Olympia Compact - Active Rider: Prosecutor requests penal order against equestrian Kuhrer
France in the Olympics Fever: The Summer Games in Paris begin on Friday with a gigantic Opening Ceremony. Until August 11th, athletes from all over the world will compete for Gold, Silver, and Bronze. German athletes can also harbor medal hopes. The competitions are under massive security measures: 250,000 security forces are in total in action, over 40,000 for the Opening Ceremony alone.
Find all the news about the Olympics here compactly at stern:
25th July: German Handballers lose opening match against South Korea
Germany's Handballers put in a disappointing performance in their return to the Olympics after a 16-year absence. With a partially dismal showing in the attacking game, the squad led by Bundestrainer Markus Gaugisch lost their opening match against South Korea 22:23 (10:11) and missed a big step towards the quarterfinals. In front of around 5000 spectators in Paris, Antje Döll was the best scorer for the DHB team with six goals, which faces significant pressure in the upcoming group matches.
25th July: Man arrested in France on terror suspicion
A day before the start of the Olympics in Paris, a man was arrested on terror suspicion. The 18-year-old had contact with another man who had been taken into custody on Tuesday, according to the national anti-terror prosecutor. The two were suspected of planning "violent actions" during the Olympics. However, the prosecutor remained silent on the media reports about specific attack plans. The investigation is ongoing to determine how far the plans had progressed.
25th July: Austrian equestrian Max Kuhner faces charges
A legal proceeding is underway against the German-starting Austrian equestrian Max Kuhner for a violation of animal welfare law. According to a statement from the Amtsgericht Starnberg, the Munich II public prosecutor had issued arrest warrants for the rider, who denies the allegations, and another person involved as a trainer in March. Kuhner is accused of using the banned "active whip" method in May 2023. In this method, a stick is struck against a horse's legs while jumping over an obstacle to make it lift its legs higher.
25th July: Argentina threatens after disallowed equalizer
After the chaotic end to the Olympic football match between Argentina and Morocco, which resulted in a disallowed equalizer after a long wait, Argentine football coach Javier Mascherano expressed sharp criticism. "What happened on the field was a scandal," the 40-year-old said after the 1:2 defeat in Saint-Étienne. "They examined one play for an hour and a half." Argentine superstar Lionel Messi also reacted and posted an eye-rolling emoji on Instagram with the comment: "Unusual."
The match to start the Olympic football tournament in France ended chaotically. Argentina had scored the supposed equalizer in the 16th minute of added time. However, Moroccan fans stormed the field in protest over the long added time, preventing further play. There was long uncertainty whether the game had been ended or only interrupted. Additionally, the goal for the 2:2 was reviewed by the video evidence for a possible offside position.
## France's President Macron wishes for Celine Dion as star guest at Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday in Paris
France's President Emmanuel Macron wishes for singer Celine Dion as star guest at Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday in Paris. It would be "a wonderful news", if the Canadian singer appeared at the grand ceremony in the heart of the French capital, Macron (46) told France 2 TV, "because she is a great artist". Speculations about the singer's appearance, who suffers from a rare autoimmune disease, have been ongoing for days. The 56-year-old is currently in the Olympic city. "Apparently, she has arrived in Paris", Macron added, but he refused to reveal further details about the opening ceremony to maintain the surprise effect.
24th July: Canadian tried to spy on New Zealand footballers with drone
New Zealand has lodged a complaint with the International Olympic Committee over a drone incident during the training of the women's football team in St. Etienne. A drone was observed and reported to the police during a training session on Monday before the opening match between both teams in the Olympic tournament on Thursday. A non-accredited member of the Canadian support staff was arrested by French authorities, according to the Canadian Olympic Committee. The committee expressed "shock and disappointment" over the incident. "We sincerely apologize to the New Zealand football team, all affected players, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee". The incident and further steps will be discussed with the IOC, organizers, and FIFA.
23rd July: Schröder and Wagner carry German flag
Basketball World Champion Dennis Schröder and two-time Judo World Champion Anna-Maria Wagner carry the German flag at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris. The duo was chosen by fans and the German Olympic team and will take on the role at the ceremony on Friday (7:30 PM). The German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) confirmed this. Initially, the "FAZ" reported on Schröder's selection. Among the men, Schröder, the 30-year-old NBA professional, who scored a total of 103.54 points in both ballots, clearly won over tennis player Alexander Zverev (57.57) and sports shooter Christian Reitz (38.89). Among the women, Wagner (80.01) finished ahead of footballer Alexandra Popp (74.01) and equestrian Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (45.98). A total of over 500,000 valid votes were cast in the public vote, compared to around 189,000 in Tokyo three years ago.
