It has been a rainy start to the Paris Olympics, quite literally, right under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower when it was raining cats and dogs. Earlier during the day, there was a report of a bomb, traffic was disrupted, and the airport was evacuated, causing delays for many attendees.
The games in France had become controversial as these are going to be the first Olympics where people who changed their gender can participate in their adopted gender. More so, France has forbidden its athletes to wear hijabs. It was high time we could have lured all those French Muslim women athletes. Just kidding. But what discrimination? Also, there is going to be a refugee team of people who flee their homes in the state of war, the same wars supported by the countries of the world participating in. There is a strong positive campaign against the Israeli contingent, though.
Where to find Olympic tickets
The opening ceremony has passed. Anyway, if you are looking to find Olympic 2024 event tickets, the official tickets are available from time to time. Also, hospitality packages could be found here.
Pakistan at the Paris 2024 Olympics
There are going to be 16 days filled with passion and anxiety. Anxiety is due to the contention that Pakistan will be represented by seven athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, competing in athletics, swimming, and shooting events. The full schedule can be found here. Apple has also introduced its Paris Olympics app.
On July 24, Pakistani athletes Arshad Nadeem and Faiqa Riaz departed for Paris to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Here’s the schedule for their events:
- Athletics: Arshad Nadeem will take part in the Men’s Javelin Throw qualification round on August 6th at the Stade de France. Should he advance to the final, it will be held on August 8th at approximately 11:25 PM PKT.
- Athletics: Faiqa Riaz will compete in the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round on August 2nd, scheduled to begin around 1:35 PM PKT at the Stade de France.
- Shooting: Kishmala Talat will participate in the 10m Air Pistol Women’s Qualification Round on July 27th, the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification Round on July 29th, and the 25m Pistol Women’s Qualification Round on August 2nd.
- Shooting: Gulfam Joseph will compete in the 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification Round on July 27th and the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification Round on July 29th.
- Shooting: Ghulam Mustafa Bashir will take part in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Qualification Round on August 4th.
- Swimming: Muhammad Ahmed Durrani will swim in the Men’s 200m Freestyle Heats on July 28th at around 2:00 PM PKT.
- Swimming: Jehanara Nabi will compete in the Women’s 200m Freestyle Heats on July 28th at around 2:00 PM PKT.
Pakistan vs India
first of all, a medal race is a direct indication of a nation’s progress. But the arch rivalry between Pakistan and India is profound. There will be at least four times when Pakistanis will come face to face with their Indian counterparts. So, we’re going to see “India vs Pakistan” moments four times in this Paris Olympics
- Neeraj vs. Nadeem
- Kishmala vs. Manu
- Gulfam Joseph vs. Sarabjot
- Anish vs. Bashir
Except for the Neeraj vs. Nadeem showdown, the other battles may not be as exciting. Nadeem remains Pakistan’s only medal hope in the Paris Olympics. Kishmala will also compete in the mixed pistol event and the 25m pistol event, making it a total of six events. Actually, Kishmala is also a surprise package! She scored 580 in the qualification round of the 10m air pistol at the last Asian Games and 218.4 in the finals. This means she is also a contender for a medal in the Olympics! However, in shooting, it also matters who can control their nervousness.
Official versus athletes
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, the Pakistani contingent is gearing up for a grand entrance. However, shooters Kishnala Talat, Gulfam Joseph, and GM Bashir will not attend the ceremony. They are currently in Chateauroux, which is 282 km from Paris. Given the travel time of over 3 hours and 30 minutes and the fact that they have events scheduled for tomorrow, they have decided to remain in Chateauroux to focus on their competitions.
There will be 7 Pakistani athletes and a whopping total of 11 officials. I remember how, back in 2012, there was a Punjab youth festival program, and athletes were encouraged by Rana Manhood, and Guinness world records were being made. Alas, that program was stopped. In 2013, I participated on the Olympic committee as a referee. Things were to be better in the next decade.
Also unfortunate was the government of PTI, which was under a sportsman-led prime minister who could not revive sports at all. Last time, Inam Butt was raising funds to go to the Olympics.
and This was when Arshad was contesting for a podium place at the Olympics.
The sad cases of Talha and Nooh Butt
Talha had a doping test come positive. So, in the spirit of sports, he was banned. Nooh was treated unfairly by the PWLF. However, I doubt he would have been a serious contender, as his personal best is 405kg, which is below the top six from the Tokyo Olympics. Whether he could have surpassed the 440kg mark needed to be competitive is uncertain.
Why has PAKISTAN hockey not qualified
The chances went to negligible when Pakistan narrowly got defeated by New Zealand. In the past, the fate of hockey seemed ugly due to the involvement of politics. The players seemed to chant PMI chief support slogans whenever they went on a tour, citing their love for a prime minister who was a sportsman and whom they thought might have had a heart for his fraternity. Alas, the situation got worse with the removal of departments. Meanwhile, the likes of Mansoor and Akhtar Rasool, who aided PMLN, were no different.
Pakistan Olympics Federation should burn down to the ground as on Sep 12, 2023, and The International Hockey Federation withdrew the hosting of the Olympic qualifier event from Pakistan. The FIH informed the Pakistan Hockey Federation of this decision, citing non-cooperation and interference in the PHF’s affairs as the main reasons for their withdrawal.
On a related note, while I have no objections to the presence of additional officials if they are genuinely there to support the athletes, such as coaches or medical staff, it is disheartening to see some officials from various sports bodies using these roles as an opportunity for leisure trips rather than providing valuable assistance.
We extend our best wishes to these athletes for their participation in this prestigious event. We particularly hope for a strong performance from Arshad Nadeem and have high expectations for our shooters. May they all excel and make the country proud.
