Olympics 2024 Highlights | Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lose 18-21, 10-21

RECAP | An evening in Paris: France dazzles world with colourful, vibrant Olympics opening ceremony

The city of Paris turned into a colossal amphitheatre, and the iconic river Seine served as a track for the athletes' parade as France showcased its cultural diversity, spirit of revolution, impeccable craftsmanship and architectural heritage in a riveting opening ceremony for the 33rd Olympic Games on Friday.

Full India schedule - Day 1

Following is India's schedule at the Olympics here on Saturday.

Badminton

*Men's singles group match: Lakshya Sen vs Kevin Cordon (Guatemala) (7:10pm IST)

*Men's doubles group match: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar (France) (8pm IST).

*Women's doubles group match: Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto vs Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong (Korea) (11:50pm IST)

Boxing

*Women's 54kg opening round bout: Preeti Pawar vs Thi Kim anh Vo (Vietnam) (12.05am of Jul 28).

Hockey

*Pool B match: India vs New Zealand (9pm IST)

Rowing

*Men's single sculls: Panwar Balraj (12:30pm IST)

Table Tennis

*Men's singles preliminary round: Harmeet Desai vs Zaid Abo Yaman of Jordan (7:15pm IST)

Tennis

*Men's doubles first round match: Rohan Bopnna and N Sriram Balaji vs Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Fabien Reboul (France) (3:30pm IST)

Shooting

*10m air rifle mixed team qualification: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal (12:30pm IST).

*10m air pistol men's qualification: Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh (2pm IST).

*10m air pistol women's qualification: Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan (4pm IST).

Sindhu eyes third successive medal, Satwik-Chirag aim for maiden doubles badminton gold

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will hope to deliver the country's first-ever badminton gold, while PV Sindhu would look to solidify her status as one of the greatest athletes with an unprecedented third successive Olympic medal when Indian shuttlers begin their campaign at the Paris Games today.

Sindhu will need to summon her big-game temperament to add another medal to the silver and bronze she won in the last two editions and Satwik and Chirag will aim to continue their love affair at the French capital, having won the men's doubles super 750 crown here this year.

Indians eye double-digit medal haul at Paris Olympics

Some would be carrying a huge burden of expectations, some others would look to spring a surprise and a few more would be eyeing the perfect closure to their glittering careers as the 117-strong Indian contingent aims for a better-than-before performance in the Olympic Games.

India returned from Tokyo with seven medals, and it is only natural that a double-digit performance is now desired in Paris.

South Korea expresses regret after its athletes introduced as North Korea at opening ceremony

South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organisers the mistake will not happen again.

As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.

The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.

Drums and dance open Tahiti's Olympic surfing extravaganza

Tahiti welcomed the 2024 Olympic surfing event on Friday with blazing sunshine, songs and Polynesian culture honouring the sport's ancient roots, a world away from the rain of the Games' opening ceremony in Paris.

At a beachside park 40 km from the surfing venue of Teahupo'o, surfers poured sand from their home beaches into a communal vessel, combining the different colours and textures to symbolise unity and respect for the ocean.

"It was nice, definitely, very different to Paris," said Ramzi Boukhiam, who is representing Morocco in his second Olympic Games after the sport's debut in Tokyo.

"We're like 16,000 km away but we're in paradise and it was nice to see all the athletes, all the countries."

In Pics | Let us take a look at some pictures from the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

10m Air Rifle Mixed Team: All you need to know

Two teams from India will take part in the qualification round of the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event, scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm.

Arjun Babuta & Ramita Jindal and Sandeep Singh & Elavenil Valarivan will compete in this event.

The top 4 teams will have a shot at winning a medal.

Rowing men's singles results: Balraj Panwar to compete in Repechage round after a tough start

Credit: X/@India_AllSports

Balraj Panwar finished 4th, with a timing of 7.07.11, which confirms his participation in the repechage round tomorrow.

Two Indian pairs in action now in Mixed 10m Air Rifle event: Elavenil/Sandeep & Ramita/Arjun.

10m air rifle shooting result updates:

India currently positioned at rank 7 and 14. Only Top 4 teams will qualify for medal round.

