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PARIS 2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS

Derrick White joins Team USA following call up to roster
White got the call up while he was in his hometown of Parker, Colorado, outside of Denver conducting his annual basketball camp. He'd been taking some time off after helping the Boston Celtics win the NBA title last month and agreeing to a four-year, $126 million contract extension at the beginning of this month.

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An All-Defense team member and NBA champion with a nine-figure contract, White's profile is now much higher. Though there was again some controversy when he was Team USA's pick for injury replacement over Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown among others.

Cyclist Shahd Saied out of Olympics after social media uproar
During the national championship in April, a video showed Shahd Saied colliding with one of her challengers, Ganna Eliwa, pushing her to the ground before racing ahead.[/size]
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Saied started her career in her hometown in Fayoum, south of Cairo, about four years ago. She won two gold medals in individual contests at an African championship earlier this year.
 

Despite exhibition win over Aussies, flaws remain for Team USA​

Team USA beat Australia 98-92 in an exhibition Monday in Abu Dhabi in front of a record crowd of 12,217 fans at Etihad Arena. It's a second straight win over a medal contender for the U.S., but there were a few things to pay attention to that the Aussies, always a very good test in run-ups to big events, showed. Perhaps most important, Anthony Davis displayed why he's such a vital player to the American effort. His presence on the inside was a difference in the outcome as he had 17 points and 14 rebounds in just 18 minutes while playing some strong interior defense. Anthony Edwards continues to show his value in international play, moving into the starting lineup and looking explosive, as has become his trademark, as he put up 14 points.

But the Australians, who beat the U.S. in exhibitions in both 2019 and 2021 in moments that exposed weaknesses in those squads, attacked the Americans in the middle and found the softness that remains a significant concern. Using aggressive drives, interior passes, offensive rebounds and misdirections, the Aussies racked up an astounding 68 points in the paint. That would be a concerning number in a 48-minute NBA game; in a 40-minute FIBA-style game, it's a flashing red light.

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Team USA improves to 3-0 with impressive win over Serbia​

Stephen Curry had a sizzling 18 points in his first 11 minutes, one of those hot streaks that raises goose bumps throughout arenas as those high-arcing 3-pointers splash repeatedly through the net. Then the buzzer sounded and there was a sub coming to get him, something coach Steve Kerr probably never imagined himself doing in the middle of the second quarter. This is the way Team USA is supposed to go. Merciless firepower and relentless talent deployment.

Even by Team USA standards, this group is outrageously deep. The Americans have seven MVP Awards represented in their starting lineup -- not including Kevin Durant, who remains out with a calf injury -- but they might be scarier when Kerr goes to his bench. Adebayo had 17 points, drilling three 3-pointers of his own to help the U.S. make 16 3s in total. Edwards, who is proving to be the U.S.'s most consistent scorer, had 16. Team USA now travels to London for two more exhibitions starting Saturday against South Sudan.

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Team USA Olympians feted as they depart for Paris Games​

Members of Team USA were celebrated Wednesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before the athletes flew to Paris for the Summer Games. Delta Air Lines had T-shirts and water bottles at the gate where archers, fencers, basketball players and other athletes were scheduled to depart. Signs read, "Good Luck Team USA!" and "A Merci Beaucoup From Us to You." Atlanta-based Delta is managing travel for all U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The opening ceremony for the Games is scheduled for July 26.

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Summer Olympics history: U.S. gold medal count by event​

The United States has won 2,655 medals in the history of the Summer Olympics, with 1,070 of those being gold. Both counts are more than any other country. The U.S. has its most gold medals (344) in athletics, which includes track and field, road running and race walking events.

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Summer Olympics history: U.S. gold medal count by event​

The United States has won 2,655 medals in the history of the Summer Olympics, with 1,070 of those being gold. Both counts are more than any other country. The U.S. has its most gold medals (344) in athletics, which includes track and field, road running and race walking events.

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How many gold medals has the United States won in each category at the Summer Olympics?

