Olympics

Việt Nam flags are hung at the Olympics Athletes Village in Paris, France. Photos of Phạm Thị Huệ

PARIS — France does not hold a flag-raising ceremony for delegations as it was usual activity at all previous Olympics but Vietnamese national flags are on display proudly at the Athletes Villages in Paris.

On the way to the village, organisers hung flags of all 206 countries and territories before the delegations arrived, leading to the no need of the traditional ceremony.

However almost of the teams including Việt Nam hang their own flags in all balconies and windows of their rooms.

Việt Nam have 39 members including 16 athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics. Most of them have checked in the village while the rest will join them later based on their competition schedules.

According to them, the organisers gave athletes the best conditions including meals, drinks and rooms that meet all their demands.

Rower Phạm Thị Huệ was impressed with a range of dishes for all continental athletes such as noodles, kimchi, steamed rice and string beans.

Athletes queue at the Athletes Village's dining hall.

Calories of dishes are noted by the side so athletes can calculate the amount of food needed for their training and competition.

About bedrooms, two athletes will share one room which is minimalist designed with furniture mostly made from recycled materials such as shuttlecocks, parachute cloth, cardboard according to the host country's slogan "Greenest Olympics ever" .

Inside a bedroom of Paris Olympics' athletes.

After the competitions, all athletes will receive an Olympic branded blanket.

On July 26, organisers hold draws for different sports including boxing and judo that Vietnamese competitors will take part in.

In judo, Hoàng Thị Tình, world No 86, will play Tunisian Oumaima Bedioui, No 38, in the first match of the women's 48kg class on July 27.

If she could beat the higher-ranking rival, her next opponent would be a tougher one who is the winner of the match between No 5 Shirine Boukli of France and No 12 Tugce Beder of Turkey.

In boxing, there are 22 athletes in each weight class. Ten of them are seeded and will begin their tournament from the last-16 round.

Vietnamese representatives are not among the top 10 so they must fight from the last-32.

Võ Thị Kim Ánh will punch Indian Preeti Pawar, who is considered a big challenge for her as she was 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist, in the women's 54kg category on July 28.

A win will push her to the last-16 round where she will meet seeded Yeni Arias of Colombia. Arias was 2023 world silver medal holder and champion of 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Hà Thị Linh (left) and Võ Thị Kim Ánh practise in Paris. — VNS Photo Như Cường

Meanwhile in the women's 60kg, Hà Thị Linh will face Feofaaki Epenisa of Tonga on July 27. Linh is No 32 in the world ranking while Epenisa No 262.

In case of winning she will play No 4 Yang Wenlu of China. Yang defeated SEA Games champion Linh at the 2023 Asian Games 2023 and won gold medal later. She also won the world bronze medal in the same year.

Ánh and Linh under coach Nguyễn Như Cường are in France since early July for training.

Cường said plans for his athletes were well prepared and they reached their best of technique and mentality. Both two determined to have high results in Paris.

"Our target is to have win(s) at the Olympics and go as far as possible in this arena," said Cường.

The opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympics will be held in the next few hours. It will be a surprising event in the history as it is held along the River Seine. It will begin at the Austerlitz Bridge and continue for 6km towards the west, ending at the Trocadero square

Badminton player Lê Đức Phát and cyclist Nguyễn Thị Thật will carry Việt Nam flag at the parade of the athletes. — VNS