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Tag: Paris Olympics 2024

  • Paris Olympics 2024: Manu Bhaker Shines In Qualifier As India’s Hope For Olympic Gold In Shooting | Other

    Paris Olympics 2024: Sports can often be unforgiving, with very slim margins separating success from failure. After a challenging Tokyo Olympics, where a pistol malfunction led to a heartbreaking result, Manu Bhaker redeemed herself with an impressive performance at the Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old from Jhajjar made history by becoming the first female shooter from India to advance to the final of an individual shooting event at the Olympics. With her confident display, Bhaker now has the opportunity to become the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal if she secures the top spot in Sunday’s final.

    In the qualifications for the women’s 10m air pistol event, Bhaker shot a score of 580, placing her third overall. Hungarian shooter Veronika Major led the field with a score of 582. Fellow Indian competitor Rhythm Sangwan finished in 15th place with a score of 573, which was disappointing compared to Bhaker’s performance. (Paris Olympics 2024: Know All About Shooter Manu Bhaker Who Won India’s First Medal In France)

    Bhaker demonstrated exceptional control throughout the qualification round, which lasted one hour and fifteen minutes. Her challenge now is to maintain that composure during the high-pressure final at the National Shooting Centre. India has not won an Olympic medal in shooting since 2012, and Bhaker is in a strong position to break that drought.

    Reflecting on her Tokyo Games setback, Bhaker described it as one of the most painful experiences of her career, admitting that she almost gave up the sport. However, her resilience and ability to bounce back from adversity are what define a champion. Her personal coach, Jaspal Rana, who was emotional after the qualification round, emphasized that the competition is far from over. He advised Bhaker to stay hydrated, especially given the challenging heat conditions in the range.

    Meanwhile, 2016 Olympic champion Anna Korakaki, who competed alongside Bhaker, struggled with illness and had to withdraw from the session. Despite the tough day for Indian shooters overall, Bhaker’s stellar performance, including 27 inner 10s—the most in the qualification round—provides a glimmer of hope. Her initial series of seven 10s and three 9s set the tone for her qualification, ensuring her place in the final despite a slip in her performance in the later series.

    The day was less successful for other Indian shooters, who did not advance to the finals in the men’s 10m air pistol and 10m air rifle mixed team events, making Bhaker’s achievement all the more significant.

  • In A First For Country, Nita Ambani Inaugurates India House At Paris Olympics |

    PARIS: Fresh off the year’s most extravagant wedding, Nita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics on Saturday. 

    The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, which Ambani founded and chairs. 

    “Today we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 to open the doors to a dream. A dream that belongs to 1.4 billion Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics and our shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani, an International Olympic Committee member, said in her address. 

    India House is one of several hospitality houses that spring up around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands. This is a smattering of what’s on offer from Saturday through Aug. 11, the day of the closing ceremony: 

    — Tributes to Indian architecture and artistic motifs (think tigers and peacocks) 

    — Virtual reality tourism 

    — Cricket matches 

    — Workshops on block printing 

    — Henna tattooing and Bollywood dance 

    — A lounge for athletes 

    — Food, of course, which ranges from biryani and mutton curry to curd rice and several desserts. 

    “It’s beautiful, it’s colorful. It’s smiles, it’s joy, it’s happiness. It’s India,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the event. “It’s what we all love, the entire world. The world is here today. And India House unites the world.” 

    Infantino was there to encourage the development of soccer in India, whose men’s team ranks 124th and women’s team 67th in their respective FIFA standings. 

    “In India, football is fantastic,” he said. “Together, we make it grow even more. And, I’m here for that. So to all Indians: Watch us, football is coming seriously now in India.” 

    India has sent 112 athletes in 16 sports to the Olympics. 

    In addition to daily activities, India House will have performances, including an opening night concert from famed Bollywood playback singer Shaan. Sunday is “Bollywood Day” but will feature an hourlong session with ex-cricketer and coach Rahul Dravid on the future of cricket at the Olympics. 

    Men’s and women’s cricket, played in the Twenty20 format, will be added at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

    Ambani was accompanied by her husband, Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire industrialist who is Asia’s richest man. It’s been a busy month for the couple: Their youngest son, Anant Ambani, was married just two weeks ago in an elaborate, global celebrity-filled affair that many have dubbed the wedding of the year. 

  • Paris Olympics 2024 India’s July 28 Schedule: List Of Events, Time In IST, Medals, Where To Watch Live Streaming | Other

    After a tough start to the Paris Olympics 2024 campaign, the Indians athletes will look to shine on day 2 of the competition. Balraj Panwar who competed on first day finished fourth in Men’s Single Sculls event on his debut Olympic Games. He will now take part in the repechage round on July 28 to compete for a medal if he goes through.

