Olympics
It’s an honour to captain Team Nigeria, says record-making Anu Opeyori
Anuoluwapo Opeyori whose appointment as the as the General Team Captain for Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Games sets a record as the first badminton player to lead the country at the Olympic Games continues his record-making spree.
His qualification for Paris 2024 has made him Nigeria’s first back-to-back badminton player at the Olympics. He is one of the 173 badminton players at Paris 2024. He featured at the delayed Tokyo 2020 and will thus made a back-to-back appearance.
Here in France, he told the Sports Village Square that he is elated to be named to captain Nigeria and gave his gratitude to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for the honour. “I see it as a higher call to service”, remarked the badminton player who is out to make history to become the best ever African badminton player at the Olympics.
Prior to now, he had told BBC that: “my target is to get to the quarter-final because once I’m able to win one game, I believe that will be a big upset for everyone and I should be able to achieve more than that.”
From being out to end Africa’s Olympic badminton jinx comes the additional pressure to meet his aspirations. “No sir”, there is no additional pressure. It is a higher call to service”, he told Sports Village Square.
“I assure you that Team Nigeria shall make great marks at these Games.” He remarked that the captainship has inspired him to be a role model to the athletes and youths of his generation.
“I am now compelled to be a leader and take care of the athletes’ welfare and lift their spirits. I am out to inspire them with the ‘can do’ spirit.
“We are moving from the realm of just participants to being strong competitors”, said Opeyori.
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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