SAINT-DENIS, France — The Canadian Olympic Committee has revoked the accreditation of Rana Reider, the personal coach for track and field athlete Andre de Grasse, on its Olympic team, amid recent allegations of sexual and emotional abuse. Reider also coaches Italian Olympian Marcell Jacobs and American Trayvon Bromell.

Three lawsuits have been filed in Broward County, Florida against Reider and the track club he runs, among a list of other defendants.

The first complaint, which was filed in December 2023, lists the plaintiff as Jane Doe and includes an allegation of rape. The other two cases were filed in June by a 35-year-old retired long jumper from Great Britain and a 28-year-old American sprinter, who allege that Reider sexually harassed them by grabbing their buttocks or making suggestive comments about their appearances, among other claims.

USA TODAY does not identify individuals who allege sexual abuse without their permission. Court documents list AXS Law Group as attorneys of record for Reider in one of the three Florida lawsuits, and did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment Tuesday. The attorney representing Reider on his accreditation revocation, Ryan Stevens, published a statement decrying a lack of due process and the absence formal investigatory findings to support the COC’s action.

‘It’s a bad day for the Olympics when a governing body’s fear of bad publicity is prioritized over the athletes,’ Stevens said.

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Reider was accredited at the 2024 Olympics as a personal coach, meaning he had access to the warm-up area and training venues in Paris. His roster of athletes has included several big-name stars, including de Grasse − the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-meter dash − and Jacobs, who won two Olympic gold medals at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Reider has previously been the subject of at least one complaint filed by athletes with the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which was created in 2017 after the Larry Nassar sexual abuse investigation, as an independent body to handle abuse complaints in the Olympic movement.

One of Reider’s attorneys told Reuters in May 2023 that the coach had denied wrongdoing but acknowledged a ‘consensual romantic relationship with an adult athlete, which presented a power imbalance.’ He was placed on probation for one year. SafeSport did not immediately reply to a message Tuesday seeking more details on the case, or the nature of Reider’s suspension.

About seven months after that May 2023 resolution Jane Doe filed her lawsuit in Florida.

The woman identified in court filings only as Jane Doe, a professional female track and field athlete and current resident of the UK, alleged a pattern of sexual assault and emotional abuse that lasted for six years and resulted in two suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalization. The lawsuit alleges Reider first approached the plaintiff at age 17 and raped her after her 18th birthday. It also details allegations of a pattern in which Reider pressured, manipulated, controlled, and isolated the plaintiff as a means of continuing the abuse.

Jane Doe’s lawsuit − like the other two filed in June − also lists a handful of associated track clubs, governing bodies and athlete sponsor companies who allegedly ‘turned a blind eye to and enabled this conduct’ as defendants. The three lawsuits were filed separately but by the same attorney, who represents all of the plaintiffs.

In a statement released Tuesday, the COC said Reider’s accreditation at the Paris Olympics was based on ‘the understanding that his probation with the US Center for Safe Sport ended in May this year, that he had no other suspensions or sanctions, and otherwise met our eligibility requirements.’

The COC said it learned on August 4 of ‘new information about the appropriateness of Mr. Reider remaining accredited by Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Games. In discussion with Athletics Canada, it was agreed that Mr Reider’s accreditation be revoked.”

De Grasse is among Reider’s most prominent sprinters. The six-time Olympic medalist worked with Reider for several years before cutting ties with him at some point in 2022. After a brief stint with Irish coach John Coghlan, De Grasse went back to Reider in the fall, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

‘Obviously there were some distractions in 2022 but those issues have been resolved and I enjoyed my first week of training with the group,’ De Grasse told the CBC in October. 

PARIS — Before her third and final run of the women’s park skateboarding preliminaries, Bryce Wettstein wished she could slow down time. 

‘I think when you work that hard to get here, and you’re like, ‘I’m here, I need to enjoy it,” Wettstein said. ‘So I’m feeling out of this world … that was my dream run.’

