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Paris 2024: Grand Show Ushers 33rd Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

By
Emenike Agu
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Paris – The city of Paris transformed into a grand amphitheatre on Friday as the iconic Seine River served as a track for the athletes’ parade in the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games. The event showcased France’s cultural diversity, revolutionary spirit, impeccable craftsmanship, and rich architectural heritage.

The ceremony broke tradition with a spectacular ‘Parade of Nations’ as athletes from 205 countries and a refugee team sailed down the Seine on boats. Despite heavy rain, the event proceeded with grandeur.

In a notable moment, the ceremony paid tribute to the contributions of prominent French women during the ‘sisterhood’ segment, using Hindi among six languages in the infographics.

French President Emmanuel Macron officially declared the Games open, signaling the start of 16 days of intense competition.

The torch relay featured sports icons Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci, who journeyed by boat. Retired French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo, now the French Open director, passed the flame to French basketball legend and former NBA star Tony Parker.

The torchbearers, now a group of 18 Olympians and Paralympians, approached the cauldron. Final torchbearers Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec lit the cauldron in the Jardin des Tuileries, aligned with the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées, and the Arc de Triomphe. As the cauldron was ignited, a balloon lifted it high into the Paris sky, marking a breathtaking start to the Olympics.

Quadri Aruna Eliminated In Round Of 64 At Paris 2024 Olympics

By
Emenike Agu
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Quadri Aruna’s quest for Olympic glory came to an abrupt end in the men’s singles table tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Nigerian player was defeated by Romania’s Eduard Ionescu with a score of 4-3 in a dramatic comeback.

Aruna, competing in his fourth consecutive Olympic Games, initially dominated the match, winning the first three sets 11-8, 11-9, and 11-6.

However, Ionescu, the Romanian teenager, began his comeback by winning the fourth set 11-8. He continued his resurgence by claiming the fifth set 12-10, forcing a sixth set, which he won 11-9, leveling the score at 3-3.

The final set was a tense battle, but Ionescu emerged victorious with a 13-11 win, eliminating Aruna from the competition. This match echoed their previous encounter at the 2024 European Champions League, where Ionescu also prevailed 3-2.

Aruna’s performance at Paris 2024 marks a disappointing turn after his historic run to the quarterfinals at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where he became the first African to achieve that feat.

Team Nigeria’s Day 2 Schedule at Paris 2024 Olympics

BOXING
Arena Paris Nord
10:48 – Preliminaries Round of 16
Olaitan Adam Olaore (NGR) vs Aibeck Oralbay (KAZ)

FOOTBALL
La Beaujoire Stadium, Nantes
18:00 – Women’s Group C
Spain vs Nigeria

TABLE TENNIS
South Paris Arena 4
21:00 – Women’s Singles
Offiong Edem (NGR) vs Bruna Takahashi (BRA)

China Secures First Gold Medal Of Paris 2024 In Shooting Event

By
Emenike Agu
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In a remarkable start to the Paris Olympics, China clinched the first gold medal of the games, but the victory did not take place in Paris.

Instead, the Olympic shooting range located in Chateauroux, a three-hour drive from the French capital, hosted the event.

Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao triumphed in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event on Saturday morning. They quickly established a four-point lead against South Korea’s Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun and maintained their advantage, ultimately winning 16-12.

This victory marks a continuation of China’s dominance in the event, as Yang Qian and Yang Haoran won the gold in the same category at the Tokyo Olympics, where team air rifle shooting made its debut.

Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev secured the first medals of the Paris Games by defeating Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich 17-5 to claim the bronze.

Paris 2024: Canarinhas Pip Super Falcons 1-0 Paris Olympics Opener in Bordeaux

By
Emenike Agu
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The Super Falcons were full of guts and gumption, but a 37th minute strike by Gabi Nunes separated the two-time Olympics silver medallists from the nine-time African champions as the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament got off to a roarious start on Thursday.

Rasheedat Ajibade led the Falcons to the turf of the Stade Matmut Atlantique, as Nigeria’s flag was flown at the tournament for the first time in 16 years, and truly led from the front with some excellent runs down the left of the South Americans. But her team mates at the fore failed to read her moves correctly on the several occasions she sent the ball into the box.

Her final pass, after a brave run down the line in the 7th minute was blocked, and in the 16th minute, she was the initiator of a double-barreled attack on the Brazilian goal that saw Chinwendu Ihezuo’s shot blocked and Christy Ucheibe’s follow-up punched away.

