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Along with records broken and medals celebrated, competing at the Olympics is more often littered with narrow defeats, last-gasp errors and mental meltdowns that build true character and sportsmanship.
Track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying on Wednesday it will pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris.
The move is a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Olympics in one of the Games' most-watched events.
The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 men's, women's and mixed events on the track and field program for this year's Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members. Payments for silver and bronze medalists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe told reporters that the move is meant "to recognize that the revenue share that we receive is in large part because our athletes are the stars of the show".
The prize money will come out of the share of Olympic revenue which the International Olympic Committee distributes to World Athletics. However, the move could upset the balance of power in the Olympic Movement ahead of the Paris Games. Coe said World Athletics only gave the IOC "a heads-up" of its intentions on Wednesday morning, shortly before it published its announcement.
In response, the IOC said it was up to each sport's governing body to decide how to spend its share of Olympic revenue.
"The IOC redistributes 90 percent of all its income, in particular to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs)," the IOC said. "This means that, every day, the equivalent of $4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organizations at all levels around the world. It is up to each IF and NOC to determine how to best serve their athletes and the global development of their sport."
The modern Olympics originated as an amateur sports event and the IOC does not award prize money. However, many medalists receive payments from their countries' governments, national sports bodies or from sponsors.
"I'm probably the last generation to have been on the 75-pence (95-cent) meal voucher and second-class rail fare, competing for my own country. So believe me, I do understand the nature of the transition we've been in," Coe said.
The British runner won gold in the 1,500 meters at the 1980 and 1984 Games in an era when Olympic track was on the verge of opening up to professional athletes.
"It's a completely different planet from when I was competing, so it's very important that this sport recognizes the change in that landscape and the added pressures on many competitors."
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee awarded $37,500 to gold medalists at the last Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021.Singapore's National Olympic Council promises $1 million for Olympic gold, a feat only achieved once so far by a Singaporean competitor.
In sports like tennis and golf, the Olympic tournament is the only time in a season that many pro players compete for free, with medals on offer but no prize money. But Coe didn't want to speculate on whether other events could follow track and field's lead.
"I've always made it a point not to speak on behalf of other sports," Coe said.
The move by World Athletics could be seen as an indicator of Coe's intentions for the Olympics as a whole if he makes a run for the IOC presidency.
"I haven't ruled it in, and I certainly haven't ruled it out," Coe said last year when asked whether he would consider running for the IOC's top post when Thomas Bach's term ends in 2025. The IOC typically disapproves of any public campaigning for the presidency and Coe's comments drew criticism from Bach.
Agencies Via Xinhua
ALBA, Italy - Italian firm Mondo will supply this summer's Paris Olympics with a custom purple track which could be the fastest yet for athletes hunting the biggest prizes in sport.
Based in the sleepy Piedmont town of Alba which is immersed in vineyards where the grapes for the world-famous Barolo wine ripen in the sun, Mondo first made the track for the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
For Paris - its 13th Olympics - it has devised the Mondotrack EB that will host 46 of 48 athletics events of the Games at the Stade de France.
The biggest stars in athletics such as reigning women's world 100m champion Sha'Carri Richardson will strive for Olympic glory on its surface.
Mondo claim the track delivers better performance than the one used at the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where three world records were broken, including the men's and women's 400m hurdles marks set by Karsten Warholm and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone respectively.
"We have changed the design of the cells on the lower layer of the track compared to the one used in Tokyo," Maurizio Stroppiana, vice-president of Mondo's sports division and son of one of the two founders, told AFP.
"That reduces the energy loss for athletes and sends it back up to them at the best possible point of their movement."
However research and development manager Andrea Marenghi says that Mondo cannot "do whatever we want" with the composition of the track.
"There are very strict criteria set by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) because the most important thing is to safeguard the health of the athlete and not impair their technique," says Marenghi.
"Athletes are more high-performance than ever, and the track doesn't give anything that they don't already have."
The Paris track will be a striking purple rather than the traditional terracotta.
