Two-time champion Eliud Kipchoge is ready to create history at the Paris 2024 Summer Games by becoming the first man to win three Olympic marathon gold medals.
Kipchoge, the former world marathon record holder, will write another chapter in his unprecedented running career in France when he becomes the first and only Kenyan to compete at five Olympics.
But he says, for him, the Olympics are about much more than just winning.
“The Olympic Games wants everybody to associate, it promotes freedom of association whereby all of us, about 100 countries will be there competing together and shaking hands at the finish line,” he says.
“You know it’s not only about winning, but the important thing at the Olympic Games is also about participation. Personally, I want to make my country a running country and make the world a running world.”
Tokyo Marathon winner, Benson Kipruto, and London Marathon champion, Alexander Munyao, will run alongside Kipchoge in the Kenyan men’s marathon.
And he has tipped them to go for an unprecedented Olympics podium sweep in Paris.
“I think my teammates actually are very good, they are high class, energetic, and disciplined athletes. I trust we will compete in a good way and make the podium for all of us,” he says.
The two-time Olympic winner is, however, wary of the threat posed by rivals, especially athletes from Ethiopia, Uganda, and runners with roots in East Africa who will be running for Bahrain, Qatar, USA, and Kazakhstan among others.
“I respect all other competitors. Everybody who is in the Olympics is an Olympian and they represent their country. I cannot underrate anybody,” he says.
Kipchoge first competed for Kenya at the Athens 2004 Olympics where he won bronze in the men’s 5,000m.
He upgraded to silver at the same race at the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, but failed to qualify in both the 5,000m and 10,000m teams for the London 2012 Olympics.
It was to prove to be a turning point in his career.
Failure to qualify for London prompted his decision to switch to road running and in 2013 he won on his marathon debut in Hamburg.
What followed thereafter is an unmatched record in the marathon with 15 victories in 18 marathons, including 12 wins in the Marathon Majors and setting the world record twice.
In Brazil, Kipchoge became only the second Kenyan after the late Samuel Wanjiru to win men’s marathon gold before returning to successfully defend his title at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021.
Super Falcons of Nigeria lost their 2024 Olympics opener against Brazil by 1-0 after a tight affair at the Bordeaux Stadium, in France on Thursday, July 25.
A 37th-minute goal from Gabi Nunes was all that was needed for Brazil to deny the Super Falcons three points in their first game at this year’s Olympics.
Randy Waldrum, Nigeria’s head coach, opted to leave Asisat Oshoala on the bench and instead named Chinwendu Ihezuo as the team’s centre forward.
Skipper Rashidat Ajibade made several attempts to drive the team’s attack, including setting up Ihezuo with a well-placed cross and forcing Brazil’s goalkeeper Lorena into a save. Christy Ucheibe also tested Lorena, but Nigeria’s efforts were not enough.Brazil’s Marta, a six-time Women’s World Footballer of the Year, initially thought she had scored in the 36th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review.
Shortly afterward, a lapse in concentration allowed Nunes to capitalize on a chance, driving the ball past Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and into the net.Nigeria will now shift their focus to their second group game against Spain on Sunday.
Zimbabwe on Thursday, July 25, sought to dampen a controversy sparked by reports that scores of officials accompanied a meagre seven-athlete Olympics team to Paris, saying most were not part of the official delegation.
The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) said only nine staff, including coaches and officials, travelled to France with the squad ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday, after many had vented their anger online at the alleged waste of public money.
“We are aware though that there are many other technical officials, dignitaries invited to the games directly to officiate and as guests and many other hundreds of Zimbabweans in Paris in various capacities,” said ZOC president Thabani Gonye.
“These are not part of Team Zimbabwe delegation but Zimbabweans all welcome and free to cheer our athletes on.”
The statement came after reports that the impoverished nation had sent, in some cases via private jet, a bloated delegation of more than 60 people, including Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry.
