SPORTS

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, pummelled her Italian opponent in 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics on Thursday to spark an angry reaction from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

There is no love lost between France and Argentina on the football field these days and their quarter-final meeting in Bordeaux on Friday will add spice to the men's Olympic tournament.

Moussa Dadis Camara once described himself as the "little captain who became president by destiny" but is associated with one of the darkest periods in Guinea's history.

A restaurant manager in the Swiss ski resort of Davos has been fined for refusing to rent winter sports equipment to Jews, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Simone Biles won the fifth Olympic gold of her legendary career as she led the United States to an emphatic victory in the women's gymnastics team final on Tuesday, as Daniel Wiffen made Irish history in swimming.

On the shores of the River Seine, a fan zone dotted with rainbow-themed paraphernalia hopes to draw in the crowds to celebrate a record number of openly LGBTQ athletes at this year's Olympics.

AFP photographer Jerome Brouillet knew to expect fireworks when he saw Brazilian Olympic surfer Gabriel Medina paddle into one of the day's biggest waves at one of the world's heaviest surf breaks.

Twelve-year-old Hong Kong fencing beginner Lloyd got a new role model over the weekend -- "Sword Queen" Vivian Kong Man-wai, who clawed back a 7-1 deficit in the women's epee final to win Olympic gold in Paris.

America's Biles appears to be back at the peak of her powers as she leads the United States on what has been billed as a redemption mission in the women's team final.

It was a record-extending eighth team title for Japan and made up for narrowly missing out to Russia for gold at the Tokyo Games. China took silver and the United States bronze, ahead of Britain.

The Paris Olympics have been a showcase not only for athletic prowess but also for therapies such as ice baths and osteopathy which have little scientifically proven medical value, according to experts.

A blockbuster swimming showdown takes centre stage at the Paris Olympics on Sunday as gymnastics icon Simone Biles makes her eagerly anticipated first appearance of the Games.

As Paris hosts the 2024 Olympics, undocumented Chinese sex worker Hua says increased police patrols are threatening her livelihood.

Israel's emergency medical service said at least 10 people were killed in the annexed Golan Heights on Saturday by a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon.

French bishops complained on Saturday about the "scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity" during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games which has upset some conservatives and has drawn mixed reviews.

Warner Brothers Discovery filed a lawsuit against the NBA on Friday, claiming the US professional basketball league broke a contract by refusing a new media rights deal to accept an offer from Amazon.

Beach volleyball begins at the Paris Olympics on Saturday in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and with the sport under the spotlight because of the inclusion of a Dutch player convicted of rape.

"It's going to be a beautiful success," says Claudine Vacelet confidently of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, before pausing.

Reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati scored one goal and helped create another as World Cup holders Spain beat Japan 2-1 in their first game of the women's Olympic football tournament on Thursday, while record four-time gold medallists the United States beat Zambia 3-0.

Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather and Lennox Lewis are among the boxing greats who have cut their teeth at the Olympics, with a new generation of fighters eager to follow in their footsteps in Paris.

The NBA announced 11-year global media rights deals with The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Amazon on Wednesday worth a reported $76 billion and running from the 2025-26 through 2035-36 season.

France is preparing to welcome over a hundred heads of state and government, royalty and US First Lady Jill Biden for the Summer Olympics which begin with a dazzling ceremony on the river Seine on Friday.

On an improvised pitch in war-ravaged Gaza, a young player and goalkeeper block out the boisterous crowd and focus solely on the football as they square off.

Staples of Austrian cooking such as schnitzel, roast pork lung and boiled beef have proved particularly vital for Gasthaus Stich, a restaurant in the village of Pfoesing.

A rejuvenated United States team under new coach Emma Hayes are targeting a record-extending fifth women's football gold medal at the Paris Olympics but face stiff competition, not least in the shape of World Cup holders Spain and their all-star line-up.

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Tuesday a Palestinian demand that Israel be barred from the Paris Games over the war in Gaza.

British dressage star Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the Paris Olympics on Tuesday after a video emerged allegedly showing her mistreating a horse.

Cuba's Olympic Committee on Tuesday demanded the expulsion of citizen Fernando Jorge, a champion sprint canoeist, from the refugee team taking part in the Paris Olympics.

As Paris prepares for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 with what promises to be a spectacular parade of boats along the river Seine, AFP looks back at memorable Olympics curtainraisers of the past.