Olympics

Here's some actual breaking news .... breakdancing is now an Olympic sport.

Well, it will be at the 2024 Games in Paris!

The International Olympic Committee says the Olympic competition will feature 16 b-boy and 16 b-girls from around the world competing in 1-on-1 battles.

The top finishers get real Olympic medals -- gold, silver and bronze.

The head of the World DanceSport Federation called the announcement "historic" ... "not only for b-boys and b-girls but for all dancers around the world."

WDSF president Shawn Tay added ... "It was a true team effort to get to this moment and we will redouble our efforts in the lead-up to the Olympic Games to make sure the breaking competition at Paris 2024 will be unforgettable."

The news isn't going over great with everyone -- Australian squash legend Michelle Martin says it's a "mockery" that breakdancing is an Olympic sport while squash is not.

“You just look at the whole thing and you just go ‘Where’s the Olympics going?’ I know some people say breakdancing’s a sport but ... I don’t understand,” Martin told the AAP.

“The Olympics was all about a score, or it was a running race. There was a definitive answer and results to sports. You bring in all these judging things and it just gets so corrupt and so out of control. I just don’t get it anymore.”

The IOC also announced skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will also be included at the 2024 Games -- 3 sports that were supposed to debut at Tokyo 2020.

Rafer Johnson -- a decorated Olympian and American hero -- has died, TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was 86.

Johnson passed away Wednesday morning at his home in Sherman Oaks, CA surrounded by his family.

Johnson lived such an amazing life as an athlete, actor, philanthropist and hero -- it's hard to pick where to start when telling his story ...

How about this ... he was one of the brave men who tackled and subdued gunman Sirhan Sirhan seconds after Robert Kennedy was assassinated back in 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in L.A.

In fact, Johnson ripped the gun away from Sirhan and hid it in his own pocket to prevent any more violence.

As an athlete, Rafer won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome ... four years after he won silver in the same event at the 1956 Olympic Games.

He was a 2-sport athlete at UCLA -- running track and playing basketball.

And get this ... he was such an insane athlete, the L.A. Rams selected him in the 28th round of the 1959 NFL Draft as a running back despite never playing a single down of college football!

After his storied career as an athlete, Johnson became an actor -- appearing in a bunch of movies including "Wild in the Country" with Elvis Presley, "Pirates of Tortuga" and even the 1989 James Bond flick, "A License to Kill."

Rafer was also a key figure in launching the Special Olympics in 1968 -- and co-founded the California Special Olympics in 1969.

Johnson served on the CSO board of directors for 2 decades before joining the Board of Governors.

Oh, and he also worked for the Peace Corps!

Johnson married his wife Betsy in 1971 and they had 2 children together -- daughter Jennifer Ann Johnson and son Joshua Ray Johnson.

Both kids were also star athletes at UCLA!

For those interested in making a donation in Rafer's honor, the family asks to go through The Special Olympics Southern California Rafer Johnson Tribute Fund -- which can be accessed here.

Usain Bolt says Cristiano Ronaldo would "for sure" beat him in a foot race if the two decided to hit the track ... and yeah, he's dead serious.

The 8-time gold medalist was doing an interview with Spanish news outlet Marca over the weekend ... when he was asked straight-up -- who wins in a race RIGHT NOW??

"For sure Cristiano Ronaldo," the 34-year-old Jamaican legend says. "For me, he works out every day. He's a super athlete, you know what I mean?"

"He's always on top of his game. He works hard, he's focused. So right now, I definitely think he's faster than me."

With all due respect, Mr. Bolt -- WHAT ARE YOU SMOKIN'!?!?!

Sure, Bolt hasn't raced professionally since retiring in 2017 ... he's the fastest human being of all time. He crushed opponents easily for the majority of his career.

Also, back in 2009 Bolt was clocked at 27.8 mph -- the fastest recorded time in human history!!

Don't get us wrong, Ronaldo is a beast, too -- but he's just not in Usain's league when it comes to running in a straight line.

35-year-old Ronaldo was reportedly clocked at 21 mph during the 2018 World Cup, which is still fast ... but that's still 6 mph slower than UB's top speed.

Even if Bolt has gorged on donuts and milkshakes since his retirement (which he hasn't), we'd still bet on Bolt just from the muscle memory alone.

Also, Ronaldo just had COVID, which certainly doesn't help his chances.

Bottom line ... it's Bolt all day -- unless Ronaldo got a 35-yard head start AND Usain had to run backward.

