind Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta in the selection trials organised by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). As per the Olympic guidelines, a country can only send top two shooters in one event from trials to the Games. See, it's not a call. It's a matter of selection. There's a due process laid out and they followed the process, Bindra told the media here on the sidelines of the IISM Convocation Ceremony 2024. You'll ask the same question in case the process was not followed. But a fair process was put out for everybody, and it was followed, Bindra added. Bindra further explained his ...

Knee surgery went well, wants to return to action soon: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic said the surgery on his right knee went well after he was injured during the French Open and added Thursday that he hopes to return to competition as soon as possible. Djokovic had an operation in Paris on Wednesday, two days after he hurt the knee early in the second set of a five-set victory against Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round. The 37-year-old from Serbia withdrew from the clay-court Grand Slam tournament where he was the defending champion on Tuesday, so he was unable to play in the quarterfinals. In the past day, I had to make some tough decisions after sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match. I'm still processing it all but I am happy to update you that the surgery went well. I am so appreciative of the team of doctors who have been by my side, Djokovic wrote on social media on Thursday, when he posted a photo showing him with crutches and the Eiffel Tower in the distance. I'm going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court

Vistara Paris-Mumbai flight gets bomb threat, makes emergency landing

A Mumbai-bound Vistara flight with 306 persons onboard from Paris received a bomb threat after which a full emergency was declared at the city airport prior to its arrival here, a source said. The flight landed at 10:19 am on Sunday, the source said. Vistara on Sunday reported that its," flight UK 024 from Paris' Charles de Gualle airport to Mumbai received a hand written note on an airsickness bag threatening a bomb," said the source. Following this, full emergency was declared at 10:08 am, as per the source, who added that the flight landed at 10:19 am. "There were 294 passengers and 12 crew onboard the Paris-Mumbai flight," the source said. Vistara in a statement confirmed that "a security concern has been noted by our staff while onboard the airline's flight UK 024 operating from Paris to Mumbai on 2 June 2024." Following the protocol, the airline immediately informed the relevant authorities, a Vistara spokesperson said in the statement. It also said that the flight has lan

Paris aims for most sustainable Olympics, organisers admit plan not perfect

Of all the decisions Paris Olympics organisers made about where to hold each sport, sending surfing competitions to the other side of the world in the Pacific waters of Tahiti provoked the strongest reactions. Tahitians and others railed against the building of a new viewing tower on Teahupo'o reef because of fears it would hurt marine life. But organisers say it wasn't just the world-class waves that lured them to the French territory 16,000 kilometres away. Paris Olympic officials had set an ambitious target of halving their overall carbon footprint compared with the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. Tahiti's surfing reef is too far offshore for fans to see the action clearly from the beach, so organisers say they calculated that most would watch on television instead of taking flights, a major source of carbon emissions. And fewer spectators, they said, would require little new construction, another key emissions source. We actually did the math, said Georgina Grenon, director

Uber to offer Seine river cruises, day trips in Paris during Olympics rush

Uber also plans to make a significant investment in driver incentives and discounts for riders

Priority to return to calm amid unrest: Macron in riot-hit New Caledonia

President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in riot-hit New Caledonia, having crossed the globe by plane in a high-profile show of support for the French Pacific archipelago wracked by deadly unrest and where Indigenous people have long sought independence from France. Macron, who briefly spoke to reporters after his arrival at La Tontouta International Airport, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the New Caledonian capital of Noumea, said he viewed a return to calm as the top priority. He said that his wish, along with that of his ministers and the government, was "to be alongside the people and see a return to peace, calm and security as soon as possible. Macron added he plans to meet with local officials and discuss the resources needed to repair the damage wrought by days of shootings, arson and other violence that has left at least six dead and a broad trail of destruction estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros (dollars). We will discuss questions of economic ...