The Opening Of The Tokyo Olympics Tomorrow Without An Audience
The thirty-second Olympic Games will open at two in the afternoon tomorrow, Friday, Kingdom time, and eight in the evening, Japanese time, at the Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, in the presence of the Emperor of Japan Naruhito, the President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, and His Highness, his deputy, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, a member of the International Olympic Committee, a member of the Saudi delegation, Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Dr Thomas Bach, in addition to the President of 15 countries from different countries of the world.
Hussein and Yasmine raise the Saudi flag at the opening
The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee announced the selection of the Saudi rowing team player Hussein Ali Reda and his colleague, the Saudi athletics team player Yasmine Al-Dabbagh, to raise the Saudi flag in the opening ceremony. The ceremony will witness, for the first time, which will be held without an audience, allowing each team to appoint a male and female player from its delegation to carry the national flag in an attempt to promote gender equality. The Olympics also announced the selection of the star of the Saudi Karate team, Tariq Hamdi, to raise the Saudi flag in the closing ceremony, which is scheduled for the eighth of next August.
Reda starts his rowing competitions
The Saudi rowing team player, Hussein Ali Reda, will launch his first participation in the Olympic Games tomorrow, Friday, at 2:30 am, Kingdom time, in the men’s singles qualifiers on the waters of (Sea Forest Waterway). Reda was in an intensive training camp in Britain after announcing his qualification for the Olympics, in addition to undergoing treatment sessions after his surgery, which he underwent after suffering a stress fracture in the ribs during the qualifying stages held in Tokyo about two months ago.
Loss to Olympic football
The Saudi Olympic under-23 football team lost its first confrontation in Tokyo 2020 against its counterpart, Ivory Coast, with two goals to one, in the match held this evening, Thursday, at Yokohama International Stadium, in the fourth group competition in the football competition. The Ivory Coast national team advanced first in the 34th minute, equalizing the score for Al-Akhdar Salem Al-Dosari in the 43rd minute of the first half before the Ivory Coast national team added the winning goal in the 65th minute of the second half. Al-Akhdar will meet his German counterpart in his second match next Sunday.
Al-Shehri: We’ll fix today’s mistakes
In the press conference after the match, the Olympic team coach, Saad Al-Shehri, said he was satisfied with today’s performance. However, the result was not satisfactory, adding that they made several mistakes, but they will be remedied in their confrontation with Germany. Al-Shehri added that the loss is considered from the past and that Al-Akhdar can return to the competition and snatch points against Germany, stressing Al-Akhdar’s past experiences in the World Cup and the Asian Cup confirm that he can return and grab the qualification card. Al-Shehri indicated that Al-Akhdar, despite his loss, was able to impose his personality in front of a team catering to professional elements in Europe, stressing that it is very natural to be punished for individual mistakes in this type of match.
While the player, Ayman Al-Khalif, stressed that the pressure of the season is not an excuse for losing, indicating that they, as a team, do not deserve to lose.
His Highness the President receives Shaikh Isa Al Khalifa, President of the International Swimming Federation
HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, received this morning, in the presence of Prince Fahd bin Jalawi, Vice President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and head of the Bahraini Olympic delegation, His Highness Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, at the residence of the Saudi delegation in Tokyo. During the meeting, they reviewed the joint programs between the Saudi and Bahraini committees and the preparations for the two countries to participate in the Olympics. His Highness also met with the President of the International Swimming Federation, Hussain Al-Musallam, at the headquarters of the Saudi delegation in the Japanese capital. The meeting dealt with the joint programs between the Saudi Olympics and the International Swimming Federation. HH handed Al-Musllam a commemorative shield from the SOPC.