Here's a look at the full list.
Athletics: 344
Swimming: 258
Shooting: 57
Wrestling: 57
Boxing: 50
Diving: 48
Artistic gymnastics: 40
Rowing: 33
Basketball: 25
Tennis: 21
Sailing (formerly yachting): 19
Weightlifting: 16
Archery: 14
Cycling track: 11
Beach volleyball: 7
Equestrian eventing: 6
Artistic swimming (formerly synchronized swimming): 5
Equestrian jumping: 5
Cycling road: 5
Golf: 5
Art competitions: 4
Fencing: 4
Soccer: 4
Volleyball: 4
Water polo: 4
Canoe sprint: 3
Softball: 3
Taekwondo: 3
Canoe marathon: 2
Judo: 2
Rugby: 2
3x3 basketball: 1
Baseball: 1
Canoe slalom (whitewater canoeing): 1
Cycling BMX racing: 1
Jeu de paume: 1
Roque: 1
Surfing: 1
Triathlon: 1
Tug-of-war: 1
 
Diana Taurasi, seeking 6th gold, sets high Olympic standard
Taurasi, the 42-year-old guard will be playing in a record sixth Olympic Games when the U.S. women's basketball team goes for its eighth consecutive gold medal later this month. Taurasi has been a mainstay on the Olympic women's team since graduating from UCon in 2004 after leading the Huskies to three consecutive NCAA championships.

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Taurasi is the fourth-leading scorer in Olympic history with 414 points. She is 74 points behind former teammate Lisa Leslie for the top spot on the American list. Taurasi already is the all-time leader in games played with 38.
 

Kevin Durant practices with Team USA, questionable for South Sudan​

Kevin Durant was able to practice with Team USA for the first time Friday as he recovers from a right calf injury with coach Steve Kerr hoping he can get into one of the team's last two tune-up games before the Paris Olympics. Durant is questionable for Saturday night's game at O2 Arena against South Sudan as team officials want to monitor how he recovers. But practicing was an important sign of progress in getting Team USA's all-time leading Olympic scorer back after he'd missed all activities over the past two weeks. Durant suffered the injury in workouts in mid-June. The team stayed away from a timeline but it lingered longer than Durant had hoped. He admitted he was getting worried that the recovery might threaten his availability for the Olympics.

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Japanese gymnast Skoko Miyata out of Olympics for smoking
Miyata had been expected to lead a team comprised entirely of first-time Olympians and teenagers after she secured her spot in Paris in May with a third consecutive NHK trophy. Shoko Miyata, the 19-year-old captain of the Japan women's artistic gymnastics team, has withdrawn from the squad for the Paris Games after violating the team's code of conduct by smoking, the Japanese Gymnastics Association (JGA) said on Friday.

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The women's squad will compete with four athletes instead of five, the JGA told a media conference. Artistic gymnastics is one of the most popular sports at the Summer Games and will be held from July 27 to Aug. 5.

Outage 'pretty well dealt with' by Paris organization, IOC says
A software update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, one of the largest operators in the industry, triggered systems problems that grounded flights, forced broadcasters off air and left customers without access to services such as healthcare or banking. It also affected some operations of the organizers of the Paris Games.

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It also affected some operations of the organizers of the Paris Games.
 
Noah Lyles runs personal best 9.81 seconds in 100m ahead of Parris Olympics
Lyles, one of the biggest names in the sport at the moment, delivered in the final race of the day, clipping two-hundredths off his best time in front of a sellout crowd of 60,000, easily the largest on the Diamond League circuit. Lyles has emerged as one of the biggest personalities in athletics. Having taken the 100-meter world title in Budapest last year to add to three world titles, and an Olympic bronze, in the 200, he is becoming the man to beat in the blue-ribbon event.

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South African Akani Simbine took second in 9.86, while Letsile Tebogo of Botswana was third in 9.88 as the first five broke 10 seconds.
 

LeBron James layup helps U.S. dodge upset from South Sudan​

There probably will be a movie made about the South Sudan basketball team someday. And the players representing the war-torn young nation added a powerful and dramatic scene Saturday night in a moment the raucous crowd at O2 Arena won't soon forget. LeBron James made a driving layup with eight seconds left to prevent what would've been an historic upset and Team USA escaped with a 101-100 victory. James scored 25 points and made a string of tremendous plays in a 23-5 run from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth. A power dunk that led to a three-point play and a 3-pointer were crucial. Team USA avoided another loss, one that would have carried a level of embarrassment against a national program that has been in existence for only a handful of years after Luol Deng, the former NBA All-Star from South Sudan, assembled funding and the players with tireless work.

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Brittney Griner honored to be wearing a USA Basketball jersey​

There were times Brittney Griner thought she would never wear a USA Basketball jersey again. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was sitting in a Russian prison in 2022, sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling. Playing for her country again was a far-fetched idea at that point. Ten months later, she was free after a high-profile prisoner exchange. Now, 19 months later, she's suiting up for the U.S. in the Paris Games -- her first trip to play overseas since returning from Russia. Griner, wearing her No. 15 USA jersey before the team played at the All-Star Game on Saturday, said she gets chills now just putting it on.

