Athletes report problems with eggs, meats at Paris Olympic Village
Athletes had to overcome insurmountable odds to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Now that they are in Paris, the caterer faces the daunting task of trying to feed thousands of hungry Olympians â and it is struggling to keep up.
Sodexo Live, the official caterer of the Olympic Village, admitted to a French newspaper that there has been âvery high demandâ for several items like eggs and grilled meats. Athletes said eggs are being rationed and raw meat is being served as they look for high-protein foods to stay fueled for competition.
Publications from England report the Great Britain Olympic team is bringing in its own chef following the food fouls.
âThe food is a challenge at the moment,” one British Olympian told The Times. “They are not as organized as youâd expect.”
âThey are saying the Games are more sustainable and there is way more plant-based food but sometimes if you go at peak times itâs challenging to even get a piece of chicken,” the athlete added.
The caterer said âvolumes will be increasedâ to âsatisfy the needs of the athletes.â Over 600,000 meals are to be served at the Olympic Village every day of the Summer Games.
A convicted child rapist is competing in Paris Games, many want to know why
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing scrutiny ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris over one particular athlete’s inclusion. Steven van de Velde is set to represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball in the Olympics, which start on Friday, July 26. Van de Velde is also a convicted sex offender, and reportedly still has his name listed in the U.K.’s sex offender registry.
Van de Velde’s inclusion in the Olympic Games is being met with outrage among advocates for sexual assault survivors, who are demanding an investigation into why he’s allowed to compete and have said this allowance sends the wrong message to men that rape has no consequences.
However, the IOC responded to the demands to leave van de Velde out of the Games by saying that the selection of athletes is not up to the international committee, the decision is up to each individual national committee. The Dutch Olympic Committee has thrown its support behind van de Velde and said that he has done everything necessary since his conviction to earn the right to be an Olympian.
While it may be up to national committees to decide which athletes compete on their teams, the British and Australian Olympic Committees maintain that they would never allow a known sex offender to compete for their countries.
Advocates for sexual assault survivors expressed outraged over van de Velde’s set appearance in the Olympic Games. Critics reportedly said that van de Velde showed a “chilling” lack of remorse for his crime and believe it negatively affects survivors of sexual assault.
Meanwhile, Olympic officials have advised van de Velde to stay outside of the Olympic village in Paris in order to avoid publicity.
Van de Velde maintains that he is a changed man since the crime occurred in 2014.
The athlete reportedly raped a 12-year-old girl in the U.K. when he was 19 years old. Investigators said that van de Velde had communicated with the girl online before deciding to travel to the U.K. to visit, and subsequently sexually assault her. He served a year in a Britain prison before being transferred and given a lighter sentence in the Netherlands.
At the time of his sentencing in 2016, the judge told him that his hopes of representing his country “now lie as a shattered dream.” Van de Velde was released from prison in 2017.
However, it appears van de Velde was able to rebuild that once “shattered dream.” The Dutch Olympic Committee maintains that van de Velde deserves a second chance, and asserted that there is no risk of “recidivism” from him.
Arson attacks disrupt train travel ahead of Paris Olympics opening ceremony
With just hours to go before the Olympics opening ceremony, arson attacks disrupted traffic on France’s high-speed train lines. And following a Supreme Court ruling banning sleeping in public spaces, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to remove homeless encampments. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, July 26, 2024.
Arson attacks disrupt train travel ahead of Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Authorities are investigating whatâs being called “a malicious attack” on France’s high-speed rail network. According to authorities, arsonists set a series of coordinated fires to disrupt travel just ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
It’s already causing delays and is expected to “severely impact” commuters until at least the end of Sunday, July 28. The railway operator said the fires were deliberately set to damage its installations.
This incident is likely to add some apprehension ahead of the much-anticipated Paris Olympic Games.Â
France has beefed up its security surrounding the world event in unprecedented levels. There will be more than 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 security agents deployed, as well as several snipers and drones keeping watch from above as the games officially get underway.
