the countdown is on, as athletes arrive in paris ahead of the olympic opening ceremony this week. nba superstar lebronjames will be there for a fourth time, as he flies the flag for team usa. and cavendish calls it a day in the tour de france, after his record breaking achievements in this year's race. hello there, and welcome to the programme. the eyes of the sporting world have been darting around europe this summer. first, germany for euro 2024, then the uk had centre stage for wimbledon — and the open recently. but now, attention turns to to france and the start of the paris olympics this week. athletes have already been arriving in the city, ahead of friday's opening ceremony. very few sporting events have their build—up scrutinised as much as the games.

the french president emmanuel macron is ready for it, and for the world to see a rather different curtain raiser — on the water. you will have an opening ceremony which is unique, because it's one place where you can have the olympic games. but this is once in the history of the olympic games that we will have such an opening ceremony. not in a stadium, but on the seine river. and i can tell you at the very beginning, it seemed to be a crazy and not very serious idea. but we decided that it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea, and to make it real. our paris correspodnent hugh schofield has been there for the weeks and months leading up to the games. he says at the moment, the city is unusually quiet as it prepares for the masses of spectators making their presence felt over the coming days. what you do see around the city

now is a kind of emptiness, oddly, and it's like the kind of calm — i was going to say before the storm, but it's before the storm, but it's before the storm, but it's before the excitement. people are complaining, restaurant tours and hotel years, about the lack of people. it seems like a lot of people who would've been visiting paris now in an ordinary tourist year are not visiting the city now because they are keeping away, because they are keeping away, because of the olympics. hopefully — and i think everyone is saying "don't worry, it's fine," i will be made up for by the bigger rivals of —— big arrivals of sports fan this week's. but it feels dead and parts, i was down at the champs—elysees, there's a huge double arena there's a huge double arena there now and there was nobody there now and there was nobody there at all. i think it's because ordinary tourists have been scared away and the prices have shot up, and we are not yet in the thick of it, the maelstrom hasn't started. but i

think the maelstrom is going to come. lebronjames has been chosen to be the united states�* male flagbearer at that opening ceremony on the seine on friday. he becomes the third basketball player — and the first men's player to carry the us flag, at the start of an olympics. lebron is set to participate in his fourth games, having won bronze in his first appearance in 2004 back in athens, and back—to—back gold medals in 2008 and 2012. lebron and his team have been preparing in london in the last few days, in a different environment to the one dominated by politics back home. at the end of the day, sports is a great way to get away from some real—world things that are happening, and to see people you look up to and admire performing their best is something everybody can appreciate and enjoy watching. so i think we understand that, and there's been 12 of the best players in the world coming together to win and playing something meaningful, ithink everybody is enjoying seeing.

the olympics, and especially with— the olympics, and especially with team usa basketball, is a chance — with team usa basketball, is a chance for us to show that we can: _ chance for us to show that we can, you _ chance for us to show that we can, you know, come together as a unit, _ can, you know, come together as a unit, where you see all the best— a unit, where you see all the best players from different teams _ best players from different teams. i remember growing up as a kid, _ teams. i remember growing up as a kid. i_ teams. i remember growing up as a kid. ilove— teams. i remember growing up as a kid, i love nothing more than to see — a kid, i love nothing more than to see all— a kid, i love nothing more than to see all the best players on team — to see all the best players on team usa playing with each other— team usa playing with each other and having fun out there, doing _ other and having fun out there, doing it — the inclusion of one athlete in the netherlands team has proved controversial in the lead—up to paris. steven van de velde was named in the country's beach volleyball team — despite serving prison time for rape. the head of australia's olympics team says they wouldn't have followed their dutch counterparts in picking van de velde — who's now 29, and was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016, after pleading guilty to raping a 12—year—old british girl when he was 19. after serving 12 months of a four—year sentence, he resumed his career and is travelling to paris.

ifan if an athlete or staff member had that conviction, they wouldn't be allowed to be a member of our team. we have very stringent pulses around safeguarding within our team, and we have full confidence is in those policies and the training we put our staff and athletes through to have awareness, we do have a number of athletes under 18 and 16, so those policies are well in action for a safeguarding of our team —— we have very stringent policies around. the netherlands olympic committee, in responding to van de velde�*s initial selection, said his return to the sport had met their guidelines, and that he'd shown self—insight and reflection since his release having undergone counselling. paralympics gb announced their cycling squad for the games in paris earlier today. 17 riders have been selected for the event at the end of august — including six debutants — all given the task of following on from gb's most successful games in tokyo. every member of the team won a medal, with 2a medals won in total. four—time paralympic champion kadeena cox is included, along with dame sarah storey, who will compete in a ninth games.

the idea we've got on again, i'm just so thrilled. it's a pinch me moment, it's a dream i didn't know i had as a kid, but it's been such a huge motivation since the lockdown games to get to paris and to be able to have all those spectators there again. it feels almost like a home games again. to football — where defending champions chelsea get their women's super league title defence under way at home against aston villa on the opening weekend. the blues will be looking to win a sixth consecutive wsl title, although they will have a new head coach at the helm in sonia bompastor, after emma hayes departed to take the united states job at the end of last season. the other standout fixture of the opening weekend sees arsenal host manchester city at the emirates. a bit of transfer news to bring you — aston villa have completed the signing of everton midfielder amadou onana. the belgium midfielder, who featured in all four of their matches at euro 2024, joins in a deal worth £50 million.

