Editor’s notice: Observe the newest Olympics stay outcomes, medal depend and updates for Sunday, July 28.

PARIS – On a flawlessly sunny Sunday morning on the base of the Eiffel Tower, a convicted baby rapist performed and misplaced an Olympic seaside volleyball match.

Such an exquisite setting for such an unsightly sentence.

Those that don’t know the story of Dutch seaside volleyballer Steven van de Velde, I envy you. It’s the nastiest storyline going regarding the proud athletes of those Paris Video games, and it may have been averted had somebody stood up for what’s proper. However nobody has, all the best way from the Netherlands to the Worldwide Olympic Committee.

In 2014, van de Velde, then 19, traveled to Milton Keynes, England to see a 12-year-old woman he’d met on-line. In response to the MK Citizen’s 2016 account of the trial, van de Velde knew her age, took her virginity and authorities had been notified when she sought the morning-after capsule.

2024 Olympic medals: Who’s main the medal depend? Observe alongside as we monitor the medals for each sport.

Repeat: She was 12 years previous.

It was revealed in courtroom, too, that she had “since self-harmed and brought an overdose.”

Van de Velde hasn’t denied what occurred. In a 2018 interview with Dutch NOS Sport, he admitted his actions and expressed remorse for “the largest mistake of my life.”

“I made that snap determination,” he mentioned. “I booked that ticket within the morning and flew out within the afternoon. Yeah, and as you already know, issues occurred. We had intercourse, and I got here again the subsequent day. I can not get round it. I may also maintain blaming myself 100 thousand occasions for it occurring and the way it occurred.”

As van de Velde was sentenced in England to 4 years in jail (he served a few yr resulting from differing legal guidelines within the Netherlands), the choose Francis Sheridan instructed him (per the MK Citizen), “Previous to coming to this nation you had been coaching as a possible Olympian. Your hopes of representing your nation now lie as a shattered dream.”

You’d have thought so, huh?

Not solely is van de Velde being allowed to compete in Paris. He’s being given particular remedy. He’s not staying with different athletes or his teammate Matthew Immers within the Olympic Village. He’s permitted to skip necessary media availability and dodge the interview space after his matches.

He subsequently missed out on the uncomfortable questions that Immers confronted after Sunday’s loss to Italy’s Adrian Carambula and Alex Ranghieri.

“He isn’t right here as a result of he simply needs to relaxation his thoughts and deal with the sport,” Immers mentioned.

“The primary cause is we need to speak about sports activities, particularly him,” mentioned John Van Vliet, press officer for the Netherlands workforce. “We’re very a lot conscious that if we convey out Steven right here, it will not (be) about his sport and his efficiency. … It is one thing that should not be introduced up by sports activities in a match which he certified for.”

Should not be introduced up by sports activities?

Then he shouldn’t be competing right here. Interval.

It is being introduced up continually. Sunday’s victorious Italian opponents even stormed off from a post-match interview session, scolding reporters for asking solely in regards to the controversy.

That Dutch officers really feel compelled to guard van de Velde and conceal him away from the world’s best sporting spectacle demonstrates why he mustn’t have been allowed to be part of it within the first place.

However nobody ever made that call. His inclusion was the results of the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) backing him publicly. So did the nation’s Olympics management, and IOC spokesperson Mark Adams deferred to that help Saturday when requested about van de Velde’s participation.

“I’m grateful to the Dutch Volleyball Federation,” van de Velde mentioned in an earlier assertion launched by Nevobo, “as a result of they supplied me, with clear situations and agreements, a future on this stunning sport once more. However I additionally assume again to {the teenager} I used to be, who was insecure, not prepared for a life as a high class athlete and sad inside, as a result of I did not know who I used to be and what I needed.”

The entire state of affairs is disgusting.

Anybody who’d wish to view an Olympics as a unifying and inspirational drive on our sophisticated planet – and they’re – ought to be appalled at van de Velde’s inclusion. And appalled, too, at how these in van de Velde’s orbit maintain dealing with the worldwide controversy it has ignited, placing athletics capability over moral duty on the one place it ought to be probably the most paramount.

Perhaps one thing was misplaced within the transition to English, however I heard a variety of concern for van de Velde from Immers and Van Vliet on Sunday. Not a lot regard, although, for his sufferer or for advocates of sexual assualt victims who’ve been rightfully bothered by his presence in these Olympics.

