88 Nigerian athletes showcase rich cultural heritage in Paris

Making their 19th appearance since debuting in 1952, ever-colourful and joyous Team Nigeria will once again be the cynosure of all eyes as the 2024 Summer Olympics officially get underway today, with an opening ceremony like no other, signalling the start of the multi-sport that will run through August 11 in Paris and 16 other cities spread across Metropolitan France, plus one subsite in Tahiti, French Polynesia.

A total of 206 nations and 10,714 athletes will be striving for medals in 32 sports and 329 events.

Sports including football, rugby sevens, handball, and archery may already be underway, but billions of eyes will be on the Opening Ceremony that will declare the Games officially open.

And before the Olympic cauldron is lit, a spectacular show awaits, with the Opening Ceremony set to be held along the Seine.

It promises to be an opening ceremony to remember and an occasion one would want to miss.

The Opening Ceremony starts at 19:30 CEST (9 7:30 Nigerian time), with the three-hour spectacle set to take the world on a journey through Parisian history and architecture.

The parade will take place along the River Seine, with Thomas Jolly, a French theatre director and actor, overseeing proceedings as the artistic director.

The parade will travel west for six kilometres along the river, passing iconic landmarks, including the Notre Dame and the Louvre.

Ceremonies choreographer Maud Le Pladec has promised dancers on every bridge, while costume director Daphne Burki has worked with a team of designers to create 3,000 costumes for the dancers and artists that will feature across the four Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.

The Parade of Nations will also swap the track for the river, with around 100 boats set to carry an estimated 10,500 athletes.

Flagbearers, including Coco Gauff and Tom Daley, will proudly fly their nation’s flag on the boats as the parade arrives at the Trocadero—the esplanade near the Eiffel Tower.

That is where the final protocols will take place and the Olympic cauldron will be lit, all making for a unique opening ceremony where one of the most celebrated cities in the world is placed front and centre.

Nigeria is featuring a total of 88 athletes in 12 sports: athletics, boxing, wrestling, football, basketball, canoeing, taekwondo, table tennis, badminton, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting.

But the country kicked off its campaign on Thursday, July 25, with the Super Falcons taking on Brazil in the Women’s Football Tournament Group C opener at Stade Matmut-Atlantique in Bordeaux.

Nigeria will be looking to surpass their two-medal harvest at the last edition in Tokyo.