COMPETING IN THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES IN PARIS ARE IN THE HOMESTRETCH AND IT'S BEEN EXCITING, HISTORIC AND IT'S GOT THAT SORT OF GENOCIDE.

KWOK AMERICAN ATHLETES ARE SHINING BRIGHT IN THE CITY OF LIGHT PICKING UP THE MOST MEDALS AT 86, INCLUDING 24 GOLD.

FANS CAN CONTINUE TO CHEER ON THEIR FAVORITE ATHLETES UNTIL SUNDAY.

THAT IS WHEN THE GAMES CONCLUDE.

BUT FOR NOW, JOINING US VIA ZOOM IS MAGGIE HENDRICKS AND EDITOR AT OLYMPICS DOT COM.

MAGGIE, THANKS FOR FITNESS.

AND I KNOW IT'S A BUSY TIME FOR YOU.

YEAH, BUT ALWAYS BE ABLE EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

TALKING ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT TO SO WE KNOW THE OLYMPIC GAMES THAT KICKED OFF A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROVERSY THIS YEAR.

THE OPENING CEREMONY FEATURING SOME COLORFUL MOMENTS LIKE A DEPICTION OF WHAT SOME THOUGHT WAS IN REFERENCE TO LEONARDO DA VINCI'S THE LAST SUPPER, A ROBOTIC COURSE.

AND I'M MARIE ANTOINETTE'S SEVERED HEAD.

SOME ARE SAYING THE THERE IN THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE ARE SAYING THAT THE INJURY IS ANTI CHRISTIAN AND DIVISIVE.

BUT WHAT'S YOUR TAKE WAS UNSUITABLE FOR THE GENERAL AUDIENCE.

HE WAS VERY FRENCH.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M A BIG OPENING CEREMONIES ALWAYS ARE ARE VERY EMBLEMATIC OF THE PLACE WHERE THE OLYMPICS ARE HAPPENING.

THAT WAS A VERY FRENCH STAYING IN EVEN THE THAT SOME CHRISTIANS, CATHOLIC.

I WASN'T OFFENDED SOME CHRISTIANS ARE OFFENDED ACTUALLY A REFERENCE TO DINE ANY SENSE A GREEK SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S ABOUT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LEARN MORE ABOUT FRENCH CULTURE AND IT TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY INSTEAD OF JUST, YOU KNOW, FINDING ANOTHER THING TO BE MAD ABOUT.

WE'RE WAY.

I AGREE.

IT WAS DEFINITELY VERY ALL RIGHT.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE GAMES AND THE ATHLETES.

WE ARE SEEING SOME OLDER COMPETITORS THIS YEAR U.S. WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS.

THEY'RE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS THE GOLDEN BECAUSE THEY'RE THE OLDEST U.S. WOMEN'S TEAM SINCE 1952, THEY'VE GOT AN AVERAGE AGE OF 22 YEARS OLD.

SIMONE BILES BEING OLD IS GOLDEN GIRL AT 27 WHY IS THAT SIGNIFICANT?

MAGGIE?

IT'S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE GYMNASTICS USED TO BE ONE OF THOSE SPORTS THAT JUST KIND OF SHARED THROUGH YOUNG BODIES OF AND SO NOW THEY ARE TRAINING BETTER, THEIR TRAINING, SMARTER, ESPECIALLY SIMONE BILES.

BUT WE HEARD THIS FROM ALL OF THE ATHLETES THAT HAVE MUCH MORE OF AN I TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND SEEING HOW MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL THOSE ARE CONNECTED.

AND SO JUST A HEALTHIER GROUP.

AND BECAUSE THEY'RE HEALTHIER, THEY CAN COMPETE LONGER.

AND THE OTHER PART OF IT IS THAT AND I YELL COLLEGE SPORTS ALLOWS FORGIVENESS, MAKE MONEY VOLUNTEERS.

BUT THAT ALSO CONTINUE TO COMPETE IN COLLEGE.

SO YOU HAVE 3 MEMBERS OF THE TEAM COMPETED IN NCAA LEVEL.

WE KNOW THAT SHE DIDN'T COMPETE AS MUCH AS SHE HAD EXPECTED DURING THE 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS.

YOU GOT THE TWISTIES WHICH A MENTAL BLOCK, BUT ALL EYES HAVE.

OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, BEEN ON HER ARE LOOKING AT JORDAN CHILES RIGHT NOW.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE BILES HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED THIS TIME, BUT LET'S ALSO TALK ABOUT THE U.S. MEN'S GYMNASTICS CAPTURING THE HEARTS OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING DEERFIELD, ILLINOIS ZONE.

PAUL, YOU DO.

THEY TOOK HOME THE BRONZE.

WHY HAS THE INTERNET GOING NUTS FOR THESE GUYS?

I THINK THEY'RE JUST SO LIKABLE AND ALSO SO REPRESENTATIVE, YOU LOOK AT THAT TEAM YOU SEE SOMEBODY LIKE YOU WHEN THEY VESTED IN TRAVERSE STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK, WHO IS YOU KNOW, JUST CAME DID AMAZING THINGS ON THE POMMEL HORSE, WHETHER THAT'S FRED RICHARD OF MICHIGAN GUY WHO JUST IS SO EXCITED FOR EVERYBODY.

