London, July 27 (IANS) As Manchester United gear up for a challenging Premier League season, manager Erik ten Hag remains hopeful for further additions to his squad. The team aims to build on the momentum from their FA Cup victory over Manchester City last season and push for a top-four finish, despite injury setbacks.

United has already bolstered their ranks with the signings of central defender Lenny Yoro and forward Joshua Zirkzee. Both players are expected to feature in the upcoming pre-season friendly against Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. However, ten Hag is keen to add more depth to the squad to avoid the vulnerabilities exposed by injuries last season.

“I want the squad as strong as possible,” ten Hag stated at his pre-match press conference. “We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit, we have a team that can beat everyone. But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.”

Ten Hag emphasised the need for consistency and depth, recognizing that the upcoming season will be particularly demanding. “This will be a season that is survival of the fittest. We proved we can beat the best team, not just once but twice. But our challenge is to do it consistently, that’s what we have to work for.”

To support this endeavour, Manchester United has also made strategic additions to their coaching staff. Andreas Georgson has joined as the first-team coach, bringing expertise in set-pieces and individual development. Georgson, who previously held roles at Arsenal, Brentford, and Southampton, arrives from Norwegian side Lillestrom.

This reshuffle follows the appointments of Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy as first-team assistants, and Jelle ten Rouwelaar as the goalkeeper coach. Long-serving coaches Steve McClaren and Darren Fletcher remain in place, ensuring continuity alongside the new arrivals.

Manchester United’s Premier League campaign kicks off on August 16 with a home game against Fulham. The opening month also features a high-stakes match against Liverpool on September 1.

United will face Brighton away before the Liverpool clash and will later travel to Anfield on January 4 for the reverse fixture. The first Manchester derby of the season is scheduled for December 14 at the Etihad Stadium, with the return fixture at Old Trafford on April 5.

Key dates for fans include a Boxing Day trip to Wolves and the final match of the season at home against Aston Villa on May 25. The summer transfer window closes on August 30, aligning with major European leagues following collaborative discussions.

–IANS

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Tahiti (France), July 27 (IANS) Participants of the Paris Olympics in Tahiti, French Polynesia, where the Games’ surfing events will take place, celebrated the opening of the Games.

Athletes, officials, fans and locals gathered for a cultural ceremony held concurrently with the main event in Paris, some 16,000km away, reported Xinhua.

48 surfers entered the ceremony with their respective national and regional flags, followed by the “Sands of the World” ceremony, where surfers poured the sand from their home together in a symbol of unity.

Also on display was the traditional Tahitian Rahiri celebration, representing fair play and mutual respect between athletes.

“This is the moment to shine,” said Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

The competition will start on Saturday morning in Tahiti, with big conditions and overhead waves forecast. 15-year-old Yang Siqi will make China’s debut at the Olympic surfing event.

–IANS

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Paris, July 27 (IANS) Dominated by the French obsessions of music, dance, colour, fashion, and literature and tempered by water, from the sky in the form of rain, and the City’s lifeline, the Seine River, the XXXII Olympic Games kicked off on Friday evening with a trailblazing Opening ceremony showcasing all the peasantry associated with a spectacular occasion.

Finding their place in the mixture of arts, culture, literature, fashion and cinema, were elements from the scientific achievements of the country in the Opening Ceremony divided into eight segments depicting the pillars of France’s motto — equality, Synchronicity, liberty, nationalism, sisterhood, solidarity etc.

The event started with representatives from Greece leading the athletes from nearly 200 countries in the Parade of the Nations on boats on the river.

For all those who were watching the event from the make-shift stands or on television screens at home, the magical moment was when the Indian Contingent went past the heart of Paris floating on a boat with veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal and two-time Olympic medallist P.V Sindhu as the flag-bearers.

As the boat glided past the main stands and monuments on the riverbank, the members of the Indian contingent enthusiastically waved at the spectators and got loud cheers in response.

