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Grand Slam record-breakers Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed on an Olympics second-round collision course in the draw for the Paris Games on Thursday.Nadal, a singles gold medallist at the 2008 Olympics, is playing in his final Games having also won doubles gold in Rio in 2016, while Djokovic was a bronze medallist in singles in 2008.Serbia’s Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion and top seed in Paris following the withdrawal of world number one Jannik Sinner, begins his campaign against Australia’s Matthew Ebden. “I am excited for this duel in the second round, and I will give it my all,” said Djokovic, who has faced Nadal 59 times over the past 18 years. “I am aware of the importance of the Olympic Games. I represent my country, which is more responsibility and even more pressure.”Spain’s Nadal, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams on the clay of Roland Garros, faces Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in his opener. French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, tackles 275th-ranked Hady Habib of Lebanon in opening round of the tournament, which starts tomorrow.“Roland Garros is the most special place in the world of tennis for me,” said 38-year-old Nadal, who was defeated in the first round of the French Open by Alexander Zverev last month during an injury-hit season. “This year I was not able to spend a lot of time at Roland Garros so I am excited to be back here. It’s another opportunity and a chance to enjoy every single moment.”Defending Olympic champion Zverev, seeded third, takes on Jaume Munar of Spain. Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, playing in Paris as a neutral following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, will meet Rinky Hijikata of Australia. Two-time singles gold medallist Andy Murray, who will end his career at the Olympics after almost two decades on tour, will only play doubles.The 37-year-old former world number one underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his back before Wimbledon, which also sidelined him from singles at the All England Club. At the Olympics he will play doubles with Dan Evans. “The Olympics are incredibly special for me and I am happy to do it one more time to compete for my country,” Murray said at draw. “I trained the last few weeks to get myself ready to play singles and doubles but I am getting older and it’s harder to recover from all the injuries. I just ran out of time.”Murray and Evans start their doubles bid against Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel. Nadal and Alcaraz, who will team up for the first time, face Argentina’s Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez. Nadal, Djokovic and Nishikori are playing at the Olympics for the fifth time in their careers.Also making a final appearance will be Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who announced on Thursday she will retire once the Games end. The 36-year-old, who won three Grand Slam titles, was a silver medallist in singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In a first-round clash of mothers, Kerber faces four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan.“I took the toughest decision of my life today,” said 36-year-old Kerber. “It is not easy to make such a big decision and if I could, I would play forever.”Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek, returning to the scene of her fourth French Open title last month, begins against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu. Second-ranked US Open champion Coco Gauff, who missed the Tokyo Olympics three years ago with Covid, takes on Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. Gauff will join basketball great LeBron James as a flag-bearer for the US team in today’s opening ceremony on the Seine in the heart of the French capital.

