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- 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
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- 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
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- Naomi Osaka season over because of injury
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- Simmering Bellingham set for Dortmund reunion in Champions League
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- BHP goes on trial in London over 2015 toxic Brazil mine disaster
- Pakistan passes constitutional amendments aimed at courts
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- 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
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- 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
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- Lula cancels trip to summit in Russia after injuring head
- Cuba girds for Hurricane Oscar with electricity supply still down
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- Browns quarterback Watson exits with Achilles tendon injury
- Liverpool 'showed up' to beat Chelsea challenge: Slot
- 'Once in a lifetime' Kerr leads New Zealand to Women's T20 World Cup triumph
- Pope names 14 new saints, including martyrs of Damascus
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- Sri Lanka triumph in rain-affected first ODI against West Indies
- Moldovans flock to vote in key tests on EU future
- Liverpool pass Chelsea test to reclaim Premier League top spot
- Kerr leads New Zealand to maiden Women's T20 World Cup triumph
- Tens of thousands rally in Georgia for EU ahead of pivotal vote
Tour de France to start in Barcelona in 2026
The Tour de France will start in Barcelona in 2026, the third time the 21-day event has started in Spain in over a century of racing, organisers ASO announced on Tuesday.
It will be the fourth Grand Depart to be held abroad in five editions with 2022 in Copenhagen, 2023 in Bilbao and the up-coming 2024 edition due to embark July 21 from Florence.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni was present at the announcement and his city hopes to unveil the refurbished cathedral Sagrada Familia in 2026 too.
ASO director Christian Prudhomme insisted the Tour would always respect its roots and visit the smaller towns and villages, but said he was delighted with the 2026 venue.
"Barcelona is a prestigious city and it is a city of sport," Prudhomme told AFP of what will be the 113th edition of the Tour.
He said two complete stages would take place in Catalonia and the third stage would also begin there before crossing into France.
He was excited about the platform a city such as Barcelona would provide for the build up to the so called Grand Depart in terms of global television audiences.
"These types of Grand Depart make the Tour de France glisten even brighter," said the man who has grown the Tour's brand over recent years.
Cycling's most famous race started in San Sebastian in 1992 and in Bilbao last year.
Next year the Tour starts in northern French city Lille.
The 2024 Tour de France will end in Nice on July 21 in a change from its normal route because of the preparations for the Olympics in Paris.
D.Kaufman--AMWN