Football and Rugby Sevens matches kicked off the Summer Olympics in Paris on Wednesday, two days ahead of the much-anticipated opening ceremony that will see hundreds of thousands of spectators line the banks of the River Seine. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
This live page is no longer being updated. For more of our coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics, please click here.
10:59pm: Denmark's Rune pulls out of Olympic tennis with injury
Denmark's Holger Rune said Wednesday that a wrist injury has forced him to withdraw from the Olympic Games tennis tournament.
The former world number four has struggled for form this season, failing to reach a final since the first week of the year and slipping to 16th in the rankings.
"I am really sorry that I will be unable to play the Olympics," the 21-year-old said in a social media post.
"I have played with pain in my wrist throughout both the clay and grass season, so I have to take the medical recommendations seriously."
9:44pm: Argentina Olympic football team booed after racism scandal
Argentina's Olympic football team were given a hostile reception by fans in their opening match against Morocco on Wednesday, after a recent racism scandal following their senior side's Copa America triumph.
The players were met with boos and whistles when they entered the field in Saint-Etienne, while the Argentinian national anthem was also jeered.
The vast majority of the 35,000-strong crowd, most of them supporting Morocco, continued to whistle at Argentina's players during the game.
FIFA has announced an investigation into the chants sung by Argentina players, including Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 23, after they won the Copa America with a 1-0 final victory over Colombia.
9:20pm: Israel's national anthem loudly jeered before football match against Mali
Israel's national anthem was loudly jeered before its soccer team kicked off play at the Paris Olympics against Mali on Wednesday night.
Mali fans sang proudly when their anthem was played first. When it came to Israel's anthem, boos and whistles immediately rang out. The stadium speaker system playing the anthems then got notably louder in what seemed like an effort to drown out the jeers.
Once play began, Israeli players were booed each time they touched the ball.
9:18pm: 1,000 French police secure Israel-Mali Olympics football game
Around 1,000 French police officers were on duty on Wednesday to provide security at Israel's football match against Mali at the Paris Olympics where protests were expected, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
The game involving the Israeli team at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, as well as the Ukraine-Iraq match in the southeastern city of Lyon, have been identified by French security forces as high risk.
"All the competitions have a security plan, but it's true that these two matches, and particularly the match at the Parc des Princes, will have security, an anti-terror perimeter," Darmanin told BFM television and RMC radio.
"Tonight at the Parc des Princes there will be a thousand police officers who will ensure that we are there for the sport," he added.
All Israeli athletes at the Paris Games, which start officially on Friday, will have round-the-clock personal security provided by elite French police, both inside the Olympic village and every time they leave the compound in northern Paris.
9:00pm: France win 19-12 over Uruguay in Sevens Rugby
In a see-saw match, France took the lead only for Uruguay to peg them back, a burst of pace from Jefferson-Lee Joseph finally breaking the deadlock to the collective relief of the sold-out 69,000 crowd.
"If we don't raise our level, we won't go very far. We know that and we're capable of doing much better," said Antoine Dupont after the match.
Dupont started the match and crossed for a memorable five-pointer in the hard-fought 19-12 victory over Uruguay, who lost their opener 40-12 to Fiji.
9:04pm: Video emerges of British equestrian champion Charlotte Dujardin whipping horse's legs
Video has emerged of British Olympic dressage star Charlotte Dujardin repeatedly whipping a horse's legs after she was suspended by the sport's governing body.
The three-time gold medallist, the joint most-decorated British female Olympian, withdrew from the Paris Games on Tuesday over the footage showing her making an "error of judgement".
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) suspended Dujardin just days before the start of the Olympics. The governing body said it had received a video "depicting Ms Dujardin engaging in conduct contrary to the principles of horse welfare".
7:08pm: Morocco win 2-1 against Argentina in dramatic football match
A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a video review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2.
Argentina's Cristian Medina scored deep in injury time to salvage what looked like a 2-2 draw, but the decision ruling out the goal was delivered about two hours after play was suspended when the teams re-emerged on to the pitch to finish the match in an empty stadium.
7:04pm: Chaotic Argentina-Morocco Olympic football match restarts after almost two-hour delay
The Olympic men's football match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday restarted almost two hours after the apparent end of the game in an empty stadium in Saint-Etienne.