“The sheer size of the official delegation, particularly in contrast to the small number of athletes, raises serious questions about the government’s priorities and resource allocation, especially at a time when it is begging for drought relief assistance from countries that sent huge teams of athletes with very few officials,” prominent journalist and activist Hopewell Chin’ono wrote on X.
Former education minister Jonathan Moyo described it as an “embarrassing dent on Zimbabwe’s reputation”, while opposition politician Fadzayi Mahere argued taxpayers’ money could have been better spent.
Government spokesman Nick Mangwana said Vice President Chiwenga was in Paris for the Olympics’ official opening and “other business” including luring investments, and Coventry was there as a member of the International Olympic Committee.”It is not just about the Olympics, there is other work,” he wrote on social media.
Zimbabwe is one of a band of countries in southern Africa experiencing food shortages due to a prolonged, severe dry spell. In May President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster, saying it needed at least two billion dollars to respond to the drought.
Hearts of Oak head coach, Aboubakar Ouattara, has ripped into football administrators for the kind of contracts players in the Ghana Premier League sign.
According to him, the nature of the contracts agreed between clubs and players is not professional and does not happen anywhere.
In recent times, players have left Ghanaian clubs at crucial times of the season due to the contracts they signed when joining and Ouattara didn’t shy away from bashing them.
“It’s only in Ghana that I see a player’s contract end in September or December,” he said during a media briefing on Thursday, July 25. “It’s not normal for a contract to end just a week before the league starts. It’s not professional.”
Ouattara is determined to fine-tune Hearts’ squad not to repeat their performance from the 2023/24 season where they finished in the bottom half of the table.
Ghana’s contingent at the 2024 Olympic Games will wear ‘fugu’ for the opening ceremony of the championship.
The team will wear the beautiful handwoven fabric to display and promote the diverse Ghanaian culture during the games.
“We are going to wear our traditional fugu and a black down as well as special footwear,” Ghana’s media attache, Benjamin Willie Graham, told Joy Sports.
“Also, five athletes from us will be at the opening ceremony because the opening ceremony will be on the river. So five of them will be there to ensure they hoist the flag of Ghana.”
The opening ceremony of the Games will be held on Friday, July 26, on the colourful river Seine, making it the first time the procession is being held outside a stadium. The Seine, the city’s main water artery, will substitute for the traditional track, the quays will become spectator stands, while the setting sun reflecting off famous Parisian landmarks will provide the backdrop for the event.
This outdoor concept also makes Paris 2024 the largest Opening Ceremony in terms of audience and geographical coverage.
Ambitious, historic, spectacular – these are some of the words used to describe the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony since the first plans were unveiled three years ago.
Set to be the first Olympic Games Opening Ceremony held outside a stadium, the 26 July celebration will transform the French capital into a stadium and theatre as the traditional parade of athletes takes place in boats along the Seine, passing the most iconic Parisian landmarks.
Here is all you need to know about the Opening Ceremony.
When will the opening ceremony be held? The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, 26 July.
The event will start at 19:30 CEST and is expected to last more than three hours.
Why is this ceremony historic? Paris 2024 will mark the first time in history of the Olympic Summer Games that the Opening Ceremony is held outside a stadium.
Instead of familiar images of athletes marching out along an athletics track, guests and viewers will be treated to a colourful river parade through the heart of the French capital.
The Seine, the city’s main water artery, will substitute for the traditional track, the quays will become spectator stands, while the setting sun reflecting off famous Parisian landmarks will provide the backdrop for the event.
This outdoor concept also makes Paris 2024 the largest Opening Ceremony in terms of audience and geographical coverage.
What is the route of the parade? The parade route along the Seine is a visual journey through Parisian history and architecture.
The Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes is the starting point for the flotilla, which will then continue west for 6 kilometres along the Seine, passing under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks, such as the Notre-Dame and the Louvre, as well as some Games venues, including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais.
