Eiffel Tower lit up in Olympic colours ahead of Paris 2024 opening ceremony

PARIS (France): The iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris was seen decorated with the five Olympic rings as the multi-sport extravaganza officially kickstarts from Friday with a glittering opening ceremony.

The Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony will kickstart at 11:00 PM IST and will be live-streamed and telecast in India as well.

As per Olympics.com, in a first, the opening ceremony will not be conducted inside a stadium. The traditional Parade of Nations will be taking place along the river Seine, flowing through the heart of Paris.

#WATCH | Paris, France: The Eiffel Tower is decorated with the Olympic rings ahead of the beginning of the Olympic games today, July 26 pic.twitter.com/Dlb1rPs6eY

— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2024

Over 10,000 Olympic athletes will be cruising through the Seine and passing through some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, like Notre Dame, Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf and more on around 100 boats.

This floating parade will depart from Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and will meet its conclusion at the Trocadero, where the last remaining Olympic-related protocols and shows will be performed.

The ceremony is expected to last more than three hours.

French theatre director and actor Thomas Jolly is overseeing the ceremonies for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in the capacity of an artistic director.

India’s two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and multi-time Olympic, Commonwealth and Asian Games medalist Achanta Sharath Kamal will be leading the Indian contingent as flag-bearers, holding the tricolour in their hands.

India will be aiming to outdo their best tally of seven medals from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which also included a landmark first-ever athletics gold secured by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. A total of 112 athletes will be representing the tricolour in 69 events across 16 sports. There will be five reserve athletes too.

During the opening ceremony, the Indian men will be dressed in traditional kurta bundi sets, while female athletes will be wearing matching sarees, reflecting the Indian flag. The outfits feature ikat-inspired prints and Banarasi brocade.

Notably, the Indian contingent started its Olympic journey on Thursday with ranking rounds in men’s and women’s archery.

India’s archery team, comprising Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav, directly qualified for the quarter-finals of the event at the Paris Olympics 2024 by securing a third-place finish with 2013 points in the Men’s Archery Ranking Round on Thursday.

South Korea (2049 points) finished at the top of the rankings, followed by France (2025 points) in second place while China finished fourth with 1998 points. All four teams, including India, have directly qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition.

Dhiraj, who started in 11th place, executed an incredible comeback to finish in 5th place and Tarundeep Rai was as excellent with his opportunities and ended 14th, while India’s third archer Pravin Jadhav struggled to get going as he finished in 39th place. However, their overall effort guided India to third place.

Also, the women’s team comprising Bhajan Kaur, Deepika Kumari and Ankita Bhakat, directly qualified for the quarter-finals of the event at the Paris Olympics by securing a fourth-place finish with 1983 points.

In the Women’s Archery Ranking Round, South Korea ended at the top of the list with 2046 points, followed by China (1996) and Mexico (1986). For India, Ankita Bhakat finished in the 11th spot with 666 points, a season-best, and grabbed the 11th seed in the women’s archery competition. South Korea’s Lim Sihyeon (694), a world record, and Nam Suhyeon (688), her personal best, finished as the first and second-ranked women archers in the women’s ranking. For India, Bhajan secured the 22nd spot while Deepika got the 23rd spot. (ANI)