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‘DEEP LOSS’: BOXING COACH DIED IN PARIS OLYMPIC VILLAGE

Samoa’s boxing coach died in the Olympic Village in Paris after the 60-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest, government officials said Saturday.

Governing body IBA expressed its “sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues” of Lionel Elika Fatupaito following his sudden death on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony.

He was treated by emergency services but they could not save him, according to the local Public Prosecutor’s Office, which said he died of “natural causes”.

“Lionel’s dedication and passion for the sport have left an indelible mark on the boxing community,” the International Boxing Association (IBA) said in a statement.

“His legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with Team Samoa and all those affected by this profound loss.”

The Olympic boxing event started in the French capital on Saturday.

COMMENTATOR’S $106M SERENA DEVIATION

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian was mistaken for an “umbrella holder” by a European commentator during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Williams, 42, and the Reddit co-founder decided to take part in the French festivities and as she walked onto the red carpet, it started to rain.

Ohanian acted like a gentleman by holding an umbrella over his wife’s head, a gesture that caught the attention of a ceremony reporter, the New York Post reported.

“She looks absolutely incredible,” said a Eurosport commentator.

“There’s someone standing behind us with an umbrella in her hand.

“Those are the levels you strive for.

“To have a real umbrella holder behind you.”

Ohanian, who had an estimated net worth of AU$106 million in 2019 according to Forbes, said he is unknown to many because of the work he does.

“More people know me for the pancakes I make than for creating Reddit, and you know what, I have no problem with that,” Ohanian laughed during an interview with Access to Hollywood.

Williams was allowed to carry the Olympic flame during the torch relay with Rafael Nadal.

— New York Post

NIGERIAN ATHLETES DENIED ACCESS TO CEREMONY

The Nigeria women’s basketball team were reportedly denied access to the delegation boat during the Olympic Games opening ceremony on Saturday morning (AEST).

According to APThe team was not allowed to board the boat after a Nigerian official told the players that there were too many people on board. Nigeria shared its boat with athletes from Niger and Norway.

The Nigerian athletes had travelled 222km in a two-hour bus journey from Lille, where the preliminary rounds of basketball are being played, to attend the opening ceremony.

Nigeria will play Australia in the women’s basketball tournament on Monday at 7:00pm AEST.

‘RAW MEAT’: BRITISH TEAM ANGRY WITH PARIS FOOD

France may be the home of haute cuisine, but the British team were less than impressed with the food on offer at the Olympic Village in Paris, particularly the ‘raw meat’.

Britain has therefore hired an extra chef and complains about a shortage of good food in the village and the quality of what is on offer, English media reported.

Andy Anson, chief executive of the British Olympic Association, said The times that the rates in the village in the French capital are “inadequate” and that “a dramatic improvement” is needed.

Some British participants have been going to Team GB’s base elsewhere in the city to eat and pick up meals to take away for dinner.

“There’s not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates,” Anson said of the seemingly disappointing offerings in the village where many athletes stay.

“And then there is the quality of the food, where the athletes are given raw meat.”

Anson called the food issue “the biggest problem at the moment” and said the extra chef had to cater for the extra demand at their so-called performance lodge.

A Team GB spokesman told AFP on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony, that things were looking better.

“I think the final update is that we understand that the situation is improving and that attention is being paid to Paris 2024,” he said.

French sports newspaper The team On Wednesday, a company responsible for catering was quoted as saying it was aware of the issues, including a shortage of eggs, and was working to increase supplies.

JUDOKA SUCKS DOPING TEST IN FIRST CASE IN PARIS

An Iraqi judoka has tested positive for banned anabolic steroids during the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency announced Friday. It is the first positive doping test during the Games.

According to the ITA, a sample collected from Sajjad Sehen “had yielded an adverse analytical finding for the unspecified prohibited substances metandienone and boldenone”.

Both substances are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The sample was collected by the ITA during an out-of-competition doping control in Paris on Tuesday. The results were announced on Thursday by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Paris.

The 28-year-old Olympic debutant was scheduled to compete in the men’s 81-kilogram class next week.

The ITA statement said the athlete has been provisionally suspended until the matter is resolved.

“This means that the athlete will not be allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, train, coach or participate in any activity whatsoever,” the report said.

The manager of the Iraqi delegation, Herda Raouf, told AFP that Sehen and his coach would be questioned by doping commissioners on Saturday.

“It is worth noting that the player previously underwent surgery, for which he may have had to take medication,” Raouf said.

According to the ITA, Sehen has the right to challenge his provisional suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and can also request an analysis of the B sample.

The ITA manages an independent anti-doping program for the Olympic Games in Paris on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.