onana joined everton in 2022, and made 72 appearances for the toffees. bournemouth owner bill foley has told the bbc he wouldn't support any plan to play premier league games outside england, with fifa considering the potential impact of competitive domestic matches taking place overseas. the premier league has previously said it had no plans to get involved — but spain's la liga is hopeful of staging games in the united states in the season after next. i'm very respectful of our fans and the whole system of premier league. and i wouldn't want to be involved in changing any of that. and i believe if you talk to any of our fans that. and i believe if you talk to any of ourfans in bournemouth, they'll tell you that fully respects the heritage, and i do. so heritage games in america preseason. mark cavendish has confirmed that he has competed at his last tour de france. the brit broke the record for most stage wins on this year's tour with his 35th,

but says that completing the race one last time was the most fulfilling aspect ahead of his expected retirement later this year. i'm pretty sure it's my last tour de france. already last year was my last. and i crashed out with a broken collarbone — but to be able to come back with one target to get out of bed every and push myself, push myself, push myself... i didn't leave a stone unturned, i didn't leave a day without doing everything i needed to do training wise. and look, everybody goes through hard times, and they can be really hard times, just nuisances. but it's pushing through those things to achieve a goal or to get to a point you want to, that kinda makes those times worthwhile, and that's the kind of context i want to put it in.

it's hard, i'm not gonna lie, but i feel like you get the reward you get at the end of it make it all the more worthwhile. so actually, just to finish the tour de france was the challenge in itself, but like i said, there's no sprint in paris at the end. there's just sprint in paris at the end. there'sjust more pride sprint in paris at the end. there's just more pride for getting through, through getting through, through getting through, through getting through one of the hardest sporting events in the world, and the race has given me everything i have in the world. so to show the race the respect it deserves was important, to finish it and absorb it. as well as it has, the suffering is what makes it special, it's what makes you grow as a person. so to feel that one last time is a special time i guess. meanwhile, perhaps it's no surprise that tour de france winner tadej pogacar has pulled out of the paris olympics citing "tiredness", after winning the yellowjersey for the third time.

slovenian olympic cycling coach uros murn said the rider has "cancelled his participation because of a state of extreme fatigue." another major champion who won't feature in paris is last year's wimbledon winner marketa vondrousova. the silver medallist from tokyo has pulled out of this year's olympic tennis event because of a hand injury. you can get all the latest sports news at from the bbc sport app, orfrom our website — that's bbc.com/sport. from me and the rest of the team at the bbc sport centre, goodbye. hello. for those who saw not a huge amount of sunshine on monday, there's certainly a greater chance of the next couple of days. tuesday and wednesday, looking sunnier by and large, a lot of dry weather around,

a few isolated showers. some of the damp conditions will actually be around first thing on tuesday. through the night, into tuesday morning, this is the weather system which will be bringing outbreaks of rain or drizzle across england and wales. it does mean a lot of cloud. it also means a very warm and humid start to the day. temperatures at around 14—17 celsius for some across the south, but it's here where the cloud will be its thickest, some rain or drizzle, bit like we saw on monday. the odd heavy burst, south midlands, south—east, but it's clearing away a good deal quicker than on monday, and sunshine further north and west will develop a bit more widely as we go through the day. a few isolated showers possible, a bit of a breeze down the eastern coasts, but it's around some of the coastal seas, some of the sunniest conditions during the afternoon, especially to the north and the west. and temperatures of 19—24 celsius are bang—on average for this stage in the year. now, as we go into tuesday evening and overnight, we start with some clear skies. varying amounts of cloud, though, or pushing in from the west, stopping it from getting too chilly, but overall, a fresher night to take us into wednesday compared with what we see into tuesday morning. now, wednesday, there will be a bit more cloud around. that cloud will thin and break.

there will be some sunny spells for many, the cloud tending to be thickest towards the west, especially as we go through the day. some showery bursts of rain, a little bit of drizzle in places, too, isolated light showers further east. many, though, again, a dry day on wednesday and starting to feel a bit more humid once more. and that humidity will last into wednesday night, but by thursday, weather systems starting to push their way in off the atlantic will bring a lot more cloud generally speaking, so it's almost as if we're back to monday. lots of cloud to begin with. there will be outbreaks of rain around. some of the heaviest could be across southern counties through the day, spreading their way eastwards. some of the brightest conditions, probably across the north—east of scotland and then later into the west of ireland. temperatures down on what we've seen through recent days. thursday night and into friday, though, that rain gradually clears, lingering longest towards the south—east and the channel islands. could be there first thing friday morning. it will shift out of the way. good, long, sunny spells for many on friday, a scattering of showers. showers most likely, though, across the north

and the west of the country. and temperatures very pleasant in the sunshine too. we'll see one or two showers around on saturday, but overall through the weekend, it's turning drier and warmer for most.

welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. the headlines: kamala harris launches her presidential bid — speaking to campaign staff —

afterjoe biden drops out. and endorses herfor president. we have doors to knock on, we have people to talk to, we have phone calls to make and we have an election to win. prime minister blames the opposition for the violence that has killed 150 people. that's our top focus.

she made herfirst pitch to be the party's new presidential