Wettstein laid down a run oozing with confidence, difficulty and skill that resulted in a 85.65 from the judges. But before the score even showed up on the videoboard at Place de Concorde on Wednesday, the 20-year-old pumped both of her arms through the air.

The score placed her in second place entering finals, but Wettstein didn’t podium in the action-packed and skilled final. She posted an 88.12 in her first run but could not stay upright for the full 45 seconds of her second and third attempts.

Australia’s Arisa Trew, 14, won gold. Japan’s Hiraki Cocona and Great Britain’s Sky Brown repeated as the silver and bronze medalists from the Tokyo Games three years ago, respectively.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Before that, though, Wettstein made the most of her final run to make the finals at all.

‘You have to be aggressive and trust yourself,’ she said. 

Wettstein fell early in her first run and posted a 75.22 in the second, which would have left her on the cusp of making the finals. She told herself to remove the doubts and go full swing.

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‘Because there’s so many times you’ll be practicing at home,’ Wettstein said, ‘and you’re like ‘This one!’ And then you do it.’

Figuring out how difficult to make her run was similar to a math problem, Wettstein said. She felt her feet where they were.

‘That’s what I was thinking,’ Wettstein said, ‘so I knew it was going to be difficult.’

Forget the score. Focus on the run. Be brave. 

‘Bravery is so hard and amazing and all of the things,’ Wettstein said. ‘It’s so crazy.’

Few Team USA athletes are as introspective as the 20-year-old Wettstein, who made her Olympic debut in Tokyo at 17. 

‘It’s like, ‘How do you feel right now?’ And that’s the scariest thing – when you’re so close to yourself,’ Wettstein said. ‘Sometimes you feel a little far from yourself when you’re so close to all of the action and everything that’s happening.’

Wettstein’s beloved ukulele stayed with her throughout the competition day, from the mixed zone to the stands to watch fellow U.S. skaters Ruby Lilley and Minna Stess.

At Team USA Skateboarding media day, USA TODAY asked athletes who the greatest skater ever was. Wettstein obviously sang her answer while strumming the instrument.

‘The GOAT of skateboarding,’ she intoned, ‘is obviously Rodney Mullen.’

Wettstein draws emblems on herself and her clothes shortly before competitions, she said. On Thursday, two red hearts on the right side of her shirt and beside her right eye were the choices. ‘For me, it’s always about that spur-of-the-moment feeling … because that’s me right now, which means that’s the most ‘me’ I’ll be,’ she said.  

Flower earrings hung from her ears because she loves flowers. Wettstein forgot most of her bracelets at home but wore one given to her by a 6-year-old fan named Olivia. She pinned a customary flower clip to the front of her helmet.

‘It’s never stayed (on) before,’ she said, ‘so this is a new thing.’

Wettstein’s mother brought her glitter that also had stars and heart designs, and Wettstein found that fitting. Her knee pads have flowers on them. She changed her right shoelace to one with hearts and wore navy blue ‘USA’ socks under her Converse sneakers. 

Passionate about songwriting, Wettstein has already written a tune in Paris. She called it ‘Perfect Moment.’ It’s about Ferris wheels and ballet shoes and it’s a collection of metaphors, she said, about how that ‘perfect moment’ is always changing.

‘Sometimes you miss it,’ Wettstein said, ‘but there’s another one coming.’

Bryce Wettstein doesn’t miss any moment. As she prepared to enter the bowl for her final run, she looked put her right hand on her heart and spun around twice to take in the scene at Place la Concorde one final time.

Maybe it didn’t end up perfect for Wettstein. She’ll be ready for – and will surely cherish – the next one, though.

PARIS — Soon as his first Olympics ended, Giannis Antetokounmpo did what he hadn’t for most of the morning. He walked over and sat down, grabbing a chair on the bench.

This was a notable change. Even in the six minutes or so in which he wasn’t on the court during Greece’s 76-63 loss to Germany on Tuesday in the Olympic quarterfinals, Antetokounmpo hardly sat on that bench. He’d stand behind the bench. Evidently, it’s not easy to sit while carrying a team – and national hopes – on your back.

