Paris:

Forty-six seconds into her match against Algeria’s Imane Khelif, Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned the bout. She left the ring in tears, but the result also caused a huge uproar on social media, with many accusing authorities of “allowing a man”, referring to Imane, to compete in the women’s category.

British author and philanthropist JK Rowling called the sporting establishment “misogynist.”

“Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered,” read the post shared by JK Rowling on X (formerly Twitter).

Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered. #Paris2024pic.twitter.com/Q5SbKiksXQ

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024

Former professional boxer Barry McGuigan also took a dig at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its alleged insensitivity towards women. “Shocking dangerous and profoundly unfair on Women & Girls. IOC hang you head in shame,” McGuigan wrote.

Shocking dangerous and profoundly unfair on Women & Girls. IOC hang you head in shame ???? https://t.co/j8KxNEXlCm

— Barry McGuigan (@ClonesCyclone) August 1, 2024

Elon Musk shared former American competitive swimmer Riley Gaines’ post that claimed “men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Musk reacted to the post by writing, “Absolutely.”

Absolutely https://t.co/twccUEOW9e

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2024

However, there were many who defended Imane and said she was born woman and had not undergone any gender-affirming surgery.

“Stop spreading false information to stir up hatred, if you want to write fiction do another book on wizards,” read a comment under Ms Rowling’s tweet.

Stop spreading false information to stir up hatred, if you want to write fiction do another book on wizards

— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) August 1, 2024

Another social media user pointed out that Imane Khelif was a female-born woman fighter, perfectly eligible to compete in women’s sports from a gender point of view. “She’s born a female, please do not belittle her achievement as a woman and call her a man. It’s not right. This mass misinformation needs to stop,” the post read.

Imane Khelif is a female-born woman fighter, she’s perfectly eligible to compete in women’s sports from a gender point of view

She’s born a female, please do not belittle her achievement as a woman and call her a man. It’s not right. This mass misinformation needs to stop. https://t.co/FSQOpxMQJGpic.twitter.com/Ft4kEz4Mxr

— ???????? ???????? (@Fs_FTBL) August 1, 2024

“She is a biological woman,” read another comment

She is a biological woman

— Dittie (@DittiePE) August 1, 2024

This social media user suggested people research before tweeting abuse.

The misinformation that’s spreading about Imane Khelif is so unfair. She is not trans. She is not a man. Can you guys research before you start tweeting abuse please? It’s not hard?! This is what they did to Caster Semenya.

— Lillz (@LillzTIL) August 1, 2024

Imane Khelif is an amateur boxer who clinched a silver medal at the International Boxing Association’s 2022 World Championships. Khelif is one of the two boxers permitted to fight at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the women’s world championships last year for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

According to the Associated Press, the International Boxing Association disqualified Imane from last year’s championships right before the Algerian’s gold-medal bout because of elevated levels of testosterone. Khelif will next feature in a quarterfinal bout against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday.

Paris:

Seven out of 10 French high-speed trains will run Saturday on three key routes, a day after saboteurs paralysed much of the train network as the Olympic Games started in Paris.

No immediate claim of responsibility was made for the coordinated overnight arson attacks on cabling boxes at junctions strategically picked out north, southwest and east of the French capital where the Olympics opening ceremony was staged on Friday night.

Rail workers thwarted an attempt to destroy safety equipment on a fourth line in what the SNCF rail company called a “massive attack”.

“On the North, Brittany and South-West high-speed lines, seven out of 10 trains on average will run with delays of one to two hours,” SNCF said in a statement.

It said SNCF “agents worked all night under difficult conditions in the rain to allow to improve traffic on high-speed lines affected by the acts of sabotage.

“At this stage, traffic will remain disrupted on Sunday on the North axis and should improve on the Atlantic axis for weekend returns,” it said.

“Customers will be contacted by text message and email to confirm the running of their trains.”

SNCF estimated that about 250,000 passengers were affected on Friday. Junior transport minister Patrice Vergriete said 800,000 could face the fallout over the three days.

The coordinated attacks were staged at 4:00 am (0200 GMT) early Friday.

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

South Korea’s Olympic team. File
| Photo Credit: AP

South Korea’s Sports Ministry on July 27 expressed regret over a gaffe during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in which South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean. Further, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised for the gaffe, on July 27.

“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.

As the South Korean delegation rode a boat on the Seine River and entered the ceremony as the 48th participating nation, the French-speaking presenter introduced them using the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

“South Korea’s Sports Ministry expresses regret over the announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team,” it said in a statement.

“Second Vice-Sports Minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter,” it added.

The Sports Ministry has also asked the Foreign Ministry to “deliver a strong protest to the French side” over the issue.

