Olympics

Rihanna can't help Katie Ledecky in the pool or Simone Biles on the beam, but, she can make sure the athletes look their best away from competition ... RiRi's Fenty Beauty brand inked a sponsorship deal with the Olympics!

And, the Paralympics, too!

Rihanna broke the news on social media Thursday morning ... saying the beauty brand she founded in 2017 will serve as an official "premium partner" of the 2024 Paris Games during the month-long global event.

Paris' mayor hopped into the Seine and walked away clean ... a huge relief to her 'cause tons of people said they were going to relieve themselves in the river to protest.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo jumped into the world-famous river for a quick dip to show her fellow Parisians the Seine's clean enough to host open-air swim events and opening ceremonies for the Olympics.

Check out the pics ... Hidalgo's doing her best Katie Ledecky impression as she works her way across the choppy river water in her wetsuit -- followed closely by a couple other top Paris officials.

All eyes in the political world are on Kamala Harris right now, but the Vice President made time to hang out with the Team USA basketball squad ... meeting up with a ton of NBA superstars!!

Harris -- who walked in alongside head coach Steve Kerr -- was a V(I)P surprise guest at UNLV's basketball facility ... where she chopped it up with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and more.

The squad seemed to be in great spirits as they conversed with Harris ... getting a bit of a pep talk about making the country proud at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Paul Skenes' first-ever MLB All-Star Game selection came with an extra surprise ... a pizza party courtesy of his loving girlfriend, Olivia Dunne!!

The star LSU gymnast made the trip to Pittsburgh after partying in the Hamptons for the Fourth of July ... and when she found out Skenes was named to The Show's mid-summer classic, she threw him an impromptu bash.

Livvy showed on her TikTok page that she copped some balloons, a bottle of champagne and some 'Za for the fiesta -- and Skenes was clearly loving it all.

There's a super cool piece of sports history going up for sale ... one of the rarest Olympic torches ever made is hitting the auction block.

Get a load of this ... the official torch from the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA is going to be sold to the highest bidder this month via RR Auction ... and it's expected to fetch at least $500,000.

This Olympic torch was designed by legendary Disney Imagineer John Hench ... and it features 3 Olympic ring cutouts around the bowl, with a circular legend reading, "VIII Olympic Winter Games."

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast ever, but R&B sensation SZA impressively held her own against the GOAT on the mat -- with the two going head-to-head in a handstand competition!!

The friendly contest went down at Biles' gym in a promotion for the 2024 Summer Olympics ... with the Grammy winner meeting the American athlete for the first time, which she called a dream come true.

The "Snooze" artist -- a former gymnast herself -- opened up on her own experiences in the sport ... saying once she knew she wasn't going to be able to compete at the national level, it was time to try her hand at music.

Jonathan Owens' day job won't keep him from watching Simone Biles in her return to the Olympics ... the gymnastics star revealed Sunday the Bears are giving her husband time off to see her in France.

Owens had been slated to report for Chicago training camp on July 19 ... and then play in the team's Hall of Fame Game against the Texans on Aug. 1. But, with Biles officially qualifying for the Paris games at the U.S. Olympic Trials over the weekend, the gymnast told USA TODAY those plans are likely to change.

"The Bears are actually granting him a couple days off from training camp, so he'll be there, yes," Biles said. "For just a short little time."

Team USA stars Suni Lee and Caeleb Dressel are going for gold in style ... rocking Kim Kardashian's SKIMS line ahead of the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.

The big athletes threw on the brand's most recent collaboration with the Red, White and Blue for a photoshoot ahead of this summer's competition ... showing off their athletic figures in the process.

Of course, SKIMS and Team USA have been partners for a while now ... working together for the Tokyo and Beijing games as well.

Paris protesters are ready for a defecation demonstration ... claiming they're going to poop in the famed Seine to prove just how disgusting it is!

Social media users are talking online about a large-scale plan to defecate in the river after France's President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo claimed it was safe enough to swim in.

Here's the deal ... a couple months ago water charity Surfrider Foundation Europe claimed it had tested the water in the Seine multiple times over the course of six months from September 2023 to March 2024 and claims they found a shocking amount of bacteria in the water.

It's been a great week for U.S. swimmer Lilly King -- the soon-to-be 3x Olympian is looking to add more medals to her trophy case -- and now she's got a big, ol' shiny diamond ring ... after her boyfriend proposed to her poolside at the Olympic trials!

(She said YES!)

The wholesome moment went down on Day 6 of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis on Thursday. Shortly after qualifying in the 200-meter breaststroke (the second Olympic race she qualified for), King was greeted outside the pool by her now fiancé, then-boyfriend, James Wells.

History was made once again in Indianapolis ... as a record-setting crowd was on hand Wednesday night to watch the U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- which included a big night from swimming superstar Katie Ledecky!!

The organization announced the massive, 22,209-fan turnout at Lucas Oil Stadium ... which edged out the previous attendance record set on the first day of the event -- 20,689 spectators.

Those fans had the privilege of watching the GOAT of women's swimming do her thing. The 27-year-old dominated, per usual ... crushing her competition in the 1500-meter swim. Katie finished with a time of 15:37.35 ... and second place finished 20 seconds later!!

Simone Biles is pulling back the curtains on the personal struggles she experienced during the 2020 Olympics ... sharing footage of herself breaking down in tears as she discussed her mental health as part of an upcoming documentary.

Netflix just dropped a trailer ahead of the four-part project's release ... sharing scenes of Biles' life with husband Jonathan Owens, her desire to return to competition, and her training leading up to the Paris Games.

While there is much excitement for Biles' return to the Olympics, the show will also focus on one of her biggest stories -- her withdrawal from competing for gold to address her mental health.

Jackson James Rice, an up-and-coming kite foil racing star, tragically passed away this weekend just weeks before his debut in the 2024 Olympics. He was only 18.

Rice's father, Darren, confirmed his son died on Saturday during a free diving accident in Faleloa, Tonga. It's believed JJ suffered a shallow water blackout.

JJ's father said other divers found his body around 12:15 PM on the seafloor ... under the boat. They tried to resuscitate him but he passed away.

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas had no chance to win a legal challenge that would have opened the door for a potential Olympics bid -- and she should instead compete against other trans swimmers ... so says a former Team USA gold medalist.

Decorated swimmer Donna De Varona, who won two golds at the 1964 Summer Olympics, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked her about Lia's failed bid to overturn rules preventing transgender women from competing against biological women at the Olympics.

Donna says Lia was never going to get the ban overturned because she didn't get a U.S. Aquatics membership card, which DDV says prevented Lia's challenge from having any standing from the get-go.

Michael Phelps' historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is one of the most memorable athletic performances ever -- and now a one-of-a-kind set of 8 oil paintings, done by a famed artist, and signed by the immortal swimmer, is up for sale ... but it's gonna cost ya!

TMZ Sports has learned the "Golden Eight" collection, created by renowned artist Brian Fox -- known for his ability to capture celebs and athletes -- is being shopped for $2 MILLION!!!

Each of the eight exquisite pieces, commissioned by owner Todd Patkin in '08, was inspired by a moment from the Games ... and all have been signed by Phelps.

Team USA selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti is addressing the outrage over leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympics roster ... saying it simply came down to putting together the best possible squad -- not the most popular.

Many considered the 2024 WNBA No. 1 overall pick's omission from competing in Paris a snub ... or at least called it a bad move, as Clark's presence in the sport has attracted a ton of new fans who could tune in to the Summer Games to watch the superstar in action.

Rizzotti defended the team on Tuesday ... and specifically spoke about Clark.