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Paris 2024 Olympics - Ceremonies - Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - August 11, 2024. General view of fireworks during the gran finale of the closing ceremony.
Hard Numbers: Olympic Edition. Au revoir, Paris!
126: Team USA had its third-best Summer Olympics ever, winning 126 medals across 34 different sports. Historically, the US has done even better at home, netting 174 medals with a staggering 83 golds in the 1984 LA games and 231 medals at the 1904 games in St. Louis. With Sunday’s closing ceremony behind us, all eyes now turn to the next edition: Los Angeles 2028.
40: China came in second in overall medals with 91, but the real rivalry is all about the gold, baby. The United States and China walked away with 40 gold medals each — the first-ever golden tie for the sporting superpowers.
12: Russian athletes were not allowed to participate under their national flag due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, so the usual medal powerhouse wound up with zilch — while Ukrainian athletes won 12 medals, including gold in the women’s high jump, men’s boxing, and women’s team saber. It was Ukraine’s second-lowest medal count since independence, and the country sent its fewest-ever competitors – 140 athletes – this year, a downturn attributed to the ongoing conflict.
8: None of the eight Palestinian athletes at the Games won a medal, but their mere presence was a major achievement given the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. The conflict has claimed the lives of national volleyball team members Ibrahim Qusaya and Hassan Zuaiter, national athletics coach Bilal Abu Samaan, and the Palestinian Olympic football coach Hani al-Masdar. Others have seen their Olympic dreams eviscerated by war, like weightlifting Junior World Champion Mohammed Khamis Haidar Hamada, who lost 20 kilograms and suffered a possibly career-ending knee injury while carrying water amid the fighting.
1: Boxer Cindy Ngambamade history by winning bronze in the women’s 75kg category, becoming the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team athlete to win a medal. Ngamba has lived and trained in the UK since age 11 but struggled with her immigration status and had to fight to avoid returning to her native Cameroon, where her homosexuality is criminalized.
0.1: The biggest controversy of the Paris Games came from the smallest of margins, after US gymnast Jordan Chiles saw her score in the floor exercise final improve by 0.1 following an appeal from her coaches — just beating Romanian athlete Ana Barbosu for the bronze. The Romanians weren’t happy and appealed the decision immediately, saying Chiles’ coaches had missed the 60-second window allowed for scoring inquiries. The case went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which decided Saturday that Chiles’ coaches had indeed missed the cutoff – by four seconds. Chiles’ score was reverted, and Barbosu was awarded the bronze instead. The US team plans to appeal the ruling.
32 million: NBC says the first 13 days of the Olympics drew 32 million viewers, a major coup for the broadcaster and a 76% increase over the Tokyo games. Can they beat their own record in LA? We’ll find out in four years.Demonstrators toss a trash bin during an anti-immigration protest, in Rotherham, Britain, August 4, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Far-right unrest in UK, Nikkei plunges, Tragedies & infrastructure woes in China, Hawaii fire settlement reached, al-Qaida affiliates stir trouble in Somalia & Niger, Olympic firsts
90: Police arrested 90 people as anti-immigration, far-right protesters took to the streets of UK cities this weekend, sowing chaos in Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, and Belfast. Racial tensions spiked after the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed party in Southport last week. The suspected killer was falsely rumored to have been a Muslim immigrant (he was, in fact, born in Wales to Rwandan Christian parents). This weekend’s violence and clashes with police led to scores of arrests, and PM Keir Starmer has vowed to tackle the “far-right hatred” sowing unrest on British streets.
12: Japan’s stock market had its worst day in 37 years on Monday, dropping 12% on news of a possible US recession. This followed the Nikkei’s 5.8% drop from Friday and is leading a global stock-market selloff today amid fears that the Federal Reserve may not have responded quickly enough to a slowing US economy by cutting interest rates.
2: Two people were killed in a tunnel collapse in southwestern China on Saturday. The tragedy occurred just two weeks after at least 38 people died after a bridge in northwestern China partially collapsed, plunging vehicles into a river. Two dozen people remain missing from that incident, and both accidents have raised concerns about the country’s infrastructure.
4B: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s office has announced that a deal in principle — for just over $4 billion — has been reached to settle roughly 450 legal cases linked to the August 2023 wildfires in the Aloha State. Seven defendants were named in the suit — including the State of Hawaii, County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Co, Hawaiian Telcom, and Spectrum/Charter Communications — over the blazes that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.
32: Somali authorities say al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab killed 32 people and injured scores more Friday at a beach hotel in Mogadishu. Another seven people were reportedly killed by a roadside bomb in an attack just outside the capital on Saturday. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” on the militants last year, but al-Shabab still controls parts of the country, and Friday’s violence notably followed Somalia’s third phase of a drawdown of peacekeeping troops under the African Union Transition Mission.
