TOP FIVE. People look at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, which will host Beach Volleyball during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Blind Football during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in Paris, France on June 25, 2024. As host nation, France is looking for a top-five finish in the medal tally. (Xinhua)
PARIS – A top-five finish in the medal table. The ambitious target announced by President Emmanuel Macron for France's delegation at the 2024 Paris Olympics appears within reach due to the host nation's advantage and its recent investment in elite athlete development.
Historically, France, one of the birthplaces of the modern Olympic movement, saw its best Olympic performances over a century ago.
In 1900, when Paris hosted the Olympics for the first time, France topped the medal table. In 1924,
, when Paris hosted again, France finished third. Since then, apart from a third-place finish at the 1948 Games, France has not broken into the top five.
With the Olympics returning to Paris 100 years later, French athletes hope to use this opportunity to reclaim a higher position in the medal standings.
Past Olympic statistics show that host nations often see a significant boost in their medal counts.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China's medal tally increased by over 50 percent compared to previous Games. At the 2012 London Olympics, Britain's total medals grew by nearly 40 percent. And at the most recent Tokyo Olympics, Japan's medal count increased by over 40 percent. Even Brazil, with a smaller improvement, saw more than a 10 percent increase in total medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"Our goal, set in coordination with the sports minister, is to be in the top five in the medal table," a French Olympic Committee representative told Xinhua. "In the last Olympics, we won only 10 gold and 33 medals in total. In Paris, we must leverage the home advantage to achieve the best results for the French delegation in recent years."
France's ambitions are far from mere rhetoric, as they have taken action to increase their medal count.
In 2019, the country established the National Sports Agency (ANS) outside the government sports department and the French Olympic Committee. The primary goal of this agency is to integrate resources from the government, the Olympic Committee, various sports federations and different sectors of society to enhance support for elite French athletes in terms of logistics and funding.
The primary goal of this agency is to integrate resources from the
government, the Olympic Committee, various sports federations and different sectors of society to enhance support for elite French athletes in terms of logistics and funding.
Furthermore, France's National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP), which oversees the training and preparation of multiple French national teams, has received unprecedented funding in recent Olympic cycles.
In addition to increasing the income levels of elite athletes to allow them to focus solely on their training, several French national teams have hired a significant number of high-quality overseas coaches and improved training facilities. The aim is to provide these medal hopefuls with world-class coaching and the best possible training conditions.
Winning 20 gold medals is a very achievable goal. With a bit of luck, we might even exceed that target," said French Olympic Committee President David Lappartient in a recent interview with French media.
According to estimates by the
French Olympic Committee, the French delegation is expected to send between 550 and 600 athletes to the Paris Games.
Traditional strongholds such as judo, fencing and sailing will remain key areas for France. The French judo team, led by Olympic champions Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbegnenou, is particularly strong, with French media predicting they could win five to ten medals.
French Olympic Committee, the French delegation is expected to send between 550 and 600 athletes to the Paris Games.
Traditional strongholds such as judo, fencing and sailing will remain key areas for France.
The French judo team, led by
Olympic champions Teddy Riner and Clarisse Agbegnenou, is particularly strong, with French media predicting they could win five to ten medals.
In fencing, Tokyo Olympic men's epee champion Romain Cannone remains a top contender, while the women's sabre team, led by world number one Manon Brunet, is another key medal hope. The fencing team is expected to win five to nine medals.
In swimming, Leon Marchand has shone at the past two World Championships, and at 22, he is a strong contender for gold in the 200m and 400m individual medleys. Notably, Marchand's coach is the legendary Bob Bowman, who once coached Michael Phelps.
In team sports, France's medal hopes are even broader. Beyond the well-known football team, the men's basketball team, led by NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama, has the potential to win at least a bronze medal. The men's volleyball team, defending Olympic champion, also remains a strong medal contender despite recent inconsistent performances.
Additionally, the women's 3x3 basketball team and both the men's and women's handball teams have podium potential.
Newly-introduced Olympic sports like climbing and breakdancing also offer medal prospects for French climbers Oriane Bertone and Mickaël Mawem, as well as B-boy Dany Dann and B-Girl Syssy.
