Matthew Henry
BBC Sport in Paris

Meet Yousouff - the best security guard at the Aquatics Centre, or so he says.

He’s getting in the spirit with his flag.

Gordon Ramsay and Adam Peaty got together before the Paris Olympics to chat about everything from food to fame.

In this in-depth interview, Peaty opens up about his difficult journey to the Games, his return to form and how he has found happiness away from the pool.

BMX racer Beth Shriever believes a broken collarbone suffered only two months ago may prove to be a blessing in disguise as she prepares to defend her Olympic title in Paris.

The 25-year-old suffered the injury in her semi-final at the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Shriever, from Finchingfield in Essex, but based in Manchester, had to spend time allowing her shoulder to heal but now insists it is stronger than it has ever been.

"It just changed the perception of what the next few weeks were looking like. Even at the Worlds I was thinking, 'I can't wait to get back to Manchester and have this lead-in to the Games,'" she told BBC Sport.

"I was in good form. I was defending my world jersey so I wanted to go out with a bang but made a little mistake on the last straight of the semi-final and my day was done.

"I knew straight away I'd done something and thankfully USA BMX had an X-ray machine on site. I had my physio there and she said, 'Don't worry, Beth, we've got this.'"

Shriever continued: "I feel that was a blessing in disguise for me because it took the focus away from the Games. Now everything is coming together, I'm feeling really positive and super excited."

Image source, Getty Images

As part of the BBC's coverage of the Games, 5 Live Sport is producing a podcast series called All About... Olympics, featuring big names and great memories from the history of the greatest show on Earth.

In the latest episode, Sebastian Coe looks back on his days as an Olympian, including his rivalry with Steve Ovett and training on Christmas Day. He talks about his role at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the pleasure in awarding Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill her heptathlon gold medal. Also, as Lord Coe, the current president of World Athletics, he discusses the biggest challenges ahead for the sport.

Check it out on BBC Sounds.

It has been 36 years since an athlete from Northern Ireland won an Olympic gold medal.

Only three have ever done so - legendary pentathlete Mary Peters in 1972, and two members of the men's hockey team - Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood - in 1988.

But there are 37 Northern Irish athletes in Paris, with six representing Tema GB while the others compete for Team Ireland - and they include three current world champions.

The most decorated is gymnast Rhys McClenaghan (pictured) - a two-time world champion on the pommel horse, a three-time European champion and a Commonwealth Games gold medal winner. An Olympic title would complete the gymnastics 'Grand Slam'.

Daniel Wiffen became the first Team Ireland swimmer to claim global titles when he won the 800m and 1500m freestyle at this year's World Championships.

And rower Hannah Scott was pivotal in helping Great Britain win the women’s quad sculls at last year’s World Rowing Championships in Belgrade. The quartet added the European title this year and go into Paris as favourites.

Image source, Getty Images

Two-time Olympic medallist Daryll Neita speaks to BBC Sport's Natalie Pirks about her ambitions for Paris - and the advice she has received from sprinting greats Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

The Briton won 4x100m relay bronze at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Tom Daley, one of the British Olympic flagbearers at tonight's opening ceremony, has openly acknowledged that Paris 2024 is a "bonus" Olympics for him.

As part of the build-up to his fifth Games, the 30-year-old has been looking back to when it all began - by watching an interview BBC Sport's Gabby Logan did with him way back in 2008...

Video available to UK users only.

Jake Wightman does not regard the 800m as "a consolation" as he prepares to compete at the Paris Olympics.

Wightman, 30, has been given a discretionary pick for the 800m after sitting out the British trials because of a calf injury.

The 2022 world champion over 1500m missed out in his favoured event, with fellow Scots - current world champion Josh Kerr and new British champion Neil Gourley - taking two of the three available places.

He told BBC Scotland: "It's not a consolation, it's a good opportunity still to show that I can be competitive on the global stage over this distance now, so I've just had to change my approach to it a little bit because there are slightly different tweaks that you have to make going over half the distance."

The men's 800m heats get under way on Wednesday, 7 August.