SHOOTING: Indian pairs in action fail to qualify for medal in mixed 10m air rifle team event

While Ramita & Arjun finished at 6th spot (628.7 pts), Elavenil & Sandeep finished at 12th spot (626.3 pts).

SHOOTING: 10m Air Pistol: Total 33 shooters in fray in Qualification | 6 series | Top 8 will qualify for Final.

Two shooters from India are competimng in the qualification round of the 10m Air Pistol Men's, Arjun Cheema and Sarabjot Singh.

The top 8 shooters in the qualification round will advance to the final which is scheduled to be held tomorrow at 1:00 pm.

SHOOTING: Arjun Singh Cheema at rank 4 now. Top 8 shooters will qualify for finals. Three more series to go.

Credit: olympics.com

TENNIS: Fabien Reboul has withdrawn and Monfils/Roger-Vasselin will now take on Bopanna/Balaji duo

SHOOTING: Sarabjot Singh enters top 8 in men's 10m air pistol event; a couple of series to go

SHOOTING: Sarabjot Singh now rank 3 in men's 10m air pistol event; a couple of series still to go

SHOOTING: China bags first gold medal of Paris Games in 10 metres air rifle mixed team event

China's Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won the first gold medal of the Paris Games on Saturday in the 10 metres air rifle mixed team event.

Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun of South Korea claimed silver and Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev of Kazakhstan were awarded bronze.

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SHOOTING: Ranked 9, India's Sarabjot Singh fails to qualify by one rank in men's 10m air pistol event

India's other participant in the event, Arjun Singh Cheema, finished on rank 18.

Credit: olympics.com

FENCING: Shock exit for defending champion Sun Yiwen

There was a major shock on the first morning of the fencing at the Paris Olympics on Saturday when reigning women's epee champion Sun Yiwen of China was knocked out in her opening bout by Japan's Miho Yoshimura.

The two were locked up at 13 touches each after the regulation three periods of three minutes and 43rd-ranked Yoshimura secured victory in the first few seconds of sudden-death overtime. (Reuters)

DIVING: Chinese women win first gold as they begin bid for clean sweep

Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani began China's bid to capture all eight diving golds on offer by winning the women's synchronised 3-metre springboard event on Saturday.

First-time Olympians Chen and Chang, who arrived in Paris having won three consecutive world titles, finished on 337.68 points. (Reuters)

Paris Games chief Estanguet confirms probe into his salary

Paris 2024 Olympics chief Tony Estanguet on Saturday confirmed an investigation was under way into his salary as president of the organising committee.

"I confirm there has been an ongoing investigation by the financial prosecutor's office since a few months," Estanguet said.

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SHOOTING: India's Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan in action now in women's 10m air pistol qualification event

The event is not being telecast as it is a qualification event. Stay tuned to this space for updates.

SHOOTING: Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan in top 8, with six series to go in women's 10m air pistol event

BASKETBALL: Australia sink Spain in feisty opener

Australia beat Spain 92-80 in their Olympic Group A men's basketball opener on Saturday at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium .

The Australians made a strong start and finished seven points clear in a feisty first half in which Spain's Usman Garuba was involved in an incident with Australia's Josh Green which led to both players being booked.

The NBA's Golden State Warriors forward was booed by the crowd after he also fouled Australia's Josh Giddey.

Spain captain Rudy Fernandez, making his record sixth appearance at the Games, the most by a male basketball player, could not lead his team to victory despite leading in the third half. (Reuters)

SHOOTING: India's Manu Bhaker jumps to third spot in women's 10m air pistol event with two series to go; Rhythm Sangwan at 22nd

SWIMMING: Ledecky sets up 400m showdown with champion Titmus

Katie Ledecky set up another Olympic showdown with Australia's champion Ariarne Titmus for the 400 metres freestyle title, the American great qualifying fastest for the final as the Paris swimming launched in a febrile atmosphere on Saturday.

Three years after Titmus took Ledecky's Olympic crown in a Tokyo thriller, the pair lined up next to each other on the blocks and were again neck-and-neck at a rocking La Defense Arena before Ledecky pulled away in the final lap.