The first competition at one of Paris’ postcard Olympic venues opened on Thursday at the Invalides, the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte, with the first records of the Games as Lim Si-hyeon topped women’s archery qualifying.It was a day of almost uninterrupted conquest for South Korea. Nam Suh-yeon was second in the women’s qualifying and Kim Woo-jin and Kim Je-deok topped men’s qualifying. The ancient martial competition is being held on the lawn in front of the gilded dome of France’s military museum, where Napoleon was entombed in 1861.Qualifiers represented the calm before the tumult. So that all 64 qualifiers could shoot at once, the competition was held on the practice range, which has no space for spectators. The archers lined up, side by side, all firing six arrows before they paraded together across to the targets to check their scores. After the 12th, and final round, they were accompanied by scattered applause from coaches and officials.For the knockout rounds, when only two archers shoot at the same time, competition will move to the main arena with, for archery, an unprecedented capacity of 8,000.The only American man in the competition, world record holder Brady Ellison wanted it to be as raucous as the infamous 16th hole at golf’s Phoenix Open. “I want it to be loud and proud,” he said. “I want it to be like the Phoenix Open, you know, the 16th green. Just people throwing crap and just loud.”Ellison, who equalled an archery Olympic record on Thursday by competing at his fifth Games, said he was not worried about controlling his adrenaline level. “I want to step into that stadium and have it be so loud that they raise the hair off my arms. It’s what we’re here for, right?” he said. “After Tokyo, anything is going to be better in the stands.”If competitors glance up as they shoot, they can see the four raised, gilded statues on the Pont Alexandre III hovering above their targets. But, said American coach Chris Webster, competitors are blind to the environment “when you’re in it.” However, he added “when you take that step back and truly appreciate where we are in this venue, there’s nothing better.”South Koreans have won nine out of the last 10 women’s golds. The records the 20-year-old Lim shot down, as she scored 694 out of a maximum of 720, belonged to compatriots, including the world record of 692 set by Kang Chae-young in 2019. “I was very nervous because it was my first Olympics, and I tried to enjoy the game as much as I could,” Lim said.Her closest challenger was, inevitably, another South Korean, Nam Suh-yeon, with 688. Yang Xiaolei of China was third on 673, 17 points behind Lim. Kaufhold, who entered the Olympics as the top-ranked woman, was on 672.The men’s competition was tighter, Kim Woo-jin shot 686 to lead by four. Just nine points separated Kim Je-deok in second from the 17th-best on the day, Brazilian Marcus D’Almeida. All 64 competitors still advance to the singles knockout stage. Thursday’s scores determined seedings for the singles and doubles. Some nations, including South Korea, always select their highest-scoring qualifier in mixed doubles, so Lim gave herself a chance of three golds. Lim shot 72 times on Thursday. In the head-to-head knock-out, where the winner is the first to take three 10-arrow sets, Lim might only shoot 30, in victory or defeat, when she faces the lowest-ranked qualifier, Alondra Rivera of Puerto Rico in the first round.

HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, visited the Qatari delegation at the Olympic Village on Thursday, where he met with Team Qatar athletes and urged them to give their best at the Paris 2024 Olympics.HE Sheikh Joaan also toured the Qatari delegation's building, reviewing the workflow and procedures undertaken by the Qatari administrative delegation. He praised their ongoing efforts to facilitate the participation of Team Qatar during the Olympic Games.Accompanying HE Sheikh Joaan during the visit were Dr Thani al-Kuwari, Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and Secretary General Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain.HE Sheikh Joaan was received by Mohammed al- Misned, Team Qatar Chef de Mission, Meshaal al- Nasr, President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association, Ali Ghanim al-Kuwari, President of the Qatar Volleyball Association and members of Team Qatar.

Coinciding with the 2024 Paris Olympics, which open today, the sports and entertainment platform TOD has announced a unique Olympic experience through its latest documentary film, *Can We Win Two Golds? This film celebrates Arab athletes participating in this year's Olympiad. In a press release issued Tuesday, TOD elaborated that the film follows a famous Qatari athlete on his final Olympic journey before retirement, aiming to inspire and encourage all Arab athletes as they prepare for the ongoing Olympic Games.In addition to *Can We Win Two Golds?, TOD presents a selection of Olympic documentaries, including *Chasing Tokyo, an 86-minute film about the British sailing team's journey through the uncertain Tokyo Games, and *Target Paris 2024, a three-part mini-series that follows four archers – Lisa Barbelin and Audrey Adiceom (France), Kim Woojin (Korea), and Bernardo Oliveira (Brazil) – as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.The TOD platform announced that it would provide subscribers with an exclusive Olympics news channel available around the clock in English. John-Paul McKerlie, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at TOD, said, “This initiative underscores our commitment to providing a unique sports experience to users across the MENA region. By celebrating the spirit of the Olympic Games and offering unparalleled entertainment content, TOD continues to connect viewers with the most exciting and inspiring events from around the world.”The Summer Olympics Games pack on TOD offers new users access to the games until August 11 and extended access to the entire TOD Entertainment library until December 31.