Immers mentioned he was “dissatisfied” at how “large” the story has turn into. Requested if he was dissatisfied, although, by van de Velde’s motion, he replied, “No, under no circumstances. I don’t need to speak about (these) actions at this level and all the large consideration. I’ve recognized the man for 3 years, 4 years now, and we’ve performed each match, and proper now they make a very large dialogue of it.”

In clarifying that remark, Van Vliet mentioned, “(Immers) has been taking part in with (van de Velde) many, many tournaments the final three years. It has by no means been a problem.”

It’s not obscure why it is a problem now, although. The Olympics isn’t like these many, many tournaments, nor ought to it’s in comparison with them.

I am all for second probabilities, however any try to coerce sympathy for van de Velde or clarify his actions as some youthful mistake ought to stop proper right here:

She was 12 years previous.

Nothing else issues.

Besides, evidently, the Dutch successful a seaside volleyball match. On Sunday morning, they didn’t even do this.

They misplaced. And the Paris Olympics did, too.

Attain sports activities columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and on the X platform (previously generally known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

Venezuela, Caracas
CNN
 — 

Venezuelans are anxiously awaiting the results of a extremely consequential presidential election after casting their votes Sunday, by which the nation’s longtime strongman, Nicolas Maduro, faces one in every of his best political challenges but, say analysts.

Folks started lining outdoors polling facilities at daybreak, casting votes all through the day — although it stays unclear when the electoral authorities will announce the outcomes.

As night time fell, a lot of these out on the streets voiced issues that the opposition is not going to see a good contest, as Maduro’s authorities controls all public establishments in Venezuela and has been accused of rigging earlier votes, which it denied.

Consultants had stated that opposition social gathering representatives will probably be current at every polling station to look at in opposition to vote tampering and to make sure equity. However on Sunday night time, the opposition’s primary witness stated she and different members had been denied entry to the Nationwide Electoral Council (CNE) because it collates the ends in the capital Caracas.

Delsa Solórzano, president of the Citizen Encounter Get together, half of a bigger opposition coalition, additionally stated CNE had stopped sending voting knowledge from polling stations to the central authority, to forestall extra votes from being processed. She added that she had tried contacting the CNE, with none response.

CNN has reached out to the CNE, which has not but commented on the allegations.

Maduro, who took the mantle of the ruling Chavismo motion after his predecessor Hugo Chavez’s dying in 2013, is looking for his third consecutive six-year time period in workplace. Of the 9 different candidates operating for the presidency, his greatest challenger is a unified opposition motion that overcame their divisions to kind a coalition often called the Democratic Unitary Platform.

The opposition motion has maintained its momentum regardless of sustained authorities repression, by which their first-choice candidate, María Corina Machado, was disqualified from operating. Machado, an avowed capitalist who has promised privatization of a number of state industries, has since rallied for her alternative, the soft-spoken former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia.

The vote has come at an important second for Venezuela, which has skilled violent repression beneath Maduro’s watch and the worst financial collapse of a peacetime nation in latest historical past. The oil-rich nation, as soon as the fifth-largest economic system in Latin America, has seen its economic system shrink within the final decade to the equal of a medium-sized metropolis, in accordance with knowledge from the Worldwide Financial Fund. 

Punishing sanctions on the regime by the US and European Union have did not topple the populist incumbent, who argues that Venezuela’s woes are on account of being a sufferer of an “financial warfare.”

Round eight million Venezuelans have fled the nation amid shortages of significant items and hovering inflation, and others will really feel compelled to depart if Maduro wins, says the opposition coalition that has promised to revive Venezuela’s democracy.

Fleeing Venezuelans “would create large strain and destabilization within the area. And naturally, within the south border of the US, however within the nation,” opposition chief Machado stated Sunday, including that an opposition victory would deliver “thousands and thousands of Venezuelans … again house.”

On Sunday, some voters in Caracas appeared optimistic for change. “[After] 25 years, I see that there’s a actual probability to alter. I see lots of people getting collectively to vote,” voter Mariana Schemel stated.

“I’m doing this for my youngsters and my grandchildren,” voter Amelia Perez informed CNN. She has three sons, one in every of whom resides in Washington, D.C. “I would like him to return again and I don’t need my youngsters to depart. All the remainder of my household already left.”