Ledecky touched first in four minutes 2.19 seconds, nearly three-tenths of a second quicker than second-ranked Titmus. (Reuters)

SHOOTING: India's Manu Bhaker through to the medal event of women's 10m air pistol challenge

Bhaker finished at the third spot, scoring 580 points. Meanwhile India's other shooter, Rhythm Sangwan, finished 15th, scoring 573 points.

The women's 10m air pistol final featuring Bhaker is scheduled for 3:30 PM IST on Sunday, July 28.

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TENNIS: Iga Swiatek beats Begu, and rain, to start gold quest

Poland's Iga Swiatek launched her bid for Olympic gold with a 6-2 7-5 win over battling Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in the opening round of the singles on Saturday.

Fifty days after clinching a fourth French Open title, the 23-year-old Swiatek returned to the Parisian clay and showed why she is favourite to add the Olympic crown to her resume. (Reuters)

FENCING: Defending sabre champion Szilagyi suffers surprise exit

Three times men's sabre champion Aron Szilagyi suffered a surprise defeat in Paris on Saturday, ending his dream of becoming the only sixth Olympian to win the same individual event at four consecutive Games.

First time Olympian Fares Arfa of Canada beat the Hungarian veteran 15 touches to eight.

Szilagyi won gold in the men’s individual sabre in 2012, 2016, and 2020. Only him and Italia's Valentina Vezzali in the women's foil have three Olympic gold medals in an individual fencing event.

Arfa, ranked 35th in the world, moved into the last 16 at the Grand Palais. (Reuters)

RUGBY SEVENS: US winger Baker becomes all-time leading men's Olympic try scorer

Perry Baker became the all-time leading men's scorer in Olympic rugby sevens when he claimed his 10th try in the United States' 17-14 loss to Ireland in their 5-8 placing playoff on Saturday.

On Thursday, Baker became the first man to score four tries in an Olympic match when the US beat Uruguay and the 38-year-old was on the board again to put his country ahead at the Stade de France, though Ireland snatched victory with the final play. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: Top-ranked Dutch start with win over South Africa in soggy conditions

A dynamic Netherlands offence racked up a four-goal lead against South Africa before the end of the half but had to settle for a 5-3 win in their men's hockey Group A opener on Saturday, making the Dutch top scorers at the Paris Olympics so far.

Intermittent showers did not deter spectators from the opening pool stages of the tournament and national enthusiasm was palpable throughout matches that ended with shutouts for every team except the top-ranked Dutch men's side. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: Lakshya Sen in action in group stage clash against Kevin Cordon

The match can be watched live on Jio Cinema and Sports 18.

RUGBY SEVENS: Party time in Paris as France reach first final

Rayan Rebbadj scored two tries as France came from behind to overwhelm South Africa 19-5 in a deafening Stade de France on Saturday and reach the Olympic men's rugby sevens final for the first time. (Reuters)

CYCLING: Australia's Brown wins women's time trial cycling gold

Australian Grace Brown won the gold medal in the women's individual time trial at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Anna Henderson of Britain took silver and American Chloe Dygert was awarded bronze. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: Lakshya Sen wins first game 21-8, trailing in second game

TABLE TENNIS: India's Harmeet Desai starts campaign with win, progresses to round of 64

BADMINTON: Lakshya Sen beats Tokyo Games semi-finalist to kick-off Paris campaign

Lakshya Sen in action at the Paris Games, July 27, 2024.

The ace Indian shuttler beat Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in his opening game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sen's next match is against world number 52 Julien Carraggi on Monday.

TENNIS: Heavyweights Djokovic, Alcaraz, Swiatek begin quests for gold with wins

Men's top seed Novak Djokovic began his fifth Olympic Games with an emphatic victory over Australia's Matthew Ebden after women's favourite Iga Swiatek launched her bid for gold with a straight sets win at a rain-drenched Roland Garros on Saturday.

Serbia's Djokovic, chasing the Olympic title that has proved so elusive during a career that has earned him 24 Grand Slam titles, sauntered to a 6-0 6-1 win against a player only handed a spot in the draw as a late alternate.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz was also presented with a comfortable first-round draw against Lebanese alternate Hady Habib, but was at least given a workout in a 6-3 6-1 win.