Officials: Man pushing burning car into gully started California wildfire
Wildfires are raging in the west and the impact of the wildfire smoke is being felt as far as the East Coast. It’s California’s largest wildfire of the year, dubbed “The Park Fire,â burning north of Sacramento near the city Chico.
Authorities said they know how it started and have a suspect in custody. They said 48-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II of Chico, California, pushed a burning car into a dry gully just before 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday, July 24. He has been arrested on suspicion of arson.
The Park Fire is larger than the size of the city of Atlanta and is only 3% contained.
It’s also not the only fire consuming the time and energy of firefighters and officials. Hundreds of wildfires are spreading throughout California, Oregon and Canada, forcing thousands of evacuations.Â
In Oregon, fires have been ablaze for days, burning nearly 1 million acres.Â
The impact of wildfire smoke across the nation is expected to worsen throughout the weekend.
California governor issues executive order to remove homeless encampments
The order offers guidance on how to remove the encampments in a humane way. It also makes it clear the decision to remove encampments is up to individual cities.
California has the largest unhoused population in the country, with more than 180,000 people experiencing homelessness.
U.S. arrests Mexican drug cartel leaders “El Mayo” and “El Chapo’s” son
U.S. authorities said they’ve arrested a Mexican drug kingpin who’s evaded capture for decades. Federal agents lured Ismael âEl Mayoâ Zambada across the border into Texas, where they took him into custody.
“El Mayo” is described as the leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, which authorities said has been flooding the U.S. with deadly fentanyl.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the cartelâs infamous co-founder and former boss Joaquin âEl Chapoâ Guzman, was also arrested. “El Chapo” is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized with COVID-19 and double pneumonia
Former Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein â who’s been sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of rape â has been hospitalized. His representative said Weinstein is facing a “myriad of health conditions,â including COVID-19 and double pneumonia.
The 72 year old is currently awaiting retrial in Manhattan on sex crime charges after his conviction was overturned on appeal in April. He is tentatively set to be retried in November.Â
His rape sentence comes out of a conviction in Los Angeles, but he’s being held in a New York prison while waiting for retrial.
Ohio court rules ‘boneless’ chicken wings can have bones
According to the Ohio State Supreme court, customers who order boneless wings should not expect them to be boneless. The ruling stems from a case brought on by a man who said he developed medical problems after a tiny bone fragment became lodged in his throat after he ate boneless wings at a restaurant in 2016.
He sued the restaurant for negligence and breach of warranty. However, the Ohio justices ruled that the term âboneless wingsâ actually refers to the cooking style and said in its ruling that it’s “common knowledge that chickens have bones.”
American canoeist Casey Eichfeld looks for gold at historic 4th Olympics
This is the fifth installment in our weeklong series taking a closer look at Team USA members and their sports as the Paris Olympics get underway.
Casey Eichfeld is many things: a husband, father, Olympian and a self-described Disney fanatic.
âWe got married at Disney World in Epcot,â he told Straight Arrow News, confirming he and his wifeâs Disney devotion.
Straight Arrow News asked him to explain the rules of the sport. He gave a concise explanation:
âCanoe slalom is a series of gates hanging over a whitewater river. Athletes have to navigate those gates and there will be 18 to 25 of them. Fastest time wins. If we touch a gate we incur a 2-second penalty. If we miss a gate, go through it upside down or the wrong direction, we get a 50-second penalty. And thatâs really about it.â
But thatâs far from it when weâre talking about Eichfeld who will be making history in his sport for most Olympic appearances. He was, in a way, born for canoeing.
âMy parents had a boat waiting for me before I was born so I donât know if I was really given that much choice,â Eichfeld said with a laugh.
So once he started he said everything clicked â a perfect fit like Cinderellaâs glass slipper â and he fell in love with the sport.