Voters got here out in droves to vote on Sunday, in accordance with the opposition coalition. Exterior a polling station in Caracas, Venezuelans chanted “we wish to vote” as they waited for hours in line to get to the poll field. Overseas, Venezuelan expatriates rallied in Miami, Florida, and the Peruvian capital Lima.

Greater than 21 million persons are registered to vote, each within the nation and overseas. The opposition coalition reported in a while Sunday afternoon a 54.8% voter turnout, representing at the least 11.7 million voters.

“That is large. If this continues, will probably be a historic participation determine,” Machado stated in an announcement launched Sunday afternoon. “What you’re seeing is an important civic act in our historical past.”

There have been additionally minor “issues” at some voting stations, together with a small variety of stations that couldn’t be arrange and delays in processing voters’ ID playing cards, Machado stated.

And in Caracas, 55-year-old voter Henrique Mendoza informed CNN he was turned away from a polling middle by troopers for sporting cargo shorts, after queuing for hours – regardless of the CNE beforehand saying there is no such thing as a gown code for polling facilities.

When Maduro voted at 6 a.m. within the capital, he urged residents to respect the outcomes of the election. His primary challenger González stated the opposition coalition is “going to attend for the outcomes from the Nationwide Electoral Council, nevertheless, we even have our strategies and mechanisms to know the progress of as we speak’s electoral course of.”

The election marketing campaign has seen at the least 71 folks arbitrarily detained – nearly all of whom supplied some kind of service to the opposition – and a dozen on-line media retailers blocked inside the nation, in accordance with human rights group Laboratorio de Paz.

The federal government has additionally created vital impediments for the thousands and thousands of Venezuelans overseas to vote, together with broadly unattainable passport and residency necessities. Solely 69,211 Venezuelans dwelling overseas are eligible to vote on this yr’s ballot, in accordance with knowledge printed by the CNE.

A restricted group of election observers, together with a staff from The Carter Middle – a non-profit group arrange by former US President Jimmy Carter – will probably be on the bottom. However a number of worldwide election observers have introduced this week that they’ll not journey to Venezuela to observe the vote.

Latin American leaders, together with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have referred to as on Maduro to decide to stepping down if he loses. Venezuelan opposition figures have additionally appealed to the nation’s navy, that has lengthy supported Maduro and his predecessor, to respect the outcomes. The Venezuelan chief has stated his victory will guarantee “peace” within the nation.

The Biden administration has been monitoring the elections, telling reporters on Friday that the US stands ready to levy extra sanctions in opposition to Venezuela if the democratic course of just isn’t allowed to unfold.

Vice President Kamala Harris stated “the will of the Venezuelan folks should be revered” in a put up on X, including that “regardless of the various challenges, we’ll proceed to work towards a extra democratic, affluent, and safe future for the folks of Venezuela.”

How the military reacts to the result might be an vital consider any situation, however analysts say it unimaginable to parse the place it stands.

“The navy is totally key. However I need to additionally say that the navy could be very airtight, [and] it is extremely tough to entry details about what it’s pondering,” Laura Cristina Dib, the Venezuela Program Director of Venezuela Program on the Washington Workplace on Latin America (WOLA), informed CNN.

With reporting from CNN’s Abel Alvarado, David Shortell and Michael Rios. 

Fernandez, 24e à la WTA, a vaincu Karolina Muchova, finaliste à Roland-Garros en 2023, en trois manches.

La Montréalaise a empoché haut la principal la première 6-1, avant que la Tchèque se ressaisisse et gagne la deuxième 6-4. La 29e raquette mondiale n’a pas réussi à continuer sur sa lancée et s’est inclinée en troisième manche 6-2, au bout de 2 h 21 min.

Ce n’était pas facile, mais je suis contente de mon match, de ma compétitivité et de ma positivité, a indiqué Fernandez. Je suis contente de ne pas avoir abandonné et d’avoir trouvé une resolution dans la troisième manche.

De son côté, Bianca Andreescu a vaincu Clara Tauson, 63e joueuse mondiale, en deux manches.

Après avoir vu, comme tous les autres Canadiens, son affrontement être reporté en raison de la pluie qui tombait la veille sur Paris, l’Ontarienne de 24 ans a connu un glorious début de match et a dominé sa rivale 6-2 et 6-3 après 1:45 de jeu.

