Paris has long been a city of dreamers: Just look at the Eiffel Tower, for decades the world's loftiest structure. Audacity also underpins the French capital's plans for its first Olympic Games in a century, which open Friday with an opening ceremony for the ages.

The most sprawling and elaborate Olympic opening ever — a gala spectacular Friday evening on the River Seine that even French President Emmanuel Macron says initially felt like "a crazy and not very serious idea" — kicks off 16 days of competition that promise to be ground-breaking, with nearly every corner of the city hosting some aspect of competition.

Emmanuel Macron has pledged to make France shine during the Olympics. Weaker than ever at home after recent elections, the French president hopes the Paris Games also will help his own star glitter again.

The Olympics are the best way to convince the world to "choose France," Macron said this week, trotting out a motto geared toward boosting foreign investment in the country. "It will promote our landscapes, our facilities, our savoir-faire as well, our gastronomy."

Tennis star Coco Gauff will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at Friday's opening ceremony.

Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is set to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games and will be the first tennis athlete to carry the U.S. flag. She and James were chosen by Team USA athletes.

Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France's interior minister praised law enforcement for their hard work in making the Paris Games safe for thousands of athletes and millions of fans amid security challenges.

Paris is deploying around 30,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, which run Friday to Aug. 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony on the Seine river.

The support being provided at the Paris Olympics for athletes who are also parents is just part of a larger trend as the rise of women's sports puts greater emphasis on maternity and parental needs.

In France, a nursery is available for athletes' children in the Olympic village for the first time and private rooms will be provided by organizers for nursing mothers. But the Olympics aren't alone.

Iran condemned on Tuesday the "reception and protection" of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Paris, demanding their exclusion over Israel's handling of the Gaza war.

Israel's delegation, which headed to France on Monday ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, is being tightly protected in the French capital amid growing international outrage over the the high civilian casualty toll and unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Paris is a popular destination for vacations, of course. The food and drink. The art and history. The landmarks. And so on.

The city itself will be one of the protagonists of the 2024 Olympic Games — which is why the Eiffel Tower and Seine River are featured just as prominently as gymnast Simone Biles or swimmer Katie Ledecky in NBC's ads promoting its TV coverage — and the athletes heading to France, not to mention their friends and family, have been drawing up lengthy to-do lists of the various tastes they want to try and the sights they want to see.

LeBron James wasn't totally sure what the opening ceremony was all about when he was picked for his first Olympics in 2004.

This time, he'll be one of the stars of the show.

The Los Angeles Clippers sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz on Thursday in a sign-and-trade deal for point guard Kris Dunn.

The Jazz are expected to buy out the former NBA MVP's contract so Westbrook can sign with the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN.

Lakers rookie Bronny James put together his second promising Summer League performance in a row Thursday night, scoring 13 points in Los Angeles' 93-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The son of NBA career scoring leader LeBron James had eight first-half points on 3-of-5 shooting. He ended the game by making 5 of 10 shots, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range. James also had five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.