2: In a video released on Friday, two men claiming to be Russian nationals say they were taken captive by al-Qaida-linked militants in northeastern Niger. One man called himself Yury and said he was a geologist working for a Russian firm in the region when armed men detained him. This could be the first time jihadis have kidnapped Russians in the Sahel, but outlets have yet to confirm the identities of the men.
3: We’ve seen a lot of great footage from the Summer Games in Paris this past week — everything from Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky racking up their piles of gold to Snoop Dogg’s Greatest Hits (and a swim lesson with Michael Phelps). But three countries have celebrated some impressive Olympic firsts this past week. Julien Alfred won the first-ever Olympic medal for St. Lucia on Saturday, racing to gold in the women’s 100-meter dash. That same day, Thea LaFond did the same for Dominica, nabbing the Caribbean island nation its first medal — and the gold — in the women’s triple jump. And Kaylia Nemour won Algeria its first gold in gymnastics, beating the competition on the uneven bars on Sunday.Trap Women's Final - Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Deols, France - July 31, 2024. Adriana Ruano Oliva of Guatemala in action.
Hard Numbers: Guatemala wins first-ever gold medal, F-16s fly in Ukraine, CAR meets on mpox outbreak, China’s housing market declines
1: Adriana Ruano wonGuatemala its first-ever gold medal at the Olympics in shooting on Wednesday. Going into the 2024 Games, there were69 countries that had never won a Summer Olympics medal and another 37 that had never won gold. We’ll be watching to see how much shorter that list gets as the Games progress.
60: American-made F-16 fighter jets have begun to arrive in Ukraine and are expected to give Kyiv’s air defenses a much-needed boost in its fight against Russia. Although the US approved the delivery last August, it won’t be providing any of its own planes. Instead, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 of them over the coming months in what is likely to be a slow trickle of deliveries.
20,000: Central African Republic officials say they are meeting with the governments of neighboring countries to stop the spread of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, which has been rapidly spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria. The DRC alone has seen20,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths from mpox, mainly among children, since the start of 2023.
20: In a rocky start to the third quarter, data shows a continued decline for China’s property sector. Transactions among the country’s top 100 real estate developers fell20% last month from a year ago, equivalent to about $38.7 billion. On a month-over-month basis, sales dropped 36%.
Japan's Kanoa Igarashi competes in the third round of the men's surfing event at the Paris Olympics in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, on July 29, 2024. Igarashi lost to Gabriel Medina of Brazil.
Hard Numbers: Photographer snaps legendary Olympic surfing pic, Japan raises interest rates, Morocco frees journalists, ‘White Dudes’ raise millions for Harris, Ebikes deliver in Accra
9.9 + 6 million: Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina and French photographer Jerome Brouillet have collaborated on what may become the most striking image of the 2024 Paris Olympics. During a surfing event held in Tahiti, Medina rode a sizable wave to a 9.9 score. Brouillet’s stunning photo of Medina’s celebration quickly captured more than 6 million likes on Instagram.
.25: Japan responded to a shrinking economy and rising inflation Wednesday by raising interest rates for the second time this year — only the second time in 17 years it has done so. The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to roughly .25%, up from 0-.1% — a far cry from the negative interest rates it had for years. Tokyo also plans to unwind its bond-buying program.
2,476: On Monday,in honor of his 25th anniversary as Morocco's king, Mohammed VIpardoned 2,476 people held in prison. Among those released are three journalists -- Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine – held for years and rights advocate Maati Monjib. Rights groups have repeatedly denounced the imprisonment of government critics on false charges in Morocco.
4 million: An online event sponsored by a group called “White Dudes for Harris” drew 1,900 people, including actor Mark Hamill and singer Josh Groban, andraised $4 million in just three hours on Monday. The event centered on presentations on why white men, a demographic that polls say strongly favor Donald Trump, should help elect Kamala Harris.
300: Thanks to entrepreneur Valerie Labi and her company Wahu Mobility, there are now 300 delivery riders in Accra using Ghana’sfirst electric bikes. Ebikes are far less polluting than the gasoline-powered motorcycles that have long poisoned the country’s air as part of the large, and growing, product delivery business.
A boat with a French flag sails by on the Seine river in Paris, where concerns about the water quality have forced the cancellation of triathlon swim training session for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, on Monday 29 July 2024 in Paris, France.
Hard Numbers: Traversing the Seine, Heroics amid wildfires, Kim’s ‘miraculous’ rescue, Harris reenergizes Dem campaign, Dance class tragedy
18 million: As questions arise over the River Seine’s cleanliness and its impact on the Olympics, the river remains important for other reasons. In 2023,18 million tons of goods were carried on the river, but that’s less than one-third the amount that traveled on it before World War II.
