Olympics 2024: Updates from Paris as France storm past Argentina in rugby sevens grudge match

Fiji and Australia join South Africa and France in the last four. Australia cruised past USA 18-0 while Fiji survived a valiant effort from Ireland, eventually overcoming them to win 19-15.

On Saturday, South Africa will play France and favourites Fiji take on Australia.

Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are expected to star on the banks of the River Seine on Friday night as Paris prepares to defy over a century of Olympic tradition.

The duo are reportedly set to perform a version of Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ as part of a glittering conclusion to the first ever opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium.

Instead, team delegations will set sail from the Austerlitz Bridge on a 6km journey through the centre of Paris to a unique finale close to the Trocadero.

Click here to learn everything you need to know about Friday’s big event. 

By Jeremy Wilson and Tom Morgan in Paris

Team GB have hit out over the Olympic Village food, accusing the Paris hosts of serving raw meat and causing shortages which have forced them to bring in an extra chef at their own alternative restaurant.

As part of their extensive planning, the British Olympic Association had hired an entire catering college in nearby Clichy as a performance base. The athletes are now snubbing the village in favour of the food cooked by the specialist Team GB chefs.

Click here to read more.

All over in the Stade de France, solo brilliance from Dupont as he exploits the space and speeds through to score.

The French fairytale goes on! The host nation are through to the semi-finals where they will meet South Africa.

France’s Jordan Sepho is sent to the sin bin for two minutes after being penalised for being offside.

Time for Argentina to strike with the extra man.

First score of the match goes to the host nation as Andy Timo bulldozes his way past Argentina’s defence.

Moments later, the French tricolour is being waved by fans as Aaron Grandidier Nkanang bursts away down the right and finishes.

And the French complete a perfect first half when Grandidier Nkanang dives over in the corner expertly to get his second of the match.

Argentina, hotly tipped, are in disarray.

The first match of the rugby sevens quarter-finals was an absolute thriller. South Africa raced into a 14-0 lead and survived a second half fightback to book their place in the semi-finals.

Next up it is France vs Argentina.

Not long until hosts France meet Argentina in a mouth-watering quarter-final match-up in the men’s rugby sevens. It’s a full house tonight in the Stade de France and this clash will take place against the backdrop of a race row that has been brewing between the two countries across football and rugby circles. On my walk up to the Stade de France, you could definitely feel the tension in the air – there was lots of chanting breaking out among animated French fans marching up to the stadium.

Away from the political tension, it’s worth pointing out how sevens – a code that has historically been played out in cavernous stadiums – has been embraced by Parisians. Yesterday’s opening day attracted a record single-day crowd for rugby sevens, with 69,000 fans in attendance and millions more watching globally.

I heard the news about Andy and I hope that he will have the best possible farewell in his last competitive match in the Olympics, for him and his country.

He is a legend of our sport and has been an incredibly important player for tennis globally.

Maths lessons at school. British senior champion. Work experience teaching the reception class at her old primary school. A contract with Puma. And now the Eurostar to Paris as the youngest track and field Olympian for a generation.

That, in short order, has been the last four weeks for Phoebe Gill, a 17-year-old 800-metre runner, whose emergence this year has prompted a message of congratulations from Dame Kelly Holmes – Britain’s last Olympic champion over her distance – and comparisons with Emma Raducanu. The latter, says Gill, has been a definite inspiration for how the 2021 US Open winner combined education and sport in the weeks before her similarly meteoric rise culminated with a grand slam victory.

“Life has definitely changed this year but school has been really good in grounding me between the hectic things,” said Gill, ahead of her arrival in the Olympic village ahead of her first race next Friday. “Going to maths class after winning the British champs was a grounding experience and going to work experience the week after was really good for me.

“Being with the little kids after such a stressful but fun weekend was a really nice way to come back down to earth basically. I was there for a week. It’s a good thing to find that balance; a nice way to take your mind off athletics for a while.”

Click here to read Jeremy’s interview with Phoebe Gill.

Reports in Spain suggest Rafael Nadal is facing an anxious wait over his participation at the Olympics.

His coach Carlos Moya has told Spanish media that the clay court legend felt discomfort in his right thigh/hamstring during doubles practice yesterday.

Moya said:

 I can’t assure you Nadal will play. Today it was decided to stay to give him more time to recover from the setback that occurred yesterday. Let’s see if he can be ready tomorrow.

The most responsible thing right now with an event of this magnitude is not to force it.

Paris Olympics organisers said they would boost security at the Games and ensure security staff are available and well trained after a pitch invasion at a soccer match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday.

Organisers said the incident during the opening match of the soccer tournament – in which security staff chased fans around the pitch at Saint-Etienne Stadium – had not posed a major security risk and that lessons would be learned.

“We do not minimise the events of yesterday,” Olympics security director Bruno Le Ray told reporters, adding that additional staff and crowd barriers would be brought in for upcoming matches at Saint-Etienne, where access to the pitch is easier than at other stadiums.

