Olympics

Simone Biles didn't let the time difference stop her from wishing her husband a happy birthday ... dedicating a mushy social media post to NFL player Jonathan Owens amid preparations for the Paris Olympics.

"Happy happy birthday to my husband, best friend, confidant and party goer ❤️," the 27-year-old gymnast said on Instagram minutes ago.

"Thanks for being the calm to my storm! I love you with all my heart and I can’t wait to see what this year brings! Let’s do it big baby💋😘✨"

Kamala Harris is now the Democratic front-runner to face Donald Trump -- but in her first public remarks since President Biden bowed out ... she kept the focus on young people.

The Vice President addressed the media Monday -- which was already penciled in as part of a college athletes event at the White House -- and while she's already acknowledged she's honored to have JB's backing after he dropped out ... she elaborated just a bit further here.

Kamala -- speaking from the south lawn -- didn't really offer up her formal pitch to the American people on why she's the right one to make a run for the White House ... but she did shout out the Prez for doing the right thing and exiting the race.

Athletes will be capable of doing all the banging they please at the Paris Olympics ... 'cause some star competitors just proved their cardboard beds can handle a ton of force -- and they don't fall apart!!

Tom Daley -- the youngest European diving champion -- and Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan got into their Olympic Village rooms over the weekend ... and were quick to test out the myth about their sleeping arrangements being not-so-sex friendly.

Daley showed how the cardboard bed frame is set up with a mattress and Paris Olympics-themed blanket ... and to prove all the "anti-sex" rumors to be bogus, the 30-year-old gold medalist stood up on it and pounded away with his feet before assuming several positions.

LeBron James can add yet another accomplishment to his extensive résumé -- the Lakers superstar was just revealed as a flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics ... becoming the first Team USA men's basketball player to receive the honor.

King James -- who was nominated by Stephen Curry and the rest of the national team -- got word of the selection on Monday ... and he said it's something he isn't taking lightly.

"It's special in the fact that you get an opportunity to represent your country in another fashion," Bron said.

Bella Hadid's readying for legal battle with Adidas ... with sources telling us she's hired legal counsel to take on the athleticwear giant.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Bella's retained lawyers to take action against Adidas for their lack of public accountability -- basically, saying she feels they spearheaded a cruel and damaging campaign.

Our sources say she's upset the company would put out a campaign that would associate anyone with a tragedy like the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympics ... with violence running in contrast to BH's own views.

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."