Page 2 - Olympic Games

Olympics 2024: Ponnappa-Crasto stare at early exit after group stage defeat

India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto were staring at an early exit after suffering their second consecutive group stage defeat in the women's doubles badminton competition at the Paris Olympic here on Monday. The Indians went down 11-21 12-21 to the world number four Japanese duo of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the 48-minute Group C match. They had lost their opener against South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. Ponnappa and Crasto, world number 19, are currently placed third in their group behind the Japanese and the South Koreans. The two top ranked pairs from each group qualify for the quarterfinals. "A bit disappointed because this was the only shot we had for a chance to get to the quarters. Not the way we wanted to play but they were very strong. I wish we had given them a better fight. We have one more match and hope we can win that," Ponnappa said after the game. "They were very strong, offensively and defensively. Defensively we were a bit lacking to

Why Paris 2024 Olympic medals are special | Olympics 2024 | Paris Olympics

Olympics: Bronze medallist Manu Bhaker thanks govt for all the support

The Indian shooter finished third to secure a bronze medal in the final of the Women's Air Pistol event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday

Olympics: Bhaker's dedication, hard work, passion paid off, says Bindra

Manu Bhaker's relentless dedication, hard work, and passion have truly paid off said India's only shooting gold medallist Abhinav Bindra on Sunday after the 22-year-old won bronze medal in women's 10m air pistol final on the second day of the Olympics here. Bindra led the wishes for Manu who became the first woman medallist from India in shooting and opened the country's account in the ongoing Paris edition with an effort of 221.7 in the final. Heartiest congratulations to Manu Bhaker for clinching the bronze medal in the air pistol event at Paris 2024! Your relentless dedication, hard work, and passion have truly paid off, Bindra wrote on X (formerly Twitter). It's incredible to witness your skill and determination, bringing pride to India with each shot. This achievement is a testament to your perseverance and determination. Keep shining, Manu!, he added. Indian president Droupadi Murmu said her feat is going to inspire many sportspersons. "Heartiest congratulations to Manu Bhak

Simone Biles leads charge of older gymnasts, redefining sport at Olympics

It still happens to Simone Biles. Even now, after two Olympics, six world championships, and a decade-plus in the spotlight. The most decorated gymnast of all time and the face of the U.S. Olympic movement will be chatting with someone when her age comes up. They're like Oh my god, you're so cute, you're a kid'" Biles told The Associated Press with a somewhat exasperated laugh. Like I want to say 'I'm grown. I'm an adult now. I'm 27 years old.' Yet, the perception of Biles as a pony-tailed prodigy persists even as the demographics at the top of her sport shift. Maybe, it's because all but one of the last 13 Olympic champions have been teenagers, including Biles when she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago and US teammate and good friend Sunisa Lee, who was 18 when she edged Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade in a taut final in Tokyo in 2021. They're both back on what they've labelled a redemption tour." When Biles and Lee step onto the floor at Bercy Arena on Sunday for Olymp

Kevin Durant likely to play for US in its Olympic opener against Serbia

There is hope that Kevin Durant will play for the US in its Olympic opener against Serbia on Sunday, which means the men's national team may have 12 players available for the first time this summer. That is unless something else happens. The Americans open their path toward what they hope is a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal when they take on three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and World Cup finalist Serbia in the opener for both teams at the Paris Games. Durant missed all five exhibition games the US played coming into Paris because of a calf strain, and coach Steve Kerr stopped short of definitively saying Saturday that he is in the line-up for the opener. Hopefully, Kerr said. Durant was on the floor for practice, while presumed starting centre Joel Embiid was not because of illness. Kerr said he didn't expect Embiid to miss Sunday's game. I'm confident we'll have everybody ready tomorrow, Kerr said. There have been signs in recent days that USA Basketball expects Durant a ..

Paris Olympics 2024: Nita Ambani, PT Usha, others inaugurate India House

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, Nita Ambani welcomed the world to the 'India House' to experience the beauty, diversity and rich heritage of India

Swiatek starts Olympics tennis event with win at French open truimph site

Iga Swiatek shook off a bit of a dip in the first round of the Paris Olympics tennis competition and grabbed the last four games to beat Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday under a closed roof at Roland Garros, the site of the No. 1-ranked Polish player's four French Open titles. Swiatek, who won a third consecutive championship at Court Philippe Chatrier just seven weeks ago, got broken in that same stadium to trail 5-3 in the second set before getting back to her usual clay-court expertise. She wrapped up the victory by breaking at love when Begu double-faulted on the last point. Day 1 of tennis began with showers that might have contributed to slow lines for umbrella-toting spectators at the facility's security checks near entrances and postponed by hours the start of matches at the 10 courts without retractable roofs. It's a good thing the French tennis federation built a pair of covers recently: 15,000-capacity Chatrier added one in 2020, and the second-largest ..

Olympics: Zhang hopes Chinese swimmers will be seen as clean after tests

Zhang Yufei hopes her international rivals will believe she is competing clean after the Chinese swimming star estimates she took between 20 and 30 drug tests monthly in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. I don't think there's a single athlete, Chinese or foreign, who would test positive for doping. They would not want to destroy all the hard work they've put in over the years on doping, Zhang told reporters in the mixed zone Saturday when she was the top qualifier for the 100-meter butterfly final. She won her preliminary race in 56.50 seconds during the first day of the swimming competition at Paris La Defense Arena. She said afterwards she is anxious about what her friends and competitors in the swimming world are thinking about Zhang and others from the Chinese team. Zhang said she and her teammates have tested three to four days a week in the past couple of months leading up to the Paris Games and in the wake of a doping scandal involving 23 Chinese swimmers including Zhang .

