For Ukrainian competitors in Paris for the Olympics, joy goes hand in hand with sorrow. Athletes are striving to enjoy the dream of competing at one of the worlds most prestigious sports events while carrying the burden of the war back home. When we read news, we feel very upset, said Polina Buhrova, a 20-year-old badminton player at her first Games. But its also our power and our possibility to show how strong we are that we are here, that we are going to fight until the end. The living accommo

CHENNAI: The Olympics opening week comes with it a variety of storylines and sub-plots in multiple disciplines, each as arresting as the other. In Paris, some of the headline acts will be made in the pool. A look at whats at stake in the swimming events where great feats, a local heros coronation, hot rivalries, and a doping saga for the ages could all come to a boil. Hmmm, sounds interesting. Whos the local hero? In their arsenal, the French have Leon Marchand, the imposing 22-year-old who has

PARIS: THE Eiffel Tower stood attentive, as if trying to capture the moment that will forever be embossed in the annals of Olympic history, adorned with a bouquet of adjectives: outrageous, bold, innovative and wild, yet beautiful and sublime. The Seine flowed majestically as ever beside it. The Trocadero stood on the other side where all the dignitaries sat in the immersive settings of the Opening Ceremony. Then it all began sharp at 7.30pm Paris time, with football legend Zinedine Zidane start

PARIS: Seven. Thats the magical number India would be chasing at the Paris Games. In Tokyo three years ago, they had the best ever medal-haul. This time, the contingent of 117 athletes in 16 disciplines would be working towards at least reaching the target. As the euphoria of the Opening Ceremony settles down, as the excitement of sailing on the Seine slowly fades, and as the fireworks die in staccato, athletes would embrace the reality of the Games. India started off well, with the archery team

CHENNAI: Debutants Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara led from the front as Indian mens and womens archery teams secured quarterfinal spots in their respective team events at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Bhakat cruised past Deepika Kumari, the four-time Olympian, to come out on top at 11th ranking in the womens individual recurve qualifications, while Bommadevara finished fourth in the mens individual event behind two archers from South Korea and one from Germany. With that debutants also c

CHENNAI: Anish Giri and Hikaru Nakamura were announced as Icon players for the second edition of the Global Chess League (GCL). The Super Grandmasters, making their debut in the franchise-style tournament, will represent PBG Alaskan Knights and American Gambits, respectively. The league will also have the now familiar presence of Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters). C

PARIS: Paris. The City of Lights is alight. The crisp summer air smells of festivity, sports and celebration. It turns into a heady mix when it mingles with wafts of freshly-baked croissants and coffees across the rues and boulevards lazily lingering in the cool breeze. No city has earned as many monikers as this city -- romance, art, culture, gastronomy and, of course, revolution -- one just needs to name it. The Seine is draped in all its fineries. So are all its iconic locations. The morning

CHENNAI: DURING the Tokyo Olympics, when the world was watching the first-ever postponed Olympics from the comfort of their homes, one of Dhinidhi Desinghu's close friends declared. I have been friends with her since we were two. She was supposed to watch the games, but she suddenly told me that it would not happen. And she will watch the games when I qualify for it. We were all taking it as a joke. No way it was going to happen anytime soon, Desinghu told this daily before flying to Paris for h

PARIS: THERE is no beauty in the tomb. It lies inside the grave, quiet and cold. The Lizard King, buried in, Pere Lachaise, cemetery of the vanities as they call it, evokes a different kind of emotion. It celebrates life in the dead.Since the Olympics are here, they are expecting more visitors. It always is. And Jim Morrison's is still one of the most visited sites. The bust, created in 1981, was stolen in 1988 by fans. The tomb was rebuilt by the family in 1991 and the tomb standing today is so

Lydia Jacoby was a breakout star in the pool for the United States at the last Summer Games, earning a gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke and a relay silver. Part of what comes to mind from those heady days in Tokyo? People talking about post-Olympic depression, she said. She was 17 at the time, and her initial response when other athletes brought up the topic was: Well, that doesnt apply to me. I essentially did not understand the topic of depression, she said. It wasnt until after the Ga

PARIS: China were second behind the United States in the medals table at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and will be expecting to strike plenty more gold in Paris. AFP Sport highlights five Chinese competitors to watch when the Games start on Friday: Pan Zhanle (swimming) The 19-year-old goes into the Games in the French capital on the back of a hugely successful world championships in Doha at the start of the year. The competition did not have its strongest field because some top stars opted

If Leander Paes Olympic medal in Atlanta started a yearning for quadrennial glory in the worlds most prestigious sporting event, Beijing is where the blue touch paper was lit. In the 12 years and three Olympic cycles from Atlanta to Beijing, the glass ceiling hadnt been shattered but it was being pricked and prodded. Abhinav Bindras medal, the first individual gold at the Games, was a black swan event. Till Beijing, ambition was limited; get to the Games. These days, the ambitions are on another