Olympics 2024 LIVE: Tom Daley retires from diving as Team GB arrive home from Paris to heroes welcome – updates
TOM Daley has announced his retirement from diving following the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 30-year-old claimed the fifth Olympic medal of his extraordinary diving career with silver in the men's synchronised 10-metre platform in France.
In an emotional interview with the BBC at St Pancras station shortly after Team GB's return, he said the decision to retire "was hard to talk about".
It comes after Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise performed an incredible stunt at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, leaping from the top of the Stade de France, as the Games were handed over to Los Angeles.
Artists performing at the LA handover included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and Billy Eilish.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest updates...
FA backs British men’s football team for 2028 Olympics (2)
Andy Anson has suggested that the willingness of the cricket, golf and other home nations sports governing bodies to come together under the Team GB label was a potential blueprint for getting an agreement in place for football.
He added: “We've got good experience in golf, in rugby, in women's football, of how the four nations can come together and nominate one country to be the main qualifying body, and work with the other countries.”
FA backs British men's football team for 2028 Olympics (1)
In their effort to introduce a British men's football team in 2028, Team GB bosses will be backed strongly by the FA, who are keen to embrace the opportunity.
British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson said: “It's something I would dearly love to happen.
“I would like to work with FA, with the Scottish FA, with the Welsh and the Northern Irish FA, if we can make it happen.
“It would be brilliant for football, for youth football, and football in general.
“Seeing the women's team compete is brilliant, and I would love to see the men's team compete in the same way.”
Football's coming home to the Olympics?
Team GB chiefs want to see a British men’s football team at the 2028 Olympics.
England’s Lionesses were one goal away from qualifying GB for Paris having reached the last eight in Tokyo.
The London Games of 2012 was the only time since 1960 that a GB men’s side has taken part, in a squad, below, that included Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy and Danny Rose and managed by Stuart Pearce.
The Scottish and Welsh FAs had admitted to concerns that forming a GB side would threaten their independent status with Fifa.
But with the world body now actively encouraging more nations rather than fewer - there are now seven nations representing the former Yugoslavia while the break-up of the Soviet Union means Uefa now has 55 members - Team GB bosses will push for a change of stance.
Team GB back home
Some final pics of Team GB on their return to London from Paris this afternoon.
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What next for Tom Daley?
The diving superstar was again spotted enjoying the Games from the stands while knitting.
And, in retirement, the Plymouth-born athlete plans to dedicate time to his family as well as his knitting business.
Daley, who was watched by husband - US screenwriter Dustin Lance Black - and their two young sons in Paris, added: "(I'll spend) more time with my kids, knitting, expand my Made With Love business to get more people into knitting so watch this space."
.Credit: SIMON JONES In pictures - Team GB back in London
Here are some more pictures from Team GB at London St Pancras this afternoon.
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Credit: GETTY What else did Tom Daley say?
Tom Daley, who claimed his fifth Olympic medal with silver in the 10-metre synchronised event in Paris, said: "It feels very, very surreal. I felt so incredibly nervous going into this, knowing it was my last Olympics.
"There was a lot of pressure and expectations. I was eager for it to be done. But when I walked out and saw my husband (Lance) and kids (Robbie and Phoenix) and my friends and family in the audience, I was like, you know what? This is exactly why I did this."
Daley, pictured below in 2011, added: "It was emotional at the end, up there on the platform, knowing it was going to be my last competitive dive.
"But I have to make the decision at some point, and it feels like the right time. Its the right time to call it a day."
Credit: AP 'Great Olympian'
More tributes have been paid to Tom Daley after he announced he was retiring from diving.
Here are just some of the comments on X, formerly Twitter:
'Brilliant role model'
Sports fans have been reacting to the shock news that Tom Daley is to retire from diving.
One fan posted on X, formerly Twitter, to say: "Class act and a brilliant role model. You'll be a big miss Tom."
Tom Daley announces retirement live on air
The Team GB diver makes surprise speech in London after revealing to British Vogue his decision to retire.
Tom Daley mobbed by fans at St Pancras
Great Britain's Tom Daley is back in London after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France.
Credit: PA Skate Britain
Team GB skateboarder Andy Macdonald is pictured on his return to London St Pancras this afternoon.
The 51-year-old became the oldest-ever skateboarder to compete in an Olympic Games.
Credit: REUTERS Team GB back in London
Members of Team GB arrive by Eurostar into London St. Pancras International train station this afternoon after competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France.
Among those welcoming them home was Sadiq Khan, London Mayor.
Credit: PA Royal congratulations for Team GB
As the Games ended on Sunday, the King, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and a host of celebrities sent their congratulations to Team GB.
The King congratulated competitors and described them as "an inspiration".
William and Kate appeared in a video message congratulating Team GB, with a compilation of messages from celebrities including Snoop Dogg and David Beckham.
The US rapper started the video by saying "greetings loved ones" and ended it with the words ";thank you Great Britain, on behalf of big Snoop Dogg, the prince and his lovely wife".
