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☆ Paris waiters compete in race to get a coffee and croissant across the capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Xiaofei Xu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“I tried holding the tray, it’s pretty heavy!” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told journalists shortly before the race started. Waiters start the Course des Cafes race on March 24, 2024. The “Course des Garçons de Café” (cafe waiters race) was first launched in 1914 to highlight the cafés and restaurants of the French capital, according to French historian Laurent Bihl. Throughout the years, it found popularity not only in Paris but across France in cities such as Nice, Belfort and Calais. Back on the streets of Paris, the quickest entrants completed Sunday’s Course des Cafés race – the name of the revived version has been shortened, dropping the ‘garçons’ – in less than 14 minutes.

Persons: Paris, “, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Dimitar Dilkoff, ’ It’s, ”, Ariel Weil, Pierre Rabadan, Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj, Café, Laurent Bihl, Pauline Van Wymeersch, Samy Lamrous Organizations: Paris CNN, Paris Mayor, France, Getty, Paralympic Games, Petit Pont, La Contrescarpe Locations: Paris, AFP, France, Nice, Belfort, Calais, Hong Kong, Yokohama, La

☆ NBC's Paris Olympics opening ceremony will play on IMAX screens
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NBC announced Friday that its live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26 will play on more than 150 IMAX screens in the U.S. The Summer Olympics opening ceremony will be the first not held in a stadium. Special, limited-time programming such as the Summer Olympics coverage could drive moviegoers to IMAX. Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

Persons: Gary Zenkel, Eric Wold, Riley ., Wold, Richard Gelfond Organizations: Paris, Paralympic Games, NBC, U.S, The, Warner Bros, CNBC, NBCUniversal, NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, Games Locations: Paris, France, U.S

☆ 2024 Olympic Games: Paris mayor says she would prefer Russian athletes to be banned
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Wednesday that she is against Russian athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and attending the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 26. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said earlier this month that Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes will not take part in their Opening Ceremony on August 28. Loic Venance/AFP/Getty ImagesAccording to Russian state news agency TASS, Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin told reporters on Wednesday that Russia should not boycott the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “Now, the question of competing at the Olympic Games is on everyone’s lips, my position is this: we should not turn away, close ourselves or boycott this movement,” Matytsin said. The Paralympic Games begin on August 28 and end on September 8.

Persons: CNN — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, “, ” Hidalgo, Vladimir, Putin, –, ”, Hidalgo, Israel, Loic Venance, Oleg Matytsin, ” Matytsin, Matytsin Organizations: CNN — Paris Mayor, Russian, Games, Reuters, Ukraine, Olympic Committee, Paris, IOC, International Paralympic Committee, Belarusian Paralympic, Paralympic, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo, Olympic Locations: Paris, Russian, Europe, Belarusian, Gaza, ”, AFP, Russia, Belarus

☆ How the Wait for Olympic Medals Became an Endurance Sport
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Jeré Longman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It took Lashinda Demus of the United States 52.77 seconds to run the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the 2012 London Olympics. A year after that decision, and 12 years after the race, she is still waiting to receive her gold medal. One of her American teammates, Erik Kynard Jr., competed in the high jump at the London Games. And like Demus, he had to wait many years before being named the victor. Demus and Kynard are expected to finally receive their medals this summer during the Paris Olympics, according to officials at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

Persons: Erik Kynard Jr Organizations: United, London, Paris, United States Olympic, Paralympic Committee, International Olympic Committee Locations: United States, Russian

☆ Paris 2024: Olympic Opening Ceremony capacity slashed in half to ensure security
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Joseph Ataman | Pierre Bairin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Attendance capacity at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremony – the first to be held along a river – will be halved due to security reasons, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Tuesday in an interview with French broadcaster France 2. French officials had boasted for years that some 600,000 people would be able to attend the Opening Ceremony. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty ImagesHosting the ceremony outside a traditional stadium was central to the organizers’ vision of a more inclusive Olympic Games. An “anti-terrorist security perimeter” will be put in place in the days leading up to the Opening Ceremony around the Seine, with public access limited, he added. ET) – on the evening of the Opening Ceremony to prevent any disruption to the event, Darmanin added.