Frankfurt police yesterday arrested climate activists who brought Germany’s busiest airport to a standstill by gluing themselves to the tarmac.Traffic was halted for two hours during the busy summer holiday season before the first of the airport’s landing runways was able to operate again at 0502 GMT, said an airport spokesman.Seven activists had managed to reach the runway where they glued themselves onto the tarmac, a police spokesman said. An eighth was still trying to get through the perimeter fence when he was detained.Police were able to remove the activists from the airport’s restricted grounds by 0815 GMT. All eight were placed under provisional arrest.Climate activist group “Letzte Generation” (Last Generation) claimed responsibility for the civil disobedience action.Its members used pincers to cut openings in the wire fence before making their way “by foot, with bicycles and skateboards to different points around the runways”, the group said.A photo circulated by the group depicted a protester sitting on the tarmac with an orange banner that read: “Oil kills”.The group is pushing for a binding international accord that would lead to an end in oil, gas and coal use by 2030.Transport Minister Volker Wissing condemned the protests as “criminal”. “The climate activists are apparently seeking to bring about maximum damage,” he told German media.“The legislators must react with maximum severity,” he added, calling for prison terms of up to five years in jail for those who storm airports.“Anyone who violently forces their way into airports, occupies runways and blocks airplanes is endangering human lives,” he said.Yesterday’s protest action came a day after similar operations across several European airports.Activists from Letzte Generation disrupted traffic at Cologne-Bonn airport for several hours on Wednesday by gluing themselves on the tarmac.Several climate protesters were also arrested at London’s Heathrow airport.Some passengers caught up in the protests at Frankfurt voiced their frustration.Australian couple Jen Jung, 32 and Sam Smith, 33, who were heading to Warsaw for a wedding said they had had to scramble to rebook after their flight was cancelled.“We understand that you have a point of view and you want to help the environment,” said Smith. “The thing is, pushing your point across to the point where everyone is affected... it’s not always the best idea.”Butcher Heiko Schoene, 56, voiced his dismay when after learning that his flight to Zurich, where he and his family had a connecting flight to the Dominican Republic, had been cancelled.“Obviously the shock and anger is great... because we saved up all year for our vacation and were happy to be able to finally go on holiday,” he said.But doctor Ruth Zeilen-Boehle, 69, found the protests “necessary because too little is being done for the climate”.While her flight was not cancelled, even if she had been affected, “I would have accepted it”, she said.The protest organisers are part of the A22 Network of groups committed to non-violent climate protests. It said it was planning to disrupt airports in several countries in the coming months.Global aviation is responsible for around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, more than the annual carbon footprint of Brazil and France combined.Last Generation is known for mounting eye-catching protests — from throwing mashed potatoes at paintings in museums to glueing themselves on busy roads.

As it rolls across Italy’s central regions, a vintage diesel locomotive towing carriages from the 1930s and 1950s crosses the forests of the Majella National park and the Abruzzo highlands, giving tourists on board a glimpse of hidden hamlets.Across its just over 100km, the so-called Italian Transiberian rail line, also known as the Park Railway, slips into gorges, snakes into 58 tunnels and braves huge viaducts.It was the first of some 1,000km of line to have re-opened under a project by Fondazione FS, part of state-controlled national rail company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS).The “Timeless tracks” project takes tourists to forgotten parts of Italy, offering an alternative to the fast-paced, mass tourism of the major cities.“These are tracks that have lived through different eras, they have carried soldiers to the front, cows to pasture... they were mistakenly considered unproductive during the 1960s and 70s but are now once again of value,” Luigi Cantamessa, who heads Fondazione FS, told Reuters.Inspired by train travel in Switzerland, the project now carries 45,000 tourists a year across its 13 lines. Fondazione FS expects to open two new ones by 2026, both in the southern region of Sicily.“What were considered to be the dry branches of Italy’s train network, have now proved to be the green shoots,” Cantamessa added.“People are used to cities and places, like Florence, that everyone knows.. but then there are other areas that need to be discovered. (This) is the right kind of tourism that does not spoil the authenticity of places,” said Norma Pagiotti, a 28-year-old from Florence travelling on the train with two friends.With arrival numbers above pre-pandemic levels, popular European travel destinations including Venice have introduced measures aimed at managing visitor numbers amid rising concerns about overcrowding.“The train reminds me of my youth, I feel a bit nostalgic for the things of the past, which were simpler, now everything is fast, short-lived,” says Caterina Quaranta, from Taranto in southern Italy, sitting on the wooden seats of the train.The trips attract Italians and foreigners, a lot of families and children, younger people who get off to hike and cycle, and older people “who have time to spare”, explained Laura Colaprete, a local guide.“It’s for those who don’t want mass market, cluttered destinations. A conscious traveller, who is looking for something special,” said Cantamessa of Fondazione FS. “These are not trips that serve you frozen pizza for lunch,” he added.After climbing up almost 1,000 metres in altitude, the Transiberian’s first stop is in Palena, a medieval hill-top town known for its breathtaking views over the national park.Traditional folk music accompanies people getting off the train, with local delicacies such as lamb skewers and soft pancakes made with an iron mould, known as pizzelle, and products by local artisans awaiting them at the station.“The train helps several small towns around here. This line was a dead line before,” said Gino Toppi, 60, as he helped his wife with the food stall in the small station.Milan’s Bocconi University recently estimated that for every euro spent by passengers on tickets — which cost between €30 and €70 ($32.50-$76) — up to a further €3 are spent on food, accommodation, tours and souvenirs.That helps to support the economy of villages that have long lost population due to the dwindling birth rate and younger people leaving for the bigger cities“There certainly are benefits, this is a way to show my products,” said Annalisa Cantelmi, a herbalist.“These tourists are slowly discovering these new territories, their traditions and people,” she added.

