2024 Olympics

Olympian Devon Allen released by Eagles, signed to practice squad

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UPDATE: On Wednesday, Allen was added to the Eagles practice squad, according to multiple reports. After an extensive layoff following his collegiate career, he’ll have the chance to develop his football skills and compete for a spot on the active roster.

Two-time Olympic hurdler Devon Allen was released by the Philadelphia Eagles in the final round of cuts ahead of the NFL season. Allen has until 12 p.m. ET Wednesday to clear waivers, after which the Eagles can put him on their practice squad.

Allen was a long shot to fill a wide receiver slot for the Eagles after an up-and-down showing at training camp over the past month. After struggling at the start of camp, Allen found his stride in recent weeks, punctuated by a 55-yard touchdown catch against the Browns on August 21 and three impactful special teams plays against the Dolphins on Saturday.

Allen, 27, is a two-time Olympic finalist in the 110m hurdles and the third-fastest ever in that event, having run a 12.84 earlier this summer. His speed stood out on the football field during Oregon’s Pro Day in April, when he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and earned his training camp spot, and it stood out again in his preseason appearances.

He competed in both sports as a student at the University of Oregon, where he led the Ducks with seven touchdown receptions as a redshirt freshman in 2014. A month after finishing fifth in the 110m hurdles at the Rio Olympics, Allen tore his left MCL and ACL defending a punt return for Oregon. That was his last football game until 2022. Allen admitted he needed more time to adjust at camp than players who never took a break from football.

“To be honest, the first couple weeks… you watch one of those military movies, the grenade goes off and they’re like, [stunned]. Their head’s ringing,” Allen told reporters last week. “And that’s how I felt in the huddle the first couple weeks, just trying to listen to the call, understand my assignment, figure out what I’m doing, and then make a play on the field, be a football player.”

Allen is bidding to become the 44th Olympian to play in the NFL, and the 35th track and field Olympian to do so. Ahead of the season, Allen said he would return to track and field next year regardless of whether he made the Eagles roster.

A healthy Devon Allen is a likely medal contender in the men’s 110m hurdles at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He was favored to win the world title last month before he was controversially disqualified for a false start. When the starting gun went off in the final round, the pressurized electronic sensors in the starting blocks determined Allen had started one thousandth (.001) of a second faster than the rules allow.

Allen called it “unfortunate” that the rule didn’t have “a little bit of leeway for margin of error.” He left for Eagles training camp a few days later.

It’s official: LA gets 2028 Olympics, Paris gets 2024

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By a show of hands, the IOC confirmed that Paris will host the 2024 Olympics, and Los Angeles will get the 2028 Olympics.

As expected, IOC members approved an agreement made among the two cities and IOC leaders earlier this summer to make the historic double award.

Before that, today’s meeting in Lima, Peru, was scheduled to be a vote between Paris and LA for the 2024 Games only. Recognizing the two strong bids, IOC leaders pushed this spring and summer to award Olympics and Paralympics to both cities this year.

LA and Paris gave 25-minute presentations Wednesday with speeches and videos to IOC members before the show of hands.

The LA 2028 speakers included Olympic champions Allyson FelixJanet Evans and Angela RuggieroMichael Johnson, who turned 50 on Wednesday, was also in attendance.

USOC chairman Larry Probst spoke of perseverance.

The U.S. lost in bidding for 2012 (New York City) and 2016 (Chicago). Its original 2024 bid city, Boston, dropped out two years ago after lack of local support.

For LA, it started with a January 2013 letter from former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the USOC expressing interest in bidding for the 2024 Olympics. It was signed by Magic Johnson and Tom Hanks.

LA lost to Boston in the initial competition to be the U.S. host city before taking over quickly after Boston bowed out. It navigated a crowded original 2024 international bid race that saw Rome, Hamburg and Budapest all drop out.

“It has been a formidable journey to get here, but we never gave up hope,” Probst said in his speech Wednesday.

Paris’ presentation included a video titled, “24 words for Paris 2024” that featured Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner and Neymar, the Brazilian soccer gold medalist who last month transferred from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

MORE: Paris Olympic bid plan includes Eiffel Tower area

Additionally, French president Emmanuel Macron spoke in a pre-recorded video.

“I wanted to re-emphasize here the full commitment of a whole country behind these Games,” Macron said. “In our world today, defending the values of Olympism also means working for greater balance, more multilateralism and towards a more inclusive, more sustainable society.”

The last time two Olympic hosts were determined at once was in 1921, when the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Games were awarded, according to Olympstats.com. LA and Paris will join London as the only cities to host the Olympics three times.

The U.S. will host its first Olympics since 2002 (and first Summer Games since 1996). Paris will host for the first time since 1924.

The U.S. ends its longest drought between hosting an Olympics since the 28-year gap between 1932 and 1960. It failed in bids for 2012 (New York City) and 2016 (Chicago).

Paris was a finalist for 1992, 2008 and 2012.

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IOC set to award 2024, 2028 Olympics at Lima session

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It is scheduled to become official on Wednesday at about 2 p.m. ET in Lima, Peru.

International Olympic Committee members will ratify an agreement among Los Angeles, Paris and Olympic leaders that awards the 2024 Olympics to Paris and the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles.

Then the host-city contracts will be signed, sealing what the IOC has called a “win-win-win” situation that arose last year and came together earlier this summer.

The last time two Olympic hosts were determined at once was in 1921, when the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Games were awarded, according to Olympstats.com. LA and Paris will join London as the only cities to host the Olympics three times.

The U.S. will host its first Olympics since 2002 (and first Summer Games since 1996). Paris will host for the first time since 1924.

The U.S. ends its longest drought between hosting an Olympics since the 28-year gap between 1932 and 1960. It failed in bids for 2012 (New York City) and 2016 (Chicago).

Paris was a finalist for 1992, 2008 and 2012.

MORE: Paris Olympic bid plan includes Eiffel Tower area

How the joint 2024-2028 decision came about:

Dec. 8: Given strong bids from Paris and LA, IOC president Thomas Bach is asked twice about the possibility of awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympics at the Lima session rather than just the 2024 Games. He doesn’t categorically rule it out while saying the current bid process — having separate bid competitions culminating seven years before each Games — “produces too many losers.”

Feb. 18: Bach welcomes talk of awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympics together, saying, “There are many options.”

March 17: A working group of IOC vice presidents is established to study changing the Olympic bid candidate process, including possibly awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympics in 2017.

June 9: The IOC executive board recommends awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Olympics this summer to the two remaining 2024 finalists — Los Angeles and Paris.

July 11: IOC members ratify the proposal to award both the 2024 and 2028 Olympics this summer. If LA and Paris can’t reach an agreement on which city gets which Games, then a Lima vote for 2024 only will take place in September.

July 31: LA bid officials say they reached an agreement to cede the 2024 Olympics to Paris and take the 2028 Olympics in a deal that includes extra IOC funds ahead of the 2028 Games.

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MORE: Los Angeles Olympic bid venue plan