South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the name of the head of its delegation, according to the Sports Ministry.

During the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, North Korea, which joined the ceremony as the 153rd nation, was correctly introduced with the country’s official name.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North bolstering military ties with Russia while sending thousands of trash-carrying balloons to the South.

In response, Seoul’s military blasts K-pop and anti-regime messages from border loudspeakers and recently resumed live-fire drills on border islands and near the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

Paris:
Paris is decked up to host a grand opening ceremony later today for the 2024 Olympics, but went into a tizzy after the rail network was crippled by “malicious acts”.

Here are the top updates on France’s rail network disruption:

Paris:

France’s high-speed rail network was hit by “malicious acts” including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF said Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

A source close to the investigation told AFP the attacks were coordinated acts of “sabotage”.

“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network,” SNCF told AFP, adding that many routes will have to be cancelled.

“SNCF was the victim of several simultaneous malicious acts overnight,” the national train operator said, adding that the attacks affected its Atlantic, northern and eastern lines.

“Arson attacks were started to damage our facilities,” it said, adding that traffic on the affected lines was “heavily disrupted” and the situation would last through the weekend as repairs are conducted.

A “massive attack” against France’s high-speed TGV rail network was an “outrageous criminal act”, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said Friday, hours ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

There would be “very serious consequences” for rail traffic throughout the weekend with connections towards northern, eastern and northwestern France halved, Vergriete said, while rail operator SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou said 800,000 passengers were affected.

Trains were being diverted to different tracks “but we will have to cancel a large number of them”, the statement said.

The southeastern line was not affected as “a malicious act was foiled”.

SNCF urged passengers to postpone their trips and stay away from train stations.

Olympics under heavy security

The attacks were launched as Paris was under heavy security ahead of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, with 300,000 spectators and an audience of VIPs expected at the event.

The parade on Friday evening will see up to 7,500 competitors travel down a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the river Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats.

It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, a decision fraught with danger at a time when France is on its highest alert for terror attacks.

At Paris’s Montparnasse train station, dozens of passengers were waiting for more information about their trips after delays of 30 minutes to almost two hours were announced.

“Normal traffic is expected to resume on Monday, July 29,” read one of the signs in the departure hall.

“We arrived around 7:00 am but we were told that we might not be able to leave before Monday,” said 27-year-old student Jocelyn, who had planned to travel to Bretagne and refused to give her full name.

“We expected it to be a bit chaotic in Paris with the opening ceremony scheduled for this evening, but we didn’t think it could be this bad,” she said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Olympic Games, considered the pinnacle of sporting competition, got off to a grand start in Paris today. The Games also honours refugee athletes who have overcome incredible obstacles to pursue their dreams. One such athlete is Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee who fled her war-torn country as a teenager and went on to compete in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

Yusra was 16 years old when she escaped from a civil war in her home in Syria in August 2015.

Accompanied by her sister, the journey was grueling. They traveled by plane from Syria to Lebanon, then to Turkey, before boarding a boat bound for Greece.

The short 10-kilometer journey was supposed to take just 45 minutes, but the vessel, already in disrepair and overcrowded with 20 people, began to falter just 20 minutes in. Yusra, her sister, and two others were forced to abandon the ship and push the boat towards shore, a desperate effort that took over three hours.

“The whole time, you could hear all our prayers in one voice,” the ambassador to the Olympic refugee team recounted in an interview.

Her journey to her final destination, Germany, continued on foot, in buses, and even with the help of smugglers. Less than a year later, Mardini competed as part of the first-ever IOC Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016.

Though her performance in the 100m butterfly heat placed her among the lower ranks, her triumph transcended the medal podium. In her words, she carried not just the Olympic flag but the hopes and dreams of a global community.

Yusra’s journey extends beyond the pool, as she advocates for refugee rights and was named the youngest-ever UN’s Human Rights Goodwill Ambassador, her indomitable spirit continues to inspire, proving that sport can be a powerful tool for hope and resilience.

The recent release of her biopic “The Swimmers” further cemented her legacy, while her inclusion in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People In The World in 2023 affirmed her impact on society.

While 10 athletes participated in the 2016 Olympics as part of the Refugee team, the Paris Olympics will witness 37 athletes represent the banner.

Story so far: Paris is gearing up to host the 2024 Olympic Games from July 22 to August 11, when 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries will participate in 32 sports. Two nations – Russia and Belarus – will not be represented due to a ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will, however, be part of the Games, competing as individual neutral athletes (AINs) without the flags, anthems and emblems of their countries. Their participation is also subject to a thorough vetting process as per IOC’s eligibility criteria. Russia and its ally Belarus have faced global condemnation and strict sanctions over the Ukraine war.

