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French Authorities Chip in 111m Euros for 2024 Olympics

General view of the skyline of La Defense business district from Paris, France, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
General view of the skyline of La Defense business district from Paris, France, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
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French Authorities Chip in 111m Euros for 2024 Olympics

General view of the skyline of La Defense business district from Paris, France, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
General view of the skyline of La Defense business district from Paris, France, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

French authorities said Friday they will increase their contribution to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee (Cojo) by 111 million euros ($117m), AFP reported.

National and local government were heeding a request from Cojo, which said on November 21 that they needed to lift their budget estimate 10 percent from 3.98 billion euros to 4.48bn euros, partly as a result of inflation.

Cojo are due to finalize the budget for running the Games at a board meeting on December 12.

The French government has been funneling its contribution through Solideo, the public company in charge of building projects.

Cojo is meant to be self-funding but had already received 100 million from the national government, ear-marked for the Paralympics.

National, Parisian and regional governments are all contributing but said they had not yet agreed who was paying how much.

They did say extra cash includes 71 million euros more for the Paralympics, 12 million for "sports equipment", 15 million for regional "redevelopment projects" and eight million for anti-doping.

With Cojo pressing ahead with an ambitious opening ceremony on the Seine, they said the budget for the four Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies is "up 30 million euros to 130 million euros".

Cojo said sponsorship and ticket sales were ahead of projections.

Tony Estanguet, the Cojo president, said that inflation would be reflected in the prices of tickets for prime sessions and that the plan for free transport for the spectators, had been dropped.

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Sports

Spurs Need Changes in Summer, Says Postecoglou

Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP)
Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP)
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Spurs Need Changes in Summer, Says Postecoglou

Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP)
Tottenham's head coach Ange Postecoglou during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP)

Tottenham Hotspur's squad needs a reset as the Premier League club looks to move into a "whole different direction", manager Ange Postecoglou said.

Since taking charge of Spurs last year, Postecoglou has attempted to implement an attacking style of play at the club, with the squad witnessing a significant amount of upheaval within their ranks to allow for this shift in philosophy.

The club has brought in a number of new players, while some long-serving players like Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier have departed.

Spurs began the season in promising fashion, but back-to-back defeats in the past week to rivals Arsenal and Chelsea have derailed their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and have laid bare some of the gaps that still exist in the squad.

Asked about the club's personnel, Postecoglou told reporters: "We need change. Change has to happen."

The Australian, speaking ahead of Spurs' trip to Liverpool, said it was impossible for the club to make alterations to their style without some degree of change to the squad.

"We're pivoting to a whole different direction, expecting the same people are going to be on that," added Postecoglou.

"It's just not going to happen. We've had two windows and we've had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we've still got a long way to go, that's what I'm talking about.

"We can't be there yet because it's impossible to say you're going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey... whether it's Liverpool or Arsenal, by the time they win the competition or have success, the team's almost unrecognizable."

Tottenham, who are fifth in the standings, travel to face third-placed Liverpool in a league clash on Sunday.

Sports

Man City Boss Guardiola Tips England for Euro Success

Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match. (Reuters)
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Man City Boss Guardiola Tips England for Euro Success

Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the match. (Reuters)

England can win this year's European Championship and put an end to their series of near misses in major competitions, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said.

Under Gareth Southgate, England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, as well as making it to the Euro 2020 final, where they lost to Italy.

Guardiola said England's performances mirrored Manchester City's showings in the Champions League, which they won for the first time last season after years of close misses.

"The national team? Really good. But it's not just the talent of the strikers, it's the whole package, the whole group. Gareth knows perfectly what he has to do," Guardiola told reporters ahead of his side's Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"I have the feeling, everyone has the feeling, that the England national team, in the last events, the World Cup and European Championships, they made steps. They are on the verge, they are really close. They lost a final and got to a semi-final.

"When you arrive at these stages every two years, it's going to happen. It's quite similar to us - we were close and, in the end, we lifted it. Just believe it. If they believe it they can do it, believe it and they can do it."

England are grouped with Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia at Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins on June 14.

