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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Kitzbuhel (Germany), July 26 (IANS) Matteo Berrettini continued his recent superb runs as he made it to the final of the second ATP 250 event by beating Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the semifinals of the Generali Open here on Friday. The 28-year-old Italian, who in March was floundering outside the Top 150 of the ATP Rankings, advanced to the summit clash by beating Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4 on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel.

Berrettini dropped just four points on his first serve and saved the lone break point he faced according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I feel really good. Obviously, I feel tired in the way that I have had a lot of matches on my shoulders, but it’s a good feeling,” Berrettini said. “It’s not tired that I cannot play anymore, it’s tired that I’m pushing myself and this is what I was looking to before the tournament, hoping to have as many matches as possible.

“It’s been a great two weeks and hopefully tomorrow’s going to be another title; that’s what I’m going to try to do,” he was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour on its website.

Chasing his 10th final and third of the season, the former World No. 6 faces a first-time meeting on ATP Tour in Saturday’s championship match with Frenchman Hugo Gaston. The crafty left-hander was leading Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-1, 2-0 when the Argentine retired with a right knee injury.

Berrettini, who has won five career titles on clay, has surged to No. 46 in the ATP Live Rankings this week and could rise to No. 40 with the title.

Gaston came into the tournament with just five match wins on the year but has risen 31 spots to No. 60 in the live standings. He will chase his first ATP Tour title in his second final (Gstaad, 2021).

–IANS

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Pallekele, July 26 (IANS) Ahead of the first T20I against India on Saturday, newly appointed Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said he wants his players to give their 100 percent on the field and win matches in the series. India and Sri Lanka will play a three-match T20I series followed by as many ODIs. Asalanka acknowledged the fact that they have talented players in the squad and as a captain of the side, he has given them freedom to express themselves freely on the field.

“What I really want is to get 100% out of my players, and to create a positive environment for them. We have a lot of talented cricketers, but what’s important is to get the most out of them and have them win matches. I’ve told them to play freely and when we’ve given them plans, to go out there and execute them without fear. That’s what you can expect from me as a captain,” Asalanka said on the eve of the series opener.

After guiding his Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise Jaffna Kings to the title in the recently concluded season, the all-rounder feels that it is the premier T20 tournament of the country and top performers should be rewarded with a chance to represent the country.

“If you look at the LPL, it’s the No. 1 tournament we have to make decisions like this. More than domestic T20s, the LPL is at a much higher level. As a captain, I think if you perform at the LPL you should get a good chance at playing in the national team,” Asalanka said.

Avishka Fernando has been amazing, Pathum Nissanka has had great performances, Kusal Mendis is in excellent form, and Kusal Perera has made a significant return.

Furthermore, Kamindu Mendis appears to be in terrific touch. The quartet has given a headache to the Sri Lanka camp for the top-order batting positions with Asalanka confirming that one has to miss out. “There are four openers in the squad, and the way I’m thinking three of them will make up the top three. One of them will have to miss out,” he said.

Whether it was for his school Richmond College, Sri Lanka Under-19, or most recently winning the LPL, Asalanka has been a captain since the age-group level. He claimed that the foundation of his leadership approach is man-management.

“From under-15 level I’ve captained teams, and there’ s been a lot of change since then. That’s what I tell my team members too – we can’t be in the same place we’ve always been at. From day to day, you have to improve and that’s how you become a good player or a good captain. I’ve played under many captains, and I’ve tried to absorb as many of their good traits into my captaincy and into my life as possible,” Asalanka said.

–IANS

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