Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has issued an executive order exempting Olympic and Paralympic medalists from income tax on their prize money, a decree published in the Official Gazette yesterday said.
The tax exemption applies to prizes awarded by the Brazilian Olympic Committee and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee to the winners of the Paris Summer Olympics.
The new rules will come into effect in July and apply to the current Paris Olympics and the Paralympics, scheduled for August 28 to September 8.
Brazil has so far won 14 medals at the Paris Games, including two gold, five silver and seven bronze in six sports: athletics, boxing, artistic gymnastics, judo, skateboarding and surfing.
Rovendahl quenches her thirst with the waters of the Seine on her way to gold
Sharon van Roovendaal shrugged off concerns about bacterial infection when she drank some of the Seine River on her way to winning gold in the women’s 10km marathon at the Paris Olympics. The latest tests on the river’s water quality showed it was within the required health standards to allow the race to go ahead, organisers and the International Aquatics Federation said in a statement. The race went ahead on schedule on Tuesday despite contamination issues after the triathlon. The men’s race was also postponed for 24 hours. Dutchwoman van Roovendaal was not content with just energy drinks during the gruelling race, finding she needed more refreshment to beat her training partner and friend, Australian Moesha Johnson. “I was thirsty at one point and I was drinking from the Seine so let’s see,” van Roovendaal, 30, told reporters. “I’m fine. I didn’t even vomit. I usually vomit because of the pain but I didn’t vomit after the race.” France has spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to clean up the river, which is often contaminated with sewage.
Indian Antim out of Paris Olympics
Wrestler Anthim Panjal will withdraw from the 2024 Paris Olympics and return home due to a disciplinary violation, the Indian Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday.
The committee did not reveal any details, but Indian media reported that Pangal’s sister tried to enter the Olympic village using Antim’s accreditation card.
Bangal lost 10-0 to Turkey’s Zeynep Yetgil in the women’s 53kg freestyle wrestling competition at the Champ de Mars on Wednesday.
French runner proposes to her boyfriend
When French runner Alice Vino got down on one knee and proposed to her boyfriend after the Olympic hurdles, she pinned a pin that read “Love is in Paris” to his jersey. “I said to myself, if I run under nine minutes — nine is my lucky number and we’ve been together for nine years — I’m going to propose to him,” Vino said, according to the Associated Press. Vino finished fourth in 8 minutes, 58.67 seconds, then ran to the stands where she found her boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martinez. “I don’t like to do things the traditional way,” Vino said. “Since he didn’t propose, I thought it was up to me.”
Hockey Bronze for India
India beat Spain 2-1 to win the men’s hockey bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, once again benefiting from the brilliance of captain Harmanpreet Singh, who scored two goals to continue his heroic role that has given the team most of its victories.
India won the bronze for the second time in a row, as part of a total of 13 medals for the team, which won six consecutive golds between 1928 and 1956.