India at Olympics LIVE updates Day 1: Drones hog limelight in Opening Ceremony; Deepika Kumari shines, men's archery team disappoints

Creativity at its best

Trust Japan to pull it off.

A glitzy Opening Ceremony comes to an end. The visuals and the creativity were out of the world.

Thomas Bach declares the Games open and Naomi Osaka lights the cauldron.

We will have an interesting day tomorrow with many events and multiple Indians take part. Some medals might also be won tomorrow. So stay tuned to all our updates!

Olympics cauldron

Tennis ace Naomi Osaka earlier lit the Tokyo Olympics cauldron in a glitzy Opening Ceremony.

India's medal chances at Tokyo Olympics on July 24

We take a look at all the major sportspersons from India who will be in contention to secure a medal and whether they'll be able to go all the way or not.

India's medal chances at Tokyo Olympics today (24th July): Predictions, preview, schedule

Olympic Flag and Anthem

The Olympic Flag is now making its entrance into the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The flagbearers are:
Asia: MOMOTA Kento, JPN, badminton
Oceania: Elena Galiabovitch, AUS, shooting
IOC Refugee Olympic Team: Cyrille Tchatchet II, EOR, weightlifting
Americas: Paula Pareto, ARG, judo
Africa: Mehdi Essadiq, MAR, triathlon
Europa: Paola Ogechi Egonu, ITA, volleyball

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is OFFICIALLY OPEN!

Down memory lane

Indian badminton star Sai Praneeth recalled the day he watched his first Olympic badminton final between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan at the 2008 Beijing Games.

According to him, it was one of the best Olympic badminton finals he had witnessed.

Read the link below to know more about that night.

Sai Praneeth remembers the epic Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan Olympic match

Mind-Blowing!

Japan pulls off a stunner.

Drones form the Tokyo 2020 emblem, up above the night sky in Tokyo.

A total of 1824 drones were used to form the Tokyo Olympics emblem.

The nation's parade is done

At the Olympics Opening Ceremony, USA, France and Japan walk out into the middle in the order of hosting the next editions of the Olympics, with the host being the last.

In bad taste

As the Indian athletes, led by Manpreet Singh and Mary Kom, walked in, the telecast went onto a split-screen setup. Half of the screen showed the athletes and the other half showed Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.

The official Indian broadcasting rights for the Olympics belong to Sony Sports Network.

This angered many fans, as they got to see their sporting stars on the grandest stage after 5 long years.

We have compiled some reactions for you in the link below!

"Why take half the screen?": Upset fans slam broadcaster for showing Anurag Thakur during India Olympics opening ceremony

In case you didn't know

France, Great Britain, Greece and Switzerland are the only nations to have participated at all Olympic Games since 1896.

Indian shooting schedule

Shooting is one of the sports in which India can get multiple medals, including multiple golds. And here is a sneak peek into the shooting schedule.

The Olympic Laurel goes to...

The Olympic Laurel is a distinction awarded by the IOC to honor those who have made contributions in education, culture, development and peace through sport. this year's award is given to Muhummad Yunus of Bangladesh.

Opening Ceremony underway

The Opening Ceremony is underway at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The visual spectacle is nothing short of awesomeness!

Follow all the updates LIVE in the link below.

India at Olympics Opening Ceremony LIVE updates: All the news, photos & reactions

Revamped sports infrastructure, put athletes first

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur said, “India’s road to Tokyo Olympics has been a journey filled with tests and triumphs, both for athletes and organisers, in so many ways, quite like the Olympic games themselves!”

Shri Thakur added, “We have put sportspersons and their interests at the centre of policy planning with a forward looking vision. In the last seven years we have revamped and expanded India’s sports infrastructure. Today talent emerging from small towns is being noticed and nurtured, by providing the best facilities and professional training to compete at the highest level. We’ve also brought a fresh outlook towards building a sports culture in the country. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over the past few years, the groundwork has been laid down to ensure India becomes a sporting powerhouse. “

The wishes of 130 crore Indians will inspire the 127 Olympic athletes who will showcase their best on the grandest stage in sport. It is a moment of great pride as we cheer for the Indian contingent in the Olympic Games in Tokyo today.”

Officials in attendance back home

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur, joined by eminent sportspersons, including Olympic bronze medallists Karnam Malleswari and Yogeshwar Dutt, wished Team India the very best as the 32nd Summer Olympics' Opening Ceremony is underway at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Shri. Thakur and the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri. Nisith Pramanik were in the company of Olympian Akhil Kumar and a host of young shooters and swimmers, who have the potential to compete in the 2024 Games in Paris, at the iconic Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi. Shri. Thakur also interacted with Chief National Badminton Coach, Pullela Gopichand and sprinter Asian Games gold medallist Hima Das.

With an effort to cheer the Indian contingent several dignitaries and athletes joined the programme virtually. Ministers of Sports, Mrs. Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Madhya Pradesh), hockey Olympian Sandeep Singh (Haryana) and Tushar Kanti Behra (Odisha), who joined from various parts of the country to support the Indian contingent.

Anurag Thakur with Karnam Malleswari, Yogeshwar Dutt. (PC: SAI)

Ground zero all decked up

We are just minutes away from the start of the Opening Ceremony. The venue - The National Stadium - is all decked up and ready for the biggest spectacle this year.

This will also officially mark the commencement of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

National Stadium ahead of the Opening Ceremony. (PC: Olympics)

Tokyo in all readiness

The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will showcase the culture and traditions of the host city and country. The ceremony will show how the world and Japan have gone through the pandemic for over a year.