Lindsey Vonn is a world-class athlete who's in better shape than 99.9% of all people on the planet ... but she still has to deal with body-shaming, scumbag trolls.

The 36-year-old Olympian says she's been getting some serious hate about her body from some super mean people on social media -- and Friday, she decided to expose some of these losers and fire back.

Some idiot called her a "fat ass." Another said she has "fat knees."

Vonn posted the hateful messages on her IG -- and admits some of the comments have hurt her feelings.

"Even as an athlete there are ruthless comments and media stories that tear apart my body and I admit it sometimes hurts me," Vonn says.

Vonn goes on to explain why she's PROUD of her body -- and nobody should feel ashamed of the way they look.

"I’m a normal person and sometimes I slouch, my stomach folds over, my cellulite shows on my butt, or I don’t fill out my swimsuit top just right ... But, I always remember how my body has helped me achieve amazing things in my life and I am proud of how strong I am."

Vonn says she's not a size zero -- "and that’s perfectly fine with me."

She also vows to never Photoshop any of her pics because it reinforces a standard of beauty that's just not realistic for most people.

"One thing I can promise all of you is that I never Photoshop my photos and am proud to officially never had any plastic surgery of any kind. No Botox, no fillers, no mini surgeries. Literally nothing."

"I am 100% natural and 100% Lindsey. So to anyone who is feeling self conscious or down about their appearance; stay strong, stay healthy and love yourself no matter what the haters say."

John Carlos -- the Olympian who famously raised his fist at the '68 Games -- is speaking out strongly against President Trump ... saying he's bad for America and needs to go.

"You've created nothing but divide and dissent and anger and hatred toward the American citizen," Carlos said on "TMZ Live" Friday -- which happens to be the 52nd anniversary of the famous Olympic moment.

The former track star says he's disgusted with Trump's personal attacks against Kamala Harris and other women ... and is asking voters to rise up and do something about it!

"I would just applaud anyone and everyone who has the right to vote to get out and vote."

"Get the vote in because it's the most critical time in world history."

The 75-year-old has also come out with a series of COVID masks that feature his iconic clenched fist and the words, "We Are One" over the American flag.

Carlos says he made the masks for 2 reasons -- 1, to keep people safe. And 2, to send a strong message about the role of Black people in America.

Lindsey Vonn is parting ways with her "most prized possessions" from her career ... by auctioning off her iconic ski speed suits ... and it's all for charity!!

The retired skiing superstar's annual fundraiser was put on hold due to COVID-19 ... but that couldn't stop the folks at the Lindsey Vonn Foundation from helping out her cause, so she opened up her closet to raise money instead.

"My jackets, helmets and WINNING RACE SUITS that I never wanted to part ways with will help support young girls and women through our scholarship program for educational and stem programs," Vonn said.

Among the suits include her epic "Captain America" suit, which was made for the U.S. Olympic team in 2017 ... the white and rainbow suit from her 54th World Cup win in 2012 ... and her U.S. Ski team jacket from 2016-2017.

The goal is to raise $200k for the LVF ... which will help provide resources for the youth.

'Big Brother' alum Paulie Calafiore's looking to go from the reality TV couch to the gold medal stand ... as a member of the U.S. Men's Bobsled Team.

Paulie -- best known as a houseguest on "Big Brother 18" -- got a call from Team USA coaches back in May after his good friend, Lolo Jones, recommended him for the popular winter sport ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

We're told on Paulie's first call with the coaches, they asked what he knew about bobsledding and he replied ... "I watched 'Cool Runnings' as a kid."

Maybe not the best start, but Lolo also had an unconventional path to the sport coming over as an Olympic hurdler ... so our sources say Paulie's motivated to make it happen.

We're told COVID-19 provided a training challenge for Paulie from the jump, but he whipped together a team consisting of a nutritionist, strength coach and 3 other specialists to prepare the past 5 months.

His everyday training regimen includes 2-3 hours of virtual mobility and flexibility sessions, 2-3 hours of strength training and sprinting sessions, and a strict 5,000 calorie a day diet. He's been training in both Montana where he lives, and South Carolina.

As for Paulie's progress ... our sources say he took a virtual combine to mark his time and weights in September and had incredible stats. He's currently quarantining for 2 weeks at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and after that, he'll hit the bobsled push track for the next phase of training.

If all goes well, Paulie may be on his way to the next Winter Games ... scheduled for February 2022 in Beijing.

