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'Flooding rains' threaten to dampen Paris Olympics opening ceremony
The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.
Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.
Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.
Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.
Gopalganj to host 20th Sheikh Russel National Long Distance Swimming on Thursday
The Sheikh Russel 20th National Long Distance Swimming Competition ' 2024, organized by Bangladesh Swimming Federation (BSF) and sponsored by Bangladesh Navy, will be held on Thursday (July 18) on the river Modhumoti in the Gopalganj District.
The 15-kilometer long men's competition with the participation of six swimmers, will start from Bailtolly bridge area of River Modhumoti at 9 am and will conclude at Haridaspur bridge area.
The 10-kilometer long women's competition to be participated also by six swimmers, will start from Karpara area of the river and will conclude at the same point ---Haridaspur bridge area.
BSF President and Chief of Bangladesh Navy Admiral M Nazmul Hasan will be the chief guest at the Thursday's closing function at the Sheikh Moni Auditorium of Gopalganj Shilpakala Academy and later he will distribute the prizes.
The champion, runner-up and 3rd place winning swimmers of both the men's and women's groups will be awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals respectively along with certificates and prize money.
Besides, the swimmers, who successfully completed the event, will also be given consolation prizes.
Sheikh Russel National Long Distance Swimming
The Sheikh Russel 20th National Long Distance Swimming Competition ' 2024, organized by Bangladesh Swimming Federation (BSF) and sponsored by Bangladesh Navy, will be held on Thursday (July 18) on the river Modhumoti in the Gopalganj District.
The 15-kilometer long men's competition with the participation of six swimmers, will start from Bailtolly bridge area of River Modhumoti at 9 am and will conclude at Haridaspur bridge area.
The 10-kilometer long women's competition to be participated also by six swimmers, will start from Karpara area of the river and will conclude at the same point ---Haridaspur bridge area.
BSF President and Chief of Bangladesh Navy Admiral M Nazmul Hasan will be the chief guest at the Thursday's closing function at the Sheikh Moni Auditorium of Gopalganj Shilpakala Academy and later he will distribute the prizes.
The champion, runner-up and 3rd place winning swimmers of both the men's and women's groups will be awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals respectively along with certificates and prize money.
Besides, the swimmers, who successfully completed the event, will also be given consolation prizes.
Western Asian Youth Chess: Sakline Sajid emerges unbeaten champions in U-14 group
Bangladeshi candidate master (CM) Sakline Mustafa Sajid emerged unbeaten Champions in Under- 14 group of the 7th Western Asian Youth Chess Championship'2024 now being held in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Monday.
After the day's 9th and last round match, Sajid assured the U-14 group crown securing seven points after making a draw with his Kazakhstan rival.
Sr Division Football: Sadharan Bima CSC beat Mugda Samaj Kallyan Sangsad
With the day's feat, CM Sajid also achieved the Fide Master title.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh national chess champions Manon Reja Neer finished runner-up in the Under-18 age group of blitz chess.
IHF Men's Trophy: Bangladesh under-18, under-20 handball teams finish runners-up losing to hosts India
Both the Bangladesh Youth (U-18) and Junior (U-20) Handball teams finished runners-up in the four- nation International Handball Federation (IHF) Men's Trophy' 2024 Zone 11 (Asia) losing to hosts India in the finals at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur, India on Sunday.
Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team finished runners up losing to hosts India by 36-56 goals in the final after trailing by 14-31 goals in the first half.
Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team remained satisfied with runners-up position after conceding a 55-25 goals defeat also against India Sunday afternoon.
Bangladesh went down by 16-31 goals in the first half.
Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team reached the final with two consecutive wins eliminating the Maldives by 47-28 goals on Friday after beating Nepal by 46-26 goals in the 2nd match on Thursday.
Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team managed a final berth also eliminating the Maldives by 38-30 goals in their 3rd match on Friday after making 29-29 goals draw with Nepal in the 2nd match last Thursday.
Earlier in the opening day (Wednesday), both the Bangladesh Youth and Junior teams conceded defeat against hosts India.
Bangladesh Youth (U -18) team conceded defeat against India by a scoreline of 45-35, while Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team suffered a 46-26 goals defeat against India on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz meet in a Wimbledon men's final rematch
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set to meet for the Wimbledon men's championship.
Sunday's final at the All England Club is a rematch from last year, when Alcaraz got past Djokovic in five sets.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, is expected to be in the Royal Box at Centre Court, a rare public appearance after her cancer diagnosis.
The 37-year-old Djokovic is trying to win his eighth Wimbledon title to equal Roger Federer for the most by a man at the grass-court major. A victory by Djokovic would also give him 25 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other player in tennis history.
It was only a little more than a month ago that Djokovic had surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee after getting injured during the French Open.
The 21-year-old Alcaraz wound up winning the trophy at Roland Garros in June for his third major championship. That made him the youngest man with a Grand Slam title on grass, clay and hard courts.
Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon women's final Saturday.
Wimbledon 2024: Here’s how to watch on TV, betting odds and more you should know
Get caught up at Wimbledon with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the grass-court Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is and more:
How to watch Wimbledon on TV
— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, ESPN.
— Other countries are listed here.