Marenghi told AFP that the two new shades - one for the competition areas and another for the technical areas - will only be used for the Games in the French capital.
"We wanted to have an original colour," said former decathlete Alain Blondel, the head of athletics and para-athletics events at the Paris Olympics.
"The two shades of purple allow for maximum contrast when TV pictures are being shot, highlighting the athletes."
Despite being purple the track, which in all measures 21,000 square metres, will also be more "green" than usual as it is made with more natural components than ever before.
"Up to 50 percent of the components of the track are either renewable to recycled... we were at just over 30 percent for London 2012," says Mondo's sustainability and innovation chief Giorgio Lesage.
AFP
PARIS - The Olympic rings will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower during the Paris Olympics, the company that manages the monument and the organising committee of the Games told AFP on Monday.
The five rings representing the five continents and the universal nature of sport will be installed in the next few weeks on the side of the tower that faces the river Seine, according to Jean-Francois Martins, the head of the tower's managing company Sete.
Le Parisien newspaper, which first reported that the rings will be displayed on the 300-metre (985-feet) tower, said the rings will be situated between the first and second levels.
The Olympics will begin on July 26 with an unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine.
Instead of parading through the athletics stadium at the start of the Games, teams are set to sail down the Seine on a flotilla of boats in front of up to 500,000 spectators.
The Olympic flame will burn in the Tuilleries Gardens, near the Louvre.
Agencies
BEIJING -- 464 athletes will vie for over 150 quota places for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games through the Olympic Qualifier Series, the International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday.
As the ultimate qualification event to Paris for breaking, sport climbing, BMX freestyle and skateboarding, an equal number of male and female athletes, including 80 break-dancers, 96 boulder & lead climbers and 64 speed climbers, 48 BMX cyclists, 88 park and 88 street skateboarders, will compete in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai on May 16-19 and Budapest on June 20-23, respectively.
81 Olympians, including 18 Olympic medalists from Tokyo 2020, are among the list, such as skateboarding street gold medalist Yuto Horigome of Japan and BMX freestyle gold medalist Logan Martin of Australia.
A total of 158 quota places for Paris 2024 will be allocated following the Series in accordance with the relevant qualification systems, with relative International Federations being responsible for determining the rules related to the points system of their sports.
BMX freestyle, sport climbing, and breaking athletes will compete for up to 50 points at each of the two stops, adding up to a maximum possible total of 100 points per athlete.
The points system for skateboarding is divided into three parts: 1/3 of the points are allocated from previous competitions, 1/3 of the points each are up for grabs in Shanghai and Budapest.
The final ranking of the combined points will determine the quota places, with 20 in breaking, 24 in boulder & lead and 14 in speed climbing, 12 in BMX freestyle, and 44 in park and 44 in street skating.
PARIS -- The official stamp for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, in collaboration between the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee and La Poste Group, was officially released at the French Postal Museum on Tuesday.
Drawing inspiration from the visual identity of the Paris Olympics, the stamp highlights iconic places like the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine, with sporting elements of athletics tracks and ball bounces featured in it. The stamp has exceptional finishes with hot stamping.
"This stamp carries the colors of Paris 2024 and will fully contribute to opening up the Games. We can't wait to see it travel in France and around the world," said Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.
La Poste Group issued its first official Olympic stamp in 1924, when Paris hosted the eighth Summer Olympic Games. Subsequent Olympic events in France, such as the Grenoble Winter Olympics in 1968 and the Albertville Winter Olympics in 1992, also saw the release of Olympic stamps by La Poste Group. Following the successful bid of Paris to host the 2024 Summer Olympics in 2017, La Poste Group commemorated the occasion by releasing a special stamp.
"La Poste is proud to issue this emblematic stamp. Rich in symbols, it reflects the soul of the Games and allows Paris 2024 to travel and shine across the world," stated Philippe Wahl, president and CEO of La Poste Group.
The official Olympic stamp, priced at 1.96 euros (2.12 U.S. dollars), will see a circulation of 800,000 copies and go on sale on March 29.
