Sport

Paris Olympics kicks off with rainy opening ceremony on the Seine River

Still, crowds crammed the Seine’s banks and bridges and watched from balconies, “oohing” and “aahing” as Olympic teams paraded in boats down the waterway that got increasingly choppy as the weather worsened.

Published

7 months ago

July 27, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony along the Seine River.

On-and-off showers — the first rain at a Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony in more than 70 years — did not seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river in a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s high-speed rail network, the Associated Press reported.

Widespread travel disruptions triggered by what French officials called coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines as well as the weather had dampened the mood ahead of the ceremony.

Undeterred from the festivities, many of the hundreds of thousands of spectators huddled under umbrellas, plastic ponchos or jackets as the rain intensified.

“The rain can’t stop us,” said US basketball star LeBron James, sporting a plastic poncho along with the other American flag bearer, tennis player Coco Gauff.

A humorous short film featured soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. Plumes of French blue, white and red smoke followed.

More than three hours into the show, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open. In a gaffe shortly beforehand, the five-ring Olympic flag was raised upside down at the Trocadero across from the Eiffel Tower.

The ceremony celebrated women, including 10 golden statues of female pioneers that rose from giant pedestals along the river. Among them was Olympe de Gouges, who drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen in 1791 during the French Revolution. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and was guillotined in 1793.

The Paris Games aim to be the first with equal numbers of men and women competing.

With the ambitious ceremony, the stakes for France were immense. Dozens of heads of state and government were in town, and the world was watching as Paris turned itself into a giant open-air theater.

Sofia Cohen, 20, watching with her father, called the ceremony “electric.” The Nicaraguan-Americans said the roar of applause given to the Ukrainian team was their favorite part.

“Every Olympics is different, and this one was very French. The ceremony started out very majestic and regal. And as the rain started pouring down and time went on, everything got a little more hectic and fun,” she said.

The sprawling event gave organizers bigger crowds to transport, organize and safeguard than would have been the case if they’d followed the example of previous Olympic host cities that opened with stadium shows.

Still, as the show got underway, optimism soared that Paris — true to its motto that speaks of being unsinkable — might just see its gambles pay off. That’s despite the soggy weather — no other Summer Olympics opening ceremony has had rain since Helsinki in 1952.

Paris organizers said 6,800 of the 10,500 athletes would attend before they embark on the next 16 days of competition.

The boats carrying the Olympic teams started the parade by breaking through curtains of water that cascaded down from Austerlitz Bridge, the start of the 6-kilometer (nearly 4-mile) route. The jetting waters were a wink at the fountains of Versailles Palace, the venue for Olympic equestrian competitions.

Per Olympic protocol, the first boat carried athletes from Greece, birthplace of the ancient Games. It was followed by the Olympic team of refugee athletes and then, the other nations in French alphabetical order.

Usually during Olympic opening ceremonies, the parade of athletes takes place during a pause in the razzmatazz. But Paris shattered that tradition by having the parade and pageantry at the same time, blending sports and artistic expression.

Some spectators who followed organizers’ advice to arrive well ahead of time along the ceremony route fumed over long waits to get to their seats.

“Paris has been great, anything to do with the Olympics and dissemination of information has been horrible,” said Tony Gawne, a 54-year-old Texan who turned up six hours in advance with his wife.

“When you spend $6,000 on two tickets, well, that’s a little frustrating,” he said.

But Paris had plenty of aces up its sleeve. The Eiffel Tower, its head visible below the clouds, Notre Dame Cathedral — restored from the ashes of its 2019 fire — the Louvre Museum and other iconic monuments starred in the opening ceremony. Award-winning theater director Thomas Jolly, the show’s creative mind, was using the signature Paris cityscape of zinc-gray rooftops as the playground for his imagination.

Many details of the spectacle that stretched into the Paris night were closely guarded secrets to preserve the wow factor, including who would light the Olympic cauldron.

During the athletes’ waterborne adventure, they passed historic landmarks that have been temporarily transformed into arenas for Olympic sports.

Concorde Plaza, where French revolutionaries guillotined King Louis XVI and other royals, now hosting skateboarding and other sports. The golden-domed resting place of Napoléon Bonaparte, the backdrop for Olympic archery, and the Eiffel Tower, which donated chunks of iron that have been inlaid in the gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. They’ll be won in the 32 sports’ 329 medal events.

Paris’ aim, said Estanguet, is “to show to the whole world and to all of the French that in this country, we’re capable of exceptional things.”

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Afghan cricket team arrives in Pakistan; Ghazanfar ruled out due to injury

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

Published

59 minutes ago

February 12, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national cricket team arrived in Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy which gets underway next week.

Players and support staff touched down in the country on Wednesday morning. The team will enjoy a day of rest before starting their practise sessions on Thursday.

Their first match is scheduled for Friday, February 21 at the National Stadium Karachi.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 marks the tournament’s return after an eight-year hiatus and is set to kick off on Wednesday February 19.

As the host nation and defending champions, Pakistan will compete against seven of the world’s best teams to retain their title.

