Team Nigeria will be making their 19th appearance since their debut in 1952 as the 2024 Summer Olympics officially commence today.
The opening ceremony promises to be a unique spectacle, heralding the start of a multi-sport event running until August 11th in Paris and 16 other cities across Metropolitan France, including one subsite in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
A total of 206 nations and 10,714 athletes will be competing for medals in 32 sports and 329 events. While sports like football, rugby sevens, handball, and archery have already begun, the spotlight will be on the Opening Ceremony, which will officially inaugurate the Games.
The ceremony, set to begin at 19:30 CEST (18:30 Nigerian time), will feature a three-hour show taking viewers on a journey through Parisian history and architecture. Held along the River Seine, the parade will travel six kilometers west, passing iconic landmarks such as Notre Dame and the Louvre.
French theatre director and actor Thomas Jolly will serve as the artistic director, while choreographer Maud Le Pladec has promised dancers on every bridge. Costume director Daphne Burki has collaborated with designers to create 3,000 costumes for the dancers and artists participating in the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.
The Parade of Nations will take place on the river, with around 100 boats carrying an estimated 10,500 athletes. Flagbearers, including Coco Gauff and Tom Daley, will proudly fly their nations’ flags as the parade arrives at the Trocadero, near the Eiffel Tower. There, the final protocols will be observed, and the Olympic cauldron will be lit, showcasing Paris as a central highlight.
Nigeria will feature 88 athletes across 12 sports: athletics, boxing, wrestling, football, basketball, canoeing, taekwondo, table tennis, badminton, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting. The country kicked off its campaign on Thursday, July 25, with the Super Falcons facing Brazil in the Women’s Football Tournament Group C opener at Stade Matmut-Atlantique in Bordeaux.
Team Nigeria aims to surpass their two-medal tally from the last edition in Tokyo.