Cristian Medina thought he had grabbed a 2-2 draw for Argentina in the 16th minute of added time, sparking a pitch invasion, but after a bizarre delay his goal was ruled out by video-assisted review for offside.
4:41pm: Morocco fans rush field during Olympic football opener, forcing suspension in match vs Argentina
Morocco fans crashed the pitch to protest a late goal by Argentina at the opening match of the Paris Olympics men's soccer tournament, an angry and bizarre scene that left the game suspended with only minutes remaining.
Objects were thrown and Morocco fans were tackled by security on the field at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne after Argentina tied it 2-2 with a goal from Cristian Medina the 16th minute of added time.
There were images of some Argentina players flinching when what appeared to be a flare was thrown. Bottles and cups were strewn over the field by the end.
About an hour after the incident, organizers at the venue said the match was not officially over. Players were being kept at the stadium to potentially resume play. Video boards informed fans the match was suspended and they had to leave the stadium.
3:58pm: Top-ranked Sinner out of Olympic tennis due to illness
World number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Paris Olympics tennis tournament on Wednesday after falling ill with tonsillitis.
The Italian said he had started feeling ill on Monday after a practice week in Monaco and was advised to drop out.
"I was looking forward to competing with my teammates and the rest of the Italian team, but for now that will have to wait," Sinner said adding that the Olympics had been "was one of my main goals for this season".
The 22-year-old, who won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this year, became the first Italian to top the world rankings after his recent run to the semi-finals at the French Open.
Sinner's withdrawal means that Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the top-seeded men, setting up a potential gold medal rematch of the Wimbledon final.
3:56pm: Argentina snatch draw with Morocco in football match
Argentina, playing without Lionel Messi in these Games, got the ball rolling at 3pm against Morocco in Saint-Étienne at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium. It is nicknamed Le Chaudron (The Cauldron) for the fervent atmosphere created by passionate supporters of the local club.
Fans of Morocco and Argentina mingled outside and two Argentina fans held up a flag with a photo of the late Diego Maradona on it, along with the words “El Pibe de Oro” (the Golden Kid) — the affectionate nickname fans called the 1986 World Cup winner.
The game ended 2-2, with striker Soufiane Rahimi scoring twice for Morocco. After the first goal, he was joined by his teammates as they knelt in a prayer pose. Cristian Medina equalized for Argentina in the 16th minute of stoppage time.
3:46pm: Uzbekistan loses the match but wins over crowd as football competition kicks off Paris Olympics
Uzbekistan lost the match but won over the crowd on Wednesday as competition at the Paris Olympics officially began with football matches in Paris and Saint-Etienne.
Uzbekistan fans chanted and danced throughout a 2-1 defeat to Spain, to the rhythm of a furiously fast drum beat at Parc des Princes in western Paris — once the home of French striker Kylian Mbappé when he played for Paris Saint-Germain.
Toward the end of the game they encouraged large sections of the crowd to clap in unison with their hands raised above their heads, in the style of the Viking Thunder Clap first introduced by Iceland fans at the 2016 European Championship, which was held in France.
3:21pm: France held to draw in Rugby Sevens opener
France struggled to live up to pre-tournament billing as favourites for Olympic Gold in rugby sevens Wednesday, held to a 12-12 draw by the United States to the disappointment of a packed Stade de France.
Dupont played 12 minutes of the 12-12 Pool C draw, the Americans scoring the equalising try after he had been subbed off.
Dupont has established himself as one of world rugby's best players and the scrum-half cuts an iconic figure in France.
The 27-year-old took a gamble of missing the Six Nations to make the French Olympic team, a move that led to some criticism.
2:09pm: Australia squeeze past Samoa in Rugby Sevens opener
Australia laid down a marker to home favourites France and double Olympic champions Fiji, kicking off the rugby sevens tournament Wednesday with a 21-14 win over Samoa at a packed Stade de France.
The Australians started nervously, with several handling errors, and Samoa opened the scoring, Motu Opetai intercepting a long pass to run most of the length of the pitch.
But Australia hit back just before half time, with Henry Hutchison smashing through a rare Samoan missed tackle to level the scores at the break.
A Nathan Lawson try in the corner doubled Australia's advantage halfway through the second half, accurate long passing stretching the Samoan defence.
Hutchison touched down his second try with seconds to go as the Samoan defensive effort took its toll on their fitness. Faafoi Falaniko nabbed a consolation try right at the death.
(with AP, AFP and Reuters)