However, another nation which is part of a different war has not been banned from the Olympics, faces minimal economic sanctions, and evenly split support and condemnation. Israel, whose war on Gaza has killed 38,000 Palestinians in less than 10 months, will be represented by 88 athletes in the Games.

Why are there calls to ban Israel from the Paris Olympics?

Since October 2023, Israel has waged war on Gaza with the objective of dismantling Hamas — the Islamist militant group controlling the enclave. Laying siege to Gaza, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have carpet-bombed the area, killing over 38,000 Palestinians, including 15,000 children, and displacing nearly all of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million.

IDF has also launched continuous air-strikes from Northern Gaza and steadily pushed deeper into Rafah in the south, claiming to have killed or captured about 14,000 Hamas fighters till date. Israel’s attack is in retaliation to an attack by Hamas on October 7, when militants breached the Israel-Gaza security barriers via motorcycles and bulldozers and launched a 5000-strong rocket strike, killing more than 1100 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage.

Cease-fire talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar, and backed by the U.S, are currently on hold as both parties are yet to agree on terms regarding hostage release, withdrawal of troops and other issues. Images of cities in Gaza reduced to rubble, heavy civilian casualties and the miserable living conditions of survivors in refugee camps have earned Israel global condemnation.

Ten nations led by South Africa lodged a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Tel Aviv of committing a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to take preventive measures to stop the genocide in Gaza, but did not call for an immediate ceasefire. Several college campuses across Europe, Asia and the U.S. have seen pro-Gaza protests by students.

Citing these reasons, calls to ban Israel from participating in the Paris Olympics 2024 have emerged from several Muslim activist groups, sporting bodies, activists, and politicians. They argue that till Israel complies with international ceasefire demands, Israeli sport associations, including its teams, clubs, and participants, must be barred from participating in international competitions.

Who is calling to ban Israel from the Olympics?

Days after videos of Israeli soldiers turning one Gaza’s oldest sporting facilities— Yarmouk Stadium — into a makeshift camp to hold Palestinian detainees were released, the Jordan Football Association called upon the global sporting community to ban Israel from participating inpopular competitions.

Similarly, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) wrote to the IOC and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) seeking a probe into “occupation crimes against sports and athletes in Palestine.” The PFA claims that over 400 sportspersons, coaches and officials have been killed or wounded by the IDF since the war began.

In February, a group of 26 French lawmakers (chiefly belonging to left-wing parties) wrote to the IOC, seeking to stop Israel from participating in the Games. Similar to Russian and Belarusian athletes, Israel’s athletes must participate under a neutral flag, the lawmakers insisted.

Several human rights organisations, activists, and celebrities too have sought Israel’s exclusion from the Games. Citing IOC’s charter, which states that “every individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination of any kind in respect of internationally recognized human rights within the remit of the Olympic Movement,” groups have alleged that Israel’s war has violated the rights of Palestinian athletes.

Are these different from calls to ban Russia?

On February 28, 2022, four days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the IOC banned the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. Calling the attack a “blatant violation of the Olympic Truce,” the IOC allowed such athletes to compete as AINs.

“We are committed to fair competitions for everybody without any discrimination,” the IOC said in a statement. While individual athletes who meet all anti-doping criteria and have not actively supported the war in Ukraine are allowed to compete in the Games, Russian and Belarusian teams cannot.

IOC’s statement came in the wake of global sanctions by top European nations – United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and other global powers like the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Japan. Russia was already banned by the IOC due to a state-sponsored doping programme, and its athletes had attended the 2021 and 2022 Games under the name ‘Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

Calls to ban Israel have arisen after almost four months since it first attacked Gaza. Moreover, most of the above-mentioned powers have not sanctioned Israel (economically or otherwise). Turkey has refused to resume trade with Israel until a ceasefire is secured. The U.K., U.S, Canada and France have sanctioned some Israeli settlers in the West Bank — an Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.

The U.S, Germany and Italy have continued to sell arms and provide military aid to Israel despite global calls to halt this. While both U.S. and Germany have called on Israel and Hamas to sign a ceasefire, Washington has vetoed several U.N. resolutions condemning Israel. Hence, the calls to ban Israel from the Games have not had the same impact as those calling for a similar ban of Russia.

What are the reactions to the calls for a ban?

Sparse protests seeking Israel’s ban from the Paris Games are scattered globally. In Switzerland, protestors smeared red handprints on the IOC’s office in Lausanne to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In France, which is home to the second-highest Muslim population in Western Europe, protestors have camped outside the IOC’s office in Paris seeking a boycott of Israel.