To call Greece a one-man basketball team during these Paris Games wouldn’t be accurate, but it also wouldn’t be misguided.

In the 29-year-old Milwaukee Bucks star and two-time NBA MVP, the Greek team had a global superstar and one of the best players at these Olympics. Antetokounmpo led the tournament in scoring during group play, averaging 27 points, five more than anyone else. He’d drawn 28 fouls, 10 more than anyone else. He’d sank more buckets, too, making a sporty 68.9% of his 15 attempts per game.

‘(He) was more than half of the scouting report,’ Germany’s Franz Wagner said.

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On Tuesday, Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 22 points, but it wasn’t enough. Germany overcame a slow start and early 18-6 deficit to pull away after halftime.

‘He’s a great player. It takes all five on the court to try to stop him,’ the Orlando Magic’s Wagner said of Antetokounmpo. ‘But I thought we did a good job, especially in the second half, of at least trying to contain him.’

Afterward, Antetokounmpo bypassed the media interview zone, opting to stay quiet publicly. He’d done that after earlier losses at these Paris Games, speaking after a lone win over Australia that allowed Greece to reach the quarterfinal round in its first Olympics men’s basketball tournament since 2008.

Unlike other European countries that have stepped up to seriously challenge the United States in this sport, Greece isn’t yet to that level.

Even going 1-3 in these Olympics was a big step, and Greece was playing Tuesday at Bercy Arena in large part because of its star player, even as it didn’t want to portray it that way.

‘Giannis is very proud – for him and for the team and for his country,’ Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis said. ‘But our team is more than Giannis. Our team is a great national team. We are very blessed that we have Giannis here, but I’m very blessed that we have all the team here.’

It wasn’t just Germany’s scouting report, though, that clearly focused on Antetokounmpo. He faced a lot of double-and-triple teams while scoring all those Olympics points. After Greece’s previous game, Spanoulis took aim at officials for permitting so much contact against his star.

‘Giannis, they beat him more than every player that I see in this Olympic tournament,’ Spanoulis told reporters at the time. ‘If you see that they play one player like Giannis, come and tell me, and I will say sorry. … To hack him and to play him like over the limit of the foul and to push him, this is not basketball. Sorry, this is some other sport.’

Tuesday made for a disappointing finish, but it had been ‘a great experience,’ said Antetokounmpo, who was only 13 the last time Greece played men’s basketball in an Olympics.

This time, after the team qualified for the Paris Games, he was asked to carry the Greece flag during the opening ceremonies.

‘It was the biggest assignment I have ever done in my life,’ he told reporters after the Australia game. ‘I know my father is watching from heaven and he’s dancing about this. I might win another championship, but I might never carry the flag again. …

‘I’m happy that I’m here, I don’t take it for granted. I will enjoy it to the fullest because you never know if you’re going to have this opportunity again. It took us 16 years to be here, so in 16 years, I’ll be how old? I’ll be 45 years old.’

Reach Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

LYON, France — The United States women’s national soccer team continues in the knockout rounds of the 2024 Paris Olympics today with a semifinal match against Germany. The Americans are looking to win their first Olympic gold since 2012, and so far USA’s big three of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith have been producing big results and look to keep that up today.

USA TODAY Sports will bring you live updates, results, highlights, and more throughout the match. Follow along.

When does USWNT play next?

USA and Germany kick off at noon ET. USA Network is airing the match, and Peacock is live streaming it.

USWNT vs. Germany lineup

The USWNT is back to full strength. Tierna Davidson, who missed the last two matches with a leg contusion, is in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s Olympic semifinal against Germany. So, too, midfielder Sam Coffey, who missed the quarterfinal win over Japan because of yellow-card accumulation. The rest of the lineup remains unchanged.

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Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
Midfielders: Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey
Forwards: Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith 

Germany without Alexandra Popp, Lea Schueller vs. USWNT

Germany is going to be very short-handed against the USWNT. 