PARIS -- The uniforms for the volunteers of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were officially unveiled on Saturday, while the organizers also announced that 20 percent of the approximately 45,000 volunteers hail from overseas, representing around 150 countries and regions.
The uniforms made their appearances at the Volunteer Convention for the Paris Olympics, held at the Paris La Defense Arena, which will host swimming and water polo final events during the Olympics and para swimming competition during the Paralympics. About 20,000 volunteers for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games attended the event, which marked the first offline activity of the Paris Olympic volunteer program.
The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee revealed they have received over 300,000 volunteer applications. Of the 45,000 selected volunteers, there is an equal gender split, with more than five percent being persons with disabilities and 20 percent from abroad.
"The volunteers are one of the most crucial parts of the Olympic family. We can't wait to see these emotions. But all this is not possible without tens of thousands of volunteers. We can't do the Games without you," said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet.
"Having so many international volunteers also proves our success. It's a global celebration, and naturally, we have volunteers from all over the world. I want to express my gratitude to them," he added.
Zhao Yuntong, a postgraduate student in Paris who previously volunteered at the Beijing Winter Olympics, expressed her enthusiasm about volunteering for major sports event again.
"That experience [at Beijing 2022] gave me insights into volunteer work. Now that the Paris Olympics will take place in France, I want to continue participating in it," said Zhao, whose assignment during the Olympics will involve testing the track for athletics.
Another volunteer, Xie Xingying, revealed that Chinese volunteers had already set up a WeChat group, which has over 200 members now.
Xie, who studied in Paris and currently works in Luxembourg, came to the event with her friend and fellow volunteer, Wu Qiyun.
"We both have full-time jobs now, so we'll have to use our vacation time to volunteer, but we still find it very meaningful," they said. "We used to watch the Olympics on TV with friends. This time, being in Paris and participating in it as Chinese volunteers makes us feel extremely honored and happy."
Designed by Decathlon, an official partner of the Paris Olympics, the volunteer outfits were also revealed at the event.
The uniforms' color scheme matches the visual identity of the Paris Olympics, with green being the primary color for short-sleeved shirts and trousers, inspired by the color atop the Opera Garnier, hence dubbed "Opera Green."
"Designing the outfit for the 45,000 volunteers for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a source of great pride for Decathlon, because they are passionate women and men who, like us, provide access to sport and allow everyone to fully experience this planetary event," said Barbara Martin Coppola, general director of Decathlon.
"Through a range of eco-designed clothing that is both trendy and functional and displays our new visual identity, we will be keen to share our expertise and our passion for sport with millions of people around the world."
Volunteers will receive a total of 15 items, including clothing, shoes and bags, which are available for collection at the official distribution points starting from the end of May.
The Paris Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11, with the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
Shanghai will host the Olympic Qualifier Series for BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing from May 16 to 19. Charlotte Worthington, the Olympic champion in BMX freestyle at Tokyo Olympics, believes Shanghai is a good host city for its world-class infrastructure, enthusiasm for action sports and a huge youth fan base.
GENEVA -- All 12 teams of the 2024 Olympic Games' women's basketball competition have been settled through global qualifying tournaments, FIBA announced on Tuesday.
Defending champions the United States lead the field, along with Australia, Belgium, China, Canada, Germany, Japan, Serbia, Spain, Nigeria, Puerto Rico and host nation France.
Germany is the only team making a first appearance at an Olympic Games.
Four qualifying tournaments were played in Belgium, China, Hungary and Brazil from February 8 to 11. 10 teams qualified from the tournaments, as the U.S. and France qualified automatically.
The women's basketball competition at Paris 2024 will take place from July 29 to August 11.
PARIS -- The medals awarded at this year's Paris Olympics and Paralympics will feature a hexagon-shaped piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower in their center, organizers said as they unveiled their design on Thursday.
The decision came from a desire to make these objects unique and singular, as Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, explained.
The design was produced by French jewellery house Chaumet.
