The pageantry of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies unfolded with the fanfare and excitement expected by the French host last Friday. Hampered by the steady downpour of rain and a mix of controversy, the 206 countries still made their grand entrance down the Seine River on barges without pause. The day started with the thwarted attempt by terrorists to upset the transportation system across the country of France before the start of the ceremonies. Co-hosts Mike Tirico, Peyton Manning, and Kelly Clarkson got mixed reviews in the four-hour-long NBC broadcast of the ceremony coverage.

Lady Gaga performed an energetic, choreographed pre-recorded rendition of “Mon True en Plumes” . At the same time, Celine Dion gave a stirring closing musical performance. It was Dion’s first performance since she announced her battle with stiff-person syndrome in 2022. Leonardo DaVinci’s artistic depiction of drag queens in The Last Supper drew mixed reviews.

Seven days into the events, the United States led in the overall medal count with 30, including 5 Gold, 13 Silver, and 12 Bronze. China took the lead in the Gold medal count with nine, followed by France and Japan with nine. The United States, with 13 medals in the Silver, has the most in any category.

Simone Biles made a triumphant comeback after bowing out of the 2020 Olympics due to mental health issues. After winning the team a gold medal in Tuesday’s team final, Biles became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with 8 medals. For the team, Tuesday’s gold extends a 32-year streak at the Olympics for the U.S. women dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games. Taking the Silver, Italy had not won since 1928.

In USA’s Mens Basketball, Bam Adebayo scored 18 points off the bench to lead the team in their 103-86 win over South Sedan on Wednesday. The win advanced Team USA to 2-0 and a spot in the quarterfinal next week. Their first win came over Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Sunday in the opening round, a 110-84 win. Jokic led Serbia with 20 points, and Kevin Durant led all scorers with 23 points. LeBron James added 21 points for Team USA.

Head Coach Steve Kerr was criticized for not playing NBA Champion Jayson Tatum in Sunday’s game. At the same time, he defended his decision not to play Tatum in the game against Serbia.

“The hardest part of this job is sitting at least a couple of world-class guys, some of the best players on Earth,” Kerr said. On one hand, it makes no sense at all. On the other hand, I’m asking these guys to just commit to winning one game and then move on to the next one. I have to do the same thing. And so I felt like those combinations made the most sense last night.”

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