Persons: Gérald Darmanin, Darmanin, Alexander, Jacques Demarthon Organizations: CNN, Paris, France, Olympic, Paralympic Games, Getty, Stade de France, Qatar Locations: Paris, AFP

☆ Helen Glover: For this rower, motherhood means that ‘every inch of happiness’ doesn’t rest on Olympic success
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But these kinds of ailments are just one consequence of training for what will be her fourth Olympics. Glover shows the physical toll of training for the Olympics. From helenglovergb/Instagram“The hardest bit is the day-to-day of being exhausted, but getting out of bed and going training again,” the 37-year-old Glover tells CNN Sport. Glover (left) competes in the women's pair event with Polly Swann at the Tokyo Olympics. If they’re lucky, they might even see their mom win a medal, a target on which Glover has firmly set her sights.

Persons: –, Helen Glover, Glover, you’re, ” Glover, Polly Swann, Naomi Baker, ”, “, That’s, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, Games, CNN Sport, Olympic, Tokyo, Getty, Paris, National Lottery, Team, London Locations: Portugal, London, Rio, Tokyo, “, Atlanta, Italy, Paris

By making history at the Games, Paris medalists will take a bit of France and its history home, too. The iron pieces embedded in the center of the Olympic medals each weigh 18 grams (about two-thirds of an ounce). We realized that there’s one symbol known across the world, which is the Eiffel Tower,” Roncin said. “We said to ourselves, ‘Hey, what if we approached the Eiffel Tower Operating Co. to see if it’s possible to get a bit of the Eiffel Tower to integrate into the medal?’”The company agreed, and “the dream became reality,” he said. They’ll come in a dark-blue box from Chaumet and a certificate from the Eiffel Tower Operating Co. that the iron pieces came from the monument.

Persons: Simone Biles, LeBron James, it’s, Gustave Eiffel’s, Joachim Roncin, ” Roncin, “, ”, Chaumet, didn’t Organizations: PARIS, Eiffel, Paris Games, Games, Paris, Operating, “, Nike, Paris Mint, Olympics Locations: London, Beijing, Athens, France, Paris, paris

☆ Paris 2024 Olympic medals to feature iron from the Eiffel Tower
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The medals at this year’s Olympics in Paris were not only inspired by the Eiffel Tower — they each contain an original piece of the 19th-century landmark. The design was overseen by French jeweler Chaumet, whose parent company LVMH signed a major sponsorship deal with Paris 2024 last summer. The Paralympics medal, meanwhile, is decorated with a graphical representation of the Eiffel Tower, as if viewed from below. From right: Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee on the Eiffel Tower with French cyclist Marie Patouillet, fencer Sara Balzer and athlete Arnaud Assoumani holding Olympic and Paralympic Games medals. In a statement announcing the designs, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said the decision represented a “coming together” of the two events.

Persons: Chaumet, LVMH, Benoit Tessier Benoit Tessier, Clémentine Massonnat, Schaller, ” Massonnat, Tony Estanguet, Marie Patouillet, Sara Balzer, Arnaud Assoumani, Benoit Tessier, ”, Massonnat, Mathieu Lehanneur’s, Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy Organizations: CNN, Eiffel, Paris, Nike, Paralympic Games, Chaumet’s, Paralympic, Reuters, Olympic, Olympics, Dior Locations: Paris, Athens, French

Only 5.7% of the 1.3 million eligible voters cast ballots at the 39 voting stations around the city, the newspaper Le Monde said. Demur said heavier cars make congestion “even more complicated” and that ”one must consider the ecology, the parking issues." It’s about freedom.”The vote follows another City Hall consultation last year on whether to ban for-hire electric scooters. In a country of car-lovers, home to Renault, Citroen and Peugeot, Hidalgo has worked for years to make Paris less car-friendly. It’s become a central Paris haven for cyclists, runners, families and romantics since Hidalgo closed it to motor traffic in 2016.

