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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS: TITBITS JULY 28
Fans inside the Stade de France. PHOTO/DARREN ALLAN KYEYUNE
What you need to know:
Since stepping foot here, the sun has largely played second fiddle to rain during the Paris 2024 Games.
Rain won’t let Paris be
Since stepping foot here, the sun has largely played second fiddle to rain during the Paris 2024 Games. The drizzles have been consistent and in some moments turned into rain, disrupting plenty of activity. The umbrellas and protective plastic cloth were out at every turn during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. The rain still battered many people back home. It rained throughout Saturday; rower Kathleen Noble batting the wind and rain as she started out in the women’s 2000m single sculls Heat 1 at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne. The sun was out early yesterday morning but there are no sureties.
Water for Shs12000
Tickets for the opening ceremony of the Paris Games shot up to a price of at least 1600 Euros (about Shs6.5m) on the tickets’ application on Friday. It had gotten trickier especially after the French government and organizers opted to reduce the physical attendance by half to 300,000 people on grounds of security. Buying water during this ceremony near the Jardins du Trocadéro cost €3 (Shs12000) and an accompanying cup cost €2 (Shs8000). The latter would be refunded in case one returned the cup after drinking.
Sweet first gold
The Paris Olympics are now underway proper with different countries lining up on the medal table. Uganda’s best chance comes up on Friday night. While that wait is on, the feeling was unique to witness hosts France winning their first gold medal at these Games. Inside a buzzing Stade de France, the French stunned double Olympic champions Fiji 28-7 in the men’s rugby 7s final, with great thanks to scrum-half Antoine Dupont. Dupont came off the bench to score two tries and set-up one on an electric evening, later being congratulated by President Emmanuel Macron.
