- Rabada takes 300th Test wicket as Bangladesh all out for 106
- Seoul demands 'immediate withdrawal' of North Korean troops in Russia
- WHO to evacuate 1,000 Gazan women, children for urgent medical care
- Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group in Lebanon
- Erdogan's rival Fetullah Gulen dies in exile aged 83
- Gauff-led USA pitted with Canada at season-opening United Cup
- Cuban leader warns against unrest over nationwide blackout
- Asian markets mixed as traders digest China rate cut
- Sanofi pursues sale of painkiller after political controversy
- Trump heads to hurricane-hit N. Carolina, Harris in swing state push
- Rabada takes 300th wicket as Bangladesh stumble to 60-6 at lunch
- Alpacas, hecklers and climate warnings: King Charles visits Australia's capital
- Moldova EU vote too close to call, president blames 'foreign interference'
- Sartorially suave alpaca sneezes on King Charles
- In a first, France welcomes Russian army deserters
- Storm Oscar hits eastern Cuba as island grapples with blackout
- New Zealand basks in 'golden 48 hours' after sporting triumphs
- UN biodiversity summit opens with call for 'significant' funding
- Dodgers beat Mets to set World Series showdown with Yankees
- Liberty rally to top Lynx in overtime for WNBA title
- US, Canada warships pass through Taiwan Strait
- Asian markets fluctuate as traders digest China rate cut
- Naomi Osaka season over because of injury
- Toll from attack in India-controlled Kashmir rises to seven: reports
- Simmering Bellingham set for Dortmund reunion in Champions League
- World Cup winner Kerr thanks 'grandmas' for T20 inspiration
- Dortmund identity crisis ahead of European rematch with Real Madrid
- China's central bank cuts two key rates to boost economy
- BHP goes on trial in London over 2015 toxic Brazil mine disaster
- Pakistan passes constitutional amendments aimed at courts
- Fungi finding: mushroom hunters seek new species and recognition
- Beware: US election disinformation masked as 'breaking news'
- Celtics seek repeat, Lebron and son unite as NBA season opens
- Poston holds off Ghim for PGA Tour triumph in Las Vegas
- Unbeaten Chiefs march past 49ers, Lions hand Vikings first loss
- Moldova president blames interference for potential EU referendum loss
- King Charles to spotlight conflict, climate in Australian capital
- UN chief seeks 'significant' funding at summit to save nature
- Hurricane Oscar makes landfall in Cuba amid huge power outage
- McLaren blast 'inappropriate' penalty as Norris F1 title hopes hit
- La Rochelle bounce back against Bordeaux-Begles
- Lethal Lewandowski helps Barca rout Sevilla, Atletico triumph
- Leclerc wins US Grand Prix as Norris, Verstappen clash
- Moldovans vote 'no' in referendum on joining EU: partial results
- Lewandowski powers five-star Barca to Sevilla rout
- Lions hand Vikings first loss, Packers down Texans
- In escalation, Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group
- Martinez keeps Inter on Napoli's tail with Roma winner
- Marseille return to form with Montpellier thrashing
- Lula cancels trip to summit in Russia after injuring head
Paris: the canvas for sporting greatness
One of the great attractions of hosting the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris was the opportunity to show off the plethora of stunning buildings which will form the backdrop to many of the sports.
A delight not just for the tourists -- more than 15 million are expected to arrive in the French capital during the Games -- but also for the local athletes who will be going for gold.
A number of those French athletes took a tour of Paris with a team of AFP photographers to lend a sporting angle to some of the city's most iconic locations.
French BMX rider Mathias Dandois found himself at the Musee d'Orsay which was built as a railway station and completed in 1900, in time for that year's World Fair which also included the second modern Olympics after Athens four years earlier.
It was transformed and opened as the Musee d’Orsay in 1986 and now hosts the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the world.
"The last time I came to the Musee d’Orsay, it must have been on a school trip so it’s a little different today," says the nine-time BMX world champion.
“I love the collaboration between an athlete and a photographer because we have a pretty clear opinion on what we want the photo to look like," says Dandois.
"The photographer too. It’s so nice to find a point in the middle where we meet and take the best photo possible."
Another athlete who found himself in a museum was leading handball player Nikola Karabatic, the 40-year-old veteran who won gold in Beijing, London and Tokyo.
Karabatic was snapped in dreamy reverie at the Louvre, the former royal palace, in front of a painting which means so much to the French nation, Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" which commemorates the July Revolution of 1830.
The Louvre Pyramid, unveiled by then-President Francois Mitterrand in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French Revolution also made it into the shoot, showcasing the jumping talent of Arnaud Assoumani who won gold in the Long Jump F46 at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
For equestrian Penelope Leprevost, there is another royal palace, Versailles, where the show jumping will take place.
Leprevost, who won team gold in Rio in 2016, found her inspiration in the Hall of Mirrors, the piece de resistance of Louis XIV's famous palace.
Varian Pasquet, who is set to team up with Antoine Dupont, an iconic figure in his own right, in the rugby sevens stopped the traffic in Place Vendome, perhaps the most elegant square in the heart of Paris.
The Games start in Paris on July 26 with the opening ceremony along the Seine and run until August 11. The Paralympics take place from August 28 to September 8.
AFP clients can find all feature, magazine and photo essays by searching for "REPORTAGE".
H.E.Young--AMWN