The Day 1 of the Paris Olympics 2024 was full of excitement with People’s Republic of China bagging the first gold medal, beating Korea in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event on Saturday. Moreover, there were a few disappointments in Indian shooting, Manu Bhaker was the sole shooter to qualify for the finals of 10m air pistol women’s event.
In this article, we will go through all the big news that took place on Saturday, July 27 at the Paris 2024.
Shooting
Arjun-Ramita finish 6th; Elavenil-Sandeep settles for 12th place
The Indian 10m air rifle mixed team had a forgettable outing at the Paris Olympics after they bowed out of the competition finishing sixth and 12th in the qualification round. While the pair of Ramita Jindal- Arjun Bhabuta finished sixth with a score of 628.7, Elavenil Valarivan-Sandeep Singh pair settled for a 12th place finish with 626.3 points.
Sarabjot & Arjun fail to qualify for men’s 10m air pistol final
After a disappointing outing the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Paris Olympics, the Indian shooters continued to disappoint on Saturday, July 27. In the 10m men’s pistol qualification, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema failed to qualify for the final, finishing at ninth and 18th place, respectively.
Paris 2024: Manu Bhaker qualifies for Women’s 10m Air Pistol Final
On Saturday, July 27, Manu Bhaker qualified for the Women’s 10m air pistol final at the Paris Olympics 2024. The India shooter, finished with the scores of 97, 97, 98, 96, 96, and 96 to earn the qualification in the final. Bhaker, finished at third place with an aggregate score of 580, including 27 inner circle 10s, the most by any shooter in the qualification round.
Badminton
Lakshya Sen defeats Kevin Cordon in Group L match at Paris 2024
On Saturday, July 27, Lakshya Sen, the Indian badminton player, started his Paris Olympics 2024 campaign in style with a win in his opening match in Group L. He got the better of Kevin Cordon from Guatemala in straight games 21-8, 22-20, to take a big first step towards making the knockout stage of the men’s singles event in Paris.
Hockey
India secure 3-2 win over New Zealand in Pool B at Paris 2024
On Saturday, July 27, India secured a thrilling 3-2 win over New Zealand in their opening Pool B match in men’s hockey at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir. In the final quarter, when the scoreline read 2-2, the Indian men’s hockey team dug deep to find a winner in the 59th minute via a penalty stroke conversion from the captain Harmanpreet Singh.
Football
Former Brazilian footballer Zico robbed ahead of Olympics opening
Ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, former Brazilian footballer, Zico reported to the France police after his bag was stolen. The 71-year-old former Flamengo forward, who is currently in Paris filed a complaint with the police on Friday, July 26 after his bag, which reportedly contained cash, watches and some of his diamond jewellery was stolen.
Rowing
Balraj Pawar finishes 4th in men’s singles sculls heat 1 at Paris 2024
India’s sole rower at the Paris Olympics 2024, Balraj Panwar secured the fourth-place finish in the Heat 1 of the Men’s Singles Sculls. The 25-year-old Indian refugee finished at fourth place with a timing of 7:07.11, which confirmed his participation in the repechage round, which will be held on Sunday, July 28.
Others
WATCH: Olympic flag raised upside down at opening ceremony
On Friday, July 26, during the final moments of the opening ceremony, the Olympic flag was raised upside down, bringing an embarrassing moment not only for the officials but even for the general masses and the athletes. As it was handed to the officials, they slowly began raising it, but did not realise that the iconic five-coloured rings were in wrong position.
Algerian contingent throws flowers into Seine during opening ceremony
At the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony, the Algerian contingent were reminded of a dark chapter of its colonial past as they took a boat ride in river Seine on Friday. The Algerian athletes threw flowers into the river to honour the victims of the 1961 protest in Paris. A few of them even chanted “Long live Algeria!” in Arabic.
IOC apologises after South Korea mistakenly introduced as North Korea in opening ceremony
During the extravagant opening ceremony in Paris, South Korea was mistakenly introduced as North Korea, sparking a new controversy. A French speaking presenter introduced South Korean delegation using North Korea’s “republique populaire democratique de Coree,” followed by English translation to “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” Hours later, the South Korean sports ministry expressed regret, followed by which the International Olympic Committee also extended their apology.