Olympic Games breaks record for the BBC
BBC Sport’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was streamed a record-breaking 218 million times online, more than doubling the Tokyo Olympic Games total of 104m, with 12.2m people signed in to BBC iPlayer accounts to watch coverage.
In addition to the extensive live coverage available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, BBC One enjoyed consistently high viewing figures throughout the duration of the competition with a Total TV reach (15 mins or more) of 36.1m watching Paris 2024 on BBC TV, 59% of the UK population and a peak of more than 6m on 14 separate days.
'Tom Cruise was pretty cool'
Sprint gold medallist Sophie Capewell, 25, of Lichfield, pictured below, right, with Katy Marchant and Emma Finucane, said she " loved the closing ceremony".
She added: "We were standing right next to where Tom Cruise landed.
"He came down right in front of us and then he was greeted by all the US team.
"That was pretty cool. Then he got onto his motorbike and rode off, it was quite a show."
French brass band La Banda serenaded the team at Gare du Nord.
Trumpet player Vincent Raymond, 45, said: "We came to say goodbye to Team GB. Everyone in France was worried about the games beforehand but it has been a great success."
Credit: PA Team GB only just break into Top 25 per capita table despite stellar Olympics
Despite a stellar Olympics in Paris, Team GB only just break into the Top 25 in the Olympic medals per capita table, according to research.
The study, from BonusCodeBets, shows that the Brits rank 25th when considering the medals they have won relative to their population – and only just beating hosts France.
Caribbean nations continue to outperform their populations, with four appearing in the top 10 of per-capita medal winners – Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia and Jamaica.
Dominica top the list when looking exclusively at gold medals – Thea LaFond winning gold in the triple jump for the only Olympic medal that the country has earned in its history, one for every 72,412 people.
Team GB hit 1,000 medal milestone
Team GB won the country's 1,000th medal in OIympic history during the games.
The total haul of 65 medals meant Great Britain topped 60 medals for the fourth games on a trot having not achieved that feat for the previous 104 years when the country received 146 medals at the London games in 1908.
In pictures: conquering Team GB receive heroes send-off in Paris
Team GB said au revoir to Paris today as they headed home after a memorable Olympics.
A brass band played Beatles songs and God Save the King as hundreds of athletes and support staff caught the Eurostar at Gare du Nord to travel to London.
Those on the train home included speed queen Emma Finucane who made history by winning the three cycling medals.
She was the first Brit woman to grab a hat-trick of gongs at a games for 60 years since Mary Rand achieved the feat in Tokyo in 1964.
Finucane, 21, of Carmarthen, south Wales, had been supported by her family who travelled to Paris in a camper van.
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Credit: SIMON JONES Back to reality for Macron
The Paris Olympics charmed the world and reaffirmed French national pride - but President Macron now faces pressure to name a prime minister and let political parties negotiate.
With Sunday's closing ceremony over, President Emmanuel Macron must deal with a self-created political crisis that he had swept under the carpet until the Games were over.
Talks over government jobs and budget cuts loom, with voter anger sure to follow.
"Now we have to wake up from this beautiful dream," said Christine Frant, 64, at the Club France fan zone last weekend. "Such a shame we're going to return to our day-to-day routine, with no government, squabbles in parliament, while here it was all about joy, sharing."
Credit: REUTERS South Korea's bedbug sniffer dog Ceco 'greets' Olympic returnees
South Korea has deployed a bedbug sniffer dog at its main Incheon international airport in a bid to reduce the risk of the tiny insects entering the country when athletes, officials and fans return from the Paris Olympics.
Leading the campaign is a two-year-old beagle named Ceco, below, who pest control company Cesco said is the first and so far only canine trained in the country to detect the odour of pheromones, the chemicals released by bedbugs.
Ceco is capable of sweeping a standard hotel room in under two minutes, company official Kim Min-su said.
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In case you missed it ...
Red Hot Chili Peppers, pictured below with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg, performed at the LA handover ceremony.
Also appearing was Billy Eilish.
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Credit: GETTY In pictures: Team GB at the Olympics
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Credit: Simon jones Paris Olympics - how did Team GB do?
Team Great Britain finished Paris 2024 with 65 medals, beating their total from Tokyo by one.
The total matches the team's medal haul from London 2012 and is the joint-third-highest for Team GB at a single Games behind Rio 2016 (67 medals) and London 1908 (146).
But GB did get eight fewer golds than they did three years ago in Tokyo.
In fact 14 golds was only good enough for seventh in the medal table, GB's lowest placing since Athens 2004.
There were lots of highs for Team GB - and a fair few lows, including Jack Carlin crashing in the men's Kierin cycling final, below.
Over to you Los Angeles
Well that is it for the Paris 2024 Olympic games.
Now we start the build-up for LA 2028.
Los Angeles had laid a marker this evening, we are expecting big things.
