The much-awaited Paris Olympics will commence on Saturday after the opening ceremony extravaganza along the Seine River on Friday. Indian athletes will be in action on the first day of the quadrennial event in seven sports disciplines including hockey, shooting and badminton.

As per the schedule for Saturday (July 27), Indian rower Balraj Panwar will compete in the men's single sculls (Heat 1) at 12:30 pm IST.

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan & Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta & Ramita Jindal will compete in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification at 12:30 PM followed by 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification, in which Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh will be in action.

Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh exuded confidence ahead of their campaign opener against New Zealand at the Paris 2024 Olympics, scheduled for Saturday.

Speaking about New Zealand in particular, they have been a strong opponent for India - and memories of their 3-3 (4-5 SO) result at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar last year are a reminder to not get complacent against this opponent.

"We have always seen New Zealand as a strong opponent and have discussed this team in detail during our team briefs. It is good to be reminded of the World Cup match against them, so we know we can't drop the momentum at any point in the game. It's important for us to start well and keep up the pressure through the game," said Harmanpreet.

 The fans will be in position to witness a unique moment in Olympic history at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, set to be held along the Seine on Friday evening.

The Opening Ceremony promises to be unforgettable, with athlete barges floating down the river starting at the Austerlitz Bridge. They will pass under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks such as Notre-Dame and the Louvre, as well as Olympic Games venues including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais.

Almost 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in the parade will have boats to themselves, while the smaller ones will share boats.

Pranav Soorma has qualified for the Paris Paralympics in the F51 category club throw by setting a new world record at the trials.

At the recent trials conducted in Bengaluru, Pranav achieved a throw of 37.23 meters in the F51 category club throw, surpassing the previous world record of 36.22 meters by more than a meter.

Reflecting on his achievement, Pranav Soorma said, "Not winning a medal at the World Para Athletics World Championship held at Kobe in May was a disappointment. My coach Naval Singh and I went back to the basics and worked harder. Now going to Paris, this performance has boosted my confidence."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the French Alps will host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2030.

The announced plans are conditional based on the guarantees given by French President Emmanuel Macron that the new office being formed in the country after 2024 will underwrite all the organisational guarantees that must still be signed.

"The French Alps will host the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games! Thank you to the IOC for its confidence in our country and its mountains. Congratulations to the elected officials and actors who worked for this success. Let's make innovative, sustainable and inclusive Games," Macron posted on X.

Real Madrid have become the first football club to cross 1 billion euros in revenue with a net profit of 16 million euros in the year 2023-24.

The board of directors of Real Madrid CF has formulated the annual accounts for the 2023-2024 financial year in a meeting held on Tuesday.

Revenue for the 2023/24 season, excluding players tranfers, reached to 1.073 billion euros, which is 27 per cent more than the previous year, according to the data available on the club's website.

"Operating income (before disposal of fixed assets) for the 2023/24 financial year reached 1,073 million euros, representing an increase of 230 million euros (27%) compared to the 2022/23 financial year. In this financial year, despite the stadium not yet being fully operational, the Club has managed to exceed the 1 billion euros mark for operating income before disposal of fixed assets, a figure not previously achieved by any football club," it said in a realese.

One of Team GB's biggest Olympic stars and a clear medal hope, equestrian Charlotte Dujardin has withdrawn from the Paris Olympic Games at the last moment after what she has described as "an error of judgement."

The 39-year-old, who has three gold medals and six in total in equestrian events, withdrew after the release of a four-year-old video of her in a training session, reports .

"A video has emerged from four years ago which shows me making an error of judgement during a coaching session. Understandably, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) is investigating, and I have made the decision to withdraw from all competition - including the Paris Olympics - while this process takes place."

"What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse. I am deeply ashamed and should have set a better example in that moment," explained the rider in a statement.

Opener Shafali Verma's scintillating half-century (81 off 47 balls) coupled with Dayalan Hemalatha's 47 powered India to 178/3 against Nepal in the Group A match of the Women's Asia Cup at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium here on Tuesday.

Stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana opted to bat first after winning the toss as India rested regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pooja Vastrakar for the match.

Shafali and Hemalatha showed no mercy from the beginning of the match. The 20-year-old made her intentions clear in the first over by hitting two fours against Kabita Kumwar's first over. She continued the onslaught from the one end while Hemalatha held the other end strong.

Scotland's former World No.1 Andy Murray on Tuesday announced that the upcoming Paris Olympics will be his final tournament as a tennis player. Murray announced that he will bring his illustrious playing career to a close after the Paris Olympics, the 37-year-old confirmed on Tuesday via social media.