EVERYBODY HAS THEIR THEIR PLACE ON THAT TEAM AND THEY ALL DID REALLY WELL TO WIN A BRONZE MEDAL FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR THE U.S.

SINCE 2012.

SO I THINK THEY'RE JUST WE JUST SEE OURSELVES IN MORE THAN SOME OF THE DAY.

ATHLETES WHO WE KNOW WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE LIKE, YES, YEAH.

THEY'VE A LOT OF FUN TO TO KEEP UP WITH OKAY.

SO THERE'S BEEN A FEW HISTORIC MOMENTS AS WELL.

BOXER SENDING GAMBOA BECOMING THE FIRST REFUGEE ATHLETE TO WIN AN OLYMPIC MEDAL.

SHE TOOK HOME THE BRONZE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE TEAM AND MADE HER HOME COUNTRY OF CAMEROON, PROUD.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD WE SHOULD MAKE NOTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE TEAM HOW IT IS THE BIGGEST ONE THIS YEAR SINCE THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CAME UP WITH IT IN TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IS WINNING THIS MOMENT WHEN THE WORLD IS FACING MULTIPLE REFUGEE CRISES.

AND THE REASON MY SON TO BE AN INCUMBENT IS A REFUGEE IS BECAUSE SHE'S WE'RE STILL SHE HAD TO LEAVE CAMERA BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T HERSELF THERE.

AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WHILE THE UK HAS WELCOMED HER.

SHE'S STILL REFUGEE.

PRESIDENT.

AND I THINK THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPLACED, AS YOU THERE ARE 220 MILLION PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED RIGHT NOW AND GET TO HAVE THEIR OWN TEAM.

EVEN THOUGH I'M SURE THEY WILL STILL CHEER FOR THEIR HOME COUNTRY, THEY GET HAVE THEIR OWN TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO THEY UNDERSTAND KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH.

AND THIS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SPECIAL THING FOR ANY OF TO SEE SOMEBODY LIKE US IN THE OLYMPICS.

IMAGINE WHEN YOU COME TO ALL OF THE TRAUMA OF A REFUGEE, IT JUST MEANS SO MUCH MORE.

IT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO ANOTHER MAJOR HEADLINE, MAGGIE, FOR THE PARIS OLYMPICS AT THE SENATE.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE HOSTING A NUMBER OF SWIMMING EVENTS THERE, SWIMMING RACES, BUT IN STRONG, SOME THE SOME OF THE SAME CONCERNS THAT CHICAGOANS HAVE HAD ABOUT CHICAGO RIVER AND BEING ABLE TO SWIM IN IT FREQUENT TESTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WATER IS SAFE TO SWIM IN.

BUT SOME ATHLETES HAVE REPORTEDLY GOTTEN SICK SINCE SWIMMING IN THE RIVER.

WHY DO YOU THINK THE FRENCH HAVE BEEN INSISTENT ON MAKING THE SAND AVAILABLE FOR SWIMMING 6 MILES?

I MEAN, IT'S HONESTLY IT'S A VERY SIMILAR THING TO CHICAGO READ THE CHICAGO RIVER, WHO'S RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART OF THE DOWNTOWN.

SAME THING WITH THE SENATE GOES RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART ALL OF PLACES THAT WE HEAR ABOUT.

IF WE SEE A MOVIE OF ALL THE TIME WHEN WE SEE THINGS HAPPEN IN PARIS.

AND SO THEY WANTED TO MAKE A CENTERPIECE OF IT BECAUSE THEY WORKED REALLY HARD TO CLEAN IT UP.

JUST LIKE WE HAVE HERE.

AND SO I THINK THEY REALLY, REALLY WANTED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

AND SO THEY DID.

AND NOW WE'RE NOT SURE ABOUT THE EFFECTS.

THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME ATHLETES WHO HAVE SAID GOTTEN SICK.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY'VE TESTED AND TESTED.

THE LEVELS HAVE BEEN WHAT THE OFFICIALS HAVE FOUND, EXPECT ACCEPTABLE.

SO IT'S A IT'S A TOUGH SITUATION.

YEAH, AND THEY TRY.

I MEAN, IT'S CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE TRIED TO MAKE IT A CENTERPIECE.

OBVIOUSLY, THE OPENING CEREMONY WAS ON THE SAND, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

HONESTLY, OKAY.

FEW SECONDS LEFT.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HOPING TO BEFORE THE OLYMPICS CLOSE OUT?

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AND SEEING POSSIBLY DIANA BECOME THE FIRST TEAM SPORT ATHLETE TO 6 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS AND THE U.S. WOMEN BECOME 8TH THE WIN THEIR 8TH STRAIGHT OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL.

I MAKE SURE I GET THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST TEAM AND REAL QUICK REMIND US WHEN WE CAN SEE THE OLYMPIC WOMEN PLAY THE BASKETBALL A PLAYER SINCE YOU MENTIONED IT.

THEY WILL HAVE SEMI OR A QUARTER FINAL GAME AGAINST NIGERIA