Despite $1.53 billion having been budgeted to clean up the perennially polluted Seine, reports swirled for months leading up to the Paris Games about whether it would be safe enough to hold the swimming leg of the triathlons and the 10,000-meter marathons in the river.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo went for a swim July 17 and declared France’s most famous body of water good to go—but it’s been kind of a s–t show since the Olympics began.

On Monday, July 29, swims for the triathletes to familiarize themselves with the Seine were canceled, officials citing poor water quality levels caused by run-off from the weekend’s heavy rains (which noticeably started during the July 26 Opening Ceremony).

The men’s triathlon was then postponed a day and rescheduled to follow the women’s event on July 31 after organizers deemed bacteria levels too high for a safe swim.

Both triathlons were held July 31, day-of tests finding that E. coli and intestinal enterococci levels were low enough to qualify the water as “excellent quality,” per the European Union’s Bathing Water Directive.

But speculation that the water wasn’t safe resumed after two athletes who competed in the triathlon dropped out of the mixed-relay competition, citing respective illnesses (neither of which have been definitively linked to swimming in the Seine).

The women’s and men’s 10,000 meters are still scheduled for Aug. 8 and 9, but practices were canceled Aug. 6 after tests showed bacteria levels were once again too high.

Franz Wagner’s 18-point performance helped Germany complete a 77-63 win over Greece in the Olympics Men’s Basketball Quarter-Finals. He converted 8 out of 17 field goal attempts and clinched 3 crucial steals to help the Germans overcome the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece squad. After the game, Wagner spoke to the media about the challenge of containing the Greek Freak.

It is not surprising that Antetokounmpo was the sole focus of the German defense.

Wagner described how the two-time NBA MVP’s scouting report glued all the defensive cover to him. The German forward told reporters, “Giannis was more than half of the scouting report. It takes all 5 on the court to stop him.”

Antetokounmpo led all the scorers with 22 points, which helped Greece build a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter. But the Germans withstood the early surge brilliantly. They tied the game by the end of the first half and then dominated the Greeks till the end.

Antetokounmpo was once again left without much help. There is only so much he could have done single-handedly. He was able to eke out a great performance despite attracting the attention of all the German defenders. Wagner pointed out the same aspect in his post-game comments.

Antetokounmpo is the toughest player to guard when he is driving to the rim. His ability to run the floor accompanied by a high-IQ around-the-rim offensive style has plastered many NBA defenses. Undoubtedly, he can’t be stalled through a singular cover, so he often invites double and triple teams.

At any rate, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a phenomenal Olympic campaign. He was a one-man army on the offensive end, keeping his team alive till clutch time. The perennial NBA All-Star tallied 25.8 points(1st), 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on a highly efficient 67.8% shooting from the floor.

His best offensive performance came in a close loss against Canada as he collected 34 points on 11/17 shooting from the floor. The PF did his best to involve his teammates in action, but the lack of offensive firepower paved the way for 3 losses and just a win.

This must have been a big blow to the 2021 NBA champion. He had been harping about winning a gold medal with Greece way before the Olympics. However, his squad’s energy ended in the QFs.

Serena Williams‘ adventures in Paris continue to serve drama.

After the tennis star shared that she and her family—including daughters Olympia Ohanian, 6, and Adira Ohanian, 12 months, whom she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian—had been denied access to the Peninsula restaurant in Paris while in France for the 2024 Olympic Games, the establishment responded to her claims, explaining the reasoning behind the unfortunate incident.

“Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight,” the hotel replied on X Aug. 5. “Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”

They added, “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.”

The apology comes after Serena had called out the restaurant on X, claiming she and her family were not allowed to eat on their rooftop.

“Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids,” she wrote. “Always a first. #Olympic2024.”