The Games may be reaching their conclusion, but the wacky world of the Olympics shows no sign of letting up after another week of hijinks in Paris.
Some may blame the scorching summer heat for the madcap moments.
Others will suggest finally realising a sporting dream – or having it come crashing down – is responsible for brutally honest interviews and peculiar post-match behaviour.
The Games have been packed with oddities since the rain-soaked opening ceremony two weeks ago.
There have been controversies over the eligibility of some athletes to compete, and a slew of doping allegations.
Here, MailOnline breaks down the weirdest moments of the Games in the last week:
Angry Team GB runner – son of former Premier League star – shows he is a chip off the old block
George Mills appeared to receive a shove from Hugo Hay leading to a collision with Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo
The pair tangled legs and fell hard to the ground on the finishing straight of the 5,000m heat
Immediately after the race, Mills approached Hay and pointed directly in his direction
George (left) is the son of ex-Premier League footballer Danny who played for England
Team GB star George Mills showed he inherited his famous father’s competitive streak when he confronted a rival over a mass collision on the 5,000m track.
Mills, 25, is the son for former Leeds United, Manchester City and England full-back Danny Mills, who was sent off six times during his career and was known for his occasionally agricultural approach to tackling.
Mills retired in 2009, but that family fighting spirit returned to the sporting arena – and the eyes of millions – when athlete George took umbrage to an apparent push from Frenchman Hugo Hay, sparking a pile-up on the home straight.
Mills junior got back to his feet to complete the race, but then returned to confront the alleged instigator, angrily pointing a finger in the face of Hay.
The home favourite tried to soothe tensions by attempting to put an arm around Mills, but the gritty Englishman gave him the brush off and walked away.
Mills was later reinstated in the competition, along with other athletes who took a tumble.
Asked about the content of his tempestuous exchange with Hay afterwards, Mills replied: ‘I’m probably not allowed to say.’
Peloton pile-up leaves bicycles in bits, athletes in agony, and track trashed
Dutch cyclist Steffie van der Peet (orange) kick-started a chain reaction when she came off her bike
Van der Peet was left injured after the incident that had domino effect on two other riders
The bike of Belgium’s Degrendele is carried away showing the rear wheel has been obliterated
Van der Pet was left with burns from the track as her left leg showed her clothing had been worn away
China’s Yuan looked visibly upset as she was helped away from the track by support staff
While they may not be commonplace, collisions are an occupational hazard for athletes across many disciplines at the Olympics.
This is particularly the case in the high-stakes arena that is the velodrome – as Netherlands star Steffie van der Peet, Chinese cyclist Yuan Liying and fellow competitor Nicky Degrendele of Belgium found out.
The trio – half the field in the women’s six-lap keirin event – were involved in a horrifying 40mph crash when van der Peet inadvertently careered into the back wheel of Yuan’s cycle, who fell sideways into Degrendele.
Debris from the top-speed pile-up festooned the track, with the athletes sporting cuts, bruises, and torn skinsuits as they limped from the arena.
Yuan in particular looked in discomfort as she inched away to be seen by medics, her coaches holding her up by the arms.
Such was the impact of the crash – and the damage caused by the shattered cycles – that a specialist team had to be brought in to patch up the pine surface of the velodrome, sanding down divots taken out of the steeply banked oval track.
Hockey rivals involved in post-match aggro
An ugly brawl broke out following the gold medal match in the men’s hockey in Paris
Netherlands star Duco Telgenkamp mocked German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg after sealing victory in a dramatic shootout
But his celebration onset a furious reaction from the Germans in scenes that marred the event
The Netherlands won gold but were described as ‘sour winners’ by fans on social media
Although the cycling trio’s misfortune was clearly an accident, there was no mistaking the intention behind a clash between Dutch and German hockey stars.
The Netherlands’ men’s team were branded ‘sour winners’ after an ugly brawl at the conclusion of their gold medal-winning performance over their German counterparts.
Match-winner Duco Telgenkamp made a shushing gesture to defeated goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, and then put his hand on German star Niklas Wellen’s throat as the post-match pleasantries turned bad.
It all took place in front of Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, who was in the stands to watch his country compete.
For the Dutch, it was their third gold medal in hockey in the history of the Games.
But viewers said they did not win with their dignity intact.
Dog days are over for swimming ace and posthumous pooch
Sharon van Rouwendaal with her gold medal in the swimmin
The Dutch winner points to a paw print tattoo, in memory of her beloved dog Rio
Van Rouwendaal shared an Instagram post of her with Rio, her pomeranian dog, which died in the weeks before the Olympics
It is de rigueur for speeches marking personal achievement to heap praise on the unsung heroes upon which success is built.
Family members, partners, coaches, colleagues – even the almighty.
And for gold medal-winning marathon swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal, that included Rio – her beloved, and recently passed, pomeranian.
It could be argued that having to compete in the grim waters of Paris’ River Seine was bad enough for those taking part in the 10km race.
