Zheng Qinwen eyes Olympics history in Li Na’s Paris footsteps

Zheng Qinwen can become China's first Olympic tennis singles gold medallist on Saturday on the same court where childhood inspiration Li Na wrote her name into history 13 years ago. Zheng takes on Croatia's Donna Vekic having endured a rollercoaster week in Paris. The 21-year-old needed back-to-back three-hour epics to make the

Iconic sites hosting Paris Olympics events

The Paris Olympics have been designed to showcase the City of Light in all its splendour, with many events set to take place at some of its most iconic locations. AFP looks at five sites set to wow ticket-holders -- and a global TV audience of billions -- during the 17-day

Paris 2024 hopes to be model for lower-carbon Olympics

This year's Paris Olympics will use renewable energy, serve lots of vegetarian meals and heavily restrict plastic bottles, but can an event involving so much construction and international travel ever be environmentally sustainable? After an extravagant FIFA football World Cup in Qatar in 2022 that featured air-conditioned stadiums, the Paris Games

Nadal aims to play at French Open, Olympics

Rafa Nadal hopes to compete at this year's French Open and the Olympics, the former world number one said on Wednesday. The 37-year-old Spaniard has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 14 French Open crowns. "I don't know which events I have left to play but between you and

Sliding events at 2026 Winter Olympics to be held outside Italy

Sliding events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be staged outside Italy following the failure to build a new track in Cortina, it was announced Monday. Milan-Cortina chief Giovanni Malago told the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai his organisation had been effectively ordered by the Italian government to move

Gu takes second medal of Beijing Games but settles for silver

Californian-born Chinese sensation Eileen Gu won her second medal of the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday but had to settle for silver in a freeski slopestyle competition won by Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud. The 18-year-old Gu, the face of the Games after winning gold for China in Big Air last week, was third

Gu blows away Olympic rivals in freeski halfpipe qualifiers

Californian-born Chines sensation Eileen Gu topped qualification for the women's freeski halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, as she aims for her third medal of the Games. Gu, who has already bagged one gold and one silver in the Chinese capital, set the standard in qualifying with a first-run score of

Japan extends state of emergency just before Olympics

Japan has extended a Covid-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and 9 other regions for another three weeks. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said ''Although infections were falling, They remained high and some hospitals are still under strain. The restriction will continue until 19 June, which is just five weeks before the