Ali al Balushi and Mazoon al Alawi were named as the flag bearers of the Sultanate of Oman during the opening ceremony of the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Seine River on Friday.
This year’s ceremony is poised to be the largest in Olympic history and the first one to be held outside a stadium. Over 7,000 athletes representing various countries will participate in the parade sailing on 94 boats and ferries over a six-kilometre stretch from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Iena Bridge on the Seine river. It is expected that over 500,000 people will watch the event live from designated areas and nearby balconies and apartments in Paris.
The official opening will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and other world leaders. The ceremony, which will begin at 8:30 PM Oman time (6:30 PM France time), will also see the presence of Omani officials including Shaikh Khalid bin Mohammed al Zubair, Chairman of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) and head of Oman’s delegation, Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Under-Secretary for Sports and Youth at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Oman’s Ambassador to France Ahmed bin Mohammed al Oraimi and other members of the (OOC).
The Omani flag bearers will be joined by members of the sports delegation, national team representatives and technical and administrative staff. The opening ceremony will include the traditional parade of athletes, the lighting of the Olympic flame and various cultural performances reflecting French heritage along with fireworks, light shows and musical acts.
Oman’s sports delegation arrived at the Olympic Village on Thursday. The athletics and swimming teams joined the shooting team which had arrived earlier on Wednesday. The administrative delegation had already completed all necessary entry procedures. Ali bin Salim al Busaidy, Chef De Mission of Oman delegation, welcomed the national team representatives at Paris Airport and the Olympic Village.
Al Khatri gears up at Châteauroux Shooting Center
Oman’s shooter Said bin Ali al Khatri has begun his intensive training at the Châteauroux Shooting Center, which is located 200 km south of Paris under the guidance of Italian coach Luca Marini. This year marks the first time Olympic shooters are allowed to train at the venue more than ten days ahead of the official opening.
On the other hand, the athletics and swimming teams will start their training programmes on Saturday as road closures for the opening ceremony prevent them from training on Friday. Swimmer Issa al Adawi will train at the Paris Aquatics Center under the supervision of Tunisian coach Amer bin Ruqia. Sprinter Ali bin Anwar al Balushi and runner Mazoon bin Khalfan al Alawi will start their official training at de France Stadium under the guidance of national coach Fahd bin Khalfan al Mishaykhi.
Al Adawi will compete in the 100-metre freestyle event on Tuesday while Al Alawi will participate in the 100m event on August 2 and will be followed by Ali al Balushi’s debut in the same category on August 3 at the same venue.
Omani athletes aim to showcase their capabilities and achieve personal and national records despite the expected tough competition.
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