In 2008, he qualified for his first Olympics in Beijing at 18 years old. It was an experience he called âsuper surreal,â especially being part of the opening ceremony.
âThatâs one of the memories that will stay with me all of my life, particularly my first opening ceremonies,â Eichfeld said. âThereâs 550 of us, weâre walking through the tunnel into the birdâs nest and everyoneâs chanting âUSA!â ‘USA!â It gives me chills every time I think about it.â
Eichfeld said itâs not just the memories on the water that stick with him. He said he has plenty of other stories to share.
âI have a memory of hanging out at our athleteâs lounge in our village building, chilling out, watching other sports â Michael Phelps walks in,” Eichfeld recalled. “Heâs like, âHey are there any Uncrustables left?â I said, âDude, I got you.â I took him right to the fridge that had them, had a coffee together, chatted a little bit. ââItâs cool to see you. Iâm not at all starstruck.ââ
After placing 7th at the Rio Games in 2016, his highest placement yet, but then not qualifying for Tokyo 2021, Eichfeld contemplated retirement. He was starting a family and wondering if it was time to turn the page on his Olympic quest, but, like Moana, the water called to him.
âI had to make the decision: if Iâm going to do this, Iâm going to do this,” Eichfeld said. “Thereâs no messing around with this. If Iâm going to take the time to be away from my family, as much as I need to be, then I really need to put the effort in and it paid off.”
At 34 years old, Eichfeld is now the veteran among his Team USA crew. Heâs already thinking ahead, not just about his Olympics dreams, but the ones coming true at home, too.
âIâm really happy with my decision [to compete], now I get to make that decision again,” Eichfeld said. “We got a home Olympics coming and we have a baby boy coming at the end of October. So big, big year for me.â
âI like to add big things to my Olympic years. In 2016, my wife and I got married in December and this time, weâre having a baby two months after the Olympics. So why not make it a big year, a really memorable year?â
With his family in Paris motivating him, Eichfeld is looking to bring home the gold this time around and then celebrate in style.
âI want to prove that I belong here and even in my advanced age that I can still throw it down,â Eichfeld said. âSo Iâm fighting for the podium. I want to be up there. And then when I get home I want to go Disney.â
If people have any doubts about breaking being a sport, USA Breakinâs Ricardo Fernandez Jr. told Straight Arrow News thereâs no reason to question. Fernandez is credited with creating the blueprint for competitive breaking competitions and talk all about its rich history dating back to its origins in the Bronx in the 1970s.
âWe were breaking to the break of the record, so now you see where the name comes from, the record has a break and that break is the percussion drum part that was elongated by the DJ,â Fernandez said.
Fernandez said breaking comes down to discipline and athleticism.
âYou take the athleticism and you put two individuals or a group to compete against each other constantly, you are already creating the atmosphere for it to become marketable,â he said. âBreaking, you have to be athletic to achieve what you see now.â
Team USA will be represented by four athletes called breakers: Jeffrey “B-Boy Jeffro” Louis, who wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to get breaking to be part of the games just a few years ago; Â Logan Edra, who started breaking at age 7, was given the nickname âLogistixâ by her father; Sunny Choi, who picked up the sport while a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania; and Victor Montalvo, the first American to qualify, whose father and uncle were breaking pioneers.
Fernandez, known in the breaking world as B-boy Speedy Legs, has seen the sport evolve from his days of teaching it to kids in 1980s Miami to showing off his power moves in New York in the 1990s.
âI dedicated my life to breaking, in every aspect, in the art form, in the athleticism, in the competitiveness and also helped create the platform that would take it to the Olympics,â Fernandez said.
Fernandez started the B-Boy Masters Pro-Am, one of the first breaking competitions, as he tried to grow the sport and everything that comes. That includes the moves like top rock, the music from the DJ and the overall hip-hop culture that inspires the art form.Â
âI put together the first elements of how to judge it cause it was really hard to judge breaking,” Fernandez said. “If I talked to some of the guys with whom I was down with in the beginning, I know that they thought I was probably corny about implementing something like that.”Â
Fernandez created a 5-element judging system, one he said is very similar to how the breakers will be judged at the Olympics. In Paris, breakers will be judged on musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution.