Banners reading ‘Genocide is not a sport’ and ‘Boycott Israel’ have been displayed by pro-Palestine protestors camping outside IOC’s office in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.

Eight Palestinian athletes participating in the Games have been touted as a ‘symbol of Palestine’s resistance’. “Through this participation, we want to present the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unprecedented killing taking place in Gaza,” said Palestine Olympic committee head Jibril Rajoub. Of the eight athletes, one secured a place through regular qualifying and seven were given special invitations.

Calls to ban Israel from sporting events is not new. Palestine-based group Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), which has been seeking global sanctions on Israel since 2005 for its occupation in West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, has repeatedly called upon FIFA and IOC to ban Israel from their events. It has also condemned FIFA for sanctioning clubs which have supported Palestine.

What does IOC say?

In response to these calls for a ban, Paris 2024 Olympics Organising Committee chief Tony Estanguet told Reuters in January, “You have to stay in your place, not think that the Games are a magic wand that will solve all the problems and armed conflicts in our world.” He added that the Games can pacify relations and open the door for dialogue. Similarly, in March, IOC president Thomas Bach confirmed that Israel faces no threat to its Olympics status despite the war in Gaza.

Since the 1972 Munich Olympics, when eleven Israelis (sportsmen, coaches and a referee) were killed by Palestinian militants, security arrangements for Israeli athletes have been tight. This year, arrangements have been made such that Israeli cyclists and marathon runners will compete in secured venues in Paris.

With the Gaza and Ukraine wars in focus in Paris, the Olympic Games find themselves yet again cast under a dark political shadow.

For the average cricket fan, the news that the sport will be featured at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 is welcome, even inspiring. Modern players from Steve Smith and Trent Boult to Ravichandran Ashwin and Shubhman Gill have said they are all for it. An Olympic gold is the most coveted honour in international sport even if world championships are sometimes seen to be on a plane of their own.

But administrators seldom think like the average fan – their pulls and pressures are different.

For long the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was opposed to Olympics participation for a variety of reasons, as were the players themselves. The International Cricket Council (ICC) was not too keen either, seeing the quadrennial event cutting into their already crowded calendar.

Unique and independent

The BCCI was unhappy to be dealing with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and coming under its remit which included following the rules under which the national sports federations function. Cricket’s governing body sees itself as unique and independent, raising its own funds without any recourse to handouts from the government.

It is comfortable in the knowledge that cricket is the most popular sport in the country with more sponsors, keener battles over television rights and in effect control over the international game. The BCCI made it clear that the cricket team would participate only if there was no interference from the IOA.

The players were unhappy about the random dope testing which the World Ant-Doping Agency might subject them to. The argument was one of privacy being breached if the players were forced to inform the anti-doping agencies, either national or the world body, about their whereabouts.

A few months ago, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said, “Once cricket is added in the Olympics, India will be participating,” adding, “The BCCI and the ICC are on the same page as far as participation in the Olympics is concerned.” This is good news for the globalisation of a sport too few countries play at the highest level.

Commercial bonanza

The International Olympic Committee is fully aware of the draw cricket has for the Asian countries, especially in the subcontinent. Its motivation is as much sporting as commercial. The Guardian newspaper has calculated that the current Olympic broadcast rights in India worth around $20 million (for the Paris Olympics in 2024) would rise to ten times that figure with cricket added.

For lesser cricketing countries whose coffers aren’t overflowing, the Olympics will come as a boon because of the support they would receive from their governments, and from the IOC itself.

Cricket was last played at the Olympics in its second edition in 1900. One match was played where England beat France for the gold medal. The T20 format, so successful at the Asian Games, is most likely to be used at the Olympics (men and women).

England, another country initially reluctant to field a team at the Olympics, might push for the Hundred format which is played in that country. The lack of an international competition and rankings in the Hundred or the T10 might give the nod to T20 which has a World Cup.

No dilution

And that could be an issue too, for the ICC might not want their own World Cups to be diluted or replaced by the Olympics as the top tournament in the sport. Perhaps it could do what FIFA, the governing body of football did, setting the age limit at 23 and allowing only three players older in a team.

The call to have cricket at LA will be officially ratified at the 141st IOC session which begins on Sunday. That it will be held in Mumbai might be indication that ratification is a mere formality. Especially now that the BCCI is on board.

Cricket’s re-entry into the Olympics is fitting for the second most popular sport in the world behind football, and with a fan base of nearly three billion people.

By the 2028 Olympics, Rohit Sharma would have turned 40, Virat Kohli would be heading there and K.L. Rahul would have blown out 36 candles on his large birthday cake. Shubhman Gill will still be only 29. Five years is not such a long time to wait, after all.