Il n’y a pas de mots pour décrire cela. C’était vraiment incroyable. Je pense que j’ai très bien joué du début à la fin, ce qui était évidemment l’objectif, a-t-elle dit à Radio-Canada. La foule a été géniale, il y avait plusieurs Canadiens et l’ambiance était extraordinaire.

Ce n’était pas facile. Je veux dire, aucun match ne l’est, mais j’ai l’impression que ma mentalité était bonne dès le départ. J’étais dans le coup dès le premier level, et c’était l’objectif avant le match. Et je l’ai très bien fait. Je servais bien. Je revenais bien, et c’est tout ce que je peux demander, a poursuivi l’athlète de Mississauga.

Andreescu, championne des Internationaux des États-Unis en 2019, poursuit donc avec succès son retour sur les courts après une pause de 10 mois.

La Canadienne, qui dispute ses premiers Jeux olympiques après avoir dû se retirer des Jeux de Tokyo, est 171e au classement de la WTA.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place on the Belgian Grand Prix after race officers disqualified his Mercedes teammate George Russell for driving an underweight automobile on Sunday.

Russell crossed the road first after making only one pit cease, ending simply forward of Hamilton. He celebrated the win in Spa, which might have been the third of the British driver’s profession.

However race officers discovered that his automobile weighed in beneath the established limits and dominated to disqualify his consequence.

Hamilton took his file haul to 105 profession victories for the previous seven-time world champion.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows beneath.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — George Russell led a Mercedes one-two with Lewis Hamilton on the Belgian Grand Prix after pulling off an audacious one-stop technique and maintaining his teammate at bay so as to add to an exhilarating Method 1 season on Sunday.

Russell’s victory, nevertheless, could possibly be unsure after his automobile was discovered to be underweight. The race officers are reviewing the technical report concerning his automobile’s weight, with Mercedes summoned by F1 stewards.

If Russell is disqualified, the win will cross to Hamilton in what could be his one hundred and fifth GP victory in F1.

If Russell is just not disqualified, it will have been his second win of the season and the third of the British driver’s profession after nursing his tires in professional trend over the 44-lap race whereas all the remainder of the highest automobiles stopped twice.

Both manner, it would have little impression on the general driver’s championship, which Verstappan leads comfortably.

“Superb consequence, undoubtedly didn’t predict that this morning,” Russell stated nicely earlier than it was introduced that his automobile was suspected of a attainable violation. “However the race was superior and the tires simply felt nice. I simply stored saying ‘I believe we will do the one cease’.”

Hamilton completed forward proper behind with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third.

Factors chief Max Verstappen crossed fifth behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari after the three-time defending champion began from eleventh following a 10-place grid penalty for utilizing one too many engines in his Crimson Bull.

Lando Norris endured one other poor begin in his McLaren and completed sixth, permitting Verstappen to increase his championship result in 78 factors.

Russell was not anticipated to be within the combine for the win after he began sixth. However he advised his staff that he felt assured that he might milk his tires for all they had been price and forego a second, time-consuming, pit cease.

That proved to be a superb transfer.

Russell appeared like he could be caught by Hamilton and different drivers on more energizing tires. As an alternative, he defended his place over the nail-biting closing laps with Piastri lurking in case the teammates clashed.

His solely cease got here on lap 10, so Russell stayed out for 34 laps on the identical tires and fended off a Hamilton who had spent 18 laps on his final set.

“We undoubtedly didn’t (count on this), so to start with, congratulations to George and to the staff,” Hamilton stated. “I used to be making an attempt to get nearer, however George did a fantastic job on going lengthy on the tires. Each stint I had tires left however the staff introduced me in, sadly.”

After Russell shouted for pleasure after the checkered flag, his staff radio half-jokingly praised him as “the tire whisperer.”

The 26-year-old driver shared any credit score together with his staff for making that technique name.

“It was a staff effort, the strategists did a beautiful job. The automobile felt nice and the tempo was there. It’s so nicely deserved for everyone,” he stated. “Effectively carried out to Lewis, he did a fantastic job controlling the race and if circumstances had been totally different he might have gained the race.”

After struggling early on this season, Mercedes has now gained three of the final 4 races. Russell triumphed in Austria and Hamilton in Britain.