Murray, a 46-time tour-level titlist, will represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games for the fifth time in Paris, where the tennis event runs from 27 July to 4 August. A two-time Olympic men’s singles gold medallist, Murray will then call time on his 20-year pro career.

Chhattisgarh defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh 9-0 in the women's match on the third day of the 2nd Hockey India Junior Women and Men West Zone Championship 2024 here on Tuesday.

In the only match of the day, Sneha Patel (14’) gave Hockey Madhya Pradesh the lead towards the end of the first quarter before captain Palak Gupta (17’, 32’, 47’) and Chanu Khaidem Shileima (18’, 52’, 53’) both scored hattricks as Hockey Madhya Pradesh were well ahead in the contest.

Kajal (54’) and Krishna Sharma (59’) also chipped in with a goal each for Hockey Madhya Pradesh.

An Australian water polo player has been isolated at the Paris Games following a positive Covid-19 test, as confirmed by the country's Olympic team chief, Anna Meares, on Tuesday. The athlete's name has not been disclosed, but close contacts are being closely monitored and tested to prevent any further spread of the virus. Despite this setback, the team continues its training as planned.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were delayed by a year due to the pandemic and were held with limited spectators. However, the current approach to managing Covid-19 is more measured.

"We were due to have two players from water polo with us; however, currently, we have had one athlete from their team isolating with COVID, which was detected last night," Meares stated during a news conference.

India boys beat South Africa 2-0 while the girls lost to England by an identical margin in the 5-8th positions matches of the World Junior Squash Championships Team competition.

The boys will meet England for fifth position while the girls will take on Hong Kong for the seventh in the final round of matches.

India results (5-8th positions):

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has joined the Ligue 1 club Marseille on an initial loan deal for the 2024-25 season.

The 28-year-old midfielder has joined the club on loan with an option to buy after successfully passing his medical.

After playing in the youth teams of FC Copenhagen and Brondby IF, Hojbjerg made his professional debut at Bayern Munich club. His time at Bayern, interspersed with two formative experiences in the form of loans to FC Augsburg and Schalke 04, also allowed him to be called up to the Danish national team at the age of 18 and to add the Bundesliga and the German Cup to his list of achievements.

Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu and Kerala Hockey won their respective matches in the men’s category whereas Hockey Andhra Pradesh played out a thrilling draw against Karnataka on the third day of the 2nd Hockey India Sub-junior Men's South Zone Championship 2024 here on Monday.

In the first match, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu defeated Telangana Hockey 11-1. Renjith (38’, 40’, 54’, 55’) led the attack for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu as he scored four goals in the second half of the game. Gowtham (4’, 41’, 52’) scored a hattrick whereas Nithish J (25’, 45’) also scored two goals.

Krishna Mukil (12’) and Nithish M (13’) also scored one goal each to help their team secure the victory. On the other hand, Sairam Chouhan (27’) scored the consolation goal for Telangana Hockey.

Newly-appointed Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir backed captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the 2027 ODI World Cup saying that both have a lot of cricket left and if they maintain their fitness, they can play in the next quadrennial showpiece.

Rohit and Kohli announced retirements from T20I cricket following the T20 World Cup final win against South Africa that ended India's 11-year-long ICC title drought.

The duo confirmed that they will continue to play the other formats of the game, and Gambhir feels that their exceptional qualities to deliver in big tournaments will be crucial for the country in the upcoming Australia tour and next year's Champions Trophy.

India boys and girls lost narrowly in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Championships Team competition on Sunday.

The sixth-seeded boys went down 1-2 to fourth seed South Korea, and the girls lost by an identical margin to third seed Malaysia.

Yuvraj Wadhwani got India boys off to a winning start with a 3-2 win over Seojin Oh. However, Shaurya Bawa, who last week won individual bronze, went down to individual silver medallist Joo Young Na in four close games. In the deciding tie, Kun Kim proved too strong for Arihant KS.

In the girls' clash, Anahat Singh won a hard fought match 3-2 against Thanusaa Uthrian after Shameena Riaz lost to Whitney Wilson.

Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Jharkhand claimed titles in the Men’s and Women’s categories of the 2nd Hockey India Junior Men & Women East Zone Championship 2024 respectively at the Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre, Salt Lake.

Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Bengal by 1 - 1 (4 - 3 SO) in the Women’s category final and Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Manipur Hockey 0 - 0 (4 - 3 SO) to finish third. In the men’s category, Hockey Association of Odisha triumphed over Hockey Jharkhand by 2-0 in the Final while Manipur Hockey beat Hockey Bihar 7-2 to claim the third spot.

