Paris Olympics 2024: In ambitious Opening Ceremony, Indians eagerly partake, one way or another

Objectively, India’s Paris 2024 Olympics campaign already got underway on Thursday — a day before the Opening Ceremony — with a direct quarterfinal qualification for both of India’s archery teams. As happy as he was on his side’s start, 40-year-old Tarundeep Rai —part of the men’s team event— had one more ‘start’ he was eager to experience

“I’m going to be part of the opening ceremony as well. I was there last time in Tokyo but that was a very different situation. We were still living in a COVID world. It was an Olympics of course but it was also something else,” said Rai.

Shadowed by the pandemic, the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Games was conducted with pre-recorded segments, social distancing, and a tiny audience of VIPs in a largely empty stadium. You could see just why Rai, competing in his final Olympics, wanted to be part of a proper commencement in Paris.

It’s not just the Tokyo Games that Paris differs from; it’s from anything before it too. Never before in the 128-year-old history of the modern Olympiad has there been such an ambitious celebration. Rather than a parade inside a stadium, around 6000 athletes sailed in a flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine River.

The boats started from the iconic Austerlitz bridge, passing through 16 other historic ones and past some of the most globally recognisable landmarks in the French Capital, including the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Invalides and the Grand Palais before culminating at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

The whole route is about six kilometres and the boat ride itself lasted about 45 minutes inside a four-hour ceremony, India’s athletes – who were presented as their barge passed between Pont Royal Bridge and Léopold Sédar-Senghor footbridge – had spent a lot longer.

The time between donning their orange, white and green kurtas and sarees, making their way out of the athletes’ village, queueing up for security checks and the journey itself lasted upwards of six hours. The contingent would mostly be standing for much of that time. They came prepared with energy bars and bottles of water to keep the pangs of hunger and thirst at bay.

A few members — like sailors Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan, who were scheduled to compete at the Marseilles Marina — had been delayed following a massive arson attack on the French train service on Friday morning. Nevertheless, they made it before the festivities began. The 78 Indians from 12 disciplines taking part were more than happy to wait.

“I have visualised the moment when I lead Team India into the Olympic Games. The last few days, there’s been a lot more anxiety. I’ll do it with a lot of pride, but still I can’t wait for the moment to come,” Indian flagbearer Achanta Sharath Kamal had said ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

“Initially I thought it was a prank. I couldn’t believe it. It took me a day to understand when it was in the news to know that this is true. More than me, my family members felt very proud. The sacrifices – it’s not just me, but also my family members, especially my kids. They’re going through a lot of stuff. For them, when their classmates or schoolmates talk about this, they feel so proud. They ask when is it going to be, when can we see you on TV?”

PV Sindhu, the other flagbearer, was nervous as well.

“I’m thinking about what it will be like to carry the flag at the Opening ceremony. I’ve never carried it at the Olympic Games but I’ve done it once before at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, so it should be fine,” she had said ahead of the big day.

Not every Indian competing at the 2024 Olympics were to be a part of the Opening Ceremony, of course. Many had not arrived yet in France. India’s athletes were still training at Spala in Poland while the wrestlers weren’t due to arrive until the Games are well underway.

A few others stayed away since their event was to begin the next day. Balraj Panwar, who will be competing in the men’s singles sculls rowing event early on Saturday, opted out as did the Indian hockey team who will be playing New Zealand on Saturday evening.

“A lot of the younger players were very excited to be part of the Olympics. But I have to tell them you aren’t here to enjoy this tournament but you are here to win this medals. You can enjoy whatever you want to after the main job is done,” Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh had said.

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The Indian men’s badminton team too have stayed away from the ceremony. Despite this, the members of both hockey and badminton squads put on their ceremonial wear and posed for pictures at the Games Village. One way or the other, they wanted to be a part of it. 

Rai, who isn’t going to be competing until Monday in the men’s team event, didn’t have to make such compromises. He was glad he could take part in the opening ceremony.

“These are not just my last Olympics but also my last competition, I’m experiencing everything for the final time in my life. I’m very lucky that I could experience a final Opening ceremony,” he said.