BBC Sport challenges regular gym-goers to keep up with Keely Hodgkinson's 800m pace on a treadmill, with the help of fitness influencer Lucy Davis.

The heats for the women's 800m get going on Friday, 2 August.

You've heard of First Dates star Fred Sirieix? Meet his Olympian daughter.

British diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix here talks to social media influencer GK Barry, who - despite her fear of heights - agrees to chat on the 10m diving platform.

While Dame Laura Kenny may not be competing in Paris, there are plenty of major TeamGB medal hopes at these Games.

Here are some of the names to look out for over the next couple of weeks...

Image source, Getty Images

Six-time Olympic cycling medallist Dame Laura Kenny is getting used to the idea of watching with the rest of us, having been a key part of Team GB at the past three Games. So how is she finding the idea?

"I am so excited to get over to Paris," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The more retired athletes I speak to, everyone kept saying to me that 'When you get there, you're going to think you wish you just tried'… And I’m like 'will I?' because right now I’m sitting here and thinking I cannot wait to be part of it and not have any of the nerves or any of the stress.

"Although to be fair, when the cycling events start, I will be like: 'Oh my goodness.' You just hope it goes well. Lots of those girls... like Josie Knight is one of my closest friends... and you just hope for them it goes well. So I will probably feel nervous when the team pursuit goes up."

It's not an Olympics without a few tears, and we're getting the waterworks pumping early.

Here, British swimmer Adam Peaty is shown emotional video messages from his mum, dad, coach and son George before the Paris Games.

Image source, Getty Images

Which sports are you looking forward to most over the next 17 days? UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday, speaking to 5 Live Breakfast, flagged one new event to watch out for:

"On the new events front, there is a fantastic new event for you to look out for, which is kayak cross. Think winter sports, when you have the snowboard or the ski cross and four athletes go down the track together. Same thing. Four athletes, in their kayak on a platform, it drops, they land in the water, and they’ve all got to get down the course.

"And we've got the current men's and women's world champions in the discipline – Joe Clarke and Kimberley Woods (pictured above). I’m so excited to see them go and see that new event."

For both the men and the women, the kayak cross begins next Friday, 2 August, with competition running through the weekend and the medals decided on Monday, 5 August.

And if you want to know more about it, Harry Poole has put together an introduction to the sport for you.

France's rail network has been hit by a series of fires in the hours before the opening ceremony - BBC News has live coverage of the story.

The country's sports minister has labelled the acts of sabotage as an attack on the "the athletes' Games" in an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV.

"These Games are for the athletes who have been dreaming of them for years and fighting for the holy grail of standing on the podium and someone's sabotaging that for them," sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera says.

She adds that the Paris 2024 Olympics "have been prepared for so carefully by hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens for almost 10 years".

Image source, Getty Images

What's the Great Britain medal target at Paris 2024? Here's UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday, talking it through on 5 Live Breakfast:

"We work to a medal range, and we're looking to achieve between 50 and 70 medals at the Paris Games.

"We work with all the sports individually to understand where they're at and where their athletes are at. And then we look right across the piece and say: Right, across those sports, we think it'll be somewhere between 50 and 70.

"We don't have a specific gold target, but what history suggests is that we and other nations will convert probably one in three of our medals into a gold medal, but that isn't a specific target."

Team GB are taking more than 350 athletes to the Olympics in Paris as they aim to surpass the 64 medals, including 22 golds, won at Tokyo 2020.

How closely have you followed the team over the years? With the Games getting under way, take our quiz to test your knowledge by clicking here.

Tokyo 2020 may have been left fanless by covid, but there were still some incredible Olympic moments featuring Adam Peaty, Tom Daley and a shared gold in the high jump.

Relive those here.

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How about Rio 2016? BBC Sport takes a look back at some of the highlights from the last summer Games but one, from sporting landmarks to a proposal at the diving.

Video available in the UK only.

What do you remember at London 2012? Apart from the Queen's "sky dive" at the opening ceremony. (Yes, of course that's in our video retrospective. Along with a few other magic moments...)

Video available to UK users only.