Paula Radcliffe has said she is “ashamed” of her interview wishing luck to the convicted child rapist Steven van de Velde at the Olympics in a new apology.

Radcliffe was heavily criticised after giving an interview in which she said “we allow people who cheat in sport and take drugs to come back and compete, he was 19 at the time and he has served his jailed time” about Van de Velde, who will represent the Netherlands in beach volleyball at this summer’s Games in Paris.

Radcliffe apologised soon after her comments on Wednesday evening, but posted a second full apology to convey her regret over the controversy.

Click here to read Radcliffe’s apology.

The Paris Olympics have been hit by fresh claims of equine abuse, with show jumping medal contender Max Kuehner of Austria subject to criminal proceedings in Germany for allegedly hitting his horse’s legs with a bar to make it jump higher.

Kuehner, the world No 3 in jumping, stands accused by the Munich II public prosecutor’s office of violating the German Animal Welfare Act by engaging in “active bar jumping” or “barring”. The technique is more commonly known as “rapping”, where a pole is used to smack the horse’s legs over a practice jump, forcing it to lift. It has been banned in Germany since May 2023.

Click here to read more.

At the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, Spain complete their fightback against Japan to win 2-1.

Canada also fought back from a goal down to beat New Zealand 2-1 in Group A.

In Group B, Germany have just kicked off against Australia. While in Group C, Nigeria face Marta’s Brazil.

By Will Bolton
Israel’s foreign minister has reportedly warned French authorities of a possible Iranian-backed plot to attack the country’s athletes at the Olympics.

Israel Katz sent a letter to Stéphane Séjourné, his French counterpart, warning him of the potential targeting of the Israeli delegation during Paris 2024.

In the letter, parts of which were published by Israeli media, Mr Katz told the minister for Europe and foreign affairs of his concerns regarding a possible attack.

Click here to read more.

The World Cup winners are in front in their Group C match. It is a lovely intricate move with Aitana Bonmati at the heart of it.

Mariona Caldentey then picks up the ball, comes inside the box and curls a shot into the far corner in the 74th minute.

World No 4 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the Olympic Games. She was due to compete in the singles and mixed doubles draw.

It is another blow to the tennis event which has seen the likes of Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune also pull out.

My thanks to Rob and Sam for their efforts so far today.

A busy evening is ahead of us with plenty of action. But we start with some breaking news from the tennis tournament.

Canada, the defending women’s champions, have scored a stoppage time equaliser against New Zealand. Cloe Lacasse bagged it with a sweeping right-foot shot from the left of the penalty spot and that means both matches are currently all-square.

Canada 1 New Zealand 1
Japan 1 Spain 1.

Uche Amako will be your guide for the rest of the evening and he will be covering the denouement of these two matches. Germany vs Australia, Nigeria vs Brazil, France vs Colombia, USA vs Zambia, plus four handball matches and, most mouthwateringly, the men’s rugby sevens quarter-finals. 

Aoba Fujino has given Japan the lead against the world champions with a right-foot banger from a free-kick. Right of centre, she wrapped her right instep around it and bent it over the wall. The keeper, Cata Coll, got there but could only tip it on to the bar and in. 

At roughly the same moment Mackenzie Barry of New Zealand has put her side 1-0 up against the defending champions Canada. 

Aoba Fujino has given Japan the lead against the world champions with a right-foot banger from a free-kick. Right of centre, she wrapped her right instep around it and bent it over the wall. The keeper, Cata Coll, got there but could only tip it on to the bar and in. 

At roughly the same moment Mackenzie Barry of New Zealand has put her side 1-0 up against the defending champions Canada. 

With tries from Leroy Carter and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black converted by Andrew Knewstubb. New Zealand 14-12 Ireland. 

That means NZ take on South Africa in the quarter-finals, having beaten them 17-5 yesterday. Fading in the second period means Ireland face the formidable prospect of Fiji in the quarter-finals.

Tonight’s QF schedule

NZ vs South Africa, 8pm
France vs Argentina, 8.30pm
Fiji vs Ireland, 9pm
Australia vs USA, 9.30pm
 

If the last few years are anything to go by, the Hollywood scriptwriters love a sequel – and in Paris this evening we’re set to have another blockbusting follow-up.

As the last few days have shown, there is no love lost between France and Argentina on the sports field, regardless of the shape of the ball. Now, those two sides – both finalists in the SVNS world series grand final – will face off in the quarter-finals of the men’s sevens at the Olympics. It could be extremely spicy, indeed – in the crowd as much as on the field.

At 8.30pm BST tonight, all eyes will be on the Stade de France.

Fiji have remained unbeaten in their third cycle of Olympic competition, beating France 19-12 after a raking try down the left from Joji Nasova, diving through the final tackle to dot down. Andy Timo scored with the last move of the game for France to give them hope for the knockout stages and Rayan Rabbadj converted.