- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
Super-bendy breakdancer is star of Olympics closing ceremony
Arthur Cadre is an extremely flexible man, both physically and in his range of talents -- breakdancer, acrobat, architect and much more -- and he will play a central role in the Paris Olympics closing ceremony Sunday.
The 32-year-old has sport in the blood, born to a mother who was part of the French volleyball team and a father who competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics in windsurfing.
Cadre fell into breakdancing at the age of nine after seeing a clip on TV, later adding contortion to his skill set, followed by acrobatics and circus arts.
Not forgetting "a bit of ballet, tap-dancing" and freerunning, which involves creatively throwing yourself around obstacles and urban environments, like parkour.
His talents don't end there: he is also a photographer, model, architecture graduate, and director.
All this has earned him a huge following online. One YouTube video showing off his contortion skills has more than a million views.
And it has taken him around the world from Montreal to Macau, via San Francisco and Dubai.
Recently, he put on a show in Saudi Arabia, "with the princess's horses and 40 dancers".
And he has designed a show based on Bob Marley, which will open in Las Vegas in December.
Cadre describes his style as "a mixture of movement art and visual art", and emphasises the point by swinging his leg up behind his ear in a standing split, then perching on one hand.
He has been working with a team of dancers since early June on Sunday's ceremony at the Stade de France, where the athletics events are held.
- Tom Cruise stunt -
While he is keeping details of the 30-minute show under wraps, he told AFP his character is "the common thread" recounting the story on a large stage featuring many performers and lots of visual effects.
"It will be something that people are not used to seeing in France," he said.
"Here in the studio, I've been doing a whole physical preparation to develop and create this character," he added.
Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the Games, gave him "a lot of freedom... I suggest a lot of things and we work together to select the moments and emotions that he likes. It's great," said Cadre, who comes from Brittany in western France.
Jolly has said the closing show will combine "wonder" and "dystopia", suggesting some more darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Offering a sneak peak to journalists recently, Jolly said he saw the Games as a "fragile monument" and wanted to imagine what would happen if they "disappeared and someone was rebuilding them in a distant future".
Hollywood star Tom Cruise is also expected to make an appearance, with US media reporting that he has prepared a daredevil stunt to pick up the Olympic flag and transfer it to Los Angeles, which is hosting the 2028 Games.
G.Machado--PC