But for van Rouwendaal, her preparations were made all the more difficult when her pet Rio – named after the 2016 Games where she also won gold – died, just weeks before.
Distraught, the sporting star got a tattoo of little Rio’s paw print on her wrist and later explained how the furry companion had inspired her bid for glory.
‘My world stopped and I didn’t care about swimming for like three weeks. He was my little baby,’ she said.
‘I swam for him with my whole heart. I won it for him.’
I lost, so I’m no taekwon-doper, says GB’s Jade Jones
Jade Jones insisted she is not a drugs cheat after the double Olympic champion crashed out in the first round of the taekwondo
She broke down in tears after being beaten by North Macedonia’s Miljana Reljikj in Paris
Jones did not take an anti-doping test in December last year
While many athletes emerge from sporting obscurity to become stars overnight, Team GB’s Jade Jones was already something of a household name due to her gold-winning exploits in two previous Games.
Her success in taekwondo has not come without suspicion from some – particularly after she missed a routine drugs test at the end of last year.
The 31-year-old was cleared to compete in Paris after a panel accepted she simply had a ‘loss of cognitive capacity’, and absolved her of any blame or negligence.
But her dreams of a spectacular hat-trick of gold medals ended at the first hurdle when she was defeated by her North Macedonian opponent.
Crestfallen, defeat did at least give Jones the chance to address the issue of the missed test head-on.
‘I’ve done hundreds of tests and since then I’ve done I think 13 more tests,’ she said.
‘I’m obviously not on drugs because of this loss.’
She said the controversy ‘didn’t help’ but gracefully said her defeat was because she ‘didn’t have the balls to fight free and let my legs go.’
Hair today, gone tomorrow – wrestler kicked out despite unusual weight-loss bid
India’s Olympic Committee is ‘shocked and disappointed’ that Vinesh Phogat was disqualified
Phogat was ruled out of India’s first women’s 50kg wrestling final for being overweight
Phogat started starving herself and cut off her hair to try and sneak under the weight grade, but to no avail
Desperate times call for desperate measures – and for Vinesh Phogat, that included chopping off lengths of her raven black hair.
The Indian athlete was on course to compete in the 50kg weight category wrestling final.
And, sailing close to the strictly monitored weight requirements, she started starving herself and cutting her hair.
But to no avail. Phogat was adjudged to be 100g over the limit – about the same weight as two Mars bars – and booted out of the competition.
Dinshaw Paudiwala, the chief medical officer of the India team, said Phogat’s post-participation weight was found to have increased en route to the final.
He said: ‘The coach initiated the normal process of weight cut that he has always employed with Vinesh and felt confident that it would be achieved.
‘All possible drastic measures, including cutting off her hair, were used. However, she was not below her allowed weight of 50kg.’
The decision irked Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who protested against Phogat’s exclusion.
Packing pole-vaulter peeved at public’s penis obsession
French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati has spoken out after his manhood appeared to prevent him from winning a medal at the Olympics
Ammirati suffered the unfortunate mishap en route to finishing 12th
The 21-year-old admitted his disappointment after missing out on a medal in Paris
They spend years training for this moment. Their shot at glory.
The countless early starts, the strict diets, the collateral caused to relationships and social lives all seems worth it with a gold medal in hand.
For poor pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, his appearance at his home Games was reduced not to sporting endeavour but the size of his penis.
The 21-year-old’s bid for a medal was dashed when his reproductive organ clipped the crossbar during his semi-final.
The moment went viral – perhaps typical of an Olympics where athletes have been repeatedly linked to pay-for-content platform OnlyFans.
And it appeared Ammirati was aware that he would be remembered for manhood rather than merit.
A since-deleted video on TikTok showed him staring blankly at the camera while eating in the Olympic Village with a caption which, in English, read: ‘POV: you create more buzz for your package than for your performances.’
Sunny side up for GB’s bouncing golden girl with dreams of circus career
Bryony Page won a gold medal for Team GB in a trampolining event at Paris 2024
Page, 33 from Crewe, is the first British trampolinist ever to become an Olympic champion
Page had previously won individual silver in Rio in 2016 and individual bronze in Tokyo in 2021
The joy was written all over her face.
Team GB’s Bryony Page beamed as she celebrated winning the gold medal in the trampolining, adding to her haul of silver and gold at previous Games.
And in a delightfully honest post-performance interview, the beaming star revealed an unusual future ambition – to join the circus.
Not the travelling variety of old, that featured lion tamers and the like, but the Cirque du Soleil, the famous circus troupe who perform spectacular acrobat shows in Las Vegas, the Albert Hall and other venues around the world.
‘I would love to perform,’ she said.
‘It’s been a dream of mine for a long time and I’m not getting any younger, so to get to do that while I’m still feeling strong and healthy would be great.
‘I’ve got more skills I want to do, to show what my glass ceiling is. I want to break through it.
‘With the Cirque du Soleil, it depends how it works. If they can get me a temporary contract and I love it, then I might stick around.’