Lengthy distance runner Clementine Mukandanga and bicycle owner Eric Manizabayo have been named flagbearers of Workforce Rwanda on the glamourous opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Video games which formally kick off in Paris, France, on Friday, July 26 and run via Sunday, August 11.
The duo is a part of eight athletes–five ladies and three men–representing Rwanda at Paris 2024 Olympics.
Mukandanga is the one Rwandan athlete within the Olympic Workforce who certified for the Paris 2024 Video games. She achieved the required “Minima” time of two:26:50 on the 39 Firenze Marathon in December 2023 with a time of two:25:54, the fourth quickest within the occasion’s historical past and a private finest, bettering on her earlier report set in Florence in 2022.
She’s going to compete within the full marathon slated for August 11 at Hôtel de Ville and Les Invalides.
On the age of 38, she is the oldest within the Rwanda Olympic Workforce.
In the meantime, Manizabayo made it to Paris on a wildcard. He’s one among three cyclists within the Rwandan Olympic group for Paris alongside Djazilla Mwamikazi and Diane Ingabire.
Manizabayo, who’s making his debut on the Olympic Video games, will compete on August 3 within the Highway Race which can happen at Pont d’ Iéna.
General, moreover Mukandanga and Manizabayo, the opposite athletes representing Rwanda on the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris embrace ladies cyclists Diane Ingabire and Djazilla Mwamikazi, athletics star Yves Nimubona, swimmers Peyre Mitilla Oscar Cyusa and Lidwine Umuhoza Uwase and fencer Tufaha Uwihoreye.
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ALSO READ: Meet athletes representing Rwanda at Paris 2024 Video games
A ceremony outdoors a stadium
For the primary time within the historical past of the Olympic Summer time Video games, the opening ceremony won’t happen in a stadium. Paris 2024 is breaking new floor by bringing sports activities into town and the identical will probably be true of the opening ceremony, set to be held within the coronary heart of town alongside its essential artery: The Seine.
Taking up a brand new guise, the parade of athletes will probably be held on the Seine river with boats for every nationwide delegation.
These boats will probably be geared up with cameras to permit tv and on-line viewers to see the athletes up shut. Winding their manner from east to west, the ten,500 athletes will cross via the centre of Paris, the general enjoying area for the Video games on which these rivals will show their sporting prowess over the following 16 days.
The parade will come to the tip of its 6-kilometre route in entrance of the Trocadéro, the place the remaining parts of Olympic protocol and closing reveals will happen.