Most 'Team Cyprus' members already in France ahead of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony

The Paris 2024 33rd modern Olympic Games are about to begin and the biggest sporting event held every four years, gathers in Paris the top athletes from all over the world.

As the Cyprus Olympic Committee correspondent reports, the opening ceremony on 26 July, which will take place for the first time outside the stadium, along a six-kilometer course by the Seine, will largely mark the organizers' effort to promote the host city of Paris and other cities of France around the world.

Among the 205 Olympic Committees taking part in the games (12 more than the UN member states), Cyprus will participate with its own team for the 12th consecutive time, since its first participation in Moscow 1980, it is added.

Cyprus Olympic Committee team includes 15 athletes from eight different sports federations who will compete as follows: Marios Georgiou (Gymnastics), Sofia Asvesta (Judo /52Kg), Natasa Lappa (Sailing/IQFOIL) , Alexandros Tofalides (Fencing/Foil), Antoniou Kalia (100m Swimming), Antoniou Nikolas (100m Swimming), Makri Marilena (Sailing / ILCA6), Kontides Pavlos (Sailing /ILCA7), Elena Kulichenko (Athletics /High Jump, Olivia Fotopoulou (Αthletics / 100m, 200m), Konstantina Nikolaou (Shooting /Skeet), Andri Christoforou (Cycling), Denis Tarandin (Sailing/Kite), Milan Trajkovic (Athletics / 110m Hurdles), Vera Tugolukova (Rhythmic Gymnastics).

Flag bearers of the Cypriot team at the opening ceremony will be Milan Trajkovic and Elena Kulichenko.

The majority of "Team Cyprus" members will be in France before the opening ceremony. Marios Georgiou (Gymnastics) is already at the Olympic Village, the quartet of sailors has been training for days in the waters of Marseille (Marilena Makri, Natasha Lappa, Pavlos Kontides and Denis Tarantin), while Konstantina Nikolaou has moved and is already training in Satorou where Shooting competitions will be held. On 24 July the Judo, Swimming, Fencing and Athletics teams will arrive in Paris and join the Olympic Village. The head of the Cypriot mission, Yiotis Ioannides, is also traveling with them.

Andri Christoforou (Cycling) and Vera Tougolukova (Rhythmic Gymnastics), will go to France in the second week of the Games.

Marios Georgiou the first Cypriot to compete

The first Cypriot athlete who will compete is Marios Georgiou as on July 27 the Gymnastic competitions will begin in Bercy. The match is extremely important for the Cypriot European champion, since through the qualifier he will claim qualification to the final 24 for all around (31/7), but also to the finals of the six individual events (3/8, 4/8, 5/8).

According to the schedule, Marios Georgiou will compete in the qualifier in Group B and the 27 July match will start at 15.30 local time (16.30 Cyprus time). He will compete in floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar.

(Source: CNA)