Already missing star defender Lena Oberdorf, who tore her ACL earlier this summer, Germany will be without veterans Alexandra Popp and Lea Schueller for Tuesday night’s Olympic semifinal. Popp is sick, the German federation said, while Schueller has inflammation in a tendon in her left knee. 

It’s bad news for Germany, which has already lost to the USWNT once in the Olympic tournament. Sophia Smith scored twice and Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams each had a goal in the 4-1 win in the second match of the group stage. The Americans went on to win Group B while Germany advanced as the second-place team. 

Tierna Davidson returns to USA matchday roster

Defender Tierna Davidson missed the last two games with a leg contusion, but is active again for the USWNT match against Germany. It moves Emily Sams to the alternate list.

USA vs. Germany at Olympics

The USWNT didn’t have to spend much time scouting Germany. 

The two teams met last played nine days ago, in the second game of the group stage. It was a 4-1 win for the Americans, with Sophia Smith scoring twice and Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams each getting a goal. That game was the sixth time the USWNT has played Germany in either the World Cup or Olympics, including the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup. The Americans won that and went on to win the first of consecutive World Cups. 

And a potentially positive sign for the USWNT: In the previous five meetings between the U.S. and Germany in the knockout rounds of the World Cup or Olympics, the team that’s won has gone onto win the entire tournament.  

Today is the 37th overall international meeting between the teams.

Last time USWNT advanced to Olympic gold medal match

The USWNT is the most-decorated team in the women’s game, with four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. But it’s been a minute since they’ve reached the Olympic final. 

In Tokyo, the Americans won the bronze medal after falling to eventual Olympic champions Canada in the semifinals. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, the USWNT was knocked out in the quarterfinals, at the time their earliest exit ever at a major international tournament. They ‘topped’ that dubious result last summer, losing in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 

The last time the USWNT made the Olympic final was in 2012, when they beat Japan to win their third consecutive gold medal. No players are left from that team. 

USWNT Olympic schedule 2024

July 25: USWNT 3, Zambia 0
July 28:USWNT 4, Germany 1
July 31:USWNT 2, Australia 0
Aug. 3:USWNT 1, Japan 0

USWNT Olympic roster 

Forward: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman and Crystal Dunn.
Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher.
Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett.
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams. 

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The NCAA Division I Board of Directors is moving toward making a proposal as soon as Tuesday to a create a revenue distribution for schools and conferences based on teams’ performance in the women’s basketball tournament.

Such a move would resolve another of the many issues the association has attempted to address in the wake of inequalities between the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments that were brought to light during, and after, the 2021 events.

The topic is on the agenda for Tuesday’s board meeting, NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham Wright said.

It is likely that the board, Division I’s top policy-making group, will offer a plan that could be reviewed at Thursday’s scheduled meeting of the NCAA Board of Governors, which addresses association-wide matters. This would be such a matter because it concerns association finances.

Ultimately, the would need to voted on by all Division I members at January’s NCAA convention. If approved, schools could be begin earning credit for performance in the 2025 tournament, with payments beginning in 2026.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has expressed support for the idea, particularly in the wake of last January’s announcement of a new eight-year, $920 million television agreement with ESPN for the rights to women’s basketball tournament and dozens of other NCAA championships.

The NCAA is attributing roughly $65 million of the deal’s $115 million in average annual value to the women’s basketball tournament. The final year of the NCAA’s expiring arrangement with ESPN, also for the women’s basketball tournament and other championships, was scheduled to give a total of just over $47 million to the association during a fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2024, according to its most recent audited financial statement.

The new money – and the total attributed to the women’s basketball tournament – will form the basis for the new revenue pool. It wouldn’t be anywhere near the dollar amount of the longstanding men’s basketball tournament-performance fund.

But women’s coaches have said the men’s distribution model encourages administrators to invest in men’s basketball and they are hopeful there will be a similar outcome in women’s basketball, even if the payouts are smaller.

