PARIS (AP) — Gabby Williams didn't have the start she wanted for France. The former UConn star did show she knows how to finish.
Williams scored nine of her 18 points in overtime as France advanced to the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics in women's basketball, beating neighbor Belgium 82-75 Friday night.
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Fans dressed as French fries take photos during half time of the France vs' Belgium match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Elisa Ramette (4) and Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, celebrate after scoring against France during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Janelle Salaun (13), of France, is surrounded by her bench as she celebrates a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Marieme Badiane (22), of France, puts pressure on Emma Meesseman (11), of Belgium, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Janelle Salaun (13), of France, falls as Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, passes during a floor scramble during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, reacts after a turnover against France during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Marieme Badiane (22), of France, celebrates after scoring against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Valeriane Ayayi (11), of France, is congratulated by teammates after she scored against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team France celebrates a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Iliana Rupert (12), of France, celebrates after scoring against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team France bench reacts after Marine Johannes (23), of France, hit a three pointer against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Team France bench celebrate a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
”I just try to take a little bit more responsibilities at the end," Williams said. "I was well rested.”
Not only will the host nation be playing in the final event of these Olympics on Sunday, France is back in the gold medal game for the first time since taking silver of the 2012 London Games. The French lost that game to the U.S., which beat Australia 85-64 in the other semifinal Friday.
Now France will have home-court advantage against the Americans who are trying to become the first team in Olympic history to win eight straight gold medals, male or female. France is assured of grabbing a medal that's a better color than the bronze won three years ago in the Tokyo Games.
It will be an all U.S.-France showdown for gold in basketball with the men playing Saturday and the women in the final event of these Olympics on Sunday.
“Just a love letter to to our fans and to our supporters for every gym has been full," Williams said of the home support through these Games. "The atmosphere has made us want to cry every single game. So just yeah, just a love letter to the country, to our fans.
"And we’re happy that we can give this back to them.”
With the home crowd on their feet waving French flags and dancing, the players celebrated on the court jumping and hugging each other after the final buzzer of a thrilling game.
The dejected Belgian Cats sat on their bench for a couple minutes stunned after having been up 46-31 in the third quarter. This was the first overtime game in the knockout round since the 2000 bronze medal game won by Brazil over South Korea.
“It wasn’t easy because of the crowds it was really like they have a sixth man," Belgian guard Julie Vanloo.
France led 66-60 with 56 seconds left in regulation. Vanloo was fouled on a 3 and made all three free throws, then Emma Meesseman hit a game-tying 3 with 8.2 seconds left.
Belgium then caught a break. After leaving Valeriane Ayayi wide-open for 3 from the left corner the France forward clanked off the left rim. France couldn’t grab the rebound for a another shot, sending the game into overtime.
Williams scored the first five points of overtime, yet Belgium kept battling.
Meesseman scored inside to pull the Cats within 76-75 with 55.8 seconds left. Williams answered with a driving layup, then Vanloo’s 3 was well short. Williams added two of the final three free throws for France to seal the win and start the celebration.
Belgium will play Australia for bronze Sunday, a respectable performance for a country in just its second Olympics in this sport.
Ayayi finished with 17 points, Iliana Rupert had 15 and Janelle Salaun 10 for France.
Meesseman finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds for Belgium. Kyara Linskens added 15, Elise Ramette had 13 and Vanloo 11.
It was a rollercoaster of scoring runs.
Belgium built a 46-31 lead in the third quarter but France answered with 10 straight points and hit six straight free throws to open the fourth to cap a 23-5 outburst. France went up 54-51 after Marine Johannes’ two free throws with 7:19 left.
