Achanta Sharath Kamal and PV Sindhu lead Indian contingent at Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony
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.
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Allahabad High Court directs Centre to decide on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship by December 19
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has instructed the Union Home Ministry to decide on a petition regarding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Indian citizenship. The Bench, led by Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, set a deadline of December 19, 2024, for the government to update the Court on the matter.
The petition, filed by S Vignesh Shishir, requests a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations that Rahul Gandhi holds British citizenship. Shishir claims that evidence, including confidential emails shared by VSS Sarma, suggests Gandhi may be a British citizen. However, due to UK data protection laws, the British government has not disclosed full details without Gandhi's consent.
During the November 25 hearing, Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey informed the Court that the Home Ministry is reviewing the representation. The Court directed the government to report on the status of the petition by the next hearing on December 19.
A similar petition challenging Rahul Gandhi's citizenship is pending before the Delhi High Court, where the matter will be heard after the Allahabad High Court's proceedings.
