Severe rainfall disrupted the initial day of medal contests at the Olympics on Saturday following a captivating but wet opening ceremony.
A total of 14 gold medals were set to be awarded, with the first in the mixed-team 10-metre air rifle finals scheduled around 10:30 am local time (0830 GMT).
However, this number was reduced to 13 early on Saturday as the persistent wet weather from Friday night’s daring opening ceremony by the River Seine continued to cause issues.
The men’s street skateboarding competition at the Place de la Concorde in Paris was postponed until Monday due to overnight rain, as confirmed by organizers.
The opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros were also in jeopardy, with only two out of the 12 courts having roofs.
The previous day’s amphibious opening ceremony had participants and spectators drenched in torrential rain while around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine before the ceremony culminated in a light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance by Celine Dion.
The ceremony received positive feedback overall, although France’s Le Figaro described it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”
The International Olympic Committee had to apologize for mistakenly introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korean during the ceremony.
Swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball are among the sports starting on the first day of official competition, with the surfing competition taking place in Tahiti.
In swimming, all eyes are on the women’s 400m freestyle where the event features three swimmers who have previously held the world record.
– Swimming duel –
Australian Ariarne Titmus is the defending champion and favorite going into the event, with the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays also offering gold medals on the first night of swimming.
Other events include the French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz taking to the court at Roland Garros, weather permitting.
Medals will also be awarded in shooting, diving, and cycling events on the first day of competition at the Games.
French rugby fans will be cheering on Antoine Dupont in rugby sevens as France aims for gold in the tournament.