"Competing in the Olympics in your own country, in front of your family, is an incredible honor. I believe this honor will inspire our athletes to achieve better results. We will also organize a large French cheering squad to ensure the athletes feel the support of their home crowd," said the French Olympic Committee representative.(Xinhua)
2024 Olympics host France
looking forward to medals boost
2024 NBA free agency: Jayson Tatum, Celtics agree to richest contract in league history, per reports
Cristiano Ronaldo (C) of Portugal vies with Slovenia's goalkeeper Jan Oblak (R) and Benjamin Sesko during the UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Slovenia in Frankfurt, Germany on July 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
Austria team boss Ralf Rangnick
calls for vigilance against far-right tendencies
in Germany and Austria. (Anadolu)
Austrian national team coach
warns against
right-wing extremism
GENEVA – The coach of the Austrian national football team issued a warning against right-wing extremism in Germany and Austria.
"If, after these 100 years, you still haven't understood what has regularly led us to ruin and led to the worst upheavals imaginable, you really can't help," Ralf Rangnick told Austrian public broadcaster ORF in an interview late Thursday.
Rangnick, 65, who has coached Manchester United among others during his career, also cited the history of the two countries.
"We live in such turbulent times that you can no longer say that one is sport and the other is politics, and the two things have nothing to do with each other," said Rangnick.
"The history of our two countries, Austria and Germany, should be lesson enough for us," he added.
He called on people to take a stand in public.
Pointing to his own team as a successful example of multiethnic cohesion, he said David Alaba, Real Madrid player and "non-playing captain" of the Austrians, is spending the entire European Championship with the Austrian national team despite a knee injury.
"I think it's almost unimaginable in any other country that a player who is currently in rehab would sacrifice his entire vacation because he wants to be with the team, because he wants to support us with all his experience," said Rangnick.
He added that this should not only be a role model in football, saying: "That's how I imagine it in normal life too, that we appreciate each other."
The Austrian national team, led by Rangnick, surprisingly won the preliminary round Group D, which was considered a tough group.
Austria came on top of the group ahead of the favored French and Dutch teams.
The Austrians are set to face Türkiye in the round of 16 in Leipzig next Tuesday. (Anadolu)
Austria’s national team, led by Rangnick, triumphed in Group D, outperforming favored French and Dutch teams. Next, they’ll face Türkiye in the round of 16.
Fresh off an NBA championship, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will receive the NBA's richest contract.
The 26-year-old and the NBA's winningest franchise agreed to a supermax extension worth an estimated $315 million over five years, ending in the 2029-30 season, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes and The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The deal supersedes the five-year, $304 million contract that Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown signed last season as the largest commitment in NBA history.
The co-stars are owed more than $600 million. It pays to deliver wins, and Tatum and Brown have led Boston to the NBA Finals in two of the past three years.
This contract has been expected since Tatum made a second consecutive All-NBA First Team last season, which made him eligible for 35% of the salary cap beginning in the 2025-26 campaign. He made a third straight All-NBA First Team for good measure this past season while leading Boston to a 64-18 record — seven games better than that of any other team in the league. The Celtics also posted the third-highest net rating in NBA history.
Boston has reached six of the past eight Eastern Conference finals, including five in Tatum's seven years. He has never missed more than eight games in a season, averaging a 23-7-4 on 46/38/84 shooting splits for his career. He posted 26.9 points (47/38/83), 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this past season.
The Celtics now have Tatum and Brown — the backbone of their recent success — signed through the end of the decade, when both will still be in their early 30s. It's a remarkable degree of stability for the defending champions, who can bring their entire playoff rotation back under contract next season. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis also signed extensions with Boston this past season, and Derrick White agreed to a four-year, $125.9 million extension on Monday. The Celtics' vaunted starting lineup could be under contract for at least the next two seasons, making them both an expensive team and a perennial title favorite.
Tatum's contract is more a representation of timing than his status in the league. Were any of his All-NBA brethren also coming off a rookie-scale extension, they too would receive the NBA's richest contract.
