Berliner Tageblatt - News from Berlin, Europe and the whole world

Natsumi Tsunoda gave Japan a winning start in the Olympic judo, taking women's under-48kg gold on Saturday as the competition started in Paris with the two lightest weight classes.

The thunderous ovation that greeted Samir Ait Said at Bercy Arena on Saturday nearly knocked the French gymnast off his stride as he launched his Paris Olympics qualifying campaign.

New captain Suryakumar Yadav hit an attacking half-century to set up a dominant 43-run victory for India in the first of three T20 internationals against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

China shaded Japan in men's artistic gymnastics qualifying at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

France's national rail operator on Saturday said train travel was gradually returning to normal after multiple sabotage acts paralysed the network hours ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.

Sergio Perez went into Saturday's qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix fearful that another poor display could see him sacked by Red Bull, but he ended it on the front row of the grid and is now aiming for a career-saving win.

South Africa said Saturday it would deport as soon as possible 95 Libyans arrested at a camp being investigated for running military-style training in violation of regulations.

China grabbed the first two gold medals at the rain-disrupted Paris Olympics on Saturday as Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus prepared for a titanic duel in the pool.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will aim to end a three-race winless streak and triumph from 11th on the grid for the first time on Sunday after topping a wet-and-dry qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Belgian Remco Evenepoel added the Olympic gold to his world title on Saturday, defying rain and a strong field to win the 32.4km individual time trial in Paris.

LVMH's high profile and highly visible product placement in the Paris Games opening ceremony surprised marketing experts and raises the possibility it could cause problems for the International Olympic Committee with their long-term sponsors.

Table tennis player Zeng Zhiying said her "dream came true" Saturday after making her Olympic debut aged 58, despite suffering defeat for her adopted Chile.

Max Verstappen, facing a 10-place grid penalty for taking a new engine, topped the times for Red Bull ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a qualifying session run in mixed wet-and-dry conditions at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Australia's Grace Brown stormed to her first Olympic gold in the women's individual time trial raced over 32.4km of rain-slicked Paris streets on Saturday.

Sandro Bazadze said the referees at the Olympics had "killed him for a second time" after the Georgian world number one lost in the last 16 of the men's sabre in Paris on Saturday.

New captain Suryakumar Yadav hit an attacking half-century as India reached 213-7 against Sri Lanka in the first of three T20 internationals on Saturday.

President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hailed the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, saying the bold showpiece on the River Seine had made France extremely proud.

Novak Djokovic set-up a potential Olympic Games blockbuster with Rafael Nadal on Saturday as Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek made winning returns to a rain-swept Roland Garros where they were crowned French Open champions last month.

Novak Djokovic said his 6-0, 6-1 rout of unranked Matthew Ebden in just 53 minutes at the Olympics on Saturday was "not a good image" for tennis and demanded a change in the rules governing late call-ups.

Argentina bounced back from the chaos of their opening game in the Olympic men's football tournament to beat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday, while Spain got the better of 10-man Dominican Republic.

Joe Root became just the seventh man to score 12,000 Test runs but fell short of a hundred after spearheading an England recovery against the West Indies at Edgbaston on Saturday.

The top diplomats of China and the US sparred on Saturday over the South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in a territorial dispute with US treaty ally the Philippines.

Australia's Grace Brown stormed to her first Olympic gold in the women's individual time-trial on Saturday raced over 32.4km of rain-slicked Paris streets.

American basketball star Diana Taurasi said Saturday she is not allowing herself to be distracted by thoughts of personal glory as she prepares for her Olympic farewell.

China grabbed the first two gold medals of the Paris Olympics on Saturday as swimming prepared to take centre stage on a rain-disrupted first full opening day of sporting action.

Hosts France set up a dream rugby sevens final with double Olympic champions Fiji on Saturday as Antoine Dupont inspired a Les Bleus comeback in a 19-5 semi-final win over South Africa.

For someone who was a "shrimp" to his schoolfriends, Leon Marchand has come a long way in his short life but it is the next journey to the Olympic swimming pool at the La Defense Arena in Paris that will mark his place in sporting history.

Excited spectators splashed through puddles Saturday to reach the most spectacular venue of the Paris 2024 Olympics as the first beach volleyball matches began in the shadow of a just-visible Eiffel Tower.

Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal wore a shirt depicting children being bombed for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in a test for organisers who have strict rules on political statements.

AFP's coverage of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics had been meticulously prepared for a year, with every detail scrutinized to determine the optimal position for the best shot or the best reportage.

UNESCO added Saturday the scene of an apartheid-era massacre and a village where Nelson Mandela lived as a boy to its World Heritage List, in an entry honouring South Africa's struggle that ended white-minority rule 30 years ago.

Novak Djokovic lost just one game in his Olympic tennis opener on Saturday to set up a potential blockbuster clash against old rival Rafael Nadal.