What to know
- Follow along for live coverage of the Opening Ceremony
- Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock, starting with the opening ceremony tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET.
- Read more NBC News coverage of the Games and the athletes competing in Paris.
- Follow all the action and track upcoming calendar events before they happen so you'll never miss a beat.
Tennis star Elina Svitolina to carry Ukrainian flag in opening ceremony
Tennis star Elina Svitolina will carry the Ukrainian flag during tomorrow's opening ceremony, the Ukrainian Olympic Committee has confirmed. She will lead a contingent of 140 Ukrainian athletes — the smallest delegation in Ukraine's Olympic history.
Svitolina won bronze for Ukraine in the women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics, and this will be her third appearance at the Games.
"It’s going to be really special [competing in Paris]," Svitolina told NBC News in an interview in September. “For me, the Olympics is all about the country. … Of course I am representing Ukraine each time that I step on the court, but when you are competing for your country it’s even more special."
The Paris Games are the first since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the British Foreign Office, at least 487 Ukrainian athletes have lost their lives due to Russia's invasion, though they estimate that the true number is likely to be much higher than that.
"It's not easy to go out on the tennis court and put everything behind," Svitolina said when asked how the conflict had affected her tennis career. "I take it as motivation. ... I try to think about the soldiers, the men and women who are right now defending our land."
‘Look good, run fast’: Black Olympians discuss the importance of their hair
Black American women competing in the 2024 Olympics are in a massive spotlight — and so is their hair.
Kendall Ellis, a 28-year-old sprinter, said she’s planning to highlight her kinky hair texture when she competes in Paris. After she qualified for the Olympics, she said, “it was one of the first things I thought about!” Ellis said she plans to wear a sew-in — hair extensions sewn over her braided hair — that is similar to her natural hair texture.
“I want to do a more natural-looking style, because I think it’s important to have that representation on such a large stage,” Ellis said.
Australia leads the U.S. 10-0 in rugby
Corey Toole's try gave Australia a 10-0 lead late in the first half as the Americans have struggled to take possession or muster much of an attack.
Australia draws first blood, leads
James Turner's try gave Australia an early 5-0 lead over the United States in the rugby sevens quarterfinals.
Team USA stars substituted out as 3-0 soccer lead holds
Some of America's strongest players have been substituted out with roughly 30 minutes left of the game as their team holds firm to its lead.
Rodman has been swapped out for Casey Kreuger; Swanson is out for Jenna Nighswonger; and team captain Horan has been replaced with Emily Sonnett. This gives some of the team's starters an opportunity to rest as they prepare to face Germany in a few days.
Israel's foreign minister warns France of Iran-backed plot to attack Israelis at Olympics
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has warned his counterpart in the French government of an Iran-backed plot to attack Israelis during the Olympic Games.
"We currently have assessments regarding the potential threat posed by Iranian terrorist proxies and other terrorist organizations who aim to carry out attacks against members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympics," Katz said in a letter to French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné.
"This concern underscores the importance of our shared commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all participants," Katz added. He did not provide details about the evidence assembled by the Israeli government.
In a statement to Reuters, the Iranian mission to the United Nations denied the accusation.
The Paris Games have been shadowed by safety fears amid Israel's monthslong military campaign in the Gaza Strip as well as other geopolitical crises, such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Sudan. Olympic organizers have repeatedly said they are stepping up security measures.
Katz went on to thank Séjourné for offering to host a memorial ceremony for the victims of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Games. In that attack, Palestinian members of the terrorist organization Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches.
Zambia defense steps up early in the second half
Zambia may be down a player but its defense is stepping up as it stops yet another American drive early in the second half.
Rodman was joined by Lynn Williams and Korbin Albert as all three made successive attempts to score in the first few minutes of the second half. But Zambian players swarmed in front of the goal to block each shot, the final shot by Albert blocked by the African goalkeeper.
Reminder: USA vs. Australia at 4:30 p.m. ET
The United States plays its quarterfinal rugby sevens match at 4:30 p.m. ET against Australia, in a contest that'll be carried on Peacock.
A U.S. victory would send the Eagles into the semifinals Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. A loss would place Team USA into a consolation bracket on Saturday at 9 a.m., competing for fifth place.
USA up 3-0 at halftime vs. Zambia
The women's soccer team led a powerful first half in its game against Zambia, leading the match 3-0, but the Americans are not without their own mistakes.
Team USA led in ball possession and dominated as it pressured its opponents, but it is notable that only three goals were scored despite 16 shots fired. A persistent attack on the goal in the 15th minute offered no reward despite four different players getting opportunities within seconds of one another.
Rodman also missed an easy goal just before the half ended, missing a header off a free kick while she was wide open. She also received a yellow card as she struggled to come to a stop as she came up from behind a Zambian player.
The women's team has obviously come to exert its force as a powerhouse, but small mistakes may come to haunt it later on in the tournament. Though the USWNT won the 2019 World Cup, it fell short at the Olympics in Tokyo and was knocked out in last year's World Cup in the team's earliest exit ever.
This year's mascot is a symbol of French liberation
The mascot for this year's Paris Games might be a hat, but to the French that little red cap is a reminder of the fight for liberation centuries ago.
French revolutionaries wore phryge caps throughout their fight for societal change, including when Parisians stormed the Bastille prison in July 1789, to identify those who were part of the revolutionary government.
Former French King Louis XVI had ordered revolutionaries to be arrested and housed as political prisoners at the Bastille as the starving lower class sought equality and freedom during the country's economic crisis.
While many Olympic mascots can be hated, many French citizens love the red cap that has come to symbolize their ancestors' pursuit for liberation.