Griner had gone to Russia to play basketball and supplement her WNBA income. She had done it for years. No more. The 33-year-old said she will only play in America unless USA Basketball asks her to play. Griner has dedicated a lot of time representing playing with the U.S. team and feels 100% safe when she's with them. She'll have her USA Basketball family to lean on while in Paris. Her teammates and coaches are thrilled to have her back playing for the U.S. Emhoff will lead the U.S. delegation to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, which is the night of the women's gold medal game that Griner and her teammates expect to be playing in.

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Bears to allow Owens to miss practices to watch Biles at Olympics​

The Chicago Bears are allowing safety Jonathan Owens to miss seven training camp practices so he can travel to the Olympic games and watch his wife, USA gymnast Simone Biles, compete in Paris. Owens has excused absences July 29-Aug. 3 and is expected back at practice on Aug. 4. Women's gymnastics qualifying begins July 28 where Biles will contend for four events: the all-around, vault, uneven bars and balance beam. Biles, a three-time Olympian, is the reigning all-around champion and has the top U.S. score on every event except uneven bars. Owens, 29, signed with the Bears as a free agent in March after spending the 2023 season in Green bay, where he appeared in 17 games with 11 starts. He is competing for a backup safety role behind Bears starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker and is expected to occupy a role on special teams, where he logged 54% of plays last season for the Packers.

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LeBron James to bear Team USA flag at Paris Olympics ceremony​

Lebron James has been voted by his fellow Olympians to be the Team USA flag-bearer at the opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday in Paris. James is the first men's basketball player to carry the flag for Team USA. Women's basketball players Sue Bird (2020) and Dawn Staley (2004) previously served in the honorary role. Paris is James' fourth Olympics. He won golds in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London and a bronze in 2004 in Athens.

Team USA's woman flag-bearer will be announced Tuesday.

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LeBron James leads Team USA past Germany in London​

Here is something for everyone in the basketball world to understand as the Olympics, perhaps the most competitive international tournament in history, are about to get started: LeBron James is not messing around. He may be 39 and named the country's flag-bearer, but this is no ceremonial moment. With Germany, the current FIBA World Cup champion, trying to send a message by knocking off the Americans just days before the start of the Olympics, James grabbed control of the game in the same manner he has done since he was a teenager.

James scored eight vital points and wrapped them around steals, rebounds and general brute force to lead Team USA to a 92-88 victory. He finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, but the statistics are hardly representative of his impact. Team USA finishes the pre-Olympic tour with an imperfect 5-0. The squad has some issues to work on after two less than impressive showings in London. Embiid was a bright spot, however, as he continues to round into form. He had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.Curry had 13 points for Team USA but was just 1-of-7 on 3-pointers as the U.S. struggled from deep, shooting just 29%.

Germany has four current NBA players on its roster and is known for excellent team chemistry, which was on display in its run to the World Cup title last summer. Nearly everyone who steps on the floor for the team can shoot the 3. The Germans move the ball well, are very active with their hands on defense and have terrific size. Most importantly in this game, they took care of the ball and were ultra-aggressive on the offensive glass.

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Snoop Dogg to carry Olympic torch ahead of Paris opening ceremony​

American rapper Snoop Dogg will be among the torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame in the final stretch before the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday. Snoop Dogg, 52, will carry the torch through the streets of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb that is home to the Stade de France Olympic Stadium, the town's mayor, Mathieu Hanotin, said on X. "Saint Denis: last step before the Eiffel Tower. An international cast @SnoopDogg for the last stretch of the Olympic Flame," Hanotin wrote. The rapper, who is also contributing to NBC's coverage of the Games, is better known in the sports world for his Snoop Youth Football League. The championship game is called the "Snooper Bowl." Other carriers of the torch in Saint-Denis on Friday include French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar.

The identity of the person who will light the Olympic cauldron on the night of the opening ceremony is secret, with less than a dozen people in the know. Paris 2024 organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said on Sunday that the person who will light the cauldron on Friday was not yet aware they had been selected. Candidates include Marie-Jose Perec, a three-time gold medalist in track and field who is widely considered to be France's best Olympian of all time, and soccer star Zinedine Zidane, who led France to the World Cup title in 1998 and the European crown in 2000.

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