Canadian men’s basketball team ousted by France, as De Grasse’s coach comes under fire over alleged abuse

While the watching experience and timing for the 2024 Paris Olympics isn’t quite as challenging for Canadian viewers as it was for Tokyo 2020 or Beijing 2022, a good chunk of action during these Games happens when plenty of Canadians are fast asleep.

Whether you were crushing some zzz’s, busy at work, had family activities to take part in or just didn’t have a chance to tune in, we have you covered throughout these Olympics from start to finish, with Team Canada currently sitting at 17 medals.

Here’s what you may have missed on Day 11, including the Canadian men’s basketball team’s tournament coming to an end, an alleged sexual-abuse scandal that got Andre De Grasse’s coach kicked out of the Olympics.

Canadian’s men’s basketball team fizzles out of Paris Games with quarterfinal loss to France

When France’s Evan Fournier hit a dagger from just inside half court with less than a minute remaining to put France up by 10, Canada’s hopes of medaling in men’s basketball were effectively dashed.

The Canadian men’s basketball team suffered a crushing defeat on Tuesday afternoon, dropping their quarterfinal match against France 82-73.

France, which struggled in group play, put up its best effort of the tournament while Canada, after cruising through the group stage with three wins, had easily its worst outing of the Paris Games.

Despite an unusual amount of missed free throws from the NBA star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Canada with 27 points, while Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett put up 16 in the loss. No other Canadian player had double-digit points as the supporting cast fought mightily in front of a raucous French crowd.

Star point guard Jamal Murray also had another tough night for Canada.

Guerschon Yabusel and Isaïa Cordinier led a balanced France attack with 22 and 20 points, respectively, while Evan Fournier went 3-of-6 from downtown en route to 15 points — many of them timely as Canada failed to get within five points despite a late -game push.

Canada secured the top spot in a tough Group A after defeating Spain last week to go a perfect 3-0 in group play, which also included wins over Greece and Australia. The team looked to be rolling heading into the knockout round, making Tuesday’s loss all the more heartbreaking.

Canadian Olympic Committee pulls accreditation from De Grasse coach Rana Reider

The Canadian Olympic Committee says it has revoked the accreditation of sprinter Andre De Grasse’s coach, Rana Reider, after “new information” on the latter’s alleged sexual and emotional assault came to light.

The COC did not specify the nature of said information, but added that Reider was on “probation” with the US Center for SafeSport until May of 2024, and the COC’s decision to accredit Reider for the Paris Olympics was done with the understanding he had no other sanctions against him.

According to the Canadian Press, Reider’s accreditation has been taken away over concerns about the “safeguarding” of athletes along with allegations of abuse — both sexual and emotional. Court documents filed in Florida reportedly indicate multiple women filed suit against the coach over those allegations.

“On Sunday Aug. 4 we learned of new information about the appropriateness of Mr. Reider remaining accredited by Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Games,” the COC wrote in a statement. “In discussion with Athletics Canada, it was agreed that Mr. Reider’s accreditation be revoked.”

Reider’s lawyer, meanwhile, is claiming his client had his accreditations revoked and was denied the ability to continue coaching athletes at the Paris Games without due process, calling the allegations “years-old claims in a lawsuit by former athletes seeking financial gain.”

Reider — who has also coached Tokyo Olympics 100-meter champion Marcell Jacobs, among others — has denied the allegations contained in the first of three lawsuits, according to the Canadian Press, and has filed a counterclaim alleging defamation. The two other claims were filed in June and a response has yet to be filed.

More news from Team Canada on Day 11