23rd July: Olympic hopeful Bauer receives lost bow
The German archers are a medal hope for the Olympic Games in Paris. But during their journey, important equipment went missing. Now, the wait has come to an end: Archer Katharina Bauer has finally received her sports equipment a few days before her competition. "Wow, look what arrived in the night... My bow", the 28-year-old medal contender wrote on Instagram after a nerve-wracking wait.
Bauer arrived in Paris on Monday without her equipment. The archer had traveled from Munich, where, according to her statement, there were problems with loading the equipment onto the plane due to a lack of personnel. She missed her first opportunity to familiarize herself with the bows at the Olympic competition site in Paris as a result.
Single European Champion Bauer from Raubling belongs to the candidates for medals with the German women's team already on Sunday at the Olympics. The selection had already won the WM title.
23. July: Snoop Dogg carries torch at Olympics
"Drop it like it's hot" ("Let it drop as if it's hot") is one of the hits of Snoop Dogg. Now he has a special role at the Olympics where he shouldn't take it too literally. The American rapper is supposed to carry the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony from the suburb of Saint-Denis. He will be one of the torchbearers on Friday, where the Olympiastadion is located, the mayor of the district, Mathieu Hanotin, told the French news agency AFP.
Other torchbearers are reportedly the French actress Laetitia Casta, the French rapper MC Solaar, and the former Ukrainian pole vault champion Mykyy Bubka. Snoop Dogg will also comment on the Olympics for the American broadcaster NBC. The Games begin on Friday and last until August 11.
The Olympic flame traveled almost two months through France. On Friday, the torch will be carried through the Athletes' Village, before it is taken to the Olympiastadion.
23. July: Olympic qualification diverted – Dauser only on two events
Five weeks after his severe upper arm injury, Barren world champion Lukas Dauser will only perform a reduced program. At the qualification on Saturday for the finals with the team and all individual decisions, the 31-year-old Unterhaching native will only compete on his special apparatus and on the floor. "I'm glad that everything is going well now and I'm ready to compete on the floor and on the bar. That's the maximum I can do," Dauser said.
Germany's Sportsperson of the Year suffered a muscle injury in his right upper arm at the final Olympic qualification during his rings exercise and had to worry about his third Olympic participation. A final load test with a clean bar routine at the training center Kienbaum brought last-minute reassurance. "The biceps holds," Dauser said. The successful stress test also relieved Bundestrainer Valeri Belenki from having to nominate a replacement for Milan Hosseini.
22. July: Basketball spectacle in London – USA defeat Germany
Dunks, threes, blocks: The Olympic test match becomes a basketball spectacle. World champions Germany missed the surprising coup directly before the Olympics in a big basketball show. Against Olympic champions USA with superstar LeBron James, captain Dennis Schröder and the Germans lost narrowly in London with a score of 88:92 (41:48). The 19,177 fans in the sold-out arena in London saw a few days before the opening ceremony all that basketball has to offer. Schröder (13 points) and Co. held their own again, as they had in the test in Abu Dhabi and at the WM the previous year. However, this time the individual class of the team around US flag bearer James (20 points), Stephen Curry (13), and Anthony Edwards prevailed.
At the Summer Games, the USA are considered the clear gold favorite. Germany wants to win the third medal in three years after the EM bronze in 2022 and the surprising WM triumph in Manila the previous year and send Bundestrainer Gordon Herbert a fitting farewell. For the DBB team, the preliminary round begins in Lille on Saturday (13.30 hours) against outsider Japan. The USA are challenged right from the start on Sunday (17.15 hours) by vice-world champions Serbia and NBA star Nikola Jokic.
- Despite the disappointing performance in their opening match, Germany's Handballers, led by Bundestrainer Markus Gaugisch, still have high hopes for the upcoming group matches.
- In a surprising turn of events, a man was arrested on terror suspicion in France just a day before the start of the Olympics in Paris.
- Austrian equestrian Max Kuhner faces legal charges for allegedly violating animal welfare law, specifically for using the banned "active whip" method during a competition in May 2023.
- Rapper Snoop Dogg has been given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony in Paris, marking a special role in the games for the American musician.
