The Olympic rings are illuminated on the Eiffel Tower on June 7, 2024, ahead the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Due to heavy rainfall, the first full day of medal events at the Olympics on Saturday was disrupted, shifting the focus from the spectacular yet damp opening ceremony to the sporting competitions.
A total of 14 gold medals were initially scheduled to be awarded, with the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle finals set to commence at approximately 10:30 am local time (0830 GMT).
However, the number was promptly reduced to 13 early on Saturday morning as the persistent wet weather conditions, which had already affected Friday night's audacious opening ceremony along the River Seine, continued to pose challenges.
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, organisers said.
The spectre of disruption also loomed over the opening
rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, where only two of the 12 courts have roofs.
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.
“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.
Swimming duel
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.
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 early 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 games 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.
AFP