In the 20th minute, Chiamaka Nnadozie saved from the rampaging Portilho, and again read well a long-range drive by Gabi Nunes five minutes later. In the 36th minute, ageless Brazil captain Marta thought she had given her team the lead when she struck past Nnadozie as the Falcons’ defence failed to clear, but she was ruled offside.

Moments later, the Nigerian defence was again caught napping, and Gabi Nunes, set free by a wonder of a pass by Marta, fired past Nnadozie, the ball cantering in from the underside of the bar.

In the closing moments, the Falcons broke forward with a sweet team move, only for Jennifer Echegini’s lift to rise above the opposition goalpost.

On the hour mark, Marta’s dipping curl from the left was thwarted by the upright, and Nnadozie saved from Ludmila three minutes later.

Ajibade forced another smart save from the Brazilian goalkeeper in the 71st minute, and Ucheibe did the same with minutes left. But the Canarinhas held on to pick all three points in the evening.

Next up for the Super Falcons is a clash with world champions Spain – who defeated Japan 2-1 in Group C’s opener – in Nantes on Sunday evening.  

Tobi Amusan Named Team Nigeria Flagbearer For 2024 Paris Olympics

By
Emenike Agu
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Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s Queen of Track and World Record holder in the 100m Women’s hurdles, has been chosen as Team Nigeria’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Amusan is the first athlete from Athletics to hold this honor in 20 years, since Mary Onyali at the Athens 2004 Games.

In addition to Amusan’s appointment, the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) has also named badminton star Anuoluwapo Opeyori as the General Team Captain for Nigeria in Paris.

Nigeria will compete in the following sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics:

  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Canoeing
  • Cycling
  • Football
  • Table Tennis
  • Taekwondo
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling

A total of 88 athletes will represent Nigeria across these sports. With strong contenders like Tobi Amusan leading the team, expectations are high for Nigeria to perform well and secure medals at the Games. The participation of athletes in various disciplines showcases the nation’s diverse talent and commitment to excelling on the global stage.

Paris Ready For The Games, Says Organising Committee

By
Emenike Agu
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With the Olympic Games Paris 2024 set to kick off formally with the opening ceremony on Friday night in the French capital city, President of the Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet, announced on Sunday that the city was “ready” for the Games as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the event.

“We are ready as we head into the final phase,” Estanguet told a press conference in Paris on Sunday, five days from the opening parade on Friday.

He added: “For as long as the closing ceremony hasn’t finished, we need to remain vigilant. But today we are exactly where we would have dreamed of being a few years ago.”

Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the City of Light and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in, while the weather has also brightened up after months of rain.

In a further boost for organisers, the water quality of the river Seine – which is set to be used for outdoor Olympic swimming events – has also improved dramatically since the start of July.

“All the indicators for the Seine are positive at this stage,” Estanguet added.

The river is set to host the opening ceremony next Friday which will see 6 000-7 000 athletes sail down it on 85 barges and boats.

It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 300,000 ticketed spectators set to watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 expected to watch from the overlooking apartments.

Around 4,000 tickets are still available, Estanguet said.

“We’ve always tried to maintain as high a level of ambition as possible so that these Games make France shine,” Estanguet added.

The vast security operation required for the opening ceremony is causing some friction, however, with large parts of central Paris along the banks of the river and around Olympic venues off-limits for most people.

Trade groups representing Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs complained on Friday that they were facing an “unprecedented slump in business and footfall”, blaming the “heavy security measures” in part.

“We were always a choice made in full conscience that the success of Paris 2024 would mean having the Games in the city,” Estanguet explained. “That was the completely unprecedented concept for Paris 2024.”

Around 45,000 members of the French security forces are set to be on duty on Friday evening when the Olympics kick off at 7:30 pm (1730 GMT).

“Security was the No. 1 priority for Paris 2024,” Estanguet stressed.

