Paris braces for 'most incredible' Olympics opening ceremony

PARIS (AFP) -- Thousands of athletes are set to sail through central Paris on Friday during an unprecedented and high-risk Olympics opening ceremony that will showcase the country's hugely ambitious vision for the Games. The parade on Friday evening will see up to 7,500 competitors travel down a six-kilometer stretch of the river Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats. Compared to the Covid-blighted 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year and opened in an empty stadium, the Paris show wi

July 26, 2024

What we know about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

PARIS (AFP) -- Plans for the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics -- the first time a Summer Games will start outside a stadium -- have been a closely guarded secret. Here is what we know about the concept, the artists and the music: What's the concept? Instead of using the main athletics stadium for the opening parade, as is customary, organizers have moved the event outside and into the heart of the capital -- in keeping with their motto "Games Wide Open." Around 6,000-7,000

July 26, 2024

2-time gold medalist Kim Woo-jin wins men's archery ranking round

Two-time Olympic champion Kim Woo-jin finished first in the men's individual archery ranking round of the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Kim scored 686 points out of a maximum 720 points at Les Invalides in the French capital to grab the top seed for the individual tournament, which begins Tuesday with the round of 64. The 32-year-old won gold medals in the men's team event at each of the past two Olympics but he has never won an individual medal. As the top male performer for South Korea

July 26, 2024

Competition begins for S. Korea with preliminary action in archery, handball

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is Friday evening, but there will be preliminary action taking place in the days leading up to the occasion. For South Korea, the action begins with the individual ranking rounds in the women's and men's archery, followed by the Group A match in the women's handball tournament Thursday. The ranking rounds in archery will determine seeding for the tournament. The higher the seed, the better chance an archer has of avoiding tough competiti

July 24, 2024

[Graphic News] 2024 Paris Olympics: A centennial celebration of the Summer Games

The 2024 Paris Olympics marks the 33rd edition of the Summer Games, returning to Europe for the first time in 12 years. This event also brings the Olympics back to France 32 years after the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. Notably, it celebrates 100 years since Paris last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1924. The Games will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11. In a break from tradition, the opening ceremony will be held on the River Seine, while the closing ceremony will take place at the Stade de

July 22, 2024

S. Korea's main delegation lands in Paris

South Korea's main delegation for the Paris Olympics has landed in the French capital for the upcoming competition, with sights set on exceeding its modest medal projection A team of 30 athletes and 18 officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday night after more than 14 hours of travel from South Korea. Gu Bon-gil, two-time Olympic champion in the men's sabre fencing, carried the national flag, Taegeukgi, to lead the de

July 21, 2024

S. Korean main delegation departs for Paris Olympics

South Korea's main delegation for the Paris Olympics left for the French capital Saturday as it began the quest for a solid performance at the quadrennial competition. Forty athletes, along with 18 officials of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), flew to Paris on the day as part of the country's delegation of 143 athletes from 21 sports and 117 officials. Athletes for a few sports, including swimming, archery, judo and artistic gymnastics, left for Paris earlier this week.

July 20, 2024

With undersized delegation, S. Korea fears worst Olympic outing in nearly 50 years

July 26 will mark the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but the French-bound South Korean delegation for the international sporting event is expected to be the smallest in recent years. A lackluster performance by the men's soccer team in April, and bitter losses by both men's and women's volleyball teams last year, meant that the country would not be participating in these events for the first time in several decades. The women's basketball team also lost its bid for qua

June 25, 2024

Faker makes history again with Hall of Legends induction

South Korean esports legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, an undisputed superstar in the world of competitive gaming, etched his name as the first-ever inductee to the Hall of Legends at The Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Thursday. “With his mastery of League of Legends, Faker inspired millions of esports fans across the globe and brought numerous contributions to the sport. We sincerely congratulate Faker for this stunning achievement and hope for great performances in the

June 7, 2024

S. Korea eyes multiple gold medals in fencing at Paris Olympics

JINCHEON -- With the Paris Olympics two months away, the South Korean national fencing team said Monday its goal is to bring home multiple gold medals. South Korea has won at least one fencing gold medal at every Olympics since 2012, with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals in Tokyo three years ago. That lone gold came from the men's team sabre event, with Gu Bon-gil, Oh Sang-uk, Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho coming through for South Korea's third straight Olympic gold in that