Though Fernandez said some heated politics between organizations emerged during breakingâs path to the Olympics, he knows his sportâs place on the worldâs biggest stage will help it grow even more.
âI believe when it gets exposure in the next two to three weeks, itâs going to be phenomenal,â Fernandez said. âI believe itâs going to create more opportunities not only for the first four athletes from the United States to make history, but also to create new outlets for the youth.â
US athletes hope showcase will launch beach handball into next Olympics: Racing Toward Paris
This is the third installment in our weeklong series “Racing Toward Paris,” taking a closer look at Team USA members and their sports ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics.
When the Olympic Games open on Friday, July 26, in Paris, viewers will be able to watch beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
But for USAâs Christine Mansour and Ebiye Udo-Udoma, their attention will be on another beach sport 15 miles away â beach handball.
âItâs a dream come true,” Udo-Udoma told Straight Arrow News. “There are still some preparations. I donât think the magnitude of playing in Paris has hit me because Iâm still focused on training.â
Mansour, fresh off getting her MBA, means business when it comes to giving beach handball its due.
âI always view it as a startup sport,” Mansour said. “Not that many people know about it, especially in the States. Itâs so interesting because once I explain this sport to people and show them a clip, the interest is immediately piqued.â
Just like the sport itself, Udo-Udoma is better known outside the U.S., often referred to internationally by his nickname âHandball Ninja.â
âI remember shaking hands with an opponent,” Udo-Udoma said. “I said, âMy nameâs Ebiye.â He said, âNinja, you donât have to introduce yourself, we all know who you are.â I just chuckled.â
Unlike the indoor version, beach handball is not yet an official part of the Olympics. But this year in Paris, beach handball is an exhibition sport played alongside the Olympic Games.
Mansour and Udo-Udoma are among 64 of the worldâs best athletes from 18 different countries playing in a showcase with hopes for the sport to be granted a permanent spot.
âItâs very important to me that you have these mediums in life like sport where you can transcend barriers whether they are political, social or geographical,â Udo-Udoma said. âItâs nice to have something to connect you to other human beings independent of superficial restrictions.â
After playing Division 1 basketball at Harvard, Mansour found beach handball while living in California and excelled â becoming the top scorer in the 2022 World Championship, moving to the Netherlands and creating a dual-nation team. Now she is being named the only female player from North America for the showcase.Â
âWeâre all entrepreneurs in the sense,” Mansour said. “Weâre all doing our part to build this community and build this sport, build awareness, so we can continue to reach higher levels and with that the ultimate goal is reaching the Olympics.”
Mansour said one of the big differentiators setting this sport apart from others is the points for spectacular goals, including the alley oops and the spin shots.
It was those moves that first caught the attention of the future âHandball Ninja.â Udo-Udoma played at Oregon State University and joined the national team a decade ago.
âFor really a couple decades worth of work to culminate into something like getting the opportunity to play under the rings, the flood of emotion that initially hit me was immense,â Udo-Udoma said.
Olympic gold is not the goal this year for these Americans. They are just out to prove beach handball belongs at the Olympics and theyâre not going to miss their shot â spinning or not â to showcase that.
âSo to have this opportunity as we shoot to get it on the program for Los Angeles 2028, Brisbane 2032, and to be an integral part of the history of something, thatâs something that has even more value on top of what I accomplish as an individual athlete or as a competitor â to be part of something bigger than me,â Udo-Udoma said.
âFor me to be part of an Olympic showcase of a sport that Iâm obsessed with, that I love, and I wish the whole world knew about is the greatest honor,â Mansour added.