Sports

World's Best Converge in Jeddah for 'Saudi Smash 2024'

The Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament commences Saturday in Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City. (SPA)
The Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament commences Saturday in Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City. (SPA)
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World's Best Converge in Jeddah for 'Saudi Smash 2024'

The Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament commences Saturday in Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City. (SPA)
The Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament commences Saturday in Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City. (SPA)

The "Saudi Smash 2024" table tennis tournament commences Saturday in Jeddah at the King Abdullah Sports City.
Over the next eight days, 64 world-class players will take part in the tournament which runs through May 11.

This elite group includes a local trio: Ali Al-Khadrawi, Abdulaziz Bushalibi, and Khaled Al-Sharif, all vying to showcase their skills on the global stage, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The tournament kicked off with a three-day qualifying stage featuring 64 contenders. Eight players emerged victorious, joining 56 pre-qualified stars based on their international ranking. This brings the total number of participants in the final stage to 64 in each category – men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles.
Moreover, 24 teams will compete in each of the men's, women's, and mixed doubles categories. All players are vying for coveted titles, substantial prize money, and crucial points towards their International Table Tennis Federation rankings.

Sports

City's Foden and Shaw Win FWA Footballer of the Year Awards

Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
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City's Foden and Shaw Win FWA Footballer of the Year Awards

Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 25, 2024 Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters)

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has been named the Football Writers' Association's men's player of the year, while City forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw won the women's award, it was announced on Friday.

England international Foden, 23, who has scored 24 goals in all competitions this season, including his goal in their Club World Cup final victory, won 42% of the vote, ahead of Arsenal's Declan Rice and his City team mate Rodri.

"I'm immensely proud to have won this award. Now I am focused on seeking to finish the season as strongly as possible and to try to help City win more trophies," Foden said.

City won both awards for the second time in five years, with Jamaica international Shaw taking the women's award after a season in which she became the club's all-time leading women's scorer.

Shaw, whose season ended prematurely last week with a foot injury, is the Women's Super League top scorer with 21 goals, and won the vote ahead of Chelsea's Lauren James, and City's Alex Greenwood.

Foden and Shaw will receive their awards at a ceremony on May 16.

Foden's City are second in the Premier League, one point behind Arsenal and with a game in hand, while Shaw's side are top of the WSL, with a six-point lead over Chelsea, who have played one game less.

Sports

Klopp Says He Has ‘No Problem’ with Salah after Touchline Spat

Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 27, 2024 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah talks to manager Jurgen Klopp (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 27, 2024 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah talks to manager Jurgen Klopp (Action Images via Reuters)
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Klopp Says He Has ‘No Problem’ with Salah after Touchline Spat

Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 27, 2024 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah talks to manager Jurgen Klopp (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 27, 2024 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah talks to manager Jurgen Klopp (Action Images via Reuters)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Friday his spat with Mohamed Salah has been “completely resolved,” saying his long history with the star forward ensured there was no lasting damage to their relationship.

Klopp and Salah were involved in a touchline confrontation during the 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday. When Salah was asked after the game to comment on the incident, the Egypt international was heard saying: “There’s going to be a fire today if I speak.”

Nearly a week later, Klopp said the matter was a “non-story.”

“There's no problem,” said Klopp, who was speaking ahead of Liverpool's home match with Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. “If we wouldn't know each other for that long, I don't know how we would deal with it, but we know each other for that long and respect each other too much that it's really no problem.”

The incident happened as Salah was preparing to come on as a substitute, having been selected on the bench for the second time in three games.

“In general, the best situation would be everybody is in the best possible place, we win games, we score lots of goals. Yes, then the situation (with Salah) would probably not have been exactly like that,” Klopp said. “Then Mo wouldn't have been on the bench in the first place.”

Klopp, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season after nearly nine years in charge, was asked if the 31-year-old Salah should be part of the new manager's plans. Salah, a Liverpool player since 2017, has been linked with a move to the Saudi league.

“I've said before, what a player he is. That he's incredible,” Klopp said. “But I don't think I should speak about that, to be honest. Other people will decide that, especially Mo.

“I don't have any signs it will not be like that. But I'm really the wrong person already for a few weeks to talk about these kind of things.”