1.5: In California, wildfires have burned an area larger than the size of Los Angeles – and the blazes are only 12% contained, according to local officials. But there is some positive news: A first responder ran1.5 miles through an area ravaged by wildfires to rescue two dogs and their litter of puppies. There are pictures!
5,000: He saved puppies?? “Hold my beer,” says North Korea’s Supreme Leader. DPRK state media reports thatKim Jong Un has “personally guided” the “miraculous” military rescue of 5,000 people trapped by flood waters following torrential rains over the weekend. That guy really is amazing.
81: A couple of new polls suggest that soon-to-be Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has erased the enthusiasm advantage that GOP nominee Donald Trump held over President Joe Biden. The Wall Street Journal reports that just 37% of Dems were excited to vote for Biden while 81% say the same for Harris this week. (Trump is at 85% of GOP voters.) An ABC Ipsos poll finds that 88% of Dems are enthusiastic about Harris vs. 82% of Republicans who are enthusiastic about voting for Trump.
2: The seaside town of Southport, UK, is in mourning today following Monday's deadly stabbing attack at a children’s Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Two youngsters were killed and another six children and two adults are in critical condition following the knife attack. Police have arrested a 17-year-old male who lived in a nearby village and are investigating the motive but have ruled out terrorism.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron speaks, during a meeting with police forces, during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 27, 2024.
Sabotage and an arrest in France
On Monday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin blamed“ultra-left” anarchists for the Olympic opening day sabotage attacks that disrupted rail service across France. These “attacks were very intentional and well targeted,” he told reporters. This was “the traditional mode of operation of the ultra-left,” he added.
But no sooner had round-the-clock work restored rail service for French travelers and Olympic visitors on Monday than authorities discovered that long-distance internet cables had also beendeliberately cut at multiple sites, disrupting internet service across much of France, though not in Paris. No one has yet claimed responsibility for either the train or internet disruptions, but suspicion for both continues to fall on leftist anarchists.
But these attacks come at a time when European intelligence agencies have warned governments thatRussia is actively planning to target infrastructure across the country as part of a low-level conflict with NATO countries. Investigators will not only look for suspects who are French leftists – one man is alreadyunder arrest near the city of Rouen in Normandy – but they’ll also be looking for possible links between ultra-left groups and Russians.
Ultra-leftists have carried out these types of attacks before, Darmanin acknowledged, but "the question is whether they were manipulated or is it for their own account," he added, without citing any potential accomplice by name.
The dangers of sportswashing for the Olympics
Should there be a limit on foreign investment in professional sports? Sportswashing—when a government uses sports to improve its country’s reputation, distract from human rights abuses, or political controversies—has become a major problem in athletics and pro sports. But can governments do anything to stop it?
Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins joined Ian Bremmer on GZERO World ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris to talk about politics, sports and how they overlap. Saudi Arabia has invested billions of dollars in the last few years in sports like golf and tennis to help burnish its global reputation as a modern, forward-looking country. Sportswashing isn’t just a moral issue but also a political one, Jenkins points out, because the more foreign money that gets entangled in domestic companies, the more difficult it is for governments to draw a red line. Jenkin also addresses the NBA’s complex relationship with China on issues like Hong Kong, another example of how financial ties can lead to compromising on democratic values, a position Jenkins calls “the anaconda in the chandelier.”
Watch full episode: The politics of the Paris Olympics
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A satellite image shows smoke rising from the Park Fire in Chico, California, U.S., July 26, 2024.
Hard Numbers: California burns, Countries push for cease-fire, Meloni makes nice, Japan basks in Olympic glory
350,000: The Park fire in northern California has burned through over 350,000 acres of land — an area larger than New York City — and was just 10% contained as of Sunday. Authorities said the fire was spreading at a rate of 5,000 acres per hour, and police arrested a man who they suspect of having deliberately set the blaze in an act of arson.
3: On Friday, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada jointly called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and for Israel to respond “substantively” to a July 19 ruling from the International Court of Justice about the illegality of Israeli settlements and military occupation in the West Bank. The statement came a day after US Vice President Kamala Harris urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a Gaza deal.
3: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonisigned a three-year deal with China while visiting Beijing on Saturday. She also promised to implement earlier bilateral agreements derailed by shifting geopolitics and to try new forms of cooperation. Meloni won praise from the US for officially pulling out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative last year, but with a possible Sino-European trade war looming – aggravated by China dumping its production overcapacity on world markets – she seems to be more conciliatory these days.
7: As of Sunday afternoon, Japan was leading the Olympic medal count with 7 podium finishes, including two golds in Judo. The lesson here is clear: Don’t wrestle with Japanese athletes. There will be more Judo finals on Monday, with a total of 19 gold medals to be awarded in finals across events in artistic gymnastics, swimming, shooting, diving, equestrian, mountain biking, skateboarding, archery, fencing, and canoe slalom (yep, that last one threw us too – here’s a primer).