The Paris Olympic Games faced some problems and obstacles before their launch, most notably the attack on the French railway network on Thursday night, in addition to “scandals” that affected athletes and coaches participating in this summer session.
Below are some of the most important crises monitored by the network:Sky NewsBritish before the start of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games:
Drone spy scandal
The Canadian women’s soccer team was in a major crisis the day before the Olympics opening ceremony, after its coach, Bev Priestman, was suspended by the Canadian Soccer Association.
🔵 During the opening ceremony #Paris_OlympicsThe Olympic flag was raised upside down in front of world leaders.
🔵 The white Olympic flag, usually with three rings above two, was raised inverted on the flagpole near the end of the opening show, which included performances by Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, according to Reuters.
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Priestman was suspended after a team member operated a drone over the New Zealand women’s team’s training base in Saint-Etienne, in what was described as a “spying scandal” on the other team.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the women’s team through the remainder of the competition at the Summer Olympics in Paris, according to Reuters.
“Over the past 24 hours, we have received additional information regarding the use of a drone against competitors ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Canadian Soccer Association CEO and general secretary Kevin Blow said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
“In light of this new information, the Canadian Soccer Federation has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Team Coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games until the completion of the independent external investigation we recently announced,” he continued.
Priestman apologised to the New Zealand players for what happened, saying she had ultimate responsibility, adding: “This does not represent our team values. I am ultimately responsible for the conduct of our work programme.”
FIFA has launched disciplinary proceedings against the Canadian Soccer Association and Priestman, and two members of the support team were expelled from the Paris Games this week over the scandal.
The Canadian federation announced on Wednesday that it will conduct an independent external investigation into the drone incident and the historical culture of competitive ethics across all of its programs.
British female rider withdraws over ‘horse video’
Four days before the opening ceremony, British equestrian Charlotte Dujardin withdrew from the Paris Games after a video emerged of her repeatedly hitting a horse.
The rider said the clip was taken several years ago and shows her making a “mistake in judgment during a training session.”
After ‘horse torture’ video, British rider withdraws from Olympics
The International Equestrian Federation has suspended British rider Charlotte Dujardin for six months, Reuters reported.
The International Equestrian Federation has suspended the athlete, who is one of Britain’s most decorated Olympic athletes (6 medals), for 6 months, pending the completion of the investigation into the incident.
convicted rapist
Convicted rapist Steven van de Velde has been controversially selected to represent the Netherlands in the beach volleyball tournament at the Paris Olympics.
The Dutch Olympic Committee had decided to keep De Velde, who was convicted of raping a minor in 2016, isolated from other athletes during the Paris Olympics.
Organizers #Paris_Olympics 2024 They have provided clarifications, after new reports that the cardboard beds previously used during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were designed to prevent athletes from sleeping in the same bed.#Free #Truth_First #Watch_Alhurra pic.twitter.com/6suiH2fwil
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Van de Velde will be banned from communicating with other athletes, staying in the Olympic Village and speaking to journalists, in order to “establish calm,” according to the Dutch news agency.
Van de Velde, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 after admitting to raping a 12-year-old girl, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The athlete served part of his sentence in Britain before being transferred to the Netherlands, where he was released, before returning to the game in 2017.
The athlete admitted that he had made “the biggest mistake of his young life”, and stated, “I don’t want to go back, so I will bear the consequences,” according to the Dutch Football Association.
Russia’s ‘Lost Generation’ Athletes at the French Olympics
For years, Russian athletes have faced significant obstacles to participating in the Olympics. After a state-sponsored doping scandal led to their ban in 2019, the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine has overshadowed their future as athletes, amid another Olympic ban, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Experts consulted by the Dutch Olympic Committee concluded that there was “no chance” that Van de Velde would repeat his act, according to Agence France-Presse.
The head of the Dutch delegation to the Paris Olympics, Peter van den Hongenband, told Dutch state television that he was “surprised” by the “hype surrounding” this athlete.
Japanese gymnastics leader withdraws
Other events include the announcement that Shoko Miyata, captain of the women’s artistic gymnastics team, has withdrawn from the squad for the Paris Olympics, after violating team conduct rules by smoking.
Japan Gymnastics Federation officials said Miyata, 19, returned home after leaving a training camp in Monaco for an investigation that confirmed violations that included drinking alcohol.
The Japan Gymnastics Federation told a news conference that the women’s team will compete with four athletes instead of five, Reuters reported.
“We apologize for this from the bottom of our hearts,” said Japan Football Association President Tadashi Fujita, bowing deeply along with other officials, including Miyata’s personal trainer Mutsumi Harada.
Olympics open with parade on Seine River and Paris’ historic landmarks
The first boat was the Greek delegation, considered the birthplace of the modern games, before being followed by the other delegation boats at the start of a celebration that included the famous American singer Lady Gaga.
Miyata was expected to lead a team making its Olympic debut after securing a spot in Paris in May.
Coach Harada said that despite Miyata’s reckless behaviour, she was under a lot of pressure to perform at her best, adding, while trying to wipe away tears: “She spent her days under a lot of pressure. I really hope people understand that.”
The Hijab Crisis…and the Opening Ceremony
On Wednesday, French government officials and officials from the country’s Olympic Committee said they were seeking an “innovative” solution to allow French Muslim runner Sonkamba Sylla to wear her hijab at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, while adhering to the country’s secular laws.
Sela, a member of the French 400-meter relay team, wrote on her Instagram account on Monday that her headscarf would prevent her from appearing at Friday’s grand opening ceremony along the River Seine.
Hours before the Olympics.. A major attack on the French railway network
The French railway company SNCF was subjected to a “massive, large-scale attack aimed at paralysing” its high-speed train network, which is experiencing “great disruption”, the group told AFP hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris.
“You have been selected to participate in the Olympic Games held in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening ceremony because you are wearing a scarf on your head,” she said in surprise, according to Reuters.
France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority, has laws to protect the principle of secularism that prohibit state employees and schoolchildren from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public institutions.
Later, Sila was able to participate in the opening ceremony of the Olympics, after she agreed to wear a hat.
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