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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Man abducted, assaulted, forced to drink urine in Ajmer; nine arrested
Jaipur (PTI): Nine persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly abducting a man and subjecting him to torture in Rajasthan's Ajmer district, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday in Gagwana village under the Gegal police station area and was allegedly linked to an ongoing dispute, they said.
According to police, a marriage between a woman and a man from Beer village, had ended in divorce following which she had been living at her parental home. About five months ago, the victim, identified as Jeetu (21), married the woman.
The woman's former in-laws allegedly objected to this marriage, claiming that the issue had not been settled in accordance with community norms, and that the dispute had been ongoing.
Following this, Jeetu was allegedly abducted on Saturday, held captive, and assaulted by the woman's former in-law's. He was allegedly forced to wear a garland of shoes and slippers and made to drink urine, police said.
A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, triggering outrage in the area.
Following the circulation of the video, Jeetu's family staged a protest at the Gegal police station, alleging delay in police action.
Rural Circle Officer Ramchandra Chaudhary reached the spot and assured the family of prompt action. A case was registered on Saturday evening and teams were formed to trace the accused.
Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agarwala said nine accused, including a woman, have been arrested and the vehicles used in the crime seized.
Efforts are underway to apprehend the other absconding accused, police said.
