Last Updated on 02/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
The world’s eyes are on Paris. And why not. Paris, the capital of France, known as Ville lumière or City of Light, is hosting the world’s biggest sporting event, the Olympics 2024. The entire city is filled with players, athletes, sports lovers or those interested in sports from all over the world. Apart from this, there is a separate crowd of crazy people who want to see Paris.
Well, Paris Olympics has many reasons which make this sporting event special. For example, after exactly 100 years, Olympic Games are being held in Paris once again. Before this, Paris had also hosted the 1924 Olympics. Apart from this, Paris has become the second city after London which has a record of hosting Olympic Games three times. Paris has previously hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924. Whereas London has hosted the Olympic Games in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
Apart from this, this is the first Olympics in history that has achieved gender parity on the sports field. Gender parity means that this time male and female players are participating in equal numbers in the world’s biggest sporting event. A total of 10,500 athletes have arrived in France to participate in the Olympics 2024, including 5,250 men and the same number (5,250) women players.
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Apart from this, this mega event being held in Paris is being called the most family friendly Olympics in history. The reason is that this time a special nursery has been made in the Olympics where parent Olympians can spend time with their children during this event. It has been named Olympic Village Nursery.
The list is long. But all these achievements and arrangements will pale in comparison to the hard work of the players participating in the Olympics, their love for the game and their passion to achieve something on the biggest stage of the world. Although every athlete participating in the Olympics is special. Every player has his own journey to reach this stage. But, in this Kumbh of the world’s best athletes and players, some such names are also emerging whose journey can be captured on a canvas and watched intently. The stories that have come their way can be heard on a loop with closed eyes. The moving picture of their lives can be watched continuously.
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez, Indian shooter Manu Bhaker, Chinese-Chilean table tennis player Zhiying Zeng, 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao and 65-year-old Spanish equestrian Juan Antonio Jiménez are some of the names participating in the Paris Olympics 2024 whose journey can inspire you more than any motivational speech. Apart from this, retired swimmer and Syrian civil war refugee Yusra Mardini, who has participated in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is now seen in a new role in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Nada Hafeez
26-year-old Nada Hafez is an Egyptian fencer. Nada first defeated a player from USA in the women’s individual event. However, in the next round, Nada lost to a player from Korea. Till here everything seemed normal. But after this, a post made by Nada on Instagram shocked everyone.
Nada, who lost in the last 16, revealed that she is not just an Olympian, but a ‘7-month pregnant Olympian’. In fact, when Nada was facing the attack while wielding the sword against her opponent, a 7-month-old Olympian was also present in her womb. He was also participating in this game with his mother.
Nada revealed this on her Instagram account and wrote, ‘You see 2 players on the podium, but actually there were three! Me, my opponent and my little girl who has not yet come into this world! It was a very difficult struggle to maintain a balance between life and sports. However, it was worth the struggle.
manu bhaker
Manu Bhaker, the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Olympics after independence, also inspires in her Olympic journey and the story of her comeback. Shooter Manu Bhaker managed to win India’s first medal at the Paris Olympics, but her path to reach here was full of ups and downs. The story begins with the last Olympics (Tokyo Olympics 2020 which was held in 2021 due to Corona). Everyone’s eyes were on Manu and the whole country was expecting a medal from her. She was also in great form.
Manu Bhaker, who had targeted the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games at the age of just 16, was the youngest Indian player to achieve this feat. Before the Tokyo Olympics, Bhaker, who had won 11 medals including 9 gold medals in the World Cup, was considered a top contender from India. But she was disappointed in both singles and mixed events and could not win a single medal in the 2020 Olympics. She was criticized a lot for not winning a medal despite being in top form. Later, Manu Bhaker also had to lose her place in the national squad.