Poland's Swiatek opened proceedings under the closed Court Philippe Chatrier 50 days after winning her fourth French Open on the same arena and had to battle back in the second set against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu to win 6-2 7-5. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: Satwik-Chirag in action in first group stage game of men's doubles

BADMINTON: Satwik-Chirag win first game 21-17; leading 11-8 in second game

BOXING: Samoa coach dies during Paris Games

Samoa's boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito has died during the Paris Olympics, the International Boxing Association said on Saturday.

According to reports in Samoan media, he died on Friday while at the Olympic Village.

"We at the IBA extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Lionel Elika Fatupaito, the national boxing coach of Samoa, who tragically passed away during Paris 2024," the IBA said in a statement. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: Satwik-Chirag win in straight sets to kick-off Paris campaign

Satwik-Chirag beat Corvee-Labar in straight sets, winning their opening fixture of the men's doubles event 21-17, 21-14.

FOOTBALL: Argentina rally to beat Iraq 3-1; Spain defeat Dominican Republic

Argentina earned a 3-1 win over Iraq in Lyon and Spain outclassed the Dominican Republic 3-1 in Bordeaux in the second matchday of the men's Olympic soccer tournament on Saturday.

Argentina recovered from their chaotic opening loss to Morocco and boosted their chances of reaching the next round as they went top of Group B on goal difference.

Debutants Dominican Republic's first Olympic goal was not enough to stop the Spaniards who scored twice in the second half to clinch a quarter-final spot with their second Group C win. (Reuters)

TENNIS: Bopanna and Balaji's opening match postponed to Sunday due to rains

HOCKEY: New Zealand take 1-0 lead against India in opening group stage match

HOCKEY: India's Mandeep Singh scores to level tie with New Zealand; match tied at 1-1 in second quarter

CYCLING: Belgium's Evenepoel wins men's gold in cycling time trial

Belgium's Remco Evenepoel won the gold medal in the men's individual time trial at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Italy's Filippo Ganna took silver and Belgium's Wout van Aert was awarded bronze. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: India take 2-1 lead over New Zealand as Vivek scores after half-time; match under way

JUDO: Japan's Tsunoda wins women's under-48 kg gold

Japan's Natsumi Tsunoda won the gold medal in the women's under 48 kg judo at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, with Mongolia's Baasankhuu Bavuudorj taking silver.

Sweden's Tara Babulfath earlier claimed bronze after beating Abiba Abuzhakynova of Kazakhstan. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: China's shuttlers start off with a winning streak, but not easily

China's shuttlers got off to a fast start on the first day of the badminton competition at the Paris Games on Saturday, winning each of their seven matches - but not without a couple of close calls with France and Malaysia.

From men's and women's singles in the morning to women's and mixed doubles in the afternoon, the Chinese wore down their competition.

The country has won 47 medals since badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992 - more than double the combined tally of Indonesia and South Korea, the second- and third-most successful teams. (Reuters)

BOXING: Jordan's Alkasbeh foils Clancy as boxing events begin

Jordan's Obada Alkasbeh cut short Dean Clancy's campaign for Ireland with a battling win as the boxing competition at the Paris Olympics got under way at the North Paris Arena on Saturday.

Roared on by the Irish fans inside the arena, Clancy, one of 10 boxers representing the country at the Games, was looking to secure a first men's boxing gold medal for Ireland since 1992.

The 22-year-old allowed Alkasbeh to chase him around the ring early on, but flagged quickly in the second round and lost the lightweight bout 3-2. (Reuters)

JUDO: Smetov wins men's under-60kg gold for Kazakhstan

Yeldos Smetov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal in the under 60kg judo at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Luka Mkheidze of France took the silver, while Ryuju Nagayama of Japan and Spain's Francisco Garrigos earlier won bronze. (Reuters)

TABLE TENNIS: Japan's mixed doubles team stunned by early elimination

Japan's world number two table tennis mixed doubles team, Hina Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto, were eliminated by North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong 4-1 in the first round at the Paris Olympics, losing the chance to retain the country's gold medal.