Fola David Surpasses Guinness World Record For Largest Painting

By
Koko Lawrence
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A Nigerian doctor and visual artist, Fola David, has made history by surpassing the existing Guinness World Record (GWR) for the world’s largest drawing by an individual.
The massive artwork, spanning an impressive 850 square meters, surpassed the previous record of 629.98 square meters held by Ravi Soni from India.
According to GWR, Soni set the record on 30 November 2021 at Maharana Bhupal Stadium, India.
Soni’s record was the 12th successful attempt according to GWR.
As of the press time, GWR is yet to confirm his record. David commenced his record-breaking attempt on 16 July and completed it on 21 July.
Fola david initially aimed to break the record with an 850-square-meter piece, but his ambition grew during the attempt. His artwork, titled “Unity in Diversity,” features a map of Nigeria highlighting the country’s diverse tribes through their unique attire, languages, art, and essence.
During his attempt, celebrities and dignitaries visited him at the Onikan Stadium venue in Lagos to offer their support and witness his artistic feat firsthand.
Adding to the encouragement, former presidential candidate Peter Obi also visited the stadium, taking time to commend David’s efforts personally.
Amidst the cheers and celebrations on this historic feat, it was not just a win for the medical doctor and artist but a win for nigeria as well.

U.S Secret Service Director Grilled At Congressional Hearing

By
Zoe Maven
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US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has acknowledged that the agency failed in its mission to prevent the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump but rejected bipartisan calls for her resignation.

During a contentious hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Cheatle said the Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect the nation’s leaders.

Cheatle said the attack on Trump, who was slightly wounded in his right ear while speaking at a campaign rally, was “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”

Both Republicans and Democrats called on Cheatle to resign and she drew the ire of lawmakers from both parties by refusing to provide specific details about the attack, citing the existence of multiple active investigations.

Opening the hearing, Republican committee chairman James Comer said “this tragedy was preventable” and “it is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign.

He said the Secret Service has a zero-fail mission, but it failed on July 13 and in the days leading up to the rally, adding that the agency has become the face of incompetence.

But Cheatle rebuffed the demands, saying, “I think that I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”

She said the Secret Service was alerted two to five times ahead of the shooting about a suspicious individual at the rally, but he was not immediately classified as a threat.

The 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump with an AR-style assault rifle just minutes after the former Republican president and current White House candidate began speaking at the campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The gunman, perched on the roof of a nearby building, was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after firing the first of eight shots.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Blames Political Foes For Violence

By
Zoe Maven
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In Bangladesh, at least 150 people have been killed and 500 arrested in the past two weeks of violence and rallies which have escalated into calls for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down

Hasina has blamed her political opponents for the deadly unrest in the country, adding she was “forced” to impose a curfew for public safety.

Speaking on Monday in a meeting with business leaders in the capital Dhaka. She said they would lift the curfew whenever the situation gets better.”

Her comments come a day after Bangladesh’s top court scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs, which have sparked weeks of violent clashes across the country.

Hasina has blamed the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami and their student wings for the violence, saying her government will work to suppress these militants and create a better environment.

Political analysts see the unrest as an unprecedented test for one of Asia’s most powerful women. Hasina, secured her fourth straight term as prime minister in January, in a controversial election boycotted by the country’s main opposition parties.

Before Sunday’s court decision, Bangladesh reserved about 30% of its high-paying government jobs for children of those who fought in Bangladesh’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The court ruled that just 5% of the roles can be reserved for the veterans’ relatives. Hasina’s government abolished the reservation in 2018, following protests. But a court ordered the authorities to reinstate the quotas in June, triggered fresh unrest.

Hasina initially dismissed the protestors’ concerns, which analysts say exacerbated the unrest.

Some student leaders have vowed to continue protesting to demand justice for protesters killed and detained in recent days, the resignations of government ministers and an apology from Hasina.

Hungary Stripped Of EU Meeting Rights Over Ukraine Stance

By
Zoe Maven
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The European Union has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of Foreign and Defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine.

The move follows weeks after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, said Hungary’s actions should have consequences but Hungary described the move as “completely childish”.

Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU’s foreign and defence ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc.

The next set of meetings will take place on 28-30 August and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Borrell announced they would instead take place in Brussels.

Citing comments made after the meeting with Putin in which Orban accused the EU of having a “pro-war policy”, Borrell told reporters: “If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin.

Of the 26 other countries in the EU, only Slovakia has backed Hungary in the dispute. However, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, told reporters that he would go to Budapest because a boycott would be “nonsense”.

Bettel felt that it was better to tell the Hungarians the EU was unhappy with their actions as “ignoring or not choosing dialogue would be a mistake”. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski proposed that the August meeting should take place in western Ukraine, but that idea was blocked by Budapest.

Responding to Borrell’s decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: “What a fantastic response they have come up with.

Orban’s meeting with Putin came as part of what he described as a “peace mission” – launched days after Hungary assumed the council presidency.

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