Sport
Olympics finally here; What you need to know
While the Paris Olympics officially opens on Friday, the first events will take place from Wednesday, July 24. This will include Men’s football group stages.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are finally here, and with several sports starting ahead of the opening ceremony, here’s what you need to know.
Will I be able to watch the Games in Afghanistan?
Yes! Ariana Television Network secured the rights to broadcast the Games legally in Afghanistan. Events will be broadcast live on Ariana Television across the country.
When do the 2024 Olympics start?
The official Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 26, with a first-of-its-kind event that will take place through the heart of the French capital on the River Seine.
More than 300,000 people are expected to watch the opening ceremony on the banks of the Seine, with an additional 1.5 billion people set to tune in worldwide.
What is the first sport for the 2024 Olympics?
While the Paris Olympics officially opens on Friday, the first events will take place from Wednesday, July 24. This will include Men’s football group stages.
First up will be Uzbekistan vs Spain. This match will be broadcast live from 5.30pm Kabul time.
This will be followed at 7.30 pm Kabul time by the Guinea vs New Zealand match and then at 9.30pm, Japan will take on Paraguay. At 11.30pm, host nation France will play USA.
These matches will all be broadcast live, and legally, across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.
In addition to the football matches, rugby, handball, archery and shooting will also begin before the Opening Ceremony.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the biggest event ever organized in France.
The Olympic Games will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024, and billions of people around the world are expected to tune in to watch this popular, multicultural event.
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The national buzkashi team of Afghanistan delivered an impressive performance to claim third place at the 2026 World Kokpar Championship in Kazakhstan.
Afghanistan dominated the group stage with commanding victories—thrashing Hungary 14–0, defeating Russia 5–0, and overcoming Mongolia 7–0—to top Group B and advance to the semi-finals.
Despite a strong effort, Afghanistan fell 4–2 to Uzbekistan in the semi-finals. However, the team responded emphatically in the third-place playoff, beating Russia 6–0 to secure the bronze medal.
Alongside their podium finish, Afghanistan was awarded 4,500,000 Kazakh tenge (around 9,400 US dollars) by the International Kokpar Federation, capping off a successful campaign on the global stage.
Ireland cricket officials have announced that they will host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series from August 5–14.
Other international teams including Australia and England have either cancelled or avoided scheduling bilateral series against Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate regained power in 2021.
“Cricket Ireland has made a decision to play Afghanistan in Belfast this year,” CI chief executive Sarah Keane said on Friday. “I’m not going to fob you off by saying that there’s financial reasons and there’s legal reasons. There aren’t. This has been a decision by Cricket Ireland in what it believes is the best interest of the organisation as a whole, and the decision was made by the board this week.”
Afghanistan’s national buzkashi team was eliminated from the Kokpar World Championship after losing 4–2 to Uzbekistan in the semifinals on Friday.
The defeat prevented the Afghan team from reaching the final, ending their hopes for the tournament title.
Earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan had secured victories over Hungary, Mongolia, and Russia, showcasing strong performances in the opening rounds.
The international Kokpar competition was hosted in the city of Turkistan, Kazakhstan, bringing together top teams from around the world.
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