Sports

Swiatek Returns to Madrid Open Final by Beating Keys, Medvedev Retires with Injury

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
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Swiatek Returns to Madrid Open Final by Beating Keys, Medvedev Retires with Injury

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)

Iga Swiatek cruised to a straight-sets semifinal win over Madison Keys on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open final and a rematch against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

Top-ranked Swiatek beat No. 20 Keys 6-1, 6-3 and will next face the defending champion Sabalenka, who rallied to overcome No. 4-ranked Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5).

The Madrid Open is the only high-profile European clay-court title that Swiatek is yet to win.

“It was a pretty clean performance and really solid game from myself,” she said. “I’m happy with everything.”

It will be the third final of the year for Swiatek after titles in Indian Wells and Doha.

“I’m happy that we can play a final against the top players,” Swiatek said. “It shows consistency. For sure it’s going to be a challenge, whoever it’s going to be, and a tough match. I will be ready. I will focus on myself."

Sabalenka, who needed three sets to defeat Swiatek in the Madrid final last year, is into her third Madrid final after ending Rybakina’s 16-match clay-court winning streak.

“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Sabalenka said. “I was hoping that I’ll have opportunity to turn this match around, and yeah, super happy that I was able to do that.”

Keys said she was disappointed but there were “a lot of really great things to take from the tournament” in the Spanish capital.

“It’s been a while since I have won four matches in a row. Lots to build on. It’s obviously great momentum going into Rome next week,” she said.

“It’s obviously only my fourth tournament back after the shoulder injury, so to do so well here and to be able to play some tough matches and have some three-set matches and be physically 100% still and being able to look forward to Rome and hopefully play some good tennis there is a huge positive.”

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev retired from his quarterfinal match after losing the first set 6-4, sending the 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka into a semifinal against 35th-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.

No. 4-ranked Medvedev needed treatment on his upper right leg while leading 3-2, complaining about having trouble moving to his right. He also needed treatment at 4-3, and after Lehecka broke serve in the ninth game to win the set, Medvedev decided not to continue.

“It’s never easy in a match like this,” Lehecka said of Medvedev’s retirement. “If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn’t be like that. So of course, it’s never easy to see your opponent struggling, but at that moment, you just need to focus on yourself, trying to get the maximum level out of yourself.”

Sports

Paris Inaugurates Giant Water Storage Basin to Clean up River Seine for Olympic Swimming

A worker walks inside the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
A worker walks inside the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
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Paris Inaugurates Giant Water Storage Basin to Clean up River Seine for Olympic Swimming

A worker walks inside the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
A worker walks inside the Austerlitz wastewater and rainwater storage basin, which is intended, among other things, to make the Seine swimmable during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)

French officials inaugurated on Thursday a huge water storage basin meant to help clean up the River Seine, set to be the venue for marathon swimming at the Paris Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons.

Sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra praised Paris' ability "to provide athletes from all over the world with an exceptional setting on the Seine for their events."

Last year, swimming test events had to be canceled due to poor water quality. One reason was heavy rains that overwhelmed the city's old sewers, causing a mix of rainwater and untreated sewage to flow into the Seine and leaving safety standards unmet.

The giant reservoir dug next to Paris’ Austerlitz train station aims to collect excess rainwater and prevent bacteria-laden wastewater from entering the Seine.

It can hold the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools of dirty water that will now be treated rather than being spat raw through storm drains into the river.

"We are on time," the prefect of the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, said. "The beginning of the Games will coincide with water quality allowing competition. That’s a tremendous collective success."

Paris mayor Anne Hildago promised she would herself swim in the Seine before the Olympics — possibly alongside President Emmanuel Macron.

The new storage basin "guarantees" that water can be stored even during severe storms, and will help water levels to "return to normal as quickly as possible," she said.

The opening of the basin is the latest step toward a cleaner river and comes as part of a series of newly-built facilities, including a water treatment plant in Champigny-sur-Marne, east of Paris, that was inaugurated last month.

During the Olympics, water will be tested at 3 a.m. each day to determine whether events can go ahead as planned. If results were not up to the standards, events could be delayed by a few days, organizers said.

The estimated cost of the cleanup efforts amount to 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion), paid by the state and local authorities.