Israeli athletes face safety concerns ahead of Olympic Games in Paris
As Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza continues, Israeli athletes are under enhanced security as concerns for their safety grow ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Those concerns have reportedly deepened after a far-left member of French Parliament was accused of endangering Israeli athletes during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Saturday, July 20.
“The Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris and Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris,” Lawmaker Thomas Portes said during the demonstration.
Portes also reportedly pushed for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban the Israeli flag and anthem, citing a double standard when it comes to Israeli and Russian athletes. He encouraged those opposed to Israel’s war in Gaza to “demonstrate against the country’s presence at the Games” as well.
The head of Jewish Institutions in France accused Portes of “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes,” reminding Portes of the deadly attack on Israeli athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister GĂŠrald Darmanin condemned Portes remarks, saying the “hints of antisemitism in his comments are obvious.”
Some French lawmakers offered a partial defense of Portes remarks.
“Faced with repeated violations of international law by the Israeli government, it is legitimate to ask that its athletes compete under a neutral banner in the Olympic Games,” Lawmaker Manuel Bompard said.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee has also asked for Israel to be banned from the Games. In a letter to the IOC on Monday, July 22, the committee said the bombing of Gaza was “a breach of international truce.”
Hundreds of Israeli security personnel are reportedly in Paris to protect the 88 Israeli athletes and dozens of delegates at the Olympics. Additionally, France has 30,000 police officers and 15,000 soldiers in Paris. Police intelligence has already foiled at least two plots to attack the Games.
21-year-old archer looks to make her mark at first Olympics: Racing Toward Paris
This is the second installment in our weeklong series taking a closer look at Team USA members and their sports ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics.
In archery, to reach your target, you need accuracy. Focus. Precision.Â
For San Diegoâs Catalina Gnoriega, she is precisely on target; her trajectory taking her to Paris for her first Olympic Games.
âItâs a dream come true,” Gnoriega said. “There are so many people who dream of that for so long and work so hard. Itâs really such a good feeling. Itâs a dream come true to be able to say I made it â Iâm going to go compete there.â
She first picked up the bow and arrow at age 12. Gnoriega said she gravitated to the independence the sport provides an athlete and the opportunity to hone your craft while staying in the zone.
It all comes down to just arrows, a bow and the archer. All three coming together for a united purpose.
âItâs hard to pinpoint what it is exactly, but I like that itâs individual and like Iâm able to focus on myself, I was always like that, especially when I was a kid, that drew me in,â Gnoriega said. âAll I had to do was show up and shoot.â
Now at age 21, whether sheâs competing as an individual or part of a team, Gnoriega will have her parents there in Paris to cheer her on, the ones who supported her through her journey. She will proudly represent her Mexican-American heritage as a member of Team USA.
“Itâs crazy,” Gnoriega said. “Itâs such an honor. Itâs crazy to think that Iâm on the same team as someone like Simone Biles and these other people who are incredible â Iâm on that same team. Thatâs such an incredible feeling. I just canât believe it.â
And sheâs now on the hunt for her next target: Olympic medals.
âThe goal would be to get medals,â Gnoriega said. âBut overall I just want to go have fun. Do what I know how to do. Just shoot and trust myself and enjoy it because it hopefully itâs not just once, but itâs kind of like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just want to enjoy it.â
France bans hijabs for French athletes at 2024 Paris Olympics
France will not be allowing French athletes to wear hijabs during the 2024 Olympic Games which will begin in Paris on Friday, July 26. The headscarf ban does not apply to non-French athletes.
Human rights groups called the ban discriminatory. Representatives for Amnesty International said the move is unfair and a violation against Muslim women and girlsâ human rights.
“Banning French athletes from competing with sports hijabs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first gender-equal Olympics and lays bare the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in France,” a representative for Amnesty International said.
According to Amnesty International, France is the only European country that bars its athletes from wearing religious head coverings.
A coalition of sporting organizations wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) demanding it call on France to reverse its position.
