The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Paris 2024

  • Organisers to half attendance for Paris 2024 opening ceremony

    Organisers to half attendance for Paris 2024 opening ceremony

    The number of people set to attend the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympics has been estimated at about 300,000, French Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said, around half as many as were previously expected.

    The opening ceremony will be a six kilometre parade along the River Seine on 26 July. It will take place amid security concerns as France is on a high terrorism alert.

    “The idea is that there will be 100,000 people on the lower quays (with paying tickets) and more than 220,000 people on the upper quays (with free tickets),” Darmanin told French TV channel France 2.

    “Then there are all those who live there and who will be able to rent, have parties along the Seine.”

    The last time Darmanin estimated the number of attendees was in May 2023, when he said up to 600,000 were expected at the opening ceremony.

    Paris 2024 organisers said the estimate was not final.

    “As the French government has indicated, the final decision on the size of the stadium will be taken at the end of the consultation process in spring 2024,” they said in a statement to Reuters.

    Read Also: Paris 2024: Energetic Bolaji edges world’s best to Paralympics ticket

    “When it comes to security, the Minister of the Interior is in the best position to take the right decisions. As you know, it is the State that is responsible for security and for welcoming the spectators who will attend the opening ceremony free of charge on the upper quays.

    “Paris 2024 has been working for many months in close collaboration with the public authorities to calibrate the capacity, for which we are taking many parameters into account. Consultations are still underway, under the authority of the chief of Police.”

  • NBF target more tickets for Paris 2024 Olympics

    NBF target more tickets for Paris 2024 Olympics

    The Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) is gearing up to win more tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as it plans to present boxers for the World Olympic Qualifiers taking place in February 2024.

    Already, three boxers – Olaore Adams, Joshua Omole and Cynthia Ogunsemilore claimed their spots at Paris 2024 at the African Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Dakar, Senegal.

    The NBF Secretary Oladapo Akinyele told NationSport  that efforts are on to claim more slots.

    Akinyele said: “For now, we have not closed the doors on getting more tickets to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Already three of our boxers that competed at the continental qualifiers in Senegal have qualified and we want to ensure we have more slots and that is why we are assembling a new set of boxers to compete at the World Qualifiers taking place next year.

     “For now, most of them are based outside the country and they are competing in several competitions to be able to be in top shape for the qualifiers which we believe will be tougher than the African qualifying tournament.

    “There is no doubt that we have chances to pick more tickets at the global tournament but we would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that we present a formidable team for the qualifiers.”

    He said there  were no plans for now for  the three Paris-bound  boxers  to embark on a training tour until the world qualifiers have been concluded in order  to know the number of boxers that will eventually  qualify for the Olympics.

    The qualification of Adams, Omole and Ogunsemilore returned Nigeria to the Olympic Games after its absence at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as the last boxer to represent Nigeria at the Olympic Games was Efe Ajagba who competed at Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

    With the qualification of Ogunsemilore, the Lagos State-born pugilist will be the second female boxer to feature for Nigeria at the Olympic Games after Edith Ogoke competed at London 2012 Olympic Games.

    Read Also: Paris2024: Enoh inaugurates Ministerial Strategic Committee for Olympics

    Fitness  walk: Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation promotes prostate cancer awareness

    As the world marks the 2023 Prostrate Cancer Day, Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation, a medical outreach is organising a 3.3km Walk to promote fitness to create awareness for the disease.

    Martin Ebuwa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, said in Lagos that the theme of the campaign is “Let’s keep fit and fight prostate cancer”.

    The Walk will start at the popular Ikeja under the bridge and terminate at the Ikeja City Mall in Alausa on Saturday, November 18 at 8am.

    Speaking further on the event which has been endorsed by the Nigeria Cancer Society (NCS), Ebuwa said “We also would have on the Walk some of our favourite celebrities who are supporting the awareness campaign and the atmosphere would be made convivial by music from lively DJs and tasteful refreshment”

    The Foundation would on the day offer free prostate cancer screening to men above 45 years as well as free blood pressure and blood sugar tests to everyone who volunteers for the tests.