Paris: Veteran table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal and ace badminton player PV Sindhu were the flagbearers for India at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, held on the river Seine. This event marked the first time in Olympic history that the opening ceremony took place outside a stadium, as athletes paraded along the iconic river in Paris.
The Indian men were clad in kurta bundi sets while the women wore matching saris, reflecting India’s tricolour flag. The outfits, which bore traditional ikat-inspired prints and Banarasi brocade, have been designed by Tarun Tahiliani.
Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, expressed her pride and excitement for her third appearance at the Games, hoping to bring back another medal for India.
“I am super proud to be here at Olympic Village. This will be my third Olympics, and really excited for the competition to begin. At the same time, I will be the flag bearer for the Indian contingent and I am super proud... I will be holding the bigger flag at the opening ceremony and I hope, with the same excitement, I do well in the competition and get a medal back to India," Sindhu told JioCinema ahead of the ceremony.
Two-time Commonwealth Games singles Gold medalist, Sharath Kamal, participating in his fifth and final Olympics, shared his enthusiasm for the ceremony and the competition ahead.
“It's been a moment that I've been dreaming and visualising about, for the last 3-4 months. I'm pretty excited that I'm going to live that moment and especially that I'm going to do that with PV Sindhu. So, it's a fantastic moment, I would say,” he said.
The floating parade featured over 1,000 athletes traveling on around 100 boats, passing notable landmarks in Paris such as Notre Dame,Pont des Arts and Pont Neuf.
The Indian contingent, comprising 117 athletes (70 men and 47 women), will compete in 69 medal events across 16 sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, and more.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.
A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.
According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.
"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