May 27, 2024

S. Korean Kim Chae-yeon wins bronze at figure skating worlds

South Korean figure skater Kim Chae-yeon has captured the bronze medal at the world championships in Canada for her first career medal at the annual competition. Kim scored 203.59 points overall to finish third in the women's singles behind Kaori Sakamoto of Japan (222.96 points) and Isabeau Levito of the United States (212.16 points) at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal on Friday (local time). Kim only ranked sixth after the short program with 6

March 23, 2024

World junior figure skating champion Seo Min-kyu trying to stay humble

South Korean teenager Seo Min-kyu shocked the figure skating world Saturday, winning the men's singles title at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei in his first appearance. The 15-year-old became the first South Korean man to win a medal of any color at the world juniors, and the first South Korean skater, male or female, to win a world junior title since Kim Yu-na won the women's singles gold medal in 2006. Seo, who returned from Taipei City on Monday, insisted he

March 4, 2024

LeBron James reaches 40,000 points to extend his NBA career scoring record

LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach. James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket. “Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that’s come through the league, and

March 3, 2024

S. Korean women lose to China in quarterfinals at table tennis worlds

The host country South Korea was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's tournament at the table tennis world championships Thursday, following a crushing loss to world No. 1 China. Boasting the world's top three-ranked female players, China shut down South Korea 3-0 in the quarterfinals at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan. In the team tournament, each match is made up of up to five singles matches in a best-of-five

Feb. 22, 2024

Short track World Cup champions eye more glory at world championships

Having earned their big prizes during the World Cup season, South Korean short trackers Park Ji-won and Kim Gil-li said Tuesday they will pursue more medals at the upcoming world championships. Park and Kim returned home from Poland on Tuesday, after being crowned the men's and women's overall champions for the 2023-2024 International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating season. They each received the Crystal Globe trophy for their effort. Park, 27, claimed his secon

Feb. 20, 2024

With swimming world title in tow, Kim Woo-min confident he can go faster

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has been improving his personal best times in the 400-meter freestyle at an impressive rate. The 22-year-old isn't about to stop, not with the Olympics on the horizon. Kim arrived back home Monday evening from Qatar, where he won the men's 400-meter freestyle gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships with a personal-best time of 3:42.71. He also helped South Korea capture silver in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. In the 400m freestyle, Kim s

Feb. 19, 2024

Swimming world champion Hwang Sun-woo eyes Olympic medals

One by one, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has been crossing things off his to-do list. Next up for the freshly minted world champion in the men's 200-meter freestyle will be an Olympic medal -- or make that medals. Hwang returned home Monday after grabbing two medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar earlier this month. First, he won the 200m freestyle gold medal for his first world title and his third career medal from the competition. Then he capped it off by anchoring Sou

Feb. 19, 2024

S. Korea finishes swimming world championships with record 5 medals

South Korea has finished the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Qatar with a record five medals, nearly matching the total it had won at all previous competitions combined. With three medals from swimming and two more from diving, South Korean athletes set themselves up nicely for the Paris Olympics this summer. Prior to the Feb. 2-19 competition in Doha, South Korea had won six medals at all previous world championships. In collecting a handful of medals in Qatar, South Korean athletes also m

Feb. 19, 2024

S. Korean Kim Min-sun grabs silver at speed skating worlds

South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun has captured her first career world championship medal with a silver in the women's 500 meters. Kim finished second in the 500m at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Calgary, Canada, on Friday (local time), with a time of 37.19 seconds. Femke Kok of the Netherlands won the gold medal at 36.83 seconds. Kimi Goetz of the United States took bronze in 37.21 seconds. In addition to reaching the world p

Feb. 17, 2024

Host South Korea wins opening matches at table tennis worlds

The host South Korea notched victories in its men's and women's opening matches at the world table tennis championships Friday. In the first Group 3 match on the men's side at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships, South Korea beat Poland 3-1. In the women's first Group 5 match, South Korea cruised past Italy 3-0. The southeastern port city of Busan will host the competition, which will wrap up Feb. 25. In even-numbered years,

Feb. 16, 2024