Olympic sailing ready to start with fast windsurfing, light winds, hot sun

There are light winds in the forecast for the beginning of the sailing competition at the 2024 Olympics on Sunday, potentially creating a significant challenge for the sailors in a bay ringed by cliffs and islands that make for ever-changing currents in the air and water. The first regattas in this Mediterranean port city feature four of the ten Olympic categories; men's and women's iQFOiL windsurfing, and the black-sail skiffs known as 49er for men and 49erFX for women. For all events, points are earned over multiple regattas on multiple days making sailing a marathon where medals are won by strategy and concentration as much as by physical strength. But when winds are light, it gets very physical, especially for the windsurfers who need to pump their sails hard to get fast enough for the foil to kick in, making the board fly over the water. A new windsurf opens possibilities The foil is the novelty this year for windsurfing opening the discipline to young athletes since everyo

Manu Bhaker enters her first Olympic final, saves India's day in shooting

A supremely confident Manu Bhaker was at the top of her game as she entered the 10m women's air pistol final, salvaging the day for Indian shooting after an underwhelming start by her compatriots in the Olympic Games here on Saturday. The 22-year-old Bhaker shot 580 to finish third in the qualifications in which Hungarian ace Veronika Major claimed the top spot with a score of 582. The other Indian representative, Rhythm Sangwan, ended 15th with a score of 573. The final will be held on Sunday. Reduced to tears following her forgettable outing in her Games debut in Tokyo three years ago, Bhaker is seeking to add an Olympic medal to her very excellent resume. A prominent shooter, who has gained international recognition for his exploits in the sport form a very young age, Bhaker looked determined to keep the Tokyo memories behind and produced a fine qualification performance. The Haryana shooter made a bright start with a total of 97 points to take the fourth spot at the end of Seri

Olympic organisers apologise for calling South Korean athletes North Korean

Olympic Games organisers said they deeply apologise for introducing South Korea's athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony in Paris. As the South Korean athletes waved their nation's flag on a boat floating down the Seine River Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. South Korea is the Republic of Korea. We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast, the International Olympic Committee said in a post on X in Korean. The South Korean Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism Vice Minister Jang Mi Ran requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach over the incident, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. It said the ministry also asked South Korea's Foreign Ministry to file a strong government-level complaint with the French government. The statement said South Korea's Olympic committee separately asked the organisers of t

Why is Paris 2024 Olympics set to be the greenest Olympics in history

Paris Olympics 2024 will largely depend on renewable energy sources, including geothermal and solar power; France has put in place several environmentally friendly initiatives

Paris Olympics 2024: France to kick off games under tight security

Some 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff will ensure the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments

Olympic Order for Abhinav Bindra makes every Indian proud: PM Modi

Lauding shooting legend Abhinav Bindra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that it makes every Indian proud that he has been awarded the Olympic Order. Bindra, an Olympic gold medallist, has been awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for his outstanding services to the Olympic Movement. The award ceremony will be held during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on August 10, a day before the closing of the Olympics. In a post on X, Modi said, "It makes every Indian proud that @Abhinav_Bindra has been awarded the Olympic Order. Congratulations to him. Be it as an athlete or a mentor to upcoming sportspersons, he has made noteworthy contributions to sports and the Olympic Movement.

Paris Olympics 2024: Security thins out tourists, business down 50%

Many are hoping that tourists will flood back after the restrictions are eased, but Paris trade organizations warned that more than 1,000 entrepreneurs would struggle to recoup losses

Paris Olympics 2024: Nita Ambani unanimously re-elected as IOC member

Nita Ambani was first appointed to join the prestigious body in 2016, at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

Olympic Games 2024: 60% surge in visa applications for Paris from India

Paris' iconic landmarks and Olympic venues are expected to draw millions

CAPF & special forces canine squad in France for Olympics venue security

Ten specially-trained Indian CAPF and special commando force dogs are in France to provide a counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage security cover to various venues of the Paris Olympics slated to open next week, official sources said on Wednesday. The ten Indian K9 (canine) teams will undertake sniffing and patrolling duties at various venues that will hold events for the Paris Olympics. They have been given a special 10-week training for this first-ever kind of collaboration of canine squads between the Indian and the French government, a security officer told PTI. The teams along with their handlers are drawn from the central armed police forces (CAPFs) like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force apart from the elite federal contingency commando force National Security Guard (NSG) and the Assam Rifles. The dogs are from the sturdy Belgian Malinois breed which undertake infantry patrol and anti-sabotage sniffer task

Paris 2024: Can Indian wrestlers deliver or medal winning legacy under risk

Indian wrestlers have delivered a medal every single time at the Olympics since the 2008 Beijing edition. Success in four consecutive editions has enhanced the status of wrestling as a prime Olympic sport in the country. There was success at junior level too. The sport also produced U23 world champions. It raised hopes of big success in Paris. It was Sushil Kumar who changed the way wrestling was perceived in the country by winning a bronze in 2008. He bettered his medal four years later in the London Games, where he fetched a silver. While Yogeshwar Dutt also won a bronze in the British capital. Sakshi Malik carried forward the trend by bagging a bronze in Rio in 2016 and Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia made it a double delight in the delayed Tokyo Games (2021). However, the sport which was soaring high and was expected to reach even greater heights, was brought down to earth by the prolonged protests against then Wrestling Federation of India chief by the country's elite ...