The Bercy Arena crowd was rocking and waving French flags setting up the taut finish.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Fans dressed as French fries take photos during half time of the France vs' Belgium match-up during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Elisa Ramette (4) and Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, celebrate after scoring against France during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Janelle Salaun (13), of France, is surrounded by her bench as she celebrates a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Marieme Badiane (22), of France, puts pressure on Emma Meesseman (11), of Belgium, during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Janelle Salaun (13), of France, falls as Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, passes during a floor scramble during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Julie Vanloo (35), of Belgium, reacts after a turnover against France during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Marieme Badiane (22), of France, celebrates after scoring against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Valeriane Ayayi (11), of France, is congratulated by teammates after she scored against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team France celebrates a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Iliana Rupert (12), of France, celebrates after scoring against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Team France bench reacts after Marine Johannes (23), of France, hit a three pointer against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Team France bench celebrate a basket against Belgium during a women's semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump used one of the flurry of executive actions that he issued on his first day back in the White House to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization for the second time in less than five years — a move many scientists fear could roll back decadeslong gains made in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Experts have also cautioned that withdrawing from the organization could weaken the world’s defenses against dangerous new outbreaks capable of triggering pandemics.
Here’s a look at what Trump’s decision means:
During the first Oval Office appearance of his second term, Trump signed an executive order detailing how the withdrawal process might begin.
“Ooh," Trump exclaimed as he was handed the action to sign. "That’s a big one!”
His move calls for pausing the future transfer of U.S. government funds to the organization, recalling and reassigning federal personnel and contractors working with WHO and calls on officials to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by” WHO.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to sever ties with WHO. In July 2020, several months after WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and as cases surged globally, Trump’s administration officially notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the U.S. was planning to pull out of WHO, suspending funding to the agency.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s decision on his first day in office in January 2021 — only to have Trump essentially revive it on his first day back at the White House.
It is the U.N.’s specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the world’s response to global health threats, including outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
“A U.S. withdrawal from WHO would make the world far less healthy and safe,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Global Health Law at Georgetown University. He said in an email that losing American resources would devastate WHO's global surveillance and epidemic response efforts.
Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Trump's move "surrenders our role as a global health leader and silences America’s voice in critical decisions affecting global health security.”
“We cannot make WHO more effective by walking away from it,” Frieden said in a statement. “This decision weakens America’s influence and increases the risk of a deadly pandemic.”
Yes, as long as he gets the approval of Congress and the U.S. meets its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year. The U.S. joined WHO via a 1948 joint resolution passed by both chambers of Congress, which has subsequently been supported by all administrations. The resolution requires the U.S. to provide a one-year notice period should it decide to leave WHO.
It’s extremely bad. The U.S. has historically been among WHO’s biggest donors, providing the U.N. health agency not only with hundreds of millions of dollars, but also hundreds of staffers with specialized public health expertise.
In the last decade, the U.S. has given WHO about $160 million to $815 million every year. WHO’s yearly budget is about $2 billion to $3 billion. Losing U.S. funding could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including the effort to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats.
American agencies that work with WHO would also suffer, including the CDC. Leaving WHO would exclude the U.S. from WHO-coordinated initiatives, like determining the yearly composition of flu vaccines and quick access to critical genetic databases run by WHO, which could stall attempts to produce immunizations and medicines.
At a September campaign rally, Trump said he would “take on the corruption” at WHO and other public health institutions that he said were “dominated” by corporate power and China.
His executive order Monday said the U.S. was withdrawing from WHO “due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China and other global health crises” and cited the agency’s “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and its “inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
WHO made several costly mistakes during the pandemic, including advising people against wearing masks and asserting that COVID-19 was not airborne. The agency only officially acknowledged last year that the virus is indeed spread in the air.
During its efforts to stop COVID-19, WHO also dealt with the biggest sexual abuse scandal i n its history, when media reports revealed that dozens of Congolese women had been sexually harassed or assaulted by health responders working to contain Ebola. The AP found senior managers were informed of some instances of sexual abuse when they occurred in 2019 but did little to stop them or punish perpetrators.
In a statement Tuesday, WHO said it “regrets” Trump's announcement.
“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO,” the organization said.
“For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication,” WHO said.
At a Geneva news briefing on Tuesday, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said the U.S. contributed 18% of WHO's budget in 2023, making it the single biggest donor that year. He declined to say what the U.S. withdrawal might mean for WHO.
Cheng reported from Toronto. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)