"For more than ten years already, we’ve seen a very significant improvement of the Seine water quality and our river’s fishes and wildlife are back," Hidalgo said.

About 35 fish species are now living in the Paris section of the river, up from only three in the 1970s, when waters were extremely polluted due to nearby industrial activities.

For decades, the Seine was used mainly as a waterway to transport goods and people or as a watery grave for discarded bicycles and other trash. Swimming there has, with some exceptions, been illegal since 1923.

Paris officials are planning to open several bathing sites to the general public in the summer, starting from next year.

The River Seine also is to be at the heart of the grandiose opening ceremony for the Olympics that will see over 200 athletes' delegations parade on more that 80 boats in central Paris.

Sports

Title, Relegation and European Spots in the Balance as Premier League Heads for Exciting Finale

Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2022 English Premier League title at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2022 English Premier League title at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
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Title, Relegation and European Spots in the Balance as Premier League Heads for Exciting Finale

Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2022 English Premier League title at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)
Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2022 English Premier League title at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP)

The title race is down to two teams.

The relegation tussle still involves three.

And the contest for the remaining European qualification positions contains as many as five.

The Premier League season is down to its last two weeks and there's still plenty at stake from top to bottom.

Meanwhile, the second-tier Championship's regular season finishes on Saturday, with a second automatic promotion spot set to be secured.

Here's a look at what's still to be decided:

TITLE

This time, Arsenal vs. Manchester City for the Premier League title looks like going down to the wire.

City took advantage of a late-season collapse by the Gunners to win the league with three matches to spare in the 2022-23 campaign, but an improved Arsenal might last the course this time round.

Arsenal leads by one point with three games to go — against Bournemouth at home on Saturday, Manchester United away and Everton at home.

City has four games remaining — at home to Wolverhampton, away to Fulham and Tottenham, and at home to West Ham — and would capture an unprecedented fourth straight title by winning all of them.

The pressure is on the defending champions to do that because even just one draw could be fatal. Arsenal has a superior goal difference and, as it stands, would win on that tiebreaker if the teams are equal on points.

Away to Tottenham looks to be the toughest match for City, which has yet to win — or even score — in four league games at Tottenham's new stadium that opened in 2019. Spurs fans will have mixed feelings about the May 14 game, because a win for their team could hand Arsenal, Tottenham's fierce north London rival, the title.

A trip to Old Trafford is likely Arsenal's hardest remaining fixture. After all, Liverpool — until recently the other title contender — saw its season turned upside down after a loss at United in the FA Cup quarterfinals on March 17 was followed by a costly draw at Old Trafford in the league on April 7.

The Premier League is the only one of Europe's top five leagues where the title race is still bubbling. Germany's Bundesliga (champions Bayer Leverkusen), Italy's Serie A (Inter Milan) and France's Ligue 1 (Paris Saint-Germain) have been decided, while Real Madrid leads Barcelona by 11 points in Spain's La Liga.

EUROPEAN PLACES

Arsenal, City and Liverpool are locks for Champions League qualification, with fourth-place Aston Villa likely to join them. Tottenham is isolated in fifth, the reward for which is Europa League qualification.

The remaining intrigue, then, revolves around which teams finishes in sixth and seventh to likely earn a berth in the Europa Conference League. Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea are the teams occupying sixth to eighth places and three points separate them with four games left for each. West Ham and Bournemouth have outside shots in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Chelsea is in the best form, having lost just one of its last 11 games — though that was 5-0 at Arsenal.

If United drops to eighth, the team has a last chance to get into Europe by winning the FA Cup final against Man City a week after the Premier League finishes.

RELEGATION

The relegation battle looks like it will go to the final day of the season — and won't just be determined by what happens on the field.

With last-place Sheffield United already down, there are three teams fighting to avoid the two remaining relegation places: Nottingham Forest (26 points), Luton (25 points) and Burnley (24 points).

Each team has three games left and, significantly, two of them meet in the final round when Burnley hosts Forest.

Forest's current points total is subject to change, however, because the club has appealed against a four-point deduction for breaching the league's financial rules. The result of that appeal should be known before the end of the season, meaning Forest could recover some points based on the views of an independent panel.