France is preparing to welcome dozens of heads of state and government, royalty and US First Lady Jill Biden for the Summer Olympics that begin with a dazzling ceremony on the river Seine today. No Russian official representing Vladimir Putin’s government has been invited due to the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, while an Israeli delegation will be heavily protected as tensions rage over Israel’s continuing bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas. But with only a day to go, there is still no confirmation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the opening of the world’s biggest sporting event in what would be a notable absence. “We are ready to welcome the world,” said Samuel Ducroquet, France’s ambassador for Sports. Russia, long a Summer Olympics powerhouse, has been banned from the Paris Games in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, but a tiny squad of neutral athletes will represent the country. A list of guests who will attend a reception hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace today does not include Zelensky’s name. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv. The new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who is keen to strengthen ties with France, will be in the stands overlooking the Seine to watch the river parade. Paris 2024 “is a big event for France but also for the UK,” said Menna Rawlings, the British ambassador to France, adding that around 500,000 tickets had been sold in Britain. Other European leaders expected to attend include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Georgia will be represented by both Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and President Salome Zurabishvili, and Moldovan President Maia Sandu will also be in attendance. US President Joe Biden, 81, who has announced he is dropping his re-election bid and is recovering from Covid, will not fly to Paris, but US First Lady Jill Biden has confirmed her presence at the Games. The closing ceremony will be attended by Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is now in the running for the White House. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will attend the ceremony under heavy protection, despite protests from Tehran. Herzog will also meet Macron on the sidelines of the ceremony. The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, will represent Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan are not on the list of guests. Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the Paris edition and be represented by Vice-President Han Zheng. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has entrusted his wife Rosangela with representing the nation, but Argentine leader Javier Milei and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro have confirmed their attendance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not on the Elysee list of guests. Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon and Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic will both be present. The attendance of Cameroonian leader Paul Biya and Rwandan President Paul Kagame has also been confirmed. The new Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, will be there but South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa will skip the event. The opening ceremony will coincide with the first anniversary of a coup that ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, and the country will be represented by sports ministry official Abdoulaye Mohamadou. Britain’s Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, and Prince Albert of Monaco arrived on Monday to attend the IOC meeting, as both countries are IOC members. The King of Spain, Felipe VI, is also expected. Denmark will be represented by King Frederik X and Queen Mary as well as Princess Benedikte, the sovereign’s octogenarian aunt. Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places are not expected to stop, but the Olympics will be an opportunity for intense diplomatic activity. Today, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to urge nations to “lay down their arms”, and Macron has also called for “an Olympic truce”.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wept yesterday as she surveyed the destruction wrought by days of deadly unrest, as student leaders weighed the future of the protests that sparked the disorder.Last week’s violence killed at least 193 people, including several police officers, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals, in one of the biggest upheavals of Hasina’s 15-year tenure.The unrest was precipitated by protests against a public jobs quota scheme that critics say gives preference to allies of Hasina’s ruling party.Thousands of troops are still patrolling cities and a nationwide Internet shutdown remains largely in effect, although clashes have subsided since protest leaders announced a temporary halt to new demonstrations.Hasina, 76, spent the morning surveying destruction in the capital Dhaka, where the commuter rail network connecting the sprawling megacity of 20mn people was shut down after mob attacks.“Over 15 years, I’ve built this country,” she told reporters, condemning protesters for damaging city infrastructure. “What didn’t I do for the people? “Who has benefitted from what we have done?” she said. “Do I ride on the metro? Does the government only ride? Do our ministers only ride? Or is it in fact the general public that rides?” Pictures released by Hasina’s office showed her flanked by an entourage and weeping at the sight of a vandalised metro station in an outlying Dhaka suburb. The station was among several government buildings and dozens of police posts torched or vandalised during the unrest.With calm returning to cities around Bangladesh, Hasina’s government ordered another relaxation to the curfew it imposed at the weekend to allow free movement between 10am and 5pm.Streets in Dhaka were choked with commuter traffic in the morning, days after ferocious clashes between police and protesters had left them almost deserted.Banks, government offices and Bangladesh’s economically vital garment factories reopened on Wednesday after they were closed last week.Student leaders met yesterday to decide whether to again extend their protest moratorium, which is due to expire today.Students Against Discrimination, the group responsible for organising this month’s rallies, said it expected the government to make some concessions.