It was the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga who set the pulses racing with a mesmerizing show, setting up the stage for more scintillating performances to come in what is expected to be a nearly three-hour ceremony showcasing the French culture, literature, and heritage. The global superstar sang the French classic ‘Mon truce en plume’ by Zizi Jeanmaire and received thunderous cheers from the fans who had lined up the riverbank since the afternoon.

As the boats continued to float on the Seine, around 80 artists from the Moulin Rouge performed a famous French cabaret dance, the ‘can-can’.

Though heavy rains lashed Paris as the ceremony started, spectators were forced to take shelter, but no one was ready to leave the venue and miss the once-in-a-lifelong ceremony.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony is taking place outside the main stadium and along a river. This has taken away the restrictions of limited seating and some 300,000 people were watching in person from specially built stands on the riverbank, and another 200,000 from overlooking balconies and apartments.

Led by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, both of whom were introduced at the Trocadero, over 100 international dignitaries, including heads of state and government and their representatives, were in attendance to witness the ceremony.

Also present among the spectators were international stars like tennis legend Rafael Nadal while swimming legend Michel Phelps led one of the sections of the Olympic Ceremony.

As the athletes sailed past the Pont Royal bridge, famous French artworks from the Louvre, painstakingly recreated, lined the sides of the Seine to watch over them. There were five artworks — Portrait of Madeleine, painted by Marie-Guillemine Benoist in 1803; Gabrielle d’Estrees and One of Her Sisters, originally produced around 1594; Relief of Seti I and Hathor; Portrait of Shah Abbas I and His Page; and Georges de la Tour’s The Card Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds.

The Parade of the Nations ended with Australia, hosts of the 2032 edition of the Games at Brisbane, and the United States of America, host of the next edition of the Summer Olympics in 1928 in Los Angeles bringing the rear along with hosts France.

Meanwhile, the spectators were shown the visuals of the Olympic torch making its way to the Opening Ceremony with celebrities, artisans, athletes and a Parkour artist taking it over the rooftops and another torchbearer taking it over the river in a balloon.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) As Achanta Sharath Kamal and P.V Sindhu led the Indian contingent at the Opening Ceremony of the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to the Indian athletes and hoped they would inspire us “with their exceptional performances”.

Sindhu and Sharath were the two flag-bearers of a 117-strong Indian contingent, 78 members of which participated in the Opening Ceremony in Paris on Friday as the Indians went into the Games hoping to improve on their best-ever performance of seven medals in the previous edition in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Modi called every athlete “India’s pride”, and hoped they would “embody the true spirit of sportsmanship”.

“As the Paris #Olympics commences, my best wishes to the Indian contingent. Every athlete is India’s pride. May they all shine and embody the true spirit of sportsmanship, inspiring us with their exceptional performances,” Prime Minister Modi wrote in his message on X, formerly Twitter.

The Indian sportspersons will be expecting to open their medal account on Saturday when India’s 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team pairings of Olympian Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh and Ramita and Arjun Babuta take aim at the Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, a small town of under 50,000 citizens, approximately 300 km south of Paris.

Indian athletes will be in action on the first day of the quadrennial event in seven sports disciplines including hockey, shooting and badminton.

–IANS

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Paris, July 26 (IANS) Dominated by the French obsessions of music, dance, and colours and tempered by water, from the sky in the form of rain, in their hearts in the form of the Seine River, the Opening Ceremony of XXXIII Olympic Games kicked off on Friday evening with all the peasantry associated with a spectacular occasion.

The event started with representatives from Greece leading the athletes from nearly 200 countries in the Parade of the Nations on boats on the river.

And it was the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga who set the pulses racing with a mesmerising show, setting the stage for more scintillating performances to come in what is expected to be a nearly three-hour ceremony showcasing the French culture and heritage. The global superstar sang the French classic ‘Mon truce en plume’ by Zizi Jeanmaire and received thunderous cheers from the fans who had lined up the riverbank since the afternoon.

As the boats continue along the Seine, around 80 artists from the Moulin Rouge perform a famous French cabaret dance, the ‘can-can’.

Though heavy rains lashed Paris as the ceremony started, spectators were forced to take shelter, but no one was ready to leave the venue and miss the once-in-a-lifelong ceremony.

–IANS

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