That pool has been based on a percentage of the enormous sum the NCAA gets annually from CBS and now-Warner Bros. Discovery for a package that includes broadcast rights to the Division I men’s basketball tournament and broad marketing right connected to other NCAA championships.

For the association’s 2024 fiscal year the fee for those rights was set to be $873 million, the audited financial statement says, it’s scheduled to be $995 million for the 2025 fiscal year.

In April 2024, the NCAA was set to distribute just over $171 million based on men’s basketball tournament performance, according to the association’s Division I distribution plan. That money is awarded to conferences based on their teams’ combined performance over the previous six years.

The new women’s basketball tournament-performance pool could be based on a similar percentage of TV revenue attributed to the event. But that remains to determined, along with the timeframe over which schools and conferences would earn payment units.

Using a model based on the percentage of rights fees that is similar to the men’s mode could result in a dollar-value of the pool that would be deemed to be too small. At about 20% of $65 million, the pool would be $13 million.

There are only six days left in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and medals will be awarded in 15 events on Tuesday.

Track and field will again be in the spotlight, headlined by the women’s 200-meter final. Three Americans will take part in the race − Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long − and they give the U.S. a solid chance of not only taking one, but two medals in the event. Also on the docket is the women’s skateboarding park final, where teenage sensation Sky Brown will go for gold.

Here’s what to know about the medal count for Day 11 of the 2024 Paris Olympics:

What is the medal count at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Here’s the overall medal count heading into Tuesday. The U.S. remains on top with 79 total medals, and is tied with China with 21 golds. Here are the top 10 countries overall:

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

1. USA — 79 (21 gold, 30 silver, 28 bronze)
2. China — 53 (21 gold, 18 silver, 14 bronze)
3. France — 48 (13 gold, 16 silver, 19 bronze)
4. Great Britain — 42 (12 gold, 13 silver, 17 bronze)
5. Australia — 33 (13 gold, 12 silver, 8 bronze)
T6. South Korea — 26 (11 gold, 8 silver, 7 bronze)
T6. Japan — 26 (10 gold, 5 silver, 11 bronze)
8. Italy — 25 (9 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze)
T9. Netherlands — 17 (7 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze)
T9. Canada — 17 (5 gold, 4 silver, 8 bronze)

What Olympic medals are up for grabs Tuesday?

All times in Eastern.

Equestrian

4 a.m.: jumping individual final 

Diving

9 a.m.: women’s 10m platform 

Skateboarding

11:30 a.m.: women’s park final 

Wrestling

1:30 p.m.: MGR 60kg bronze medal match
1:55 p.m.: MGR 60kg final
2:05 p.m.: MGR 130kg bronze medal match
2:30 p.m.: MGR 130kg final
2:50 p.m.: WFS 68kg bronze medal match
3:15 p.m.: WFS 68kg final

Cycling track

2:02 p.m.: men’s team sprint bronze 
2:07 p.m.: men’s team sprint gold 

Track & field

2 p.m.: women’s hammer throw final 
2:20 p.m.: men’s long jump final 
2:50 p.m.: men’s 1,500m final 
3:10 p.m.: women’s 3,000m steeplechase 
3:40 p.m.: women’s 200m final 

Boxing

3:30 p.m.: men’s 71kg, semifinal
3:46 p.m.: men’s 71kg, semifinal
4:02 p.m.: women’s 50kg, semifinal
4:18 p.m.: women’s 50kg, semifinal
4:34 p.m.: women’s 66kg, semifinal
4:50 p.m.: women’s 66kg, semifinal
5:06 p.m.: women’s 60kg, final

Sailing

Time TBD: women’s dinghy medal race
Time TBD: men’s dinghy medal race

PARIS — Here we are, standing in the middle of the Place de la Condorde, face-to-face with newly-minted bronze medalist Cierra Burdick from the American women’s 3×3 basketball team.