With McLaren, Mercedes, Crimson Bull and Ferrari all producing comparable tempo – and avoiding race-ending crashes — the victory was a query of small margins and getting the pit-stop and tire technique proper.

Piastri was underneath two seconds behind Russell and the highest six all crossed inside 10 seconds.

Piastri, who acquired his first F1 win final weekend in Budapest, stated that he thought his recent tires would make the distinction.

“(However) you simply needed to hold going, as George confirmed us,” Piastri stated after his fourth podium of the season.

The seven winners in 13 races after the Hungarian GP had already made this season essentially the most aggressive since 2012.

Verstappen has now gone 4 races and not using a win after he gained 4 of the primary 5 grands prix this 12 months.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was seventh, forward of Crimson Bull’s Sergio Pérez, who had began second in one other poor displaying for the under-pressure Mexican driver. Fernando Alonso was ninth for Aston Martin, and Esteban Ocon tenth in his Alpine.

The Spa observe, set within the rolling forests of the Ardennes, is the longest in F1 at seven kilometers (4.3 miles). It stayed dry on Sunday in distinction to the fixed drizzle the day earlier than that led to a F2 race being postponed.

With 14 of 24 races down, the season now enters a summer time break till the Dutch GP on Aug. 25.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Leon Marchand has the world file within the 400m particular person medley and gained the World Championships in that occasion in 2022 and 2023. He was lacking one factor – an Olympic gold medal. However now the French swimmer has that too.

Marchand led for your entire race and broke Michael Phelps’ Olympic file with a time of 4:02.95.

Swimming: Males’s 400 particular person medley podium

Gold medal: Leon Marchand, France
Silver medal: Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan
Bronze medal: Carson Foster, USA

Earlier than Marchand was even introduced, the group at La Protection Area had been chanting his identify and singing “Marsellaise.” They erupted into cheers when he was introduced, and Marchand raised each arms and waved to the group.

As soon as he was within the pool, Marchand led for your entire race. He didn’t seem to have a weak stroke, as he by no means let any opponents again into the race. As soon as his win was official, Marchand sat on the lane divider and waved to the screaming crowds. He had a large smile on his face from the second he stepped onto the rostrum within the medal ceremony, and he closed his eyes for a second as he joined his compatriots in singing the nationwide anthem.

“The ambiance was wonderful, I do not know how you can clarify it. I had goosebumps earlier than, and in the course of the race too. On the breaststroke part I may hear everybody simply cheering for me. That was particular and successful at present was actually wonderful for me,” Marchand mentioned after the swim.

The true battle ended up coming for the silver and bronze medals. Japan’s Matsushita Tomoyuki out-touched Carson Foster from the U.S., with Matshushita successful by 0.04 seconds. Nice Britain’s Max Litchfield took fourth.

Chase Kalisz from the U.S., who gained gold within the 400 IM on the Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020, didn’t make the ultimate.

Mercedes’ George Russell has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix, denying the Britain a 3rd profession victory.

George Russell was disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes was discovered to be underweight following the race, handing victory to teammate Lewis Hamilton.

A technical report launched after the race on Sunday mentioned Russell’s automotive was discovered to be 1.5kg under the minimal weight restrict for automotive and driver mixed.

“Automotive 63 is disqualified from the race classification,” the stewards introduced in a press release.

“All different drivers transfer up within the classification,” they added.

The 26-year-old Briton began in sixth place on the grid earlier than edging Hamilton in second and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who got here third.

Russell drove the 44-laps race with just one pit cease which led to him going 34 laps on his second set of tyres, a strategic choice taken throughout the contest enabling him to take the lead and an sudden third profession victory.

“Heartbreaking,” Russell mentioned on social media.

“We got here in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race.

“We left all of it on the observe in the present day and I take satisfaction in crossing the road first.

“There will likely be extra to come back,” he added.

Russell’s automotive was initially weighed at 798kg, which is strictly on the minimal weight restrict for automotive and driver mixed.

However stewards discovered the automotive had not been absolutely drained of gas.

“The automotive was weighed once more on the FIA inside and outdoors scales and the load was 796.5kg,” the assertion mentioned.

“The calibration of the inside and outside scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.”

Consequently, Russell’s teammate Hamilton now takes the victory, the one hundred and fifth of his profession and second of the season.

Piastri takes second whereas Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc strikes on to the rostrum in third.