Persons: Anne Hidalgo, Le, Hidalgo, “, Demur, Hall's, Leicester Organizations: PARIS, Socialist, Le Monde, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Paralympic Games Locations: Paris ’, Paris, It’s, Hidalgo, Le Pecq, France

☆ Kamila Valieva ban: US figure skaters awarded gold for 2022 Beijing Olympics after Russian skater disqualified
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The United States Figure Skating team will receive a gold medal for their team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was handed a four-year ban Monday over a long-running doping controversy. Valieva, now 17, had led the Russian Olympic Committee to first place in the team event ahead of the US and Japan — before her doping test came back positive for performance-enhancing substance trimetazidine. CNN Sport has contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Russian Olympic Committee for further comment. Even with the latest news of Valieva’s ban, Alexander Kogan, director general of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, said that he still views his athletes to be the champions in the team event. In its Monday announcement, CAS said that the decision to ban Valieva for four years is “final and binding,” explaining that the parties can appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal “within 30 days on limited grounds.”

Persons: Kamila Valieva, Japan —, Valieva, ”, Sarah Hirschland “, Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim, Vincent Zhou, Alexander Kogan Organizations: CNN, United, Skating, Russian Olympic Committee, Olympic, Paralympic, IOC, International Olympic Committee, International Skating, CNN Sport, Japanese Olympic Committee, Swiss Federal Locations: United States, Japan, Canada, Beijing

☆ Kamila Valieva: Russian figure skater banned for four years by Court of Arbitration for Sport
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( George Ramsay | Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been found guilty of an anti-doping violation by Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and has received a four-year ban from competitions. In Beijing, Valieva’s Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team had finished first ahead of the US and Japan – with Canada finishing fourth – and no medals were subsequently awarded due to the doping controversy. CNN Sport has contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the ISU, the Japanese Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Russian Olympic Committee for further comment. RUSADA had changed its initial stance and sought a punishment that “may include or be limited to a reprimand” for Valieva, CAS announced in February last year. Russian athletes were competing as neutral athletes at the Winter Olympics in Beijing due to a previous ban for doping non-compliance.

Persons: Kamila Valieva, Valieva, Catherine Ivill, Ms Valieva, Travis Tygart, Sarah Hirshland, RUSADA, ”, Alexander Kogan, WADA, “, ” CNN’s Jill Martin, Thomas Schlachter, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Switzerland’s, Sport, Valieva, Russian Olympic Committee, Canada, International Skating Union, ISU, Winter Games, CNN Sport, International Olympic Committee, Japanese Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Committee, Doping Agency, Olympic, Paralympic, Team USA, ”, IOC, RIA Novosti, Skating, Swiss Federal Locations: Russian, Beijing, Japan, US

☆ The Olympics tap its first-ever beer sponsor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev is becoming the first-ever beer sponsor for the next three Olympics and Paralympic Games — with a non-alcoholic brand taking the torch. The deal will cover the upcoming Summer Games in Paris, the Milan Winter Games in 2026, and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, which will be the first Summer Olympics to be held in the US in about three decades. Prior to this, the Olympics never had a global beer sponsorship, but local organizing committees had enlisted beer brands in the past. “Beer and sports are better together, so we are proud to be the first beer sponsor for the Olympics at the Worldwide Olympic Partner level,” said AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris in a statement. Global sales of non-alcoholic beer have been soaring in recent years as drinkers embrace moderation with alcohol.