As we reported ... Paulie was one of several 'Big Brother' stars who quarantined this summer in anticipation for "Big Brother: All-Stars," but he didn't make the final cast list.

Lindsey Vonn says she seriously considered switching sports from downhill ski racing to Formula 1 racing ... but claims a policy about pregnancy prevented it from happening.

The 35-year-old Olympic legend explained the whole thing on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" ... saying she was specifically told she would need to make a 3-year commitment to NOT getting pregnant in order to get a shot as a pro driver.

"I was thinking about switching, going to Formula One. Like actually trying to be a racer, a driver. But, I couldn't because they wanted me to commit, what was it, 3 years? And, they're like you can't get pregnant, you can't do anything. I'm like hmm, I don't know if I really want to do that."

Vonn says the opportunity would have been with the Red Bull racing team -- and it's something she would have "loved to have done" ... but ultimately, she wasn't down to put off having a family.

BTW, Vonn is engaged to NHL star PK Subban -- and it's clear having kids is definitely on the table.

Lindsey is a huge fan of race car driving -- she's a natural behind the wheel. And, says if F1 didn't work out, jumping to NASCAR was also a possibility.

During the interview, which airs on TV this weekend, Vonn also mentions how much MONEY race car drivers make compared to skiers.

"Probably the salary of one racer is probably the total amount of money that ski racing has for their annual budget as a sport. [Lewis Hamilton] makes more money than all of ski racing combined!"

Pandemic be damned ... the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will go forward, regardless of COVID.

The Veep of the IOC, John Coates, just said the Olympics will be the "games that conquered COVID."

The games will take place next year, and it doesn't matter the state of Japan or the world with respect to coronavirus. The games were postponed in March because of the pandemic ... the first time the Olympics have been put on ice other than wartime.

It seems Coates is turning a blind eye to the virus, saying, "It will take place with or without COVID."  He vows the games will kick off July 23, 2021.

The games initially were to be themed, the Reconstruction Games ... this after the earthquake and tsunami that hit Tohoku in 2011. But, things are different, and Coates says, "Now very much these will be the games that conquered COVID."

Got Milk Amazing Feat Of Athleticism?!?!

Katie Ledecky just swam the entire length of a pool while balancing a glass of milk on her head ... and she didn't spill a single drop the whole time!!!

The 5-time Olympic gold medalist posted the insane swim on her social media page as part of an ad for milk ... and the footage is straight-up mind-blowing.

Ledecky, sporting snorkel gear, hopped into the pool and put the glass of chocolate goodness right on the back of her head.

What happened next was amazing ... she cruised through the pool no problem, with not one ounce of milk wasted!!!

In fact, to prove it all was real, after she got up for air -- she took the glass off her head and chugged down a sip!!!

"Possibly one of the best swims of my career! (~open for debate~)," Ledecky said.

Lindsey Vonn and P.K. Subban ain't the only world-class athletes in the household ... 'cause the Olympic gold medalist is training her pooch to be a swimmer!!

The 35-year-old ski star threw on a bikini and hit the pool at her L.A. home Monday with her beloved puppy, Bear ... and it's an equal dose of adorable and super hot.

"Back to training Bear for the Olympics," Vonn said on Instagram. "He’s making progress, look out (Michael Phelps) 🏊‍♂️ #doggiepaddle."

Lindsey's other dog, Lucy, wasn't feeling the workout -- and watched the two train from the safety of dry land (Hey, not all of us can be superstar athletes).

Vonn and Bear have been working on their aquatic training for months ... and let's be honest. Bear has made some serious progress!

We see you, dog!

Lindsey and P.K. have been training like maniacs since the beginning of the pandemic ... despite P.K.'s NJ Devils not making the cut for the NHL restart.

As we previously reported, the NHL only invited the top 24 of its 31 teams to participate, which is set to begin on July 28.

Lindsey officially retired from pro skiing back in 2019 -- leaving as one of the greatest of all time -- but she's obviously keeping herself in insane shape because she's a beast and gym is life!

Hey, Princess ... WANNA RACE?!!

Conor McGregor was rubbin' elbows with ROYALTY on the French Riviera on Monday ... racing water bikes with Princess Charlene of Monaco and the pics are awesome.

The two got in a workout while Conor and his family are in the area on vacation. Afterward, their families -- including Prince Albert -- hung out together on shore.

"A Great day racing the water bikes with Princess Charlene of Monaco," Conor said.

"A phenomenal athlete and Olympian, we are teaming up for a 180km voyage in September to raise awareness in water safety. I cannot wait!"