In response, the IOC claimed France considers its Olympic athletes to be civil servants publicly serving their country and that “freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.”
Many French sports federations prohibit the wearing of religious headwear, creating barriers for Muslim women and girls to compete.
A representative for Amnesty International said athletes shouldnât be expected to follow their governmentâs policies “that actually discriminate and violate human rights.”
One basketball player told Time magazine that she fears young Muslim girls wonât be able to see themselves as athletes and that some French players feel like theyâre being forced to choose between their identity or playing the sport.
Headscarves in France have been an ongoing issue. In 2004, the French government banned the display of “conspicuous” religious symbols â such as the wearing of a hijab â at state schools.
Mayor of Paris takes dip in Seine River to show it’s safe for Olympians
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo delivered on a long-awaited promise on Wednesday, July 17, nine days before the Olympic Games kick off. Hidalgo took a much-anticipated swim in the long-polluted Seine River in an effort to prove that the water is clean enough for the upcoming Olympic swimming competitions that will take place in the waterway.
“It’s amazing, you know, it was a dream for us,” Hidalgo said. “We worked a lot and very hard for that. It is, not just be here today and swim together, it’s a very lucky and happy day. It’s also for the planet, you know, and for the river and the ocean.”
Swimming in the Seine River had been banned since 1923 due to health concerns related to pollution in the river. However, since 2015, $1.5 billion has been spent by organizers in an effort to prepare the river for the Olympic Games. The plan involved constructing a gigantic underground water storage basin, sewer renovations and upgrades to water treatment plants.
Despite the efforts, daily water tests in early June revealed that unsafe of E. coli existed within the river. However, more recent findings have shown improvement to the water quality.
Hidalgo’s swim was previously planned for June, but snap elections in France postponed her dive into the Seine River. On the initial date of her expected swim, some social media users reportedly threatened to defecate upstream into the river in protest of the Olympic Games.
More serious threats have been leveled as well. French authorities said that they arrested an 18-year-old suspected Neo-Nazi for allegedly plotting an attack at the Olympic Games. The man reportedly had followers on Telegram prepared for violence after he threatened a Paris-based drag queen who participated in the Olympic torch rally.
Amid the heightened security concerns, French soldiers have arrived in Paris to provide extra security. A newly built military camp is located for operations across the city and can hold up to 4,500 soldiers.
The Olympic Games are set to begin Friday, July 26.
Paris busing out thousands of homeless people ahead of Olympic Games
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised the 2024 Olympic Games will showcase the splendor of Paris. However, to fulfill that promise, the French government reportedly wants to keep Paris’ homeless problem out of view. The government is allegedly considering bussing thousands of homeless migrants out of the city and into other towns ahead of the Olympic Games on July 26.
The New York Times reported that around 5,000 people have been evicted under the program over the past year.
Macron’s administration said that the program is voluntary and has denied that the effort is connected to the Olympics. Paris is currently dealing with an emergency housing shortage and the city’s homeless population sits at 100,000 people, which is around half of the homeless population in France.
However, a Paris government official seemed to contradict Macron’s assertion that the evictions are not related to the upcoming 2024 Games. In an email to a French newspaper, the official said the goal is to “identify people on the street in sites near Olympic venues and remove them before the Games.”
Beginning last year, police raids on homeless encampments and abandoned building increased.
The city maintains that it relocates the homeless and provides them with housing in other cities. However, many migrants told The New York Times that they were lured into the program with the promise of housing and social services only to discover that the process could lead to deportation.
Others interviewed by the Times said that they never knew the program was voluntary given that they were surrounded by police with the offer to relocate.
After arriving in their new cities, relocated individuals live in shelters temporarily and are screened for asylum. Several, however, have instead received deportation orders. Those eligible can receive long-term housing but around 60% of people are denied.
The chance of deportation has lawyers advising people not to get on the buses and instead to take their chances on the streets.