Olympics

7 Quirky—and Discontinued —Summer Olympic Events 

NBC News - In the 128-year history of the modern Olympiad, there’s never been an opening quite like today’s.  Rather than parade inside a stadium, around 10,500 athletes will sail in a 3½-mile flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine. It could be a blockbuster return for the summer sporting festival, which will host spectators for the first time in eight years after the coronavirus-plagued days of Tokyo in 2021.

France has heightened its security ahead of the games, following a terrorist attack in Moscow in April. “Security is a perennial concern for any large international or global gathering, so when you’re talking about the Olympics, security concerns tend to be extraordinarily vivid,” one of France's top terrorism experts said. Those fears came into focus hours before the festivities started when France’s state-owned high-speed rail network was hit with “several simultaneous” arson attacks disrupting travel for 800,000 people, the government operator SNCF said. 

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the country’s intelligence services and law enforcement agencies had been mobilized to track down suspects after “acts of sabotage” caused “massive and serious” problems on several lines of the national rail network.

The almost 600 athletes on Team USA comprise a talent-loaded roster, with women outnumbering men 314 to 278. American supporters will be eager to see if returning superstars such as Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles can add to their medal hauls in swimming and gymnastics, and whether LeBron James and Steph Curry will lead Team USA to victory over tough international talent. There are plenty of new faces, too, including gymnast Hezly Rivera and runner Nikki Hiltz. 

Organizers say Paris will provide an unforgettable backdrop to the Olympics, with events interspersed among its iconic landmarks. The arrival of Celine Dion and Lady Gaga has led to speculation that they could even take the stage today. 👀