It's true ... Princess Charlene is one hell of an athlete herself -- a former Olympic and World Champion swimmer!

In fact, she competed for South Africa in the 2000 Olympic Games in the 4x100 relay, fishing behind Team USA (led by Olympic legend Amy Van Dyken).

She retired from competitive swimming in 2007 -- and now focuses on various philanthropic efforts including water safety and the Special Olympics.

McGregor was clearly impressed with the water bike workout -- saying he will now incorporate the exercise into his McGregor F.A.S.T. training program.

"Thank you for the great day for my family Your Highness," McGregor added ... "In aid of the Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation."

RAW EMOTION FROM HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN!!

It's true, Queen Elizabeth actually *giggled* during a conversation with a military member who moonlights as a member of the Jamaican bobsled team ... and the clip is great!

The monarch was having a video chat with members of the armed services -- including the Royal Army, Navy and Air Force ... when she began to assign questions to Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens.

When Her Majesty learned Stephens is the pilot of the bobsled team, she was so impressed, she let out a "Gosh!"

Stephens told her the plan is to compete in the 2022 Olympics -- and of course, the Queen asked how he's staying in shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Unorthodox training methods," Stephens said ... "I’ve been pushing a car up and down the street."

THAT'S WHEN THE QUEEN LAUGHED!!!

"Well, I suppose that’s one way to train," she added.

FYI, Stephens later revealed the car he uses during his street training is his fiancee's Mini Cooper.

The Queen also wished the entire group the best of luck and said she enjoyed the conversation.

Olympics legend Usain Bolt and his girlfriend, Kasi Bennett, have revealed the name of their baby daughter ... and it may be the most perfect name EVER!!!

Olympia Lightning Bolt.

Come on, does it get any better than THAT?!?!

Baby Bolt was born back on May 17 -- but the couple decided to finally go public with the name on Tuesday while celebrating Kasi's 31st birthday.

In an emotional bday IG post to Kasi, Usain wrote ... "I want nothing but happiness for u and will continue to doing my best keeping a smile on ur face."

"Now we have started a new chapter together with our daughter Olympia Lightning Bolt I look forward to what the future will bring for us but be reassured that I will be the ROCK for this family."

33-year-old Bolt and Bennett have been together for about 7 years now ... and the sprinter had previously shared his excitement about becoming a #GirlDad.

Congrats!!! And, welcome to the world, Olympia!!

Also, CAN YOU IMAGINE IF SHE BECOMES A SPRINTER AND COMPETES IN THE OLYMPICS!

OLYMPIA LIGHTNING BOLT FOR THE WIN!!!

Luce Douady -- a climbing prodigy who was expected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics -- died Sunday after tragically falling from a cliff in France ... officials confirmed this week.

She was 16 years old.

According to the French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing (FFME) ... Douady -- one of the most talented teenage climbers on the planet -- was with friends near Grenoble when tragedy struck.

The FFME says she was trying to navigate between two climbing sectors on a cliff ... but lost her footing. Multiple reports indicate she fell nearly 500 feet.

Douady was an absolute star in the sport ... she took 1st in the bouldering event at the IFSC Youth World Championships in 2019 -- and had aspirations of winning a medal in next summer's Olympics.

She was "brilliant in competition," the FFME said.

Added IFSC officials in a statement Monday, "Luce was a young, brilliant and talented athlete ... The IFSC’s thoughts and prayers are with Luce’s family and friends at this tragic time."

Ginny Fuchs -- a U.S. Olympic boxer -- is in the clear ... she won't face punishment for a positive drug test after officials say she accidentally ingested banned substances through sex.

The story is wild ... Fuchs learned of the positive doping test back in March -- but USADA launched an investigation after she claimed it was all because she was bangin' her BF without protection.

The probe into the incident revealed the 32-year-old wasn't lying ... USADA officials say her positive sample did, in fact, come through intercourse.

"USADA determined that Fuchs’ male partner was using therapeutic doses of letrozole and GW1516 and the low amounts of letrozole metabolite," the org. said in a statement Thursday.

"And GW1516 metabolites detected in her sample were consistent with recent exposure to the substances via sexual transmission."

Fuchs will now face NO penalty over the positive test ... which is great news, considering she's gunning to be the United States' flyweight in the Tokyo Olympics next summer.

"I had no idea that you could get contaminated through intimate contact," Fuchs said in an interview with Fox 26's Mark Berman. "And I've just learned a lesson about this now and I want other athletes to learn from my mistake."