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The inaugural day of the Paris 2024 Olympics witnessed a mixed bag of performances for the Indian contingent. While some athletes made their mark, others fell short of expectations.Shooting:India's shooting campaign got off to a disappointing start. In the 10m air rifle mixed team event, both Indian pairs failed to qualify for the medal matches. Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal finished 13th, while Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh placed 15th. In the men's 10m air pistol, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema failed to make the final eight. However, Manu Bhaker qualified for the final in the women's 10m air pistol, finishing third in the qualification round.Badminton:Lakshya Sen kicked off his Paris Olympics campaign with a straight-sets victory over Guatemala's Kevin Cordon in the men's singles. The Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also secured a win in the men's doubles, defeating France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar. However, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered a defeat in the women's doubles, losing to South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong.Hockey:The Indian Men's Hockey Team made a strong start to their Olympic campaign, defeating New Zealand 3-2 in a thrilling encounter. Goals from Mandeep Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Harmanpreet Singh sealed the victory for India.Table Tennis:Harmeet Desai advanced to the Round of 64 in the men's singles table tennis, beating Jordan's Zaid Abo Yaman 4-0. He will face Felix Lebrun of France in the next round.Boxing:Preeti Pawar progressed to the Round of 16 in the women's 54kg boxing, defeating Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh by a unanimous decision.Rowing:Balraj Panwar finished fourth in the first heat race of the men's single sculls, failing to qualify directly for the quarterfinals.

India's Shooting Contingent Aims for Olympic Glory in ParisAs the Paris Olympics draw near, India's shooting contingent, comprising a record 21 members, embarks on a historic mission to break the medal drought that has plagued the nation in recent editions of the Summer Games.The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has selected a squad based on current form rather than past achievements, placing its hopes on a group of debutants who are unburdened by the weight of past performances.Among the key athletes to watch is Manu Bhaker, a 22-year-old shooting prodigy who has won numerous medals at world events. Despite a setback at the Tokyo Games, Bhaker will be competing in three disciplines: 10m air pistol, 25m pistol, and 10m pistol mixed team.Another promising shooter is Sift Kaur Samra, who won gold in the 50m rifle three positions at the Asian Games. She will team up with seasoned pro Anjum Moudgil in the women's 50m rifle three positions event.On the men's side, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, a member of the gold-winning team at the 2023 World Championships, will be a key contender in the 50m rifle three positions alongside Swapnil Kusale.Debutants such as Anish Bhanwala, Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Babuta, Arjun Singh Cheema, and Vijayveer Singh will also be looking to make their mark on the international stage.India's main challenge will come from China, which is also fielding a strong contingent of 21 shooters. However, India's chef de mission, Gagan Narang, believes that the team is well-prepared and confident in their abilities."There is genuine belief that we are at par with the best in the world," said Narang, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.The shooting competition will take place in the sleepy French town of Chateauroux, away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. This could prove to be an advantage for the Indian shooters, who will be able to focus solely on their performances.With a squad full of talented debutants and a strong belief in their abilities, India's shooting contingent is poised to make a significant impact at the Paris Olympics and end the nation's medal drought in this prestigious event.