The Ministry of Labour (MoL), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), has conducted a workshop for employees and workers of the Security Services Group (SSG) to raise awareness about heat stress risks and ways to preserve mental health.The workshop featured presentations to raise workers' awareness on ways to prevent the risks of heat stress and maintain occupational and mental health and safety in workplaces and residential areas.Representatives of the ministry's Occupational Safety and Health Department and the MoPH addressed workers' enquiries during the presentations. – QNA

HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh al-Khulaifi held a meeting with Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Russ Jalichandra on Thursday.During the meeting in Doha, they discussed co-operation, relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them.They also discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.Jalichandra voiced his country's gratitude to Qatar’s role in mediating the release of the Thai hostages in Gaza. – QNA

The Parliamentary Coordination Committee and Foreign Relations of the Legislative Councils of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Countries held its 18th meeting virtually on Thursday under Qatar’s chairmanship.During the meeting, which was headed by Shura Council member Nasser bin Mohamed al-Nuaimi, the committee followed up on the progress made in what the committee had previously agreed upon regarding strengthening co-operation with the parliaments of Latin American and Caribbean countries, strengthening Gulf-European parliamentary relations, and the mechanism for holding co-ordination meetings in international parliamentary forums, and increasing the momentum of Gulf parliamentary meetings at all levels. – QNA

Seven-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Caeleb Dressel said on Thursday he has no confidence in the ability of authorities to ensure a fair contest in the pool at the Paris Games.Swimming has been engulfed in a doping row following revelations in April that 23 Chinese swimmers failed drugs tests ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2021 but were not sanctioned. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the conclusion of Chinese officials that the case was caused by food contamination at a hotel, triggering strong criticism from the US anti-doping body USADA and several top swimmers.Asked whether he had confidence that governing bodies had created “a level-playing field”, the American Dressel was succinct.“No, not really. I don’t think they have given us enough evidence to support them with how this case was handled. To answer your question – no,” he said. Dressel will be aiming to defend his 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly individual titles in Paris.Brent Nowicki, executive director of World Aquatics, said he was saddened to hear Dressel’s views.“This entire team, entire organisation works tirelessly. Every day they go to work and pour their heart into what we do. So when you hear someone like Caeleb say that, obviously it is not what you want any athlete to say,” he said.Nowicki said that swimming’s governing body needed to work to regain the confidence of its athletes. “We have to look forward, we have to regain his trust and those athletes’ trust who share that same opinion, that’s why we go to work every day and pour our heart into this,” he said.“I would invite you to ask the same question in LA (2028Olympics).“My goal, my hope is that his mind changes and that’s why I have to work harder so that in four years’ time, he says, ‘They did what they said they were going to do’.”