Grouped on the boats with their national teams, the athletes will ultimately arrive opposite the Trocadero – the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower – where the official protocols will be carried out, the Olympic cauldron lit, and the Paris 2024 Games officially declared open.
How many athletes will take part? Almost 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented in the parade will have boats to themselves, while the smaller ones will share boats.
Camera equipment set up on the decks will allow spectators to see the athletes up close and witness their emotions.
What entertainment performances can we expect? Thomas Jolly, a French theatre director and actor, is overseeing the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies as artistic director.While most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps, based on the hints so far, we can expect a show on a grand scale with an eclectic mash up of the old and the new. Speaking to the media in January, Jolly said that he wants to showcase the contrasting cultures of France, be that opera or rap, thus bringing together all the pieces that form the nation’s diverse cultural identity.
For his part, ceremonies choreographer Maud Le Pladec promised that every bridge along the parade route will have dancers on it. Le Pladec will lead 400 dancers out of the total 3,000 artists who are set to take part in the Paris 2024 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, all decked out in one-of-a-kind costumes by Daphne Burki.
The French television presenter serves as the costume director for the show, leading a team of hundreds of dressmakers, hair stylists and makeup artists. Burki’s focus on sustainability also means there will be many vintage and upcycled pieces used in the ceremonies, mixed in with newer creations.
What will the athletes be wearing? Artists will not be the only ones showing their style at the Opening Ceremony. With a line-up of luxury brands designing athlete uniforms, expect the Olympians to shine as well.
Team USA mix preppy jackets with jeans for a cool, all-American look, while Italian athletes will show up in casual, dark blue sets. Hosts France worked with a luxury brand to come up with vests and jackets that tie in with the general Paris 2024 look.
Other teams, such as Canada, Great Britain and Sweden, opted for a more athleisure look, all evoking the colour palettes of their national flags.Some nations went even further with the patriotic details. Mongolian outfits have already created a buzz on social networks for their intricate embroidery and traditional silhouettes.
Brazil and Guatemala’s looks are also sure to turn heads. Brazil’s denim jackets feature animals that are native to the country, while the Guatemalan athletes are dressed up in folkloric hats and bags to make a colourful statement on the Seine.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO WATCH THE OPENING CEREMONY? Almost 600,000 people will be able to enjoy the Opening Ceremony in person. True to its slogan, “Games Wide Open”, Paris 2024 tried to make the event accessible to as many people as possible by taking it outside of the traditional stadium setting.
There were 222,000 free tickets available to watch the parade from the upper banks of the Seine, in addition to 104,000 paid tickets on the lower quays. This marks the first Opening Ceremony where most spectators will not pay an admission fee – another historic milestone for Paris 2024.
Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the Opening Ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.
An additional 1.5 billion people from around the world are expected to tune into the television broadcasts of the ceremony.
Keely Hodgkinson discusses lessons from her loss to Mary Moraa as he aims for gold at the Paris Olympics.
Olympic and world 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson is gearing up for the Paris Olympics with a resolute focus on clinching the gold.
At just 22, she has already made significant strides in her athletic career, breaking records and overcoming challenges.
But as she prepares for the upcoming games, Hodgkinson reflects on a particularly tough race that has fueled her drive for victory.
“If you want to watch a bad race, watch Lausanne,” Hodgkinson says in an interview with the Telegraph, recalling the June competition where she found herself boxed in and then out-thought and out-paced by Kenyan Mary Moraa in the 800m. Hodgkinson’s journey has been marked by impressive accomplishments, including a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 19 with a personal best of 1:55.88.
More recently, she broke her own 800m record in front of 60,000 fans at the London Stadium leg of the Diamond League, becoming the sixth-fastest woman in history.
Despite these successes, Hodgkinson admits that post-Tokyo, she faced emotional challenges.
Running approximately 35 miles each week, Hodgkinson focuses on building power and muscle strength, training more like a sprinter. Gym sessions, swimming, and cross-training have been crucial in enhancing her endurance and performance.
