Olympics

Team USA volleyball star Kristen Nuss says she's fired up to play in the Eiffel Tower's shadow at the Olympics this month ... telling TMZ Sports the picturesque court straight up "gives me chills."

If you haven't seen it yet ... the volleyballers who qualified for the Paris Games will get to play their matchups starting next week just feet away from France's most iconic monument.

Check out some of the photos from the sand -- it's literally right next to the famed structure!!!

Add the 2024 Olympics to the long list of organizations affected by the ongoing global cyber outage ... as the Paris Games' organizing committee revealed some operations have dealt with some hiccups as a result of the ordeal.

With the international competition just days away, the org. released a statement saying the outage has impacted accreditations and the delivery of uniforms. Luckily for organizers, they say operations around the preparations of venues and ticket sales are unaffected -- while the Olympic torch relay is also not caught in the crossfire.

At the press center, security is doing checks outside the building the ol' fashioned way -- breaking out a list of names and scrolling through it manually. For journalists just arriving in the City of Lights, Reuters is reporting the accreditation desk is closed ... and people are being turned away.

Japanese gymnastics star Shoko Miyata will not compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris later this month ... after an investigation determined she violated team rules by smoking and drinking alcohol.

19-year-old Miyata is Japan's reigning national title holder ... and won bronze in the balance beam competition at the 2022 World Championships. She was slated to represent the squad as captain at the Paris Games.

The Japanese Gymnastics Association issued an apology for the controversy and said Miyata owned up to her actions ... and her coach, Mutsumi Harada, called for sympathy over the matter -- citing the huge expectations to excel at the international level.

Adidas is not getting a gold medal for an advertising campaign with Bella Hadid ... the shoe giant is apologizing for what many are calling a big antisemitic mistake.

Here's the deal ... Adidas made Bella the face of its marketing plan for a retro sneaker referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics ... the Games where Palestinian terrorists infamously murdered 11 members of Israel's Olympic team after taking them hostage.

The issue ... Bella's a Palestinian-American model who has been a vocal critic of Israel amid the war in Gaza ... and her involvement with a shoe commemorating the Munich massacre pissed off folks at the American Jewish Committee.

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.