The inaugural full day of events at the 2024 Paris Olympics has come to an end.
A total of 14 gold medals were awarded on the official opening day, with Australia leading the medal count, having secured three golds and two silvers.
Currently, Team GB finds itself in twelfth place with a silver and a bronze. However, there will be abundant chances for all nations in the upcoming days and weeks in Paris to boost their medal counts.
Some of the more unusual occurrences of the initial days in Paris might not be seen again as the Games progress.
Mail Sport reviews some of the more peculiar, outrageous, and intriguing updates from the Paris Games thus far.
The Paris Olympics is recognized as one of the most secure events in sporting history, with security measures at the opening ceremony including the distribution of stickers to VIP attendees’ passes.
Bev Priestman, head coach of Canada’s women’s football team (pictured), has been suspended for a year, and the team has lost six points due to allegations of using a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training sessions.
The Olympic organisers were compelled to issue an apology after mistakenly introducing South Korea (the Republic of Korea) as the ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’, the official designation for North Korea.
In an age filled with advanced technology, an old-fashioned sticker found new purpose.
VIPs attending the Olympic opening ceremony were instructed to collect a sticker and attach it to their accreditation badge.
A similar setup was employed during the European Championship final between England and Spain, with stickers serving as a crucial layer of security against fraudulent attempts.
One of the more captivating stories thus far has involved the discovery of a drone hovering above a training session for the New Zealand women’s football team, leading to the arrest of a staff member from the Canadian squad.
When the news broke, the CEOs of both countries were dining in a group that also included their British and American counterparts.
This prompted knowing glances when the two had to excuse themselves to take separate calls away from the table. Canada’s coach has since been suspended.
It’s fair to say that not everything went according to plan during Friday’s rain-soaked opening ceremony. Not only was the Olympic flag raised upside down, but organisers also had to issue a public apology after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea.
As the flag-waving contingent made their way along the Seine, the announcers referred to them as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
During the rain-drenched opening ceremony, the Olympic flag was raised in an upside-down position.
Team GB took input from their female athletes during the kit design phase, opting for navy-colored shorts and tracksuits instead of lighter colors to accommodate menstruation needs.
The name “Tom” is the most common among Team GB, with nine athletes sharing this name, including Tom Daley.
Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz (right) accidentally lost his passport while attempting to complete the accreditation process for the Olympics.
During the design process of the kits with Adidas, Team GB consulted their athletes, with female representatives expressing a preference for navy shorts and tracksuits instead of lighter colors to support those experiencing menstruation.
Among the athletes on Team GB, “Tom” is the most frequent first name, represented by nine athletes: Daley, Dean, Hall, Pidcock, McEwen, George, Digby, Barras, and Ford. The most common surnames are Evans, Hall, and Williams, each having four representatives.
Even before the Olympics commenced, there was a moment of panic for tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard was seen searching frantically for his passport at the accreditation center located at Orly Airport in Paris. Alcaraz, who recently triumphed over Novak Djokovic with scores of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 in the Wimbledon final, retraced his footsteps to the facility after realizing he had misplaced his document. Thankfully, he had already obtained the necessary accreditation to participate in the Games.
