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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2 men dragged for 300 metres by truck in Agra; locals save their lives
Agra, Dec 23: A truck driver dragged two people for about 300 metres in Agra under his vehicle, police on Monday said.
Some locals forced the driver to stop the truck and extricated the men from under the vehicle.
Police arrested the driver and seized the truck.
The two men, both residents of Nunhai in Agra, were going towards Rambagh from Waterworks when they met with an accident around 11 pm Sunday.
The driver, instead of stopping the truck sped up, trapping both of them underneath, police said.
"In the accident, two youths were dragged by a canter driver for about 300 metres. Later, some residents saved the youths by stopping the driver using force," Chhatta Police Station Inspector Pramod Kumar told PTI.
"The youths were sent for treatment at a nearby hospital and are still being treated, but are in stable condition. The youths were from Agra. The canter driver was arrested and the canter seized after the incident," he said.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed the men shouting for help.
The video was purported to have been shot by a person passing by on a two-wheeler.
“पिछली पोस्ट में वीडियो में युवकों को मोटर साइकल सहित ट्रक वाला कई मीटर तक घसीटता हुआ ले जाता गया देखा था,
— Umashankar Singh उमाशंकर सिंह (@umashankarsingh) December 23, 2024
अब जनता द्वारा उस ट्रक ड्राइवर की ठुकाई पिटाई का समारोह देखिए।”#Agra@madanjournalist
pic.twitter.com/Qh5ncyWtEa
HORRIFYING!
— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) December 23, 2024
In Agra, a truck driver dragged two men for 300 meters. Locals intervened, stopping the truck and saving the men. Both are stable but continue receiving treatment. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized.
pic.twitter.com/1ply5wemfX