Check out how Tokyo is all set for the grand opening ceremony in a photo feature in the below link.

Photos: Tokyo prepares for Olympics Opening Ceremony

Men In Black

The Indian men's hockey team is all set for the opening ceremony. Hockey captain Manpreet Singh will be the flagbearer along with Mary Km.

Change in India's Rowing schedule

LM2X race sl no 41 ( featuring Indian Rowers) will start at 11 am JST tomorrow. Earlier it was 11:30 am JST. And Monday Repechage will be on Sunday.
Due to some unexpected weather conditions and strong winds, expected on Monday, the schedule changed.

Today I going to hyderabad to Tokyo Olympics games via new Delhi. pic.twitter.com/JYHRdBkxtR
— Dutee Chand (@DuteeChand) July 23, 2021

India is ready!

Mary Kom and Manpreet Singh look stunning in traditional wear. The duo will be India's flagbearer for the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 😍@MangteC & @manpreetpawar07 pose for a picture together as they head towards the Opening ceremony of @Tokyo2020 📸#RingKeBaazigar #boxing #Tokyo2020 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/nRg0sWiAAq
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) July 23, 2021

Star Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be wishing the Indians all the best from outside Tokyo. Check out his tweet below:

While I am not in Tokyo yet, I wish all the #TeamIndia athletes the very best for @Tokyo2020
To everyone supporting us: thank you for your wishes and please keep cheering every Indian athlete in Tokyo 🙏#CheerForIndia
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) July 23, 2021

Who is a celebrity sportsmen at the Games Village

The Olympics Games Village gives an opportunity to brush shoulders with the best in business and one particular player seems to be the Indians' most sought after celebrity.

Indian athletes take the opportunity to take a selfie with Novak Djokovic. (PC: Respective athletes)

President of India wishes India at Olympics

The President of India Ramnath Kovind took to Twitter to wish the Indian contingent for a successful Olympics. The archery team led by Deepika Kumari started the campaign. The shooting, boxing, rowing, hockey and other major sports will begin their campaigns from July 24.

An entire nation’s hopes and prayers are with the Indian contingent at the #TokyoOlympics. I convey best wishes to you all on behalf of all Indians. I am confident that you all will excel, win laurels and make our country proud. #Cheer4India
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 23, 2021

All at 17!

At 17-year-old Kim Je Deok, the youngest archer at Tokyo Olympics finished as top seed in men's individual ranking round. He will be the favourite to win gold.

The youngest archer and the top seed in men's! (PC: World Archery)

Archery ranking rounds concludes

The Indians finish the ranking round (72 arrows) at:

Pravin Jadhav: 656 (31st)
Atanu Das: 653 (35th)
Tarundeep Rai: 652 (37th)
Indian team: 1961 (9th)
Mixed team: 1319 (9th)

Indian's archery matches

Tarundeep Rai will meet Ukraine's Oleksii Hunbin
Atanu Das will lock horns with Taipei's Deng Yu-Cheng
Pravin Jadhav will be up against ROC's Galsan Bazarzhapov

The Indian men's team will play Kazakhstan in the first round and will run into Korea in the quarterfinal, if they manage to beat the Kazak archers.

In the mixed team, Deepika Kumari and Pravin Jadhav will meet Chinese Taipei's Lin Chia-En and Tang Chih-Chun in the first round and will most probably run into Korea in the quarterfinals. Korea will meet Bangladesh in the first round.

Pravin Jadhav and Deepika Kumari to partner in mixed team event

Sadly it will not be husband Atanu Das partnering Deepika Kumari in the mixed team event as Atanu finished second, behind Pravin Jadhav, in the ranking round.

The husband-wife pair of Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari had won the gold in the World Cup Stage 3 in Paris before the Olympics but sadly there wouldn't be an encore.

Deepika Kumari dissects her performance

Deepika Kumari in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda decoded her performance of the ranking rounds in the individual women's archery event. Read below to know what she thinks after finishing ninth.

Deepika Kumari dissects her ranking round event at Olympics 2021

Change in Indian team for Opening Ceremony

There is a change in the athletes list who will be participating in the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Table Tennis team members Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra have been cancelled and replaced by Anita Raina (Tennis).

PV Sindhu all set for Tokyo Olympics

PV Sindhu will be one of the favorites for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Entering the competition as the sixth seed, she will face Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong and Ksenia Polikarpova of Israel in the first round of Group J. The top-ranked shuttlers from the group will qualify for the round of 16.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

That excited we are right now😍
How about you guys?#badminton #SmashfortheGlory #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/r3IY1IgmIh
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) July 23, 2021

Send off ceremony to the athletics team from SAI Bengaluru

AN San sets new Olympic Record in women's ranking round

Korea have taken the top three seeds, with gold medal favorite An San setting a new Olympic record score of 680! She shot 36 10's and 16 X's to break Ukraine's Lina Herasymenko's 1996 record of 673.

Atanu Das, Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai in action.

Follow LIVE Updates here

Tokyo Olympics Archery LIVE updates: Atanu Das, Pravin Jadhav, Tarundeep Rai Men's individual commentary & scores

Deepika Kumari's road to final

Deepika Kumari finished the ranking round at 9th Position shooting 663 (30-10s & 13Xs)

Path to Finals
1/32 - Karma
1/16 - Jennifer
1/8 - Perova
1/4 - San
1/2 - Valencia
Final - Jang

Olympic Record!

The French pair of Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias better the previous Olympic best of 6:11.30 with a performance of 6:10.45 in the men's double sculls heats. They took the word 'heats' literally and chose to light up the event! We aren't even done with the Opening Ceremony yet!