The Paris Olympics open Friday, and there are plenty of athletes with Oregon connections to cheer on.

Why it matters: Watching Team USA on a nine-hour tape delay is your solemn duty, but when the athlete is a friend of a friend, or a kid from your car pool, it gets exciting.

🤸 Jade Carey. Women's gymnastics. Beaver.

• Carey is a floor and vault specialist on the U.S. women's gymnastics team.
• You will see the Oregon State University undergrad alongside Simone Biles.
• She is the sixth-most-decorated U.S. female gymnast of all time (eight Olympic and world championship medals) and received a team silver from Tokyo 2021.
• Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, Washington, will be there with her too.

⚫ Ryan Crouser. Men's shot put. Born in Boring.

• Crouser is the shot put world record holder (74 feet, 11 inches). After battling injuries this year, he will attempt to become the first three-time champion in Olympic history.

⚫ Jaida Ross. Women's shot put. Duck athlete.

• Jaida Ross finished third in the U.S. Olympic trials at Hayward Field. Wherever you see reigning U.S. champion Chase Jackson and Raven Saunders, look for Ross.

🤺 Magda Skarbonkiewicz. Fencing/saber. Portlander.

🏃 Matthew Centrowitz. Men's track and field. Duck alum.

• Centrowitz won gold in Rio in 2016, and now he's back, having finished second in the Olympic Trials last month in Eugene. He calls himself an "old dog" at 34.

🏌️ Wyndham Clark. Golf. Duck alum.

• Clark is the first golfer in the University of Oregon's 151-year history to make the Olympic team. He is ranked the No. 5 men's golfer in the world and will play alongside top names Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.

⚽ Sophia Smith. Soccer. Thorn player.

• Smith is on Axios' list of athletes to watch, but there are five other Portland Thorns playing soccer in Paris.
• Sam Coffey joins Smith with the U.S. women, Jessie Fleming and Janine Beckie are there for Canada, Mackenzie Arnold plays in goal for Australia, and Nicole Payne is with Nigeria.

Learn the lingo: No faux pas with this list.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that there are a total of six Portland Thorns playing soccer in Paris, not five.

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🌊 Four Portland City Council members played in the Keller Fountain on Friday at a reopening ceremony. Mayor Ted Wheeler did not partake, and Commissioner Mingus Mapps cut his foot.

• The fountain had been closed for maintenance for more than a year. (Willamette Week)

⚽ The Portland Thorns have removed the term "interim" and named Rob Gale their official head coach after 12 games in charge and a record of 8-2-2. (The Oregonian)

🍄 Lake Oswego voters face a ballot measure this November about whether to allow psilocybin manufacturing and treatment in the community.

• Although Lake Oswego opted out of permitting psilocybin facilities in their jurisdiction, the city must refer the issue to voters to affirm or reverse the ban. (Lake Oswego Review)

Portland Pride Festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park was a two-day affair that started Saturday, when this picture was taken. A group of Portland women were cooling off, drinking slushies by the Battleship Oregon Memorial.

• Executive director Debra Porta said they anticipated 70,000 attendees.

Drag queens strolled around taking selfies with children, medical companies handed out swag at their booths, and friend groups shopped for clothes and watched lip-synch acts onstage.

This was a place where someone could weave through the crowd, between nuclear families and furries, showing off their gender-affirming top surgery without threat or contention.

• This was Portland in the summer of 2024.