    Another Olympian who has made it to a final is shooter Manu Bhaker. Bhaker finished third in the qualifications for the 10m Air Pistol Women’s final, scoring 580 points. The 22-year-old will now compete for India’s first medal in this Olympics, with Hungarian ace Veronika Major topping the qualifications with a score of 582.

    Many other athletes are set to begin their campaigns on Sunday, including PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy, who will face their first opponents of the Games.

    In one of the marquee matchups, boxer Nikhat Zareen will step into the ring, aiming to punch her ticket to Olympic glory.

    Following is India’s schedule at the Olympics on Sunday…

    Badminton

    * Women’s Singles (Group stage): PV Sindhu vs FN Abdul Razzaq (Maldives) — 12.50 pm

    * Men’s Singles (Group stage): Prannoy HS vs Fabian Roth (Germany) — 8.00 pm Shooting

    * Women’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Elavenil Valarivan — 12.45 pm (Lady Gaga’s Surprise Performance To Celine Dion’s Show Stopper: Key Moments From The Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony)

    * Men’s 10m Air Rifle Qualification: Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta — 2.45 pm

    * Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final: Manu Bhaker — 3.30 pm Rowing

    * Men’s Single Sculls (Repechage 2): Balraj Panwar — 1.18 pm Table tennis

    * Women’s Singles (Round 2): Sreeja Akula vs Christina Källberg (Sweden) — 12.15 pm onwards

    * Women’s Singles (Round 2): Manika Batra vs Anna Hursey (Great Britain) — 12.15 pm onwards

    * Men’s Singles (Round 2): Sharath Kamal vs Deni Kozul (Slovenia) — 3.00 pm onwards Swimming

    * Men’s 100m Backstroke (Heat 2): Srihari Nataraj — 3.16 pm

    * Women’s 200m Freestyle (Heat 1): Dhinidhi Desinghu — 3.30 pm Archery

    * Women’s Team (Quarter-finals): India (Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari) vs France/Netherlands — 5.45 pm

    * Women’s Team (Semi-finals): 7.17 pm onwards

    * Women’s Team (medal rounds): 8.18 pm onwards.

  • India vs New Zealand Paris Olympics 2024 Free Live Streaming: When, Where And How To Watch Hockey Match Live On TV, Mobile Apps, Online | Other

    After a glittering opening ceremony, the Indian contingent will be in action in seven different sports on Saturday, with shooting, hockey, badminton and tennis being standout sports. A Saturday full of action will start for India with Balraj Panwar competing in rowing, in the single sculls heats at 12:30 PM.

    Then, the focus will shift to shooting, with 10 m air rifle mixed team qualification scheduled for 12:30 PM, which will see teams of Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal in action. The shooting action will continue with the 10 m air pistol men’s and women’s qualifiers scheduled for 2 PM and 4 PM respectively.

    The air pistol qualifiers will feature stars like Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema, Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan in action. After some consistent shows in national and international events leading up to the Olympics, Team India would no doubt, be strong contenders for a medal in every category. (Paris Olympics 2024 India Day 1 Schedule: Focus On Indian Shooters And Men’s Hockey Team- Live Streaming Details Here)

    A standout event for India today will be the first round of men’s doubles tennis, which will feature India’s doubles star Rohan Bopanna teaming up with world No. 65 N Sriram Balaji in pursuit of maiden Olympic medal from 3:30 PM onwards. Having won a Grand Slam event, the Australian Open men’s doubles event with Matthew Ebden of Australia, Bopanna will be aiming to utilize his winning momentum, consistency and experience in his medal chase, which he narrowly missed out on in the 2016 Rio Olympics when he Teamed up with Sania Mirza for mixed doubles but could just finish fourth.

    From 11:00 PM onwards, some badminton action will kick off, with men’s singles and doubles and women’s doubles matches set to take place till 5:30 PM. The men’s singles medal prospect and Commonwealth Games champion, Lakshya Sen, India’s red-hot men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will have the spotlight on them.

    At 7:15 PM, Indian paddler Harmeet Desai will be in action during the preliminary round in men’s table tennis singles competition. (Paris Olympics 2024: Disappointing Start For India In 10m Air Rifle Team Shooting, No Final Four Spot)

    From 9:00 PM, the Indian men’s hockey team, a major source of pride for the country in its Olympic history, would start its pursuit for a medal in their men’s Pool B match against a strong New Zealand team. After securing a bronze in Tokyo 2020 after over 40 years, the Men in Blue will be rare to go out there and play fearlessly to change the color of their medal to gold.

    Here are the livestreaming details of India vs New Zealand Hockey match in the Paris Olympics 2024:

    When and what time will the India vs New Zealand hockey match start?

    The India vs New Zealand hockey match will be played on July 27 at 9:00 PM IST.

    Where will India vs New Zealand hockey match take place?

    The India vs New Zealand hockey match will take place at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium..