Persons: Bud, Corona, “, ”, Michel Doukeris, isn’t, Marcel Marcondes, ” Doukeris, CNN’s George Ramsay Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bud Light, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Paralympic, InBev, Olympic, Milan Winter Games, Asahi Breweries, Olympics, Corona Cero, Modelo, Constellation Brands, Corona, ”, CNN, Team USA, Budweiser Locations: New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Spain, Germany, Europe, Mexico

TOKYO (AP) — The bid-rigging trial around the Tokyo Olympics played out Tuesday in a Japanese courtroom — more than two years after the Games closed — with advertising giant Dentsu and five other companies facing criminal charges. Executives or management-level officials at each of the accused companies, and Tokyo Olympic organizing committee official Yasuo Mori, have been charged with violating anti-monopoly laws. Speaking in Tokyo district court, he said no bid process was ever decided upon or set up by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. Once the Olympics landed in Tokyo, Dentsu became the chief marketing arm of the Games and raised a record $3.3 billion in local sponsorship. Takahashi was a member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and wielded powerful influence over the Olympic business.

Persons: Koji Henmi, Yasuo Mori, Cerespo, Dentsu, Sebastian Coe, Thomas Bach, Genta Yoshino, Henmi, ” Yoshino, Yoshino, Yoshiro Mori, Toshiro Muto, Tsunekazu Takeda, Haruyuki Takahashi, Takahashi Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo Olympic, Tokyu Agency, Olympic Committee, IOC, Bank of Japan, Tokyo, Japanese Olympic Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Olympic, Aoki Holdings, Paris Locations: Tokyo, Dentsu, Switzerland, Japan, Sapporo, French, Salt Lake City, Osaka, paris

☆ 5G is set to make watching the Paris Olympics more accessible and intimate
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Chris Stokel-Walker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

5G and other connections will also power access to the venues: The 2024 Paris Olympics will be the first to operate solely with digital — not paper — tickets. The opening ceremony will also use 5G: At the Paris Olympics, instead of the traditional parade around a stadium, the athletes will move down the Seine River in boats. "Ahead of the Olympic Games, Orange is reinforcing its 5G coverage across France, including on all Olympics sites," he added. But the 5G mobile capacity won't just be useful for those who want to share moments. "Our 5G mobile capacity will also allow additional services, such as haptic tablets for blind people to follow the events in real-time," Rojat said.

Persons: —, Paris Olympics Bertrand Rojat, Rojat, Bruno Marie, Rose, Marie, It's, There's, It'll Organizations: Olympic, Service, Paris Olympics, Orange Locations: Paris, Orange, France

☆ Employee burnout at AWS is reminiscent of another top firm's push to get bigger
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementIn today's big story, we're looking at the growing tension at AWS with rising employee burnout. Just like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Bard, Amazon Q is a generative AI chatbot users can talk to like a human. Amazon Web Services, which developed Amazon Q, announced the new product under the fanfare of its annual event in Las Vegas, AWS re:Invent. Business Insider's Eugene Kim, our resident Amazon expert, has a report on the growing tension and burnout among AWS employees. Jon Krause for InsiderThe burnout at AWS reminds me of another company at the top of its field facing turmoil: Goldman Sachs.

Persons: —, you've, Taylor, Pena Popo, Noah Berger, Bard, Insider's Eugene Kim, ChatGPT, Jon Krause, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, David Solomon, haven't, BI's Dakin Campbell, Bethany McLean, Goldman aren't, Goldman's, Sylvain Gaboury, Patrick McMullan, Slaven, The New York Times Elon Musk, Tesla, They've, Joe Santagato, Elon Musk, Drazen, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Spotify, Getty, Web Services, Microsoft, Goldman, Slaven, The New York Times, Amazon, Business, American Express, Federal, Paris, Paralympic, Kroger, Dell Locations: Las Vegas, Austin , Texas, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ Olympian Oscar Pistorius Granted Parole 10 Years After Killing Girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexandra Wexler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius will be released from jail in January 2024 after being granted parole on Friday. Pistorius was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2013. Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersJOHANNESBURG—Former Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, was granted parole on Friday after serving half of his 15-year sentence. Pistorius will be released from prison on Jan. 5, according to a statement from South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, after a decision issued by the parole board at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Pistorius has been incarcerated since 2016.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Pistorius, Siphiwe Organizations: South African Paralympic, Reuters, Olympic, South, South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, Atteridgeville Correctional Locations: Reuters JOHANNESBURG, South Africa’s, Pretoria

