Olympics Briefing: Playing to a Roaring Crowd

All that cheering can get Olympic athletes out of sorts.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 30, 2024 Follow along during the day's action with live coverage from The Athletic. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times By Andrew Keh Reporting from Paris Imagine you're an elite athlete in a niche sport, practicing in something close to solitude, competing far from the spotlight. Then, one day, you're teleported into an arena where thousands of fans are screaming as if you were onstage at a pop concert. This is one of the irresistible promises of the Olympics, a storybook situation that is at once a dream come true and, as it turns out, a bit of a head trip. Few places at the Paris Games have produced this feeling as purely as the table tennis arena, where close to 7,000 fans have been arriving each day to yell, stomp their feet and wave flags. Though competitions in China, the current mecca of the sport, can generate lively atmospheres, they can't quite match the uncut, unhinged energy of an Olympic crowd. "Half the time we're playing in front of no people, or like 10 people; what's the point?" said Liam Pitchford, a veteran Olympian from England. "I'd much rather have it like this." Still, as Pitchford said, "It can affect you if you let it." One of the many athletes affected was Christina Källberg, 24, of Sweden, who admitted that the atmosphere had made her "a little bit nervous" as she stumbled out of the first round. Other players said the clamor made it hard for them to hear the sound of the ball being hit, which can be helpful for determining its spin. And anybody who has swung a golf club knows how distracting it can be to catch a bit of auditory crossfire midplay — a common situation in table tennis, with up to four games unfolding at once. "I was thinking all the time: Focus, focus, focus," said the 29-year-old Sofia Polcanova of Austria, laughing, "because sometimes I heard somebody cheering like, 'Vamos Mexico!' or something." But the players would have it no other way. The Chinese fans have seemed the most knowledgeable and coordinated. The French fans have been the loudest, singing and stomping their feet as if they were at a rugby match at the Stade de France. The players have matched that energy, pumping their fists like gladiators, doing slow victory laps around the floor. TODAY'S TOP STORY Petr David Josek/Associated Press China, Citing Tainted Burgers, Cleared Swimmers in a New Doping Dispute Two Chinese athletes, one of whom was named to the Olympic team in Paris, tested positive in 2022 for a banned steroid. China blamed contaminated food, as it had after previous positive tests. By Tariq Panja and Michael S. Schmidt MEDAL COUNT     GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL United States 3 8 9 20 France 5 8 3 16 Japan 6 2 4 12 China 5 5 2 12 Britain 2 5 3 10 Australia 5 4 0 9 See all medal counts Source: International Olympic Committee Results as of July 29, 6:33 p.m. E.T. Welcome to Day 4 If the spiel above has somehow piqued your interest in table tennis, you're in luck: The best men's player in the world, Wang Chuqin of China, and the best women's player, Sun Yingsha, are set to take on a team from North Korea for the gold medal in mixed doubles. Also, the American hero Simone Biles has a chance to win her first gold medal since 2016 — has it really been that long? — when she competes in the women's gymnastics team final. (Our team will be providing live coverage later today.) Finally, if you can hop over to Tahiti quickly enough, you might be able to catch medals being won in both men's and women's surfing. The Olympics are available on NBC and Peacock in the United States. MORE OLYMPICS COVERAGE Olympic Surfing Comes to a 'Poisoned' Paradise In 1974, a radioactive cloud from a French nuclear test drifted over Teahupo'o, Tahiti, now the surfing venue for the Paris Games. Villagers still feel the effects. By Hannah Beech and Adam Ferguson Ukrainian Fencer Dedicates Medal to Countrymen Killed in the War The war has torn apart old alliances in fencing, and heightened the acrimony between Russia and Ukraine. By Jeré Longman news analysis Olympic Ceremony Put a Changing France on Full Display Aya Nakamura, the French Malian singer, did more than open the Games. She redefined what it means to be French. By Roger Cohen Some of our Olympics coverage — including these dispatches — will also be available in Spanish. You can read them here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Olympics Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving Olympics Briefing, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018