The Women’s category final saw Hockey Jharkhand defeat Hockey Bengal by 1 - 1 (4 - 3 SO) in shootouts. Mundu Sukarmani (32’) scored for Hockey Jharkhand and Lalpeksangi (34’) equalised for Hockey Bengal soon after, taking the game to shootouts. Both teams found the back of the net twice, forcing sudden death where Salomi Nag and Roshni Aind were on target to claim the title for Hockey Jharkhand.

Vani Kapoor, Tvesa Malik and Ridhima Dilawari missed the cut and failed to advance into the final round of the Dutch Ladies Open.

Vani Kapoor, who started the week well with a good start of 2-under 70 in the first round, dropped to 4-over 76 and missed the cut by one. Vani was 2-over for 36 holes and the cut was 1-over. Also missing out were Tvesa Malik (73-80) and Ridhima Dilawari (73-75).

Switzerland’s star Kim Metraux followed up a fantastic first day with a 5-under 67 to extend her advantage at the top of the leaderboard. Metraux, who is searching for her maiden LET victory, led overnight after an opening round of 65 (-7) at Hilversumsche Golf Club.

A solid bowling effort, especially towards the fag-end of the match, helped Thailand register their first win of the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup after beating Malaysia by 22 runs at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Batting first, Thailand posted 133/6 in 20 overs, with Nannapat Koncharoenkai making 40 off 35 balls. For Malaysia, Mahirah Izzati Ismail was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-16. In reply, despite Wan Julia making 52 off 53 balls, Malaysia couldn’t get over the line and finished at 111/8 in their 20 overs.

Malaysia were 83/1 before Thailand made a comeback towards the fag-end of the match as they picked seven wickets for just 24 runs. Despite being sloppy in their ground fielding, Thailand did enough to get a win under new captain Thipatcha Putthawong.

India boys beat Brazil 3-0 to top three-team Group F with a clean slate on Friday in the team event of the World Junior Squash Championships in Houston and will meet Canada in the pre-quarterfinals.

India girls beat Brazil and Australia by an identical 3-0 margin to assure themselves of a quarterfinal berth and will play Hong Kong in their concluding Group D league match.

Former England cricket captain Sir Geoffrey Boycott has been discharged from the hospital following an operation to remove a tumor from his throat.

The 83-year-old cricket legend, who was initially treated for throat cancer in 2002 with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, faced a recurrence of the disease last month.

A statement on his X account, issued by his family, shared that Boycott is now at home, continuing his recovery. "Lots of pain meds [medication] and a liquid-only diet for the foreseeable but he's on the mend and looking forward to watching The Open and England cricket at home," the post read.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has refused No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan for the Global T20 in Canada.

This decision follows shortly after a similar refusal for Naseem Shah's participation in The Hundred, where he had a contract with Birmingham Phoenix. In a statement, the PCB clarified that the decision was made after consulting with the players and the selection committee, highlighting the demanding international schedule ahead.

“The PCB had received NOC requests from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 event, amongst other players. After taking into consideration Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025, which includes nine ICC World Test Championship matches and next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests," read a statement released by PCB on Friday night.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif threw support behind all-rounder Hardik Pandya for T20I captaincy after Sukaryakumar Yadav was named captain for the tour of Sri Lanka.

Interestingly, young batter Shubman Gill has been named the new T20I vice-captain ahead of Hardik, who held the role in the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.

Speaking to , Kaif opined that the selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, should have supported Hardik, given his prior experience leading the T20I side.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah penned an encouraging post for women in blue as they kick-start their title defense at the Asia Cup on Friday.

Seven-time champions Indian women will begin their campaign with a high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the tournament opener at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

"As you step onto the field today to defend your title in the Women’s Asia Cup, know that the hopes and dreams of a nation are with you. Each one of you is not just playing a game - you are creating #HerStory in the making!" Shah posted on Instagram.

Manchester United have announced the signing of 18-year-old French defender Leny Yoro from Ligue 1 club Lille.

The French defender has signed a contract until June 2029, with the option to extend for a further year.

At the age of just 18, Yoro has already played 60 first-team games for Lille OSC. Last season, he was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season having helped his club finish fourth in the league.

Ahead of opening their Women’s T20 Asia Cup title defence against Pakistan, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said that winning each game and giving their best in the tournament is of utmost importance. The Asia Cup comes at a critical juncture for India, especially with the T20 World Cup scheduled in Bangladesh in October.