But the ‘Still I Rise’ tattoo on the back of her neck gave Manu Bhaker the courage to stand up again. ‘Still I Rise’ is a poem written by poet and human rights activist Maya Angelou. Talking to BBC about this tattoo, Manu Bhaker said, ‘Still I Rise – are not just words, but it is a phenomenon, of proving yourself in difficult times. These words are a source of inspiration for me. They increase my determination, no matter how much failure I face, I am confident that I will stand up again.’
Manu Bhaker’s journey from returning empty-handed from Tokyo in 2021 to reaching the podium twice in Paris three years later is not only a proud one, but the journey of this player is also no less than an inspiration.
Yusra Mardini
Yusra Mardini is a Syrian refugee who had to flee her country at the age of just 16. Due to the war, Yusra decided to leave her country with her sister in August 2015. Both the sisters first reached Lebanon from Syria, then they traveled to Turkey by plane. From here they boarded a boat to Greece, but this boat journey of about 40-45 minutes turned out to be 3 hours long. Due to excess people and being dilapidated, the boat capsized in a short time and from here began another journey for Yusra and her sister Sara. Both the sisters, along with two other people, pushed the boat full of 16 people to the shore by swimming amidst the surging waves for about three hours.
After facing many difficulties, Mardini and her sister finally reached Berlin. Here they started their life again as refugees. Yusra also resumed swimming coaching. In 2016, Yusra Mardini was part of the team of 10 athletes who were participating in Rio as the first refugee Olympic team. Yusra’s story of reaching Berlin from Syria, her journey to participate in the 2016 and then later in the 2020 Olympics is an example for many.
A film has also been made on the struggle and journey of Yusra Mardini, who has retired from swimming. The 2 hour 14 minute film ‘The Swimmers’ released on Netflix is based on the life of this athlete. Although Mardini is present in the Paris Olympics, this time she has changed her role. In the Olympics 2024, Yusra can be seen in the role of a Eurosport reporter covering the Refugee Olympic Team for Discovery.
Zhiying Zeng
Zhiying Zeng, who made her Olympic debut at the age of 58, is a Chilean table tennis player. Born in China, Zhiying’s table tennis journey began there, but she fulfilled her dream of participating in the Olympics in 2024 by playing for Chile. Although Zeng was selected in the Chinese national team at the age of just 16, her dream of playing in the Olympics could not be fulfilled. Due to a change in the rules, Zeng announced her retirement.
In fact, before the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Two-Colour Rule was implemented in table tennis. This meant that both sides of the paddle could no longer be black. The colour of both sides of the paddle had changed. This change became a challenge for Jeng, because she often used to rotate the paddle to confuse her opponent, but after the new rule came in, Jeng’s opponents could easily predict her. Her strength now became her weakness.
Later in 1989, Zeng got an offer from a school in Chile to become a table tennis coach. Zeng started playing again. In 2004 and 2005, Zeng also won two national level tournaments. But later when his son turned to the game, he once again put a break on his journey. Then in 2020, when COVID-19 forced the world to stay indoors, Zeng once again resorted to table tennis to keep himself fit and in 2024, at the age of 58, he fulfilled his dream of playing in the Olympics.
Juan Antonio Jimenez
Jimenez, 65, is an equestrian. Jimenez is part of Spain’s Olympic team at Paris 2024. Although 69-year-old Australian equestrian Mary Hannah is also in Paris, she is part of a reserve team that is not competing. This makes Jimenez the oldest Olympian at the 2024 Olympics.
Jimenez has previously participated in the equestrian dressage event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004. Jimenez has not yet won a medal in any individual event, but he was part of the Spanish team that won the silver medal in the team dressage event at the Athens Olympics.
Zheng Haohao Explained
Skateboarder Zheng Haohao, just 11 years and 11 months old, is the youngest athlete to reach Paris. Zheng Haohao has been playing and learning this sport since the age of seven. She can be seen competing in this event on August 6.
At the age when mothers pack school tiffins for their children, this child is participating in the Paris Olympics 2024 carrying the burden of expectations of millions of people on his shoulders. Let us tell you that skateboarding was included as a sport in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)