The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is set for Friday, 26 July 2024, in Paris. This prestigious international sports event will host 10oi8 mik.,500 athletes from 200 National Olympic Committees, competing in 32 sports across 329 events at 35 venues. The event will also welcome 20,000 media representatives and 45,000 volunteers.
The UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) announced that 14 Emirati athletes will participate in five sports: equestrian, judo, cycling, swimming, and athletics. The Games will conclude on 11th August. The UAE delegation will begin their journey at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with competitions in swimming and judo, two days after the official opening ceremony.
The Paris 2024 Olympics mark a significant milestone in the UAE’s Olympic journey, which began at the Los Angeles 1984 Games. This event is seen as a new chapter towards a brighter sporting future for the UAE, under the umbrella of the National Sports Strategy 2031. The main goal of this strategy is to increase the number of qualified Emirati athletes to over 30 by the 2028 Olympic Games.
Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Director-General of the General Authority of Sports, highlighted the nation's sporting ambitions:
Since the flag of this dear nation was raised for the first time at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, we have been dreaming of a bright sporting future that carries with it achievements and excellence. There is no doubt that our participation in the Olympics is not just a sporting competition, but rather an embodiment of the visions and directions of our wise leadership and the dreams and aspirations of our people and our rising generations.
He added,
The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was the beginning, and since then we have been striving to build a generation of athletes who represent the UAE in the best way. The challenges we faced and the difficulties we surmounted were nothing but additional motivations to achieve more achievements.
Al Hajeri emphasized,
As we prepare today for the Paris 2024 Olympics in a few days, we have in mind a goal that goes beyond Paris, which is to achieve the largest possible participation and create a new dream for the UAE’s leadership and people, in line with objectives of the National Sports Strategy 2031, which include developing the capabilities of sports talents and achieving success in elite professional sports to consolidate the presence of the UAE on the global sports landscape.
With these aspirations, the UAE’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics signifies more than just competition; it is a testament to the nation’s commitment to sporting excellence and a promising future in the global sports arena.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