The tournament will be played from July 19 to 28 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. After playing against Pakistan, India will further play against the UAE and Nepal to round off its Group A games. India are the defending champions and have lifted the trophy seven times, the most by any team in the competition.

Right-handed batter Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain for India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka, while veteran opener Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side in the ODI leg of the tour. While announcing the squad post a selection committee meeting on Thursday evening, the BCCI added that Shubman Gill, who led India to a 4-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph last month in Barbados, will be the vice-captain in both white-ball series, starting from July 27 in Pallekele.

Kevin Magnussen will leave Haas after the conclusion of his current contract at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, the US-based team announced on Thursday.

After spending multiple seasons at Haas (2017–2020 and 2022–2024), Magnussen is presently in his seventh season with the club. This season, he has scored five points compared to teammate Nico Hulkenberg's 22.

The 2018 season was the best for Magnussen with Haas as he secured a career-high ninth in the standings when he scored points in 11 of the 21 races. In that season, Haas attained their best-ever fifth in the constructors’ championship.

However, the team said they look forward to work with him in some capacity.

Argentina have sacked Undersecretary for Sports, Julio Garro on Thursday after he demanded an apology from national football team captain Lionel Messi for alleged racist chanting during his team's Copa America victory celebrations.

After Argentina's Copa America title win, a video of their celebrations in a team bus shared by Enzo Fernandez on Instagram went viral, with players heard making fun of the French players' African origin.

However, Fernandez later apologised on social media, saying he had gotten "caught up in the euphoria of our celebrations."

"The song included highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words," he added.

India all-rounder Shivam Dube credited the Indian Premier League for improving his skills and gaining confidence as he made inroads in the Men in Blue side after the successful 2024 season.

Dube finished as the second-highest run-scorer for Chennai Super Kings in the season with 396 runs including three half-centuries at a blistering strike rate of 162.29. His strong show in the cash-rich tournament earned him a coveted spot in India's highly competitive 15-member T20 World Cup squad.

The all-rounder kept his place in India's playing 11 throughout the tournament and delivered in crunch situations for the side including the crucial knock of 27 runs in the final against South Africa. He built a vital 57-run partnership with Virat Kohli (76) to take the side to 176/6 in 20 overs as India defeated Proteas by six runs to add a second T20 World Cup title to their cabinet. He amassed 133 runs in eight innings while batting in the lower middle order.

Love to play rugby or football? A new study on retired rugby players showed that suffering multiple concussions while playing increased their risk of diseases like Alzheimer's and motor neuron disease (MND).

The study, led by a team from Durham University in the UK showed that these players are likely to have higher levels of certain proteins in their blood, which makes them prone to neurodegenerative diseases.

It also suggests measuring specific biomarkers in athletes' blood to help predict the risk.

Former World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev has said veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are "irreplaceable" in the Indian team across formats and called them "as same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni".

Kohli announced retirement from T20Is after delivering a match-winning knock of 76 in India's thirlling win in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa. Later, in the press conference, Rohit too called quits to his T20I career.

"No one can take Virat and Rohit's place in the Indian team in any format. They have been a huge servant of Indian cricket and it was a happy farewell for them. The stature that Virat has made of himself in all formats, he will surely be missed in T20Is. Both are as same as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. They are irreplaceable," said Kapil Dev.

The national selection committee and Gautam Gambhir held an hour-long virtual introductory meeting to lay down the vision the newly appointed head coach had for Team India, according to the reports.

The squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka was the topic of discussion in the meeting which included members of Ajit Agarkar's selection committee, Gambhir, and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, according to a report.

With senior players in the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah expected to be rested, opportunities for players like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who did not make the squad for the T20 World Cup arises.

Argentina’s successive Copa America title has been marred by the controvercy after a video that has gone viral in which racist chants were sung by the squad about the France national team.

A lot of criticism has surrounded Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez who was live on Instagram during the chant and joined in. The Premier League club has now released a statement confirming an 'internal disciplinary procedure' against the player.

"Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome. We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The Club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure," it said in a statement.

Alvaro Morata’s leadership shone brightly throughout the course of Spain's 2024 Euro campaign. The La Roja skipper has now returned to Spain and is preparing a move to Italy as he has confirmed joining Serie A club AC Milan.

"I'm going to undergo a medical and then yes, I will join AC Milan. It’s better to part ways when you can’t give 100% anymore. I have said goodbye to my teammates, Diego Simeone, and the board. It was important for me to greet my teammates and thank them for everything," said Morata to Spanish outlet COPE.