“I spend a lot of time on a cross-trainer,” she notes. “If I was to factor that in, my running mileage would go up.”
Preparation for a race, for Hodgkinson, resembles getting ready for a night out.
“The process starts two hours beforehand – I just enjoy it,” she explains.
Her routine includes a shower, fake tan, music, and doing her hair and make-up. “There’s nothing really to do on race day, especially if I’m racing at 10pm.” Visualizing different race scenarios with her coach Painter is another key aspect of her preparation.
“Let others dictate your race and that’s when silly mistakes happen; panic after getting boxed in and you can bolt too early,” she cautions.
Reflecting on the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hodgkinson recalls hitting a lactic wall with 300m to go.
“The pack was so fast through the first lap. It really made us all hurt. We’d never done it that fast before.” On that occasion, it was her main rival, Athing Mu, who set the pace with Hodgkinson finishing as runner-up.
Despite the camaraderie with her fellow athletes during training camps, Hodgkinson remains competitive.
Head coach of the Black Princesses, Yussif Basigi, has stressed on the need for his side to play friendly games ahead of their participation in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Ghana is set for a seventh straight appearance in the competition since its debut in 2010.
The Black Princesses have been training in Cape Coast for the past three weeks as part of their preparations for this year’s competition which will be staged in Colombia.
Despite their lengthy stay in the Central Region, the team have not had the deserved test required as part of their preparations.
“Definitely, when it comes to such preparations, you will need matches to play. But to begin with, we have started playing some medium-profile games around since many of the female clubs are not in session,” Basigi said during a presser on Monday.”We have decided to play with U-13 boys so we take it from there and I know as and when we are progressing, other matches will follow.”
With the expansion of the competition to 24 teams from 16, Yussif Basigi will be hoping to guide Ghana past the first round for the first time.
Ghana are pitted in Group E where they will face Austria, New Zealand and Japan.
Ghana’s Black Queens head coach, Nora Hauptle, has set her sights on returning the team to its former glory and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Black Queens, once a dominant force in African women’s football, have seen their fortunes dwindle in recent years. However, since Hauptle’s appointment, there are signs of a resurgence.
“Our mission is to get back to number one in Africa,” declared Hauptle, referencing the Black Queens’ past success at the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 1999, 2003, and 2007.
“We even qualified for the World Cup at one point, and we want to bring ourselves back to that level.”
Hauptle acknowledges the recent achievement of qualifying for the Women’s AFCON again. She emphasises the importance of challenging themselves against the best: “It’s important to measure ourselves against the top ten teams in the world,” she said, referring to their upcoming friendly match against Japan this weekend.
The match against Japan on Saturday at the Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium will be a crucial test for the Black Queens as they strive to reclaim their position as a powerhouse in African women’s football.
Kudjoe Fianoo, a member of Accra Great Olympics’ newly formed three-man management committee, has emphasized that their immediate focus is to appoint a new head coach, which will most likely be followed by the dissolution of the interim committee.
Last week, the club’s board chairman, Amarkai Amarteifio, announced the dissolution of the club’s Management and Technical Teams following their relegation from the Ghana Premier League.
In an interview on Channel One TV, Fianoo explained the decision to dissolve the management board after the club’s relegation.
During the previous season, Great Olympics finished 16th in the league standings, which consisted of 18 teams. Throughout the season, they went through three different head coaches, namely Annor Walker, Jimmy Cobblah, and Henry Orlando Wellington.
Fianoo expressed his belief that the newly formed committee might not oversee the entire season. Currently, they are actively searching for a coach.
“I don’t think that this committee is going to see through the entire season. As we speak, we are on the search for a coach,” Fianoo stated. “When we get the coach, we will see some names sent to the Board for consideration and then we will form the management committee that will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the club. So our mission is to make sure that we fill in the gap as the club prepares to move into Division One.”
Great Olympics are determined to rebuild and make a strong comeback, starting with a strategic appointment of a capable head coach to lead the team in the upcoming season.
