The Paris Olympics 2024 will mark the Games’ homecoming to the French capital after a century, thereby becoming the second city after London to hold the Summer Olympics for a third time.
The majority of the 329 events, which will involve more than 10,000 athletes, will take place in Paris and its metropolitan region, however, several will be staged hundreds of kilometres elsewhere, such as the surfing competition in French Polynesia, which is over 15,000 km (9,300 miles). Notably, it is also important to remember that, several sports categories will begin on July 24, while the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony will take place later.
The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics will be unlike any other, as it will take place outdoors for the first time. Hundreds of boats will carry thousands of athletes and artists along a six-kilometer circuit along the Seine. The procession will depart at the Austerlitz bridge and sail by Notre-Dame de Paris church before arriving near the Eiffel Tower, passing under bridges and gateways such as the Pont des Arts and Pont Neuf, as well as many of the French capital’s landmarks.
Furthermore, another significant first is that most spectators are not required to purchase tickets as the entrance to the Games is free for those viewing the action from the upper quays.
INDIA POV:
India will have an overall 112 participants in just 16 sports, a modest decrease from the 121-resilient group that travelled to Tokyo. With 29, Athletics has the largest number of players, while Field Hockey has a squad of 16. As it happens, India boasts 21 players in Shooting. Eight players will compete in table tennis, while seven players, which includes two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, will compete in badminton.
Wrestling, archery, and boxing will all have six participants apiece, followed by golf (4), tennis (3), swimming (2), sailing (2), as well as one each for equestrian, judo, rowing, and weightlifting.
Despite their formal team debut in Paris in 1900, Indian athletes have participated in every Summer Olympic Games since 1920. This time around, up to 72 competitors will make their Olympic debuts in Paris, accounting for 61% of the Indian delegation. Among the debutants are two-time boxing world champ Nikhat Zareen, junior world wrestling winners Antim Panghal and Reetika Hooda, India’s fastest hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, and the current javelin prodigy, Kishore Kumar Jena.
At 14 years old, Dhinidhi Desinghu will be the youngest Indian athlete to compete in the Olympics. She is the second-youngest Indian competitor in Olympic history, trailing only fellow swimmer Aarti Saha, who competed in 1952 at the age of 11.
Sharath Kamal and Rohan Bopanna, aged 42 and 43, will be the most senior individuals in India’s squad. Sharath, the representative of Indian table tennis for the past two decades, will also serve as India’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony.
Where to Watch:
Paris 2024 Olympics will be officially aired by Viacom18, which promises to deliver the biggest and most holistic presentation of the event in India. This coverage will begin on July 26, 2024, throughout the Sports18 Network and for free on JioCinema.