The 49-minute match at the South Paris Arena ended in a shocking defeat for the Japanese pair, who were considered top contenders for the title and challengers to the Chinese team. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: New Zealand level match 2-2 with India, with minutes left to play

HOCKEY: Dramatic scenes as India retake lead over New Zealand, with minutes left to play

HOCKEY: India win maiden hockey clash, beat New Zealand 3-2 in dramatic match

The Indian men's hockey team defeated New Zealand 3-2 to open its campaign at the Paris Olympics on a rousing note here on Saturday.

It was not an easy win as New Zealand took the lead in the eighth minute through Sam Lane from their first penalty corner.

But India bounced back strongly to first level the scores in the 24th minute through Mandeep Singh, who scored from a rebound off a penalty corner, and then took the lead through Vivek Sagar Prasad in the third quarter.

New Zealand, however, drew level in the 53rd minute through Simon Child.

But skipper Harmanpreet Singh ensured the win for India, scoring from a penalty stroke just a minute from the hooter.

India will play Argentina in their next Pool B match on Monday. (PTI)

GYMNASTICS: China earn bragging rights over Japan in qualifying

All-around ace Zhang Boheng powered China past rivals Japan to the top of the leaderboard following the second subdivision in men's team qualifying on the first day of the Olympic gymnastics competition on Saturday.

China and Japan, who between them have won five of the last six Olympic men's team titles, are again expected to battle it out for gold in Paris.

On Saturday, China topped the standings with 263.028 points, while Japan trailed by more than two points.

Britain lie third and Ukraine fourth and the top four countries secured a place in Monday's team final with one more subdivision -- featuring Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Turkey -- to go. (Reuters)

FOOTBALL: Canada women's team deducted six points, coach banned over drone scandal

Canada were deducted six points from the Olympic women's football tournament and their coach Bev Priestman banned for a year following the drone spying scandal that has rocked the Olympics, global governing body FIFA said on Saturday.

Canadian officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were also banned for a year, FIFA added in a statement. (Reuters)

Table Tennis: 58-year-old Zeng exits Olympics but not the sport

Zeng Zhiying, the 58-year-old who made her Olympic debut in Paris representing Chile, ended her Games journey after losing in the preliminary round on Saturday.

In a tight game full of long rallies, Zeng was beaten 4-1 by 46-year-old Lebanese player Mariana Sahakian.

"I definitely wanted to win, but I think I still performed at my own level. I tried to disrupt my opponent, but she was basically unaffected," said Zeng.

While her Olympics lasted less than 24 hours, Zeng said she plans to remain active in the sport, which she returned to during the COVID-19 lockdown after a decades-long break following a professional career in China. (Reuters)

RUGBY: France beat Fiji to win first gold of Paris Games for host nation

France beat Fiji 28-7 in the rugby sevens final on Saturday to win the host nation's first gold medal of the Paris Olympics.

The Fijians took the silver, while South Africa earlier beat Australia 26-19 in the bronze medal match.

Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in action

Indian duo Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto will be in action against Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong (Republic of Korea) in their Group C women’s doubles match at the La Chapelle Arena Court 1.

Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lose the first game

Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lose the first game gainst Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong (Republic of Korea) in their Group C women’s doubles match at the La Chapelle Arena Court 1.

Swimming: Maertens wins 400m freestyle gold for Germany

Germany's Lukas Maertens won his first Olympic gold in the men's 400 metres freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday as he emerged triumphant from a final stacked with world champions.

Maertens touched the wall in a time of 3:41.78 to finish ahead of Australian silver medallist Elijah Winnington and South Korean bronze-winner Kim Woo-min at La Defense Arena.

The 22-year-old from Magdeburg came into the race with the fastest time this year and duly converted on the biggest stage to become the first German winner in the event since Uwe Dassler took the title for East Germany at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Maertens' victory erases his record as a nearly-man in men's swimming, following two bronzes and a silver at the last three world championships. (Reuters)

Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lose 18-21, 10-21

The Koreans duo has completely blown away the Indian pair in the second game after a closely contested first game.

Swimming: United States win men's 4x100 freestyle relay

Caeleb Dressel collected his eighth career Olympic gold medal when he anchored the US men to a second successive 4x100 metres freestyle title at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

Australia took silver and Italy the bronze.