To create their design, Paris 2024 called on its Athletes' Commission and the expertise of Chaumet to work together, as the organizers wanted to ensure that the object dreamt up by the athletes was truly made for them by imagining it with them.
The Paris Olympics will take place between July 26 and August 11, followed by the Paris Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.
PARIS — Scorching summer heat is hard to imagine now in mid-winter Paris, but in six months' time, when the world's athletes arrive for the Olympics, another pounding heatwave might spell trouble for organizers.
A new study presenting "climate simulations to anticipate worst-case heatwaves during the Paris 2024 Olympics" has focused the minds of those in charge, after it warned that the French capital faces a "not insignificant risk" of record-breaking summer temperatures.
The research, published in December in the Npj Climate and Atmospheric Science journal, looked at the risk of a two-week heatwave that would surpass the all-time record hot spell seen in Paris in 2003.
"In 20 years, the climate has changed. The idea was to warn policymakers that something even worse than 2003 could happen," lead author Pascal Yiou told AFP.
"In the 20th century, it wasn't possible to go beyond this record, but now we cannot only equal it, but surpass it with a probability that is ultimately quite high," he added.
A separate study in the Lancet Planet Health journal last May found that Paris had the highest heat-related death rates of 854 European towns and cities, partly due to its lack of green space and its dense population.
The statistics were also heavily skewed by the events of 2003, when 15,000 people died, most of them vulnerable, elderly people living on their own, sparking a bout of national soul-searching.
Stress testing
In the last five years, Paris has witnessed a series of blistering summers that have seen heat records crumble.
A new all-time temperature peak was set in July 2019, when the Meteo-France weather service clocked a sizzling 42.6 C in the French capital.
Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will run from July 26 to Aug 11, and the Paralympics, which start in late August, say they are "fully aware" of the climate-related risks to the Games.
"Heatwaves and extreme weather events are factors that we take into account, and that we are preparing for them as much as possible, in order to take necessary action," a spokesperson told AFP.
Operational teams have run simulations that look at the consequences of shifting some outdoor events to earlier or later start times to avoid the midday heat.
The athletics events, particularly the marathon, as well as tennis or beach volleyball, are all seen as being vulnerable to the effects of punishing sunshine and high temperatures.
Young and fit athletes might also prove more resistant than spectators, who will likely face queues to enter venues and potentially hours without shade in open-air stadia.
The head of the French agency responsible for building the Olympics venues, Nicolas Ferrand, reassured a Senate hearing that all indoor facilities had been built with global heating in mind.
"We checked that all of our buildings would be comfortable in the summer of 2050," he said last month, adding that the national weather office and IT consultancy firm Dassault Systemes had helped with the modeling.
AC issue
Another area of ongoing concern is the athletes' village in northern Paris, which has been built without air conditioning as part of efforts to set new environmental standards for the Paris Games.
Instead, the riverside tower blocks have natural geothermal cooling systems, as well as sunshades, planted areas, and wind ventilation.
They guarantee an indoor temperature at least 6 C lower than outside — something viewed as insufficient by some attending nations.
"Air-conditioning at the village has been an issue," a European diplomat involved in Olympics coordination told AFP on condition of anonymity.
As a compromise, French organizers are now offering to provide portable air conditioners to visiting delegations at their expense.
Torrid Tokyo
The last Summer Olympics in Tokyo is widely thought to have been the hottest on record, with temperatures regularly above 30 C, coupled with an 80 percent humidity.
Tokyo organizers moved the race walk events and two marathons to locations 800 kilometers north of the capital city in the hope of finding cooler weather, which, unfortunately, did not really materialize.
Despite a range of heat management measures, including misting stations, many athletes struggled, including Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev who wondered aloud on court if he might die.
Many athletes are adapting to climate change by doing more hot-weather training, either at overseas camps or in specially designed bubbles that can artificially increase heat and humidity.
Speaking after Tokyo, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe warned that the "new norm" was competing in "really harsh climatic conditions".
AFP
