Opening of the 2024 Olympics: we know who will carry the flag of Ukraine
26 July 2024 09:34
Tennis player Elina Svitolina and swimmer Mykhailo Romanchuk will carry the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, which will take place today, 26 July. This was reported by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Svitolina and Romanchuk are the winners of the 2020 Olympic Games. In Tokyo, Elina won bronze in the singles tournament, while Mykhailo won silver and bronze in the 1500 and 800 metres freestyle, respectively.
It should be noted that at the previous 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ukrainian flag was carried by shooter Olena Kostevych and fencer Bohdan Nikishyn.
This year, 10,714 athletes from 206 countries will take part in the Olympic Games, which is down from 11,092 athletes at the previous Games in Tokyo. The Ukrainian team has received 124 licences to participate in the Olympics. Ukraine will be represented in 26 of the 32 disciplines.
Olympics 2024: where and when to watch the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics will take place on Friday, 26 July. It starts at 20:30 Kyiv time.
Ukrainian sports fans will be able to watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games on Suspilne Sport TV channel and regional Suspilne TV channels (for example, Suspilne Rivne, Suspilne Odesa, etc.).
The ceremony will also be available on the Suspilne Sport digital platform.
The organisers promise a unique show at the opening ceremony, which will be held for the first time on a river, the Seine to be exact.
Each delegation will have its own boat with TV cameras that will broadcast the action from the water. The procession will pass around the islands of Saint-Louis and Cité with Notre Dame Cathedral, stopping at the Pont de Jena.
It is expected that the ceremony will be watched live by up to 300,000 viewers. You can watch the show for free from the upper embankments of the Seine, while seats closer to the river will cost up to 120 thousand hryvnias depending on the sector.
The day before, the Olympic torch relay started on the streets of Paris, with actress Salma Hayek taking part in it. The relay will end when the last person lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. The name of this person is being kept secret, but the media speculate that it could be three-time Olympic athletics champion Marie-Josée Perek or football star Zinedine Zidane, who led France to the 1998 World Cup.
Ukraine at the Olympic Games
In Paris, Ukraine will be represented by 140 athletes, which is an anti-record for our national team. The previous one was set in 2021 in Tokyo, when Ukraine had 155 athletes.
Ukrainians will compete in 23 sports. Distribution of Ukrainian athletes by sport:
- Athletics – 25
- Football – 18
- Diving – 9
- Rowing (kayaking, canoeing and rowing slalom) – 9
- Wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman) – 9
- Rhythmic gymnastics – 6
- Rowing – 6
- Artistic gymnastics – 6
- Tennis – 6
- Shooting (bullet and bench) – 6
- Fencing – 6
- Swimming – 5
- Judo – 5
- Cycling (road mountain bike) – 4
- Boxing – 3
- Breaking – 3
- Modern pentathlon – 3
- Table tennis – 3
- Rock climbing – 2
- Artistic swimming – 2
- Archery – 2
- Badminton – 1
- Weightlifting – 1
During the full-scale war, Russia has killed at least 479 Ukrainian athletes and coaches. More than 3000 athletes and coaches are defending Ukraine at the frontline.
Where to watch the Olympic Games
In Ukraine, the Olympic Games will be broadcast by Suspilne Sport and local Suspilne TV channels. Four additional streams of the competition with a Ukrainian commentator will be available on the Suspilne Sport website. The Olympic Games will also be broadcast by Eurosport and Radio Promin.