The eight teams are divided into two groups for the tournament’s opening stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

The tournament opener will see the home team, Pakistan, face New Zealand on February 19th in Karachi. However, India will play all their matches in Dubai, citing security concerns as the reason for not traveling to Pakistan.

Afghanistan squad

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

Teenage spinner AM Ghazanfar has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. Left-armer Nangyal Kharoti has been drafted into the squad as a replacement.

Ghazanfar’s absence is a blow to Afghanistan’s spin department as they are already missing experienced spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

“Afghanistan’s young spin-bowling sensation, AM Ghazanfar, has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra,” the team confirmed in a statement.

Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s recent tour to Zimbabwe and is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.

“Nangyal Kharoti, who was part of the reserves pool, has been promoted to the main squad for the Champions Trophy. Additionally, Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to miss the ODI action, until he has fully recovered,” the statement read.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami

Afghanistan’s Group Stage Fixtures:

21 February – Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi
26 February – Afghanistan vs England, Lahore
28 February – Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore

Sport

Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Day 1 Highlights

Published

18 hours ago

February 11, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

The Ariana Snooker Championship 2025 kicked off in Afghanistan today, Tuesday February 11, with thrilling matches at the top level.

In the opening match, Afghanistan’s No. 1 ranking player Saleh Mohammad Mohammadi dominated the game, defeating Sahil Ebrahimi 4-1 to secure a spot in the next round.

The second match saw the country’s No. 2, Naweed Naderi, showcase his skills, effortlessly beating Iqbal Hasas 4-0.

Ali Ahmad followed suit, overcoming Mohammad Sadeq Mohammadi 4-2 in a well-fought contest.

The day’s final match saw Mohammad Rais Hotak deliver a commanding performance, dispatching Ali Sakhi with a 4-0 victory.

The week-long tournament, which runs from February 11 to 17, features the country’s top 16 snooker players who are competing for the prestigious title.

The matches will be broadcast live on Ariana Television in Afghanistan and will be live streamed on arianatelevision.com; Ariana Sport Facebook page and Ariana Sport YouTube Channel.

Match line up for Wednesday, February 12

ATN will start broadcasting the event live and exclusively from 3pm on Wednesday.

Match 1, 2, 3 and 4 took place on Tuesday.

Match 5 will see Zulmai Salamkhil play Ismail Mohammadi at 3pm.

Match 6 is between Ajmal Yousofzai and Haseebullah Sultani.

Match 7 will feature Mohammad Mir Noorzai and Ibrahim Mohammadi.

Match 8, the last in the group stage, will be between Nadir Khan Rohani and M. Usman Mohammadi.

Sport

All you need to know about Ariana Snooker Champs, which kicks off tomorrow

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Sports lovers across the country will be thrilled to hear that yet another exciting event will be broadcast live by Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) across the country from Tuesday, February 11.

This time it’s the Ariana Snooker Championship.

As part of ATN’s commitment to the development of sport and the sport community in Afghanistan, the tournament will be played in Kabul. The tournament has been organized by ATN, in partnership with Afghanistan Billiards & Snooker Federation.

Sixteen of the country’s top snooker players will battle it out for the title in the week-long event.

The group stage will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, with four matches each day. All players will then move on to the knockout stage, which will take place on Thursday and Friday this week.

The quarter finals are scheduled for Saturday, February 15, the semi-finals on Sunday. Capping the week off will be the finals, scheduled for Sunday, February 17.

Who is taking part

Among the players to look out for is Saleh Mohammadi, who at 53 years of age, is ranked number 1 in the country.

This right-handed player has been playing competitively since 1990 and has over 50 international tournaments under his belt.

Another heavyweight player to watch will be 35-year-old right hander Naweed Naderi who is ranked 2nd in the country.

At number 3 in the country is Ali Ahmad, who is also in the line up and will play in Match 3 on Tuesday. He is also a right handed player.

Tournament format

The group stage will see players competing in seven frames. The knockout stage and the quarter finals will both be nine frames; the semi-finals 11 frames, and the final will be 13 frames.

Players and Match lineup

ATN will start broadcasting the event live and exclusively from 3pm on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Match 1: Tuesday – M. Saleh Mohammadi vs Sahel Ebrahimi. Match starts just after 3:00pm.

Match 2: Tuesday – M. Iqbal Hasas vs Naweed Naderi. Match starts at 4:25pm.
Match 3: Tuesday – Ali Ahmad vs M. Sadiq Mohammadi. Match starts at 5:35pm
Match 4: Tuesday – M. Rayees Hotak vs Ali Sakhi. Broadcast starts at 6:50pm
Match 5: Wednesday – Zulmai Salamkhil vs Ismail Mohammadi. Match starts at 3:00pm.
Match 6: Wednesday – Ajmal Yousofzai vs Haseebullah Sultani. Match starts at 4:25pm.
Match 7: Wednesday – Mohammad Mir Noorzai vs Ibrahim Mohammadi. Match starts at 5:35pm.
Match 8: Wednesday – Nadir Khan Rohani vs M. Usman Mohammadi. Match starts at 6:50pm.

See table below on viewing options available for fans.

For snooker fans across the country, be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media platforms for the latest news on this exciting event.