☆ Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Peter Wilkinson | Simon Cullen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole in January, prison authorities said Friday, nearly 11 years after the former South African Paralympic sprinter murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He was originally sentenced to 13 years and five months imprisonment. During the trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp’s killing. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to five years. Pistorius’ sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, –, Pistorius, Prosecutors, Nimi Princewill, Niamh Kennedy Organizations: CNN, South African Paralympic, South

☆ Switzerland to bid for 2030 or 2034 Winter Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows the Olympic Rings in front of the Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during the executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Switzerland on Friday announced it would bid for either the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, which would be the third time the Alpine country has hosted the event. Japan's northern city of Sapporo last month dropped its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and said it would consider hosting the Games in 2034 or in subsequent years. According to studies by the IOC's future host commission for Winter Games, only 10 nations would be able to host the snow sports of the Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games by 2040. Switzerland - which hosted the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948 - has struggled in recent years to get its population behind its Olympic bids.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Jurg Stahl, Urs Lehmann, Moritz, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Noele, Toby Davis Organizations: Rings, Olympic House, International Olympic Committee, REUTERS, Rights, Paralympic Games, Swiss Olympic Association, Olympic, IOC, Swiss, Swiss Ski Association, Games, Winter Games, Swiss Olympic, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Thomson Locations: Lausanne, Switzerland, Salt Lake City, United States, Sweden, France, Japan's, Sapporo, St, Milan

Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Nov 24 (Reuters) - South Africa's former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2014 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will get another chance for an early release at a parole hearing on Friday. He was sent back to jail for six years in 2016 after a High Court sentence, which was less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors. Several factors are typically taken into account by a parole board before inmates are released on parole. Pistorius was denied parole in March after it was ruled that he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be considered for parole.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, Siphiwe, Pistorius, Steenkamp, Singabakho Nxumalo, Conrad Dormehl, Bhargav Acharya, Olivia Kumwenda, Ken Ferris Organizations: North, North Gauteng High Court, REUTERS, Rights, Paralympic, Appeal, South Africa's Department of Correctional Services, Correctional, Reuters, Atteridgeville Correctional, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: North Gauteng, Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Atteridgeville

[1/4] Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Nov 24 (Reuters) - South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed nine years ago for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was granted parole on Friday effective from Jan. 5. His total sentence was lengthened to six years in 2016, less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors. In 2017, the Supreme Court more than doubled his total sentence to 13 years and five months, saying the six-year jail term was "shockingly lenient". Pistorius was denied parole in March after it was ruled that he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be considered for parole.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, Siphiwe, Pistorius, Steenkamp, Mr Pistorius, Rob Matthews, I'm, Oscar, Matthews, Bhargav Acharya, Tannur Anders, Nick Macfie, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens Organizations: North, North Gauteng High Court, REUTERS, Rights, Paralympic, Appeal, Department of Correctional Services, Pistorius, Rehabilitation, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: North Gauteng, Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday after spending nearly 10 years in prison for murder. Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half their sentence to be eligible for parole, which Pistorius has done. Prosecutors argued that Steenkamp had fled to the toilet cubicle during a late-night argument and Pistorius killed her in a rage. Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, will not oppose Pistorius’ parole, her lawyer said in a message to The Associated Press. June Steenkamp attended Pistorius’ first parole hearing in March to oppose Pistorius' release but will not attend on Friday, said her lawyer, Tania Koen.