Indian table tennis star Manika Batra, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, will face Anna Hursey of Great Britain in the women's singles opening round at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, a six-time Olympian, will take on Deni Kozul of Slovenia in the men's singles.Manika, seeded 18th, made history at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the round of 32 in singles. She recently achieved a career-best world ranking of No. 24.In other opening round matches, Harmeet Desai will face Abo Yaman of Jordan in men's singles, while Sreeja Akula, seeded 16th, will play Christina Kallberg of Sweden.Sharath Kamal, 41, is leading a six-member Indian contingent, making his fifth Olympic appearance. Manika will participate in her third consecutive Games.Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, a member of India's gold medal-winning men's teams at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been selected as a reserve player.In the women's team event, 11th-seeded India will face fourth-seeded Romania in their opening match. The team includes Manika, Sreeja, and Archana Kamath.The Indian men's team, comprising Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet, will face a tough challenge against top-ranked China in their opening round.The Paris Games will mark the first time that India will compete in the team event at the Olympics. The men's and women's team events in table tennis were introduced at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Indian Contingent Arrives at Paris Olympics VillageA total of 49 Indian athletes have arrived at the Games Village in Paris, marking the beginning of India's participation in the upcoming Olympics. The contingent includes the entire archery, table tennis, and hockey teams.The table tennis team, consisting of eight members, and the 19-member Indian men's hockey team have already reached the French capital. Additionally, 10 out of the 21 qualified shooters have arrived in Chateauroux. The archery team, comprising six members, along with two tennis players, a shuttler, a rower, and two swimmers, have also made their way to Paris.India will be represented by a total of 117 athletes at the Paris Olympics, including 70 men and 47 women. They will compete in 69 events across 95 medal categories. The contingent will also include a 140-strong support staff, bringing the total number of members to 257.This year's contingent is larger than the 119-member team that represented India at the Tokyo Olympics. In Tokyo, India achieved its best-ever performance, winning seven medals, including the historic gold medal in javelin throw by Neeraj Chopra. Chopra will be returning to Paris to defend his title.The Indian contingent is expected to continue its strong performance in Paris, with medal hopes in archery, shooting, wrestling, and badminton. The Olympics will commence on July 26th, and the Indian athletes are determined to make their mark on the global stage.

India will send a contingent of 117 athletes and 140 support staff to the upcoming Paris Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11. The contingent includes 29 athletes in athletics, 21 in shooting, and 19 in hockey. Other sports represented include table tennis (8), badminton (7), wrestling (6), archery (6), boxing (6), golf (4), tennis (3), swimming (2), sailing (2), equestrian (1), judo (1), rowing (1), and weightlifting (1).The contingent will be led by chef-de-mission Gagan Narang, a former Olympic bronze medalist in shooting. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has been allocated 11 contingent officials, including five medical team members, who will be accommodated in the Games Village. An additional 72 support staff, including coaches, physios, and psychologists, will be accommodated in hotels outside the Games Village at government expense.The shooting contingent, which is the second largest, consists of 11 women and 10 men. The athletics contingent includes 11 women and 18 men, while the table tennis contingent has four players in each category. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu is the lone weightlifter in the contingent and will compete in the women's 49kg category.The government has emphasized the importance of anti-doping measures and has asked the IOA and concerned federations to take appropriate steps to avoid any doping embarrassments. The Paris Organizing Committee will provide three cars for the Indian contingent without drivers, and the Indian Embassy in Paris will assist in identifying and hiring temporary drivers.

Indian Contingent Unconcerned by Lack of Air-Conditioning at Paris Olympics VillageDespite concerns raised by other nations, the Indian contingent for the upcoming Paris Olympics has expressed no major worries about the lack of air-conditioning in the Games Village. Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, Chief Medical Officer of the 13-member sports science team appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), stated that most Indian athletes they consulted did not view the issue as a significant concern.The Games Village will not be air-conditioned due to the Paris organizers' commitment to sustainability. However, Pardiwala noted that the geothermal cooling system in place, which will maintain temperatures 5-7 degrees Celsius lower than ambient, along with the availability of fans in the rooms, should be sufficient for Indian athletes."We explored the option of portable AC units, but we have no such plans as of now," said Pardiwala. "The geothermal cooling system and fans should be quite okay for our athletes."Pardiwala also mentioned that the team has a sleep therapist, Dr. Monika Sharma, who will assist in managing temperature-related issues. Additionally, Indian athletes will have access to sleeping pods, which provide a dark and noise-free environment for rest and recovery.In the event of a heat wave during the Games, the IOA and sports ministry have contingency plans in place. "We're exploring emergency arrangements for air-conditioning if necessary," said Pardiwala.The Indian shooting contingent, which will be based in Chateauroux, has opted not to utilize the services of the IOA team. "They've told us they're happy with their current arrangements and would only require assistance in case of major injuries," said Pardiwala.