And what a time it is. Tatum's Celtics stormed through the NBA playoffs, sweeping the conference finals and winning their three other series in five games each. Their 16-3 record in the postseason is second only to the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors since the NBA moved to the current, 16-win format in 2003.
Tatum was the driving force behind that domination, even if Brown won both the Eastern Conference finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards. Tatum led the team in points, rebounds and assists for the entire playoffs, logging 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a title-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks.
"This might be the best match of my career so far. I focused on my tasks on the pitch," RONALDO
Uruguay secure top spot
in group as US crash out
of Copa America
KANSAS CITY, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Mathias Olivera struck a second-half winner as Uruguay dumped the United States out of the Copa America with a 1-0 victory over the tournament hosts on Monday.
Uruguay broke the deadlock just after the hour when United States goalkeeper Matthew Turner parried away a Ronald Araujo header - following Nicolas de la Cruz's set piece - only to see Olivera bundle in the rebound.
The goal sparked the United States into action and captain Christian Pulisic will be ruing two missed chances in the final minutes. First, the AC Milan winger had a deflected effort cleared off the line and then he sent a shot from 15 yards sailing over the crossbar.
The result at Arrowhead Stadium confirmed Uruguay as leaders of Group C with three wins from as many matches. The United States finished third in the group with three points.
The Celeste will now meet either Brazil, Colombia or Costa Rica in the next round while the United States have been afforded an early summer break.
In Orlando, Panama advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 rout of Bolivia on Monday. Jose Fajardo gave his side an earlier lead before Bruno Miranda equalized in the 69th minute at Inter&Co Stadium.
Eduardo Guerrero restored the Central American team's lead before Cesar Yanis put the result beyond doubt with a 91st-minute strike.
FRANKFURT, Germany, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Cristiano Ronaldo experienced an emotional rollercoaster as Portugal survived Slovenia in a penalty shootout in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 on Monday.
In a dramatic and gripping match, Ronaldo missed a penalty in extra time, shedding tears on the pitch, but redeemed himself by scoring the first penalty in the shootout.
With goalkeeper Diogo Costa's three consecutive saves, Portugal triumphed 3-0 over Slovenia to advance to the quarterfinals.
Portugal will face tournament favorites France in the next round, who narrowly defeated Belgium 1-0 in an earlier match the same day.
Costa, currently playing for Porto, was undoubtedly the hero of the match as he saved three penalties in a row from Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic.
Meanwhile, his teammates Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva converted their penalties, securing Portugal's 3-0 victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.
"This might be the best match of my career so far. I focused on my tasks on the pitch," the 24-year-old Costa said in a post-match interview. "I trusted my gut during the penalty shootout. Of course, we had analyzed the shooters, but players often change their minds on the field, so I trusted my gut."
In addition to his heroics in the penalty shootout, Costa made a crucial save in the final stages of extra time, denying a one-on-one opportunity from Slovenia's forward Benjamin Sesko.
"Costa is our secret weapon. He showed his strength today," Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised Costa.
Before Costa's stellar performance,
Before Costa's stellar performance, captain Ronaldo had a chance to score the winning goal, but his penalty was saved by Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak. After missing the penalty, a tearful Ronaldo was comforted by teammates and coaching staff, while Portuguese fans chanted "Viva Ronaldo" to support the 39-year-old veteran.
"This match took me from extreme sorrow to extreme joy. This is football. You can't explain it," Ronaldo said in a post-match interview. "I had the chance to decide the game, but I missed, and Oblak made a fantastic save."
Wiping away his tears, Ronaldo continued to play and stepped up first in the penalty shootout, confidently scoring his penalty.
Ronaldo, the all-time best scorer of the tournament who is playing his record sixth Euro Championships, has yet to find the net during this edition.
"Ronaldo missed the penalty, but in the shootout, he was the first to step up and lead us to victory. This was a team victory, from the dressing room to the pitch. Ronaldo is our captain, and he shows us, both on and off the field, that even in the toughest times, we should never give up," Martinez said about Ronaldo. ■