Tag: Paris Olympics

Pakistan athletes continued their disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics 2024, as swimmers Ahmed Durrani and Jehanara Nabi failed to qualify for the next round in their respective events.

Ahmed Durrani participated in the men’s 200-meter freestyle swimming event and unfortunately finished last in his heat.

In the initial 200-meter heat, he ranked fourth out of four swimmers, completing the race in 1 minute and 58.67 seconds. He was unable to match his previous best time of 1 minute and 55 seconds.

Later, he ended up in 25th place out of 25 swimmers. His time was 11 seconds slower than the swimmer who secured the final spot for the semifinals.

In the women’s 200-meter freestyle swimming competition, Jehanara Nabi finished in 26th place out of 30 swimmers. Despite putting up a strong effort, she was unable to break into the top 16.

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Prior to swimmers, Pakistan’s shooters Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat also failed to qualify for the 10m air pistol finals of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Joseph, one of seven Pakistan athletes competing in the games, had to finish in the top eight to make it into the next round.

But he was left far behind the other competing shooters and could finish 22nd out of 33 with 571 points out of 600.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Damir Mikec topped the leaderboard of the Paris Olympics’ Men’s 10m air pistol competition with 584 points while Italy’s Federico Nilo Maldini and Christian Reitz were the other shooters in the top three.

Notably, Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema also failed to qualify for the next round.

Meanwhile, Kishmala Talat also suffered the same fate as she failed to qualify for the 10m women’s air pistol final after finishing 31st out of the 44 shooters. She scored a total of 567 points out of across six series.

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China took the first gold of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as the rain that dampened the opening ceremony took its toll on the first full day of sporting action.

In a closely fought final of the mixed-team 10-metre air rifle, teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting outscored Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun from South Korea 16-12, Kazakhstan grabbing the bronze.

The rain already claimed one sporting casualty early Saturday as the wet weather which deluged Friday night’s audacious festival on the River Seine continued to cause headaches.

The men’s street skateboarding competition, due to take place at the Place de la Concorde in the historic heart of Paris, was postponed until Monday due to rain overnight, Paris Olympics organisers said.

The downpours also disrupted play at the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, with no action on the 10 uncovered outside courts until 13:30 local time (1130 GMT), organisers said.

Torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators in Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony, where around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale which climaxed with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance from singer Celine Dion.

The ceremony received broadly favourable reviews, with France’s centre-right Le Figaro daily describing it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”

The International Olympic Committee however was forced to apologise however for a gaffe during the ceremony that saw South Korea’s athletes incorrectly introduced as North Korean in the glittering Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.

Elsewhere on the sporting front, swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey and basketball get under way along with the surfing competition, nearly 16,000 kilometres (9,950 miles) kilometres away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.

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Swimming will take centre-stage at the La Defense Arena for the women’s 400m freestyle — one of the most-anticipated events of the entire Olympics involving three swimmers who have held the world record.

Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus will dive in as favourite after clocking the second-fastest time ever last month behind only her own 3min 55.38sec world best.

She stunned US rival Katie Ledecky in an electric Tokyo final three years ago, with the American great gunning for revenge.

Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh, also a former world record holder, completes the hotly favoured trio.

Other gold medals on offer on the first night of action in the pool come in the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.

Reigning French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are among the top draws on the first day of action on the clay courts of Roland Garros — weather permitting.

Women’s world number one Swiatek is first on court against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, with Alcaraz to follow against Lebanese world number 275 Hady Habib.

But the biggest focus will be on the men’s doubles, with Alcaraz teaming up with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in a Spanish dream pairing.

Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao will start as favourites for the first gold of the Games after a dominant victory at last year’s world championships in Baku.

Medals will also be on offer Saturday in the diving pool, with the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final, where another Chinese pairing, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen, are favourites to strike gold.

The first cycling medals of the Paris Olympics will be decided with the men’s and women’s individual times trials taking place on a challenging 32.4-kilometre course.

French rugby fans will flock to the Stade de France to see if Antoine Dupont can lead the host nation to gold in rugby sevens.

France however must overcome South Africa in Saturday’s semi-finals to reach the gold medal match against the winner of the other last-four clash between holders Fiji and Australia.

READ: Pakistan shooters Joseph, Kishmala fail to qualify for 10m air pistol final

Pakistan had an unwanted start to their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign as their shooters Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat failed to qualify for the 10m air pistol finals.

Joseph, one of seven Pakistan athletes competing in the games, had to finish in the top eight to make it into the next round.

But he was left far behind the other competing shooters and could finish 22nd out of 33 with 571 points out of 600.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Damir Mikec topped the leaderboard of the Paris Olympics’ Men’s 10m air pistol competition with 584 points while Italy’s Federico Nilo Maldini and Christian Reitz were the other shooters in the top three.

Notably, Indian shooters Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema also failed to qualify for the next round.

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Meanwhile, Kishmala Talat also suffered the same fate as she failed to qualify for the 10m women’s air pistol final after finishing 31st out of the 44 shooters. She scored a total of 567 points out of across six series.

Pakistan will compete in shooting, athletics and swimming in the Paris Olympics. Out of the seven athletes four of them earned direct qualification while sprinter Faiqa Riaz and swimmers Jehanara Nabi and Mohammad Ahmed Durrani will feature in the biggest sporting event on the basis of the universality places.

Meanwhile, star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and swimmer Jehanara Nabi have been chosen as Pakistan’s contingent flag-bearers for the prestigious event.

Among the 11 officials, six are the officials of the contingent, including the chef de mission, deputy chef de mission and an admin officer.

Pakistan contingent for Paris Olympics:

Athletics: Arshad Nadeem, Faiqa Riaz, Salman Iqbal Butt (support staff), Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa (support staff).

Swimming: Mohammad Ahmed Durrani, Jehanara Nabi, Lt Col (retired) Ahmed Ali Khan (support staff).

Shooting: Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Gulfam Joseph, Kishmala Talat), Col Junaid Ali (support staff), Gennady Solodovnikov (support staff).

Contingent officials: Mohammad Shafiq (chef de mission), Javaid Shamshad Lodhi (deputy chef de mission); Zainab Shaukat (admin officer).

READ: ECB CEO backs Pakistan as Champions Trophy 2025 host

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics began Friday, an unprecedented and ambitious show with up to 7,000 athletes parading down the River Seine past the historic monuments of the French capital despite the risk of rain dampening spirits.

For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony is taking place outside the main stadium, with some 300,000 people watching in person from specially built stands on the river banks, and another 200,000 from overlooking balconies and apartments.

As tradition dictates, the Greek delegation had the honour of leading out the flotilla, as the cradle of the modern Olympic movement.

In an ambitious, high-risk departure from past opening ceremonies, the athletes will sail down the river in an armada of 85 boats.

The show will blend both French culture and history and great Olympic moments of the past while US pop star Lady Gaga wowed the crowd of VIPS and spectators with an early performance in the ceremony.

Despite the forecast of heavy rain, and a wave of attacks which paralysed France’s high-speed rail network early Friday, organisers were confident of pulling off the audacious ceremony.

Chief Games organiser Tony Estanguet said before the show there would be some modifications if it was wet, but he insisted the weather would not dampen the mood.

“It’s going to be a beautiful moment, it’s going to be a great party,” he added.

Basketball superstar LeBron James, who will be one of two Team USA flagbearers along with tennis star Coco Gauff, was seen being equipped with a clear plastic poncho to protect him from the predicted deluge just before the teams boarded the boats.

Long queues had formed at access points along the Seine hours before the start of the parade.

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After passing scanners and checkpoints, the first arrivals discovered the numerous floating stages installed in the river channel and bridges that have been festooned with flags and the pink-and-purple colours of the Games.

“The atmosphere is really friendly,” said 75-year-old Frenchman Jean-Yves Herve, who watched the show with his grand-daughter.

“There are lots of foreigners, we’re enjoying it. It’s good for France.”

A huge security operation was in place for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, with a security perimeter erected along both banks of the Seine.

The ceremony will be guarded by 45,000 police and paramilitary officers and another 10,000 soldiers and 22,000 private security guards will complete the security operation.

Police snipers were positioned on high points along the river, which is overlooked by hundreds of buildings.

French security forces are on their highest alert to prevent terror attacks spoiling the start of the first Olympics in Paris in 100 years, while acts of sabotage from hostile foreign powers were also a known risk.

French officials refused to comment on the identity of those responsible for the rail sabotage who appear to have had a sophisticated understanding of the network.

Far-left French anarchists have a history of targeting the train network with arson attacks.

Suspicions might also fall on Russia, which French President Emmanuel Macron has said in the past was planning to target the Games.

Around 3,000 dancers are set to perform amid Paris Olympic opening ceremony from the banks of the river and monuments including Notre-Dame cathedral in a show that will promote diversity, gender equality and French history.

The landmarks and architecture of the City of Light are set to feature as a backdrop both to Friday night’s show and much of the sport afterwards.

Paris’s vision is for a more cost-effective and less polluting Olympics than previous editions, with competitions set to take place at historic locations around the capital.

WATCH: Ahmed Shehzad shares a video of himself getting bowled by a child

The Paris Olympics are set to open in a spectacular and unprecedented ceremony on the river Seine on Friday but hours before the show France’s rail network was paralysed by what officials said were acts of sabotage.

The parade on Friday evening will see up to 7,500 competitors travel down a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats.

But early Friday, French rail operator SNCF said the country’s high-speed network had been targeted by “malicious acts” aimed at paralysing the system.

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said it was an “outrageous criminal act” and Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera described the attacks as “downright appalling”.

French security forces have warned for months of the danger of attacks aimed at destabilising the Games.

Compared to the Covid-blighted 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year and opened in an empty stadium, the Paris opening ceremony will take place in front of 300,000 spectators and an audience of VIPs and celebrities from around the world.

Rain threatened to blight the ceremony after forecasters said there was a 70-80 percent chance of rain during the ceremony.

President Emmanuel Macron told a pre-Games dinner for heads of state and government: “Tomorrow you will have one of the most incredible opening ceremonies.”

The line-up of performers is a closely guarded secret but US pop star Lady Gaga and French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura — the most listened-to French-speaking singer in the world — are rumoured to be among them.

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It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, a decision fraught with danger at a time when France is on its highest alert for terrorism.

For months, organisers have been dogged by questions about whether they would need to scale back or move the procession, but they had insisted throughout that there was no Plan B.

A huge security perimeter has been erected along both banks of the Seine, guarded around the clock by some of the 45,000 police and paramilitary officers who will be on duty on Friday evening.

Another 10,000 soldiers are set to add to the security blanket along with 22,000 private security guards.

The opening ceremony is likely to define the mood for the rest of the July 26-August 11 Games, which organisers have pledged will be “iconic”.

Around 3,000 dancers are set to perform from the banks of the river and nearby monuments, including Notre Dame Cathedral, in a show that will promote diversity, gender equality and French history.

The landmarks and architecture of the City of Light, one of the world’s best-loved destinations, is set to feature as a backdrop both to Friday night’s show and much of the sport afterwards.

Paris’ vision is for a more cost-effective and less polluting Olympics than previous editions, with competitions set to take place at historic locations around the capital.

For scheduling reasons, some events have already started, including the football, rugby sevens and archery — the latter taking place in front of the golden-domed Invalides, the final resting place of Napoleon.

READ: Harbhajan Singh not in favor of India visiting Pakistan for Champions Trophy

Reigning Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati scored one goal and helped create another as World Cup holders Spain came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in their first game of the Paris Olympics women’s football tournament on Thursday.

Spain are making their Olympic women’s football debut at the Paris Games but are leading contenders to win the gold medal after their World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand last year.

They fell behind against Japan in the western French city of Nantes to Aoba Fujino’s early free-kick, but Bonmati soon equalised before Mariona Caldentey netted the winner in the 74th minute.

It is the perfect start for Spain in Group C of the Paris Olympics’ women’s football, in which rivals Nigeria and Brazil meet later.

With 12 teams split into three groups of four, there is margin for error as the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarter-finals.

That will provide some comfort for Japan, who won the silver medal at London 2012.

Spain’s starting XI featured seven players who were in the line-up for last year’s World Cup final win over England in Sydney, plus Alexia Putellas, the two-time former Ballon d’Or winner.

Japan’s side included Hinata Miyazawa, the top scorer at the World Cup, but it was Fujino who opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a fine strike from a dead ball which proved too powerful for goalkeeper Cata Coll.

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However, Spain bossed possession and drew level midway through the first half when Bonmati was played in by Athenea del Castillo and rounded the goalkeeper to score.

They then grabbed what proved to be the winner when Caldentey came in from the left and played a quick exchange of passes with Bonmati before firing in.

Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champions Canada shrugged off a spying scandal to come from behind and start their campaign with a 2-1 win over New Zealand in Saint-Etienne.

Mackenzie Barry gave New Zealand the lead before an embarrassingly sparse crowd at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, the same venue where the men’s game between Argentina and Morocco was affected by crowd trouble on Wednesday.

However, Arsenal’s Cloe Lacasse levelled in first-half stoppage time for Canada, who beat Sweden on penalties in the final in Tokyo three years ago.

Evelyne Viens then latched onto a long ball forward to fire in the winner 11 minutes from the end.

Canada’s build-up had been overshadowed after an assistant coach and an analyst were sent home from the Olympics on the eve of their opening game.

The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne.

Lombardi pleaded guilty when he appeared in court in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.

The assistant coach was Jasmine Mander, to whom Lombardi reported.

Head coach Bev Priestman apologised and decided to take no part in the game against New Zealand as a result because she felt it would not be appropriate.

Canada and New Zealand are in Group A along with hosts France and Colombia, who meet later in Lyon.

Record four-time gold medallists the United States meet Zambia later in Group B, which also sees Germany take on Australia.

READ: Nooh Dastgrit Butt blames authorities over Paris Olympics absence

Pakistan weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt lamented the lack of support from the sports institutions of the country for his absence from the Paris Olympics, scheduled to run from July 26 to August 11.

Butt appeared at ARY News’ show Sports Room and expressed his disappointment over not being able to represent Pakistan in the biggest sporting event.

“The athlete from New Zealand, whom I beat in the Commonwealth Games, is participating in the Olympics but I am not. All because of the [authorities], neither I participated in any qualifying event nor was sent for international training,” said Butt.

“They should have sent me for international training right after the Commonwealth Games and also for qualifying events so that I would participate in the Olympics and win a medal for Pakistan,” he added.

When probed about the difficulties in his professional career, Butt termed the sports institutions as the biggest hurdle before going on to appeal to the government for an ample platform.

“The biggest difficulty for me currently is the sports institutions of Pakistan, who did not send me for Olympics qualifiers. But now, all I can do is appeal to the government to provide me an international platform so that I can prepare for upcoming events like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics,” Butt said.

In May this year, weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt shared that he has been sidelined from this year’s Asian Games and Paris Olympics 2024 for allegedly being part of a parallel weightlifting interim committee.

However, the Commonwealth Games gold medalist has refuted the accusations made against him and categorically denied his affiliation with any interim weightlifting committee.

Taking to his Instagram account, Nooh Dastgir Butt shared an official letter, that he received from the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), which expressed reservations over his inclusion in the weightlifting event of the ongoing National Games.

 

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A post shared by 𝘔𝘶𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘰𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘨𝘪𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘵 (@noohdastgirbutt)

“I, unfortunately, won’t be able to participate in future weightlifting competitions — be it National Games (2023) or international competitions like Asian Games (2023) or Olympic Games (2024) — as I have been alleged to be a member of a parallel weightlifting interim committee by the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF). As a result, I won’t be given an opportunity or platform to participate in future competitions,” Butt wrote on his official Instagram account.

READ: Only seven athletes in Pakistan’s 18-member contingent for Paris Olympics

Andy Murray withdrew from the tennis singles at the Paris Olympics on Thursday but the two-time gold medallist will play doubles in what will be the final event of his glittering career.

The British former world number one, who will retire at the end of his fifth Games, has still not fully recovered from back surgery last month.

He believes the men’s doubles, where he is playing with Dan Evans, offers his best chance of another medal.

“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan,” said the 37-year-old.

“Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together. Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”

Murray won gold in singles at the London Olympics in 2012 and in Rio four years later, as well as silver in mixed doubles with Laura Robson in 2012.

His withdrawal means his final singles match was his brief second-round appearance at Queen’s Club against Jordan Thompson last month before he was forced to pull out because of a spinal cyst.

For the unversed, Andy Murray confirmed on Tuesday that he would retire after the Paris Olympics.

“Competing for Great Britain has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time,” the three-time Grand Slam champion posted on social media.

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Murray has been ravaged by injuries in recent years, slumping to 121st in the world. He has played with a metal hip since 2019 and suffered ankle damage earlier this year.

Murray was not fit enough to play singles at Wimbledon this month due to his back surgery but played doubles with his brother Jamie and was defeated in the first round before an emotional tribute arranged by tournament chiefs.

“It’s hard because I would love to keep playing, but I can’t,” admitted Murray at the All England Club.

“Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant.”

Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon when he triumphed in 2013, defeating rival Novak Djokovic in the final.