    Which channel will telecast India vs New Zealand hockey match in India?

    India vs New Zealand hockey match will be aired on Sports18 Network in India.

    How to watch the live streaming of the India vs New Zealand hockey match in India?

    The India vs New Zealand hockey match will stream live on the JioCinema app and website.

    At 12:02 AM in night, the boxing contingent of India will kickstart its campaign as well, with Preeti set to compete in round of 32 of women’s 54 kg category.

  • Paris Olympics 2024: Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, And Sonali Bendre Cheer For ‘Team India’ | People News

    Mumbai: The Paris Olympics has kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony, and Bollywood stars are rallying behind the Indian contingent participating in the biggest sporting event. Actress Deepika Padukone took to her Instagram stories and shared a video of the opening ceremony, featuring Indian athletes PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal, who led the Indian team as flag bearers during the Parade of Nations on the River Seine in Paris, France.

    Her ‘Singham Again’ co-star, Ajay Devgn, also showed his support by posting on It’s time to bring home the hardware. #OlympicGames2024.

    Sonali Bendre shared a picture of the Indian contingent at the Olympics on her Instagram story, captioning it: “Rooting for Team India.”

    Alia Bhatt also took to Instagram stories and posted a picture from the event with the caption: “Onward and upward, Team India.”

    While many praised the Indian athletes, actress and politician Kangana Ranaut criticized the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024.

    Taking to Instagram stories, the actress posted a video from the event and wrote: “The Paris Olympics is under fire for including a ‘child’ in their hyper-s*xualised, blasphemous rendition of The Last Supper. An apparent child could be seen joining the drag queens during the performance.

    They also showed a naked man painted blue as Jesus and mocked Christianity. Leftists totally hijacked Olympics 2024. Shame (sic).

  • France’s High-Speed ​​Rail Network ‘Attacked’, Ahead Of Paris Olympics 2024 Opening | Other

    Arson attacks and other “malicious acts” have hit France’s high speed train network, disrupting the transport system, the country’s national rail operator said on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    French railway operator SNCF reported acts of vandalism on several of its high-speed train routes, DW said. The TGV high-speed rail network was disrupted on lines to the country’s west, north and east, with service being cut off on some sections, causing delays, local media reported. (Paris Olympics 2024 India’s July 27 Schedule: List Of Events, Time In IST, Medals, Where To Watch Live Streaming)

    “Coordinated malicious acts targeted several TGV lines last night and will seriously disrupt traffic until this weekend. I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the vacation departures of many French people. A big thank you to the #SNCF teams, on the bridge to restore traffic conditions as quickly as possible.,” the country’s Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said on X.

    The country’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera condemned the attacks and was cited by the BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network, as saying “To play against the Games is to play against France, against your side, against your country. ”

    She said that the impact for travelers, Olympic athletes, and the general public was currently being assessed while assuring “smooth transportation of all delegations to the competition sites.”

    The rail operator SNCF said that train traffic on the Atlantic, North and East area had been disrupted. This situation should nevertheless “last at least the whole weekend, while the repairs are carried out” the operator said in a statement.

  • Paris Olympics 2024: ‘We Have Ability To Beat Any Team’, Says TT Star Harmeet Desai | Other

    Having played an important role in helping India clinch Commonwealth Games gold medals in 2018 and 2022, star Indian paddler Harmeet Desai believes that the Indian team has the ability to upset any team at the Paris Olympics and insisted that the team’s preparation was well on track to perform at their optimum best in the French capital.

    The Indian table tennis contingent created history earlier this year when both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the Olympics for the first time and the preparatory camps, in Bengaluru from June 7-16 and in Saarbrucken, Germany earlier this month, were focused on working. out the perfect combinations for the team events at the Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

    “On a given day, I think we really have a very good chance of beating any team. We have won against top teams in the world in the past and it is possible this time also if we give our best. In the Olympics, if all three of us can put on the best show then anything is possible,” the 31-year-old said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.

    Desai is part of the Indian men’s team along with Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. He will also be competing in the individual events.

    Desai’s confidence stems from the fact that the Indian men’s team had defeated the mighty Japan in the quarter-finals to clinch the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games. (Paris Olympics 2024: India’s Full Schedule; Date, Time, Athletes And More)

    Speaking about the rise of Indian table tennis on the world stage, Desai credited the central government’s various schemes and the launch of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017 for the development of the sport.

    “UTT has helped us get more experience and exposure to play with international players and get guidance from foreign coaches. That was not the case before 2017. So, this kind of experience has helped the players get more self-belief and perform well in the international arena,” he said.

    The Indian men’s team will face China in the opening round while the women’s team will open their campaign against Romania. The individual events will be played from July 27 to August 4 whereas the team events are scheduled from August 5 to 10.