I feel a little bad for her because the question everybody really wants to ask is not the kind of thing you put to an athlete after what is supposed to be one of the great moments of their life. So instead, everyone just nibbles on the edges: What do you want to see from 3×3 in the future? How can it grow in America? How do we keep the momentum?

Meanwhile, what we mean is plainly obvious: WHY THE HECK IS TEAM USA NOT SWEEPING GOLD MEDALS IN THIS SPORT?

We invented basketball. Name the form of it: 5×5, 3×3, Streetball, Slamball, HORSE. Doesn’t matter. We have the deepest pool of talent in the world to draw from. We’re supposed to win. We don’t celebrate bronze medals around here, and if this were a sport USA Basketball were actually serious about, everyone involved in the men’s 2-5 showing in Paris (after not even qualifying for Tokyo) would be fired.

“It’s not the medal we wanted, obviously,” Burdick said. “But I don’t want to take away from the moment. I want to be, you know, grateful to be here.”

So that pretty much tells you all you need to know about where the U.S. stands in 3×3, and the people in charge are going to spend the next four years heading into Los Angeles trying to figure out how to fix it because goodness knows our country cannot take this kind of embarrassment on home soil.

There will be hand-wringing. There will be smart people who make very serious suggestions about what we can do to prevent our men losing to Latvia and Poland like they did here. There will be more tournaments, more 3×3 camps, more pressure on NBA players and top-end WNBA players to get involved.

And I’m here to tell you something after watching it up close in Paris: The effort isn’t worth it.

Because this sport stinks.

Sorry to be the party pooper here, but it’s true. And deep down, you know it too. if you really love the sport of basketball for its strategy and artistry and end-to-end athleticism … well, this ain’t that. It never will be.

It’s what pickleball is to tennis. It’s a fake Rolex you can buy for twenty bucks in Times Square. It’s what Stars & Stripes Cola is to Coke.

It’s not for me.

“I mean, I would love for it to grow,” Burdick said. “I would love for there to be 3×3 camps on the youth side. We’re starting and launching a professional women’s 3×3 league in the States, and I want to continue to push that forward and see that grow and hopefully get more young girls and boys playing.”

This is where I jumped into the conversation. In my head, I’m thinking: You’d love for there to be a WHAT? You’re launching a WHAT? You want to get more young girls and boys playing WHAT?

But what I asked was more tactful, more along the lines of whether this is all pointing toward specialization in 3×3 just so Americans can chase gold medals once every four years?

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I think I’m a prime example that you don’t have to specialize. I mean I come to Europe and play 5×5 for eight months out of the year and then I get to go home and play for my country with 3×3, so I have the best of both worlds in my opinion. I think if you can play 3×3, you can play 5×5.”

Let’s hope so, because the one thing American basketball absolutely does not need is a bifurcation of the game where people grow up thinking this schlocky product is anything more than what it is.

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It would be one thing if 3×3 actually looked and felt like real basketball. Instead, it’s a lot of fouling (and way too much reward for getting fouled) and a lot of bad shots being taken at the end of the 12-second shot clock. And because the game is only 10 minutes long, it’s by nature going to be kind of random.

A lot of the discourse back in the U.S. this week was about why we can’t get lower-end NBA players or even the best G-Leaguers who would never sniff an Olympic team to commit to playing some 3×3. Just watch one game of players grabbing each other as they randomly run around half of an actual basketball court and you’ll figure it out pretty quick.

Which leads to a bigger question. If the Olympics is the pinnacle of international sports, and basketball is already an international sport that showcases the world’s best players, why do you need a lesser form of it? If 3×3 can’t attract players who would be considered among the best several hundred in the world at their chosen sport, what’s the point of having it in the Olympics?

Apparently it’s already popular in Europe and growing fast. Congratulations to them.

But there’s really no need to freak out about why the two American teams only came home with one bronze medal in 3×3.

Being in the Olympics makes it a real sport, but it’ll never be more than bad knockoff basketball.

Follow Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken

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