If Burnley and Luton are also relegated, it means the three teams that came up last year lasted just one season before going back down to the Championship.

PROMOTION

There's one automatic promotion spot up for grabs heading into the final round of games in the second-tier Championship on Saturday.

Leicester has already clinched promotion and an immediate return to the Premier League. The team will go up as champions.

Ipswich or Leeds will join them.

Ipswich, which last played in the top flight in 2002, is currently in second place and three points ahead of third-place Leeds, whose American ownership group includes major-winning golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Ipswich hosts next-to-last Huddersfield, and Leeds is at home to fourth-place Southampton.

The teams placed third to sixth will compete in the playoffs for the third promotion spot. The playoff final is at Wembley Stadium on May 26.

Sports

Refugee Team for Paris Olympics Has 36 Athletes from 11 Countries across 12 Sports

The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is pictured in front of the National Assembly in Paris, France, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is pictured in front of the National Assembly in Paris, France, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Refugee Team for Paris Olympics Has 36 Athletes from 11 Countries across 12 Sports

The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is pictured in front of the National Assembly in Paris, France, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is pictured in front of the National Assembly in Paris, France, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

The Refugee Team for the Paris Olympics will feature 36 athletes from 11 countries in 12 sports.

They were picked from more than 70 scholarships, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said at the team announcement on Thursday.

Instead of competing under the Olympic flag, the refugees have their own emblem featuring a heart at its center, surrounded by arrows symbolizing how lost refugees can find their way back. The team will be known under the acronym EOR from the French name Équipe Olympique des Réfugiés.

"Having our own emblem creates a sense of belonging, and empowers us to also stand for the population of more than 100 million people who share this same experience," said Masomah Ali Zada of Afghanistan, the team chef de mission who competed in women’s cycling at the Tokyo Games. "I cannot wait to wear it proudly."

A total of 23 men and 13 women will compete in athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling at the Games starting on July 24.

Boxer Cindy Ngamba and Ethiopian runner Farida Abaroge are among the women. Kasra Mehdipournejad, an Iranian taekwondo athlete living in Germany, and shooter Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves from Venezuela are among the men.

"My Olympic dream is coming true," Mehdipournejad said.

On Tuesday, a third runner on the team was suspended for a positive doping test.

The refugee team was created by the IOC for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro to allow athletes to keep competing, even if they have been forced to leave their home countries.

There were 10 athletes in Rio, with Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini becoming the first to compete. Three years ago in Tokyo the number was 29 across 12 sports.

Sports

Tottenham Manager Postecoglou Jokes He’s Moving to Sweden for a Life without VAR 

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during his teams 3-2 loss against Arsenal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal FC in London, Britain, 28 April 2024. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during his teams 3-2 loss against Arsenal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal FC in London, Britain, 28 April 2024. (EPA)
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Tottenham Manager Postecoglou Jokes He’s Moving to Sweden for a Life without VAR 

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during his teams 3-2 loss against Arsenal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal FC in London, Britain, 28 April 2024. (EPA)
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during his teams 3-2 loss against Arsenal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal FC in London, Britain, 28 April 2024. (EPA)

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou joked Wednesday that he would move to Sweden because of its refusal to adopt VAR technology.

Most soccer leagues around the world use video assistant referees to determine offsides and other key calls. But Sweden is an outlier as the only one of Europe’s top-30 ranked leagues in holding out.

“Yeah, I’m moving there,” Postecoglou said. “I don’t have a job, I’m just moving there.”

VAR calls continue to be a contentious issue and despite Postecoglou’s concerns, his Tottenham team benefited from a major error earlier this season when Liverpool erroneously had a goal ruled out in a 2-1 loss to the Londoners.

The referees’ governing body in England quickly introduced changes to VAR after reviewing the errors that led to Luis Diaz having a goal disallowed, despite replays clearly showing he was onside.

But Postecoglou believes more reform is needed.

“I’d change a hell of a lot on it, but again I’ve said before that I think it’s changed the game materially, which I don’t think was the intention when it was brought in,” he said ahead of Spurs’ game against Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday.