Day 3 - July 26, 2024
Light schedule today due to the Opening Ceremonies, unless you are just super into shooting pre-traning! Yes, that is the only other event scheduled yesterday.
Even though there were no competitive events yesterday, we still had some scandal. Sajjad Sehen, a male judoka from Iraq, tested positive for two different anabolic steroids and is banned from competing in Paris.
In other drug related news, the United States won its first gold medal yesterday. How could they win a gold medal if there were no competitive events yesterday you ask? Well, here is how:
The Court of Arbitration for Sport finally resolved a Russian doping issue from the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. The Court decided to remove the gold medal awarded to the Russian Olympic team in team figure skating due to a positive doping test from then-15 year old Kamila Valieva, who incidentally was the first female to land a quad in Olympic history. I outlined the doping/testing situation back when it happened, and you can find it HERE!
Since Russia was removed as the gold-medal winning team, the then-second place team United States was elevated to the gold medal winners. Japan was elevated to the silver medal, and the Russian Olympic Team - they were not allowed to compete under their own name or flag due to the invasion of Ukraine - was awarded the bronze since Valieva's test occurred in late 2021 just before the Olympics, and since she should have been suspended from the Olympics, the score from their second best female skater would have landed them in third place. Anyway - USA! USA!! USA!!!
The Opening Ceremonies were a show, for sure, but I think that they were probably more spectacular for the athletes and the fans on site than for the television audience. My main comments:
Nothing much on Celine Dion here, because she will be covered everywhere else, but WOW! And performing on the Eiffel Tower!
Zinedane Zidane starting the torch relay from the Eiffel Tower.
NBC's broadcast left a lot to be desired. The failed to introduce and/or a lot of the performers, and were very sporadic in identifying the flag-bearers in the parade of Nations. They should have listed every single one, as well as their sport. NBC also skipped over various countries during the parade. I get there are commercials, but that isn't new.
The fits. My favorite five are: (5) Mongolia, which happens to be most critics' favorites.
(4) Chinese Taipei - F' It! TAIWAN!!!
(3) Haiti
(2) Togo (unfortunately I could not find a photo of Togo)
and the winner is .....
(1) - ARUBA!
The highlight of every opening ceremonies is the lighting of the Olympic flame. The Paris Olympic Organizing Committee had a number of athletest carry the torch from the Seine to the official cauldron, with names including Amelie Mauresmo and Alain Bernard, but the official lighters of the flame were Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner. Perec was a track and field athleted that won gold in the 400 meters in 1992 in Barcelona, and doubled in the 1996 Atlanta games winning the 200 meters and repeating as champion in the 400 meters. Teddy Riner is a juduka who won gold in teh +100 kg weight class in the 2012 games (London) and 2016 games (Rio), and won a gold in the mixed-team even in Tokyo 2020 (2021).
Perec and Riner carried separate torches which were lit from a torch carried by France's oldest Olympian, Charle Coste, who won a gold medal in cycling's team pursuit in teh 1948 games in London.
Perec and Riner then took their torches to light the cauldron, which then took off like a hot air ballon!
The lighting of the cauldron was beautiful, but to me, the highlight was incuded Coste as the penultimate torch-bearer!
Athlete of the Day - None - No competition
American Athlete of the Day - None - No Competition
Olympic Term of the Day: Judoka - Judo - A person who practices, or is an expert in, judo.
Olympic Events Watched: Opening Ceremonies
USA Potential Closing Ceremony Flag-Bearer (Alphabetically): Brady Ellison, Casey Kaufhold, Alyssa Naeher Mallory Swanson
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