    After the Paris Olympics, India’s representatives at the Games and upcoming talent from the country will rub shoulders against each other and some international stars in the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, scheduled to take place in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

  • Paris Olympics 2024: India Directly Qualify For Quarter-Finals In Women’s Team Archery Event | Other

    The Indian women’s archery 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. (Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Live Streaming: When, Where And How To Watch Live On TV, Mobile App, Online)

    During the ranking round, each shooter was supposed to hit 72 arrows in two halves of 36 each. A set consists of six arrows shot at once, and there are six sets per half.

    The top four seeds earned a direct qualification to the quarterfinals. At the conclusion of the first set, Indian archers Ankita Bhakat scored 54 points and had 22nd place (X, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8), Deepika Kumari had 51 points and 51st place (10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 6) and Bhajan Kaur had 51 points (9, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7) and 52nd place.

    The leading player was Sihyeon Lim of South Korea, with 59 points.

    In the subsequent two sets, Ankita and Bhajan started to improve their standings, rising to seventh and 41st place, respectively. On the other hand, Deepika rose to the 36th spot in the second set with 54 points but slipped to the 39th spot in the third set with 54 points.

    Halfway through the first set, South Korea’s Sihyeon Lim (176) and Suhyeon Nam (172) occupied the top two spots. Ankita (7th with 170 points), Deepika (39th with 161 points) and Bhajan (41st with 161 points) were also climbing up.

    India as a team had climbed up to fourth seeding out of 12 by the time the third set ended.

    In the fourth set, Ankita faced a brief drop to 8th spot, while Deepika and Bhajan climbed to 31st and 38th place, respectively. In the fifth set, Ankita fell to the 10th spot, while Bhajan and Deepika rose to the 23rd spot and 33rd spots, respectively.

    India concluded the first half of the ranking round in 6th place as a team, with Ankita (12th place with 335 points), Deepika (37th place with 327 points) and Bhajan (23rd place with 330 points) having to put their all in the second half for a direct spot in the quarter-finals.

    South Korea occupied both the top spot as a team and individually, led by Sihyeon. Turkey’s Elif Berra Gokkir had the second spot, while Suhyeon of South Korea held the third spot in the individual category.

    India started the second half really well, with Ankita falling to 15th place with 389 points, but Deepika (25th place with 384 points) and Bhajan (28th place with 383 points) rising up. India rose to fourth seeding at the start of the second half.

    India maintained its fourth seeding at the end of the eighth set, with Ankita rising to the 11th spot with 445 points, Deepika rising to the 24th spot with 439 points, and Bhajan falling to the 30th spot with 437 points.

    India slid down to the fifth spot at the end of the ninth set, with Ankita intact at the 11th spot, Deepika falling to the 30th spot, and Bhajan rising to the 25th spot. India once again went up to fourth spot at the tenth set end, with Ankita dropping to 12th spot, Bhajan rising to 21st, and Deepika reaching 28th spot too.

    In the 11th set, Bhakat accumulated 58 points, while Bhajan and Deepika claimed 56 points each.

    In the final set, Deepika shined by hitting four consecutive 10-point marks. She accumulated 57 points and finished in 23rd place with an aggregate total of 658. Bhajan finished the final set with 53 points. She secured 22nd place with an aggregate of 659. Ankita walked away with 11th place with an aggregate of 666 points and accumulated 54 points in the final set.

  • Abhinav Bindra Creates History As First Indian To Receive Olympic Order | Other

    Abhinav Bindra, the first Indian to win an individual medal at the Olympics, has been conferred with the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement. The Olympic Order is the highest award given by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for meritorious services. Bindra, a member of the IOC Athletes Commission, is the first Indian to receive the Olympic Order and was hailed by many prominent persons for this achievement. The decision to confer the award on Bindra was taken at the IOC Executive Board meeting in Paris on Saturday. The information was put on social media by many handles associated with government bodies.

    “It is with great pleasure that I inform you that the IOC Executive Board has today decided to award you with the Olympic Order for your outstanding services to the Olympic November,” IOC President Thomas Bach informed Bindra in a letter on Monday.

    Bindra was informed that the award ceremony will take place during the 142nd IOC Session to be held in Paris on August 10.

    “May I take this opportunity to address you my most sincere congratulations on this award. Looking forward to seeing you in Paris,” Bach said in the letter dated July 20, 2024.

    Dr. Mandaviya hails Bindra

    Among those who wrote congratulatory messages to Bindra was Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

    “Congratulations to @Abhinav_Bindra on being awarded the Olympic Order for outstanding contributions to the Olympic Movement! His achievement fills us with pride and is truly well-deserved. His name alone has inspired generations of shooters and Olympians,” Dr Mandaviya, who is also Minister of Labor and Employment, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

    The official handle of IPL side Lucknow Super Giants also congratulated Bindra on getting the award.

    “History-maker, once again, Congratulations Abhinav Bindra,” said the post on