Betting favorites for Wimbledon
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is a slight favorite in the men’s final against Novak Djokovic on Sunday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in five sets a year ago for the title at the All England Club, is listed at -145. Djokovic is at +120.
Who plays in the Wimbledon men's final on Sunday?Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic will meet in a rematch of the 2023 men’s final at the All England Club. Alcaraz beat Djokovic in five sets a year ago. On Sunday, Alcaraz will be bidding for his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21. Djokovic, who is 37, is seeking an eighth Wimbledon championship to tie Roger Federer for the men's record. A Djokovic victory also would give him his 25th Grand Slam singles trophy overall, which would break a tie with Margaret Court for the most by anyone in the history of tennis. Djokovic had knee surgery last month.
What happened in the Wimbledon women's final on Saturday?No. 31 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic held on to defeat No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to win her first singles championship at Wimbledon and second at a major tournament. Krejcikova, who is 28, also won the 2021 French Open. Paolini is the first woman to lose in the finals at Roland Garros and the All England Club since Venus Williams in 2002. Diede de Groot claimed her 15th consecutive Grand Slam singles title by winning the women’s wheelchair final.
The Wimbledon schedule
— Sunday: Men’s Singles Final
Olympic Day Run observed in capital, 7 divisional headquarters
The Olympic Day Run, a regular global event of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the occasion of its founding anniversary, ceremonially observed in the capital and seven divisional headquarters of the country on Saturday.
President of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed inaugurated Olympic Day Run'2024 rally at the Bangladesh Shisu Academy premises in Dhaka.
The BOA president hoisted the Bangladesh national flag while its Secretary General Syed Shaheed Reza hoisted the Olympic flag, BOA Deputy Secretary General and Convenor of the Olympic Day Organizing Committee Ashiqur Rahman Miku hoisted the BOA flag in the inaugural ceremony.
The colourful rally, which started from Bangladesh Shisu Academy ended at the Sheikh Russel Rollar Skating Complex at the Bangabandhu National Stadium premises after parading through Sikkha Bhaban, Bangladesh Secretariat and Zero point.
A good number of sportsmen, sports organisers, sports lovers from different sports federations, associations, clubs, BKSP, Army, Navy, Air Force, BGB, Police, Ansar, school and college students participated in the day's Olympic Day run rally.
After the rally, certificates were distributed among the participants.
IOC and Saudi Arabia agree on 12-year deal for video gaming Esports Olympics
Saudi Arabia and the IOC are teaming up for their first commercial deal together with the oil-rich kingdom set to host the Esports Olympics that launch next year.
The gaming partnership will be for 12 years “with Olympic Esports Games held regularly,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement Friday. The value was not stated.
The announcement was made during the two-month Esports World Cup being staged in Riyadh.
The first formal hosting or sponsorship deal between the IOC and Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the kingdom's sprawling portfolio of sports events, including confirmation due in December to stage the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer for FIFA.
Sports and entertainment events are a key part of the Vision 2030 program driven by Prince Mohammed bin Salman that aims to move the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil and to modernize its society.
Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the country “has become a global hub for professional esports.”
"This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community,” said Prince Abdulaziz, who also heads the Saudi national Olympic committee.
The IOC said last month it planned to launch video gaming Olympics to try to attract and retain young fans and audiences.
The Saudi deal must be signed off by the IOC membership which meets July 23-24 in Paris on the eve of the Summer Games. That approval is typically a formality for projects proposed by the Olympic body's leadership.
“We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great — if not unique — expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders," the IOC's president Thomas Bach said.
Last month, Bach said the video gaming event would have a financial model separate from the Summer Games and Winter Games which share revenue with governing bodies of sports on those programs.
Saudi Arabia has hosted a swath of top-tier boxing events including heavyweight title fights in recent years and created the LIV Golf project as a disruptive rival to the PGA Tour in the United States.
The kingdom also will host the 2027 Asian Cup in men's soccer, the 2029 Asian Winter Games centered on a ski resort being built for it, and the multi-sport 2034 Asian Games in Riyadh.
Critics of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights have said the push into international sports is effectively “sportswashing” to improve that reputation.
IHF Men's Trophy: Bangladesh U-18, U-20 Handball teams reach finals
Both Bangladesh Youth (U-18) and Junior (U-20) Handball teams reached the finals of the four-nation International Handball Federation (IHF) Men's Trophy 2024 Zone 11 (Asia) eliminating the Maldives at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur, India Friday afternoon.
Both Bangladesh teams will face hosts India in the finals on Sunday.
Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team earned the 2nd consecutive victory to reach the final of the IHF Trophy eliminating the Maldives by 47-28 goals.
Bangladesh U-18 team, which beat Nepal by 46-26 goals in their 2nd match on Thursday, today (Friday) dominated the first half by 20-10 goals against the Maldives.
Bangladesh U-20 team managed a final berth also eliminating the Maldives by 38-30 goals after leading the first half by 18-11 goals.
Earlier in the opening day (Wednesday), Both the Bangladesh Youth and Junior teams conceded defeat against hosts India.
Bangladesh Youth (U -18) team conceded 35-45 goals defeat against India while Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team suffered 26-46 goals defeat against India Wednesday afternoon.