The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games was held in Paris, France, on Friday, July 26, officially launching the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
Forty-one Ethiopian athletes are in the French capital in pursuit of sporting glory. Team Ethiopia, wearing traditional white handwoven cotton, was among the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating in a spectacular event on Friday night. For the first time in Summer Olympic history, the Opening Ceremony was not held in a stadium. Instead, the parade of approximately 10,400 athletes took place on the Seine River, with boats representing each national delegation passing iconic Parisian landmarks. The event showcased the City of Light and its culture, with riverboats offering stunning views of the city. The parade concluded at the Trocadéro, with the Eiffel Tower, illuminated with Olympic rings, serving as a dazzling backdrop.
There are 20 women and 21 men representing Ethiopia in 7 sports this year, some of them athletes making their debut.
The Ethiopian squad features several world record holders and world champions, including legendary long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, women’s marathon record holder Tigist Assefa, 3000m men’s steeplechase record holder Lamecha Girma, Tokyo Olympic 10,000m gold medalist Selemon Barega, and Gudaf Tsegay.
Ethiopia has sent a strong athletics team to Paris with our athletes in great form across track and field.
There are a host of genuine medal contenders including in Men’s 3,000m steeplechase, Lamecha Girma, who has smashed the 25-year-old men’s world indoor 3000m record apart on February 2023.
In the women’s event, all eyes will be on Gudaf Tsegaye, the world 5000m champion in 2022 and world 10,000m champion in 2023, who could win Women’s 5000m, with Kenyan Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kiypegon in the mix.
In the men’s 10,000m, Selemon Barega, who won Ethiopia’s first track and field gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, returns to defend his title. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world record holder and gold medalist at the 2019, 2022, and 2023 World Championships, as well as the Olympic silver medalist in Tokyo, is also a strong gold medal contender.
Kenenisa Bekele, Deresa Geleta, and Tamirat Tola will represent Ethiopia in the men’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, facing tough competition from the favorite, reigning Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya. The 41-year-old Bekele resumes his longstanding rivalry with Kipchoge, which began in Paris when Kipchoge won the 5000m title. Their last race together was at the 2018 London Marathon, where Kipchoge emerged victorious. Tamirat Tola, who won the men’s marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, is also a top favorite.
Tigist Assefa, the current world record holder, is the top favorite for the women’s marathon. She faces strong competition from Kenyan Hellen Obiri, who won the Boston Marathon in 2023 and 2024, and Peres Jepchirchir, another top marathoner with a strong record in major races.