He added a second title in 2016, taking his career majors total to three after breaking his duck at the 2012 US Open.

Murray won gold at the 2012 Olympics on an emotional day at the All England Club when he defeated Roger Federer just weeks after he had lost the Wimbledon final to the Swiss on the same Centre Court.

Four years later, he defeated Juan Martin del Potro to become the first tennis player, male or female, to win two Olympic singles golds.

Murray also led Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015, the country’s first in 79 years. He has won 46 titles in all and banked around $65 million in prize money.

READ: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner out of Paris Olympics

Chaos and confusion reigned on Wednesday as Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game of the men’s Olympic football tournament.

Argentina were disallowed a late equaliser, while the final minutes were played out in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.

The South American side thought they had escaped from the Group B match in Saint-Etienne with a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time.

But as their players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups rained down from the stands and several spectators entered the pitch, with the referee promptly blowing the whistle.

The teams left the playing area, but the referee had not blown for full-time and the outcome of the match was completely unclear until the sides finally reappeared two hours later to play out three more minutes in a stadium by now emptied of spectators.

Medina’s goal was eventually disallowed for offside following a VAR review, and Morocco held on for all three points.

It was an undignified start to the sporting action at the Paris Games, and a bad day all around for Argentina, whose players were booed as they emerged onto the pitch and during the national anthem by the crowd, most of whom were supporting Morocco.

That welcome came after Argentina players were filmed singing racist chants following their victory in the recent Copa America.

“It is a circus,” complained Argentina coach Javier Mascherano. “At no point did they tell us our goal was not valid… this would not even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It’s pathetic.”

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“Beyond the Olympic spirit, the organisation needs to be up to standard. At the moment it is not, unfortunately.”

Argentina are looking to win men’s football gold for the third time after success in 2004 and 2008, but Mascherano’s side trailed 2-0 following a brace by Soufiane Rahimi.

Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) full-back, set up Rahimi for the opener in first-half stoppage time.

The reigning African Under-23 champions doubled their lead six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot, Rahimi converting after Ilias Akhomach was brought down.

Mascherano, who starred in the teams that won gold in Athens and Beijing, had at one point hoped to persuade Lionel Messi to feature among the three permitted overage players in his squad otherwise limited to those under 23.

Messi turned him down, and the biggest names in their side here were Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez and captain Nicolas Otamendi, the Benfica defender.

Giuliano Simeone, son of former Argentina star Diego, came off the bench to pull one back midway through the second half.

Medina then thought he had saved a point in the 106th minute as he nodded in after Otamendi and Bruno Amione both hit the woodwork in a frantic few seconds of action, only for Argentina to be denied.

Argentina’s next game will be in Lyon on Saturday against Iraq, who came from behind to beat Ukraine 2-1 in their opener.

READ: Shoaib Malik backs THIS batter as Pakistan’s next white-ball captain

Men’s tennis number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, days before it begins, after falling ill with tonsillitis.

The Italian said he was “sad and disappointed” to drop out, adding that he had started feeling unwell on Monday after a practice week in Monaco.

“After seeing my doctors on Tuesday and waiting an extra day to give myself some more time to see if my condition would improve, things unfortunately got worse,” Sinner, 22, said in a statement.

“I was looking forward to competing with my teammates and the rest of the Italian team, but for now that will have to wait.

“As advised by my medical team, I will now take some time to rest and recover to full health. I’d like to wish the whole team Italia the best for this important event and hope to be back stronger in the future.”

Sinner said the Olympics had been “one of my main goals for this season” and was due to play in the men’s singles and the doubles with Lorenzo Musetti.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Musetti will now have to play in the men’s doubles tournament with either Luciano Darderi or Matteo Arnaldi.

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Italian media reported that Andrea Vavassori ranked 207 in the world, will replace Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles. Sinner dropping out deprives Italy of a great shot at a medal.

He has long been the great hope of Italian tennis and after finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals in November last year, he has moved up a level.

Sinner won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open at the start of this year and then became the first Italian to top the world rankings after his recent run to the semi-finals at the French Open.

He has also won three other tournaments this year, including his second Masters 1000 crown in Miami.

Sinner withdrew from the Madrid Open before the quarter-finals with a hip injury and missed the tournament in Rome in the run-up to Roland Garros, where the Olympic tennis will be played between July 27 and August 4.

He needed a lengthy medical timeout after feeling dizzy and appearing to almost lose his balance during his quarter-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon.

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