Persons: — Oscar Pistorius, Pistorius, he'd, Reeva Steenkamp, Steenkamp, Steenkamp’s, Barry Steenkamp, Pistorius ’, Tania Koen, Koen, It's, ” Pistorius Organizations: Prosecutors, Associated Press, British, of Corrections, Correctional, AP Locations: CAPE, South Africa, Pretoria, africa

☆ Paris 2024 to sell 400,000 tickets next week, 7.2 million already sold
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/ File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Some 400,000 tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympics will go on sale at the end of the month, organisers said on Wednesday. Paris 2024 is hoping to sell 10 million tickets for the July 26-Aug. 11 Summer Games and has already sold 7.2 million, chief operating officer Michael Aloisio said. "I don't think any other organising committee had sold that many tickets so fast," Aloisio told reporters. Paris 2024 has come under fire for the prices of some tickets but said on Wednesday that a third of the newly issued tickets would be "under 50 euros" across all disciplines apart from surfing. Organisers are also looking to sell 2.8 million tickets for the Paralympics and said they would give details on the progress at the end of the year.

Persons: Guy Degrenne, Stephane Mahe, Michael Aloisio, Aloisio, Julien Pretot, Ed Osmond Organizations: Paris, Paralympic Games, ArcelorMittal, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Vire, France

☆ Soaring hotel prices, crackdown on illegal renting to hit Paris 2024 experience
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Visitors heading to Paris for next year's Olympics face major accommodation problems amid soaring hotel prices and a crackdown on rentals of tourist apartments. A report by the Paris tourism office showed that hotel prices would rise by a whopping 314% between the 2023 and 2024 summers. The report also hit out at the Paris hotels for waiting too long to open their booking platforms for the July 26 - Aug. 11 Games. According to the Paris Tourism office, a hotel night in the Paris region was 169 euros in July 2023, and it is expected to soar up to 699 euros in July 2024. "At the London Games, the prices were too high and the occupation rate of hotels went 12% down.

Persons: Guy Degrenne, Stephane Mahe, Frederic Hocquard, Hocquard, Jacques Baudrier, Baudrier, Bruno Le Maire, Julien Pretot, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Paris, Paralympic Games, ArcelorMittal, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Paris Tourism, London Games, French Finance, Thomson Locations: Vire, France, Paris, Nantes, Lille, Rennes

☆ France fashions slender Paris 2024 torch from raw steel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It's a bit like my baby, our baby," Delphine Moulin, Paris 2024 director of celebration, told Reuters on Friday amid the sounds of metal being cut, bent, polished and sprayed with micro-particles of steel. You can see that it's different from the usually flared shape of the Olympic torch," Moulin added. You don't use the same kind of steel to make rails and to make this torch," ArcelorMittal France president Eric Niedziela said. Paris 2024 officials and ArcelorMittal have been tight-lipped on the budget of the torches' fabrication, declining to give an estimate of the overall cost. The Paris 2024 flame will be lit on April 16 in Ancient Olympia and will remain in the country for about a week before a handover ceremony in Athens and the start of its journey to France.

Persons: Delphine Moulin, Guy Degrenne, Moulin, ArcelorMittal's Franck Wasilewski, Eric Niedziela, Julien Pretot, Ed Osmond Organizations: Paris, Paralympic Games, ArcelorMittal, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vire, France, Paris, Normandy, Greece, Ancient Olympia, Athens

Snowballs of Paris 2024 Olympics and a miniature of the Eiffel Tower are displayed at the official store during the Paralympic Day at Place de la Republique, Paris, France October 8, 2023. "If we don't have commitments at the beginning of 2024, then in January, February, March, April, we will take action," CGT union representative Celine Verzeletti told Reuters. The French government and the Paris 2024 organising committee did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. France's Alliance police union this week gave the government a Dec. 31 deadline to respond to its demands. State-owned transport operator RATP has also started talks with workers, offering daily extra payments of 15 euros, according to French media reports.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Celine Verzeletti, Stanislas Guerini, Verzeletti, Emmanuel Macron's, David Leyraud, Tassilo Hummel, Toby Davis Organizations: Eiffel, Republique, REUTERS, Rights, CGT, Reuters, Labour, Games, Paris, France's Alliance police, Alliance, France, HP, State, Thomson Locations: Paris, France

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