The official inauguration of the Paris Olympics 2024 will take place in Paris on the 26th of this month. But the games are set to begin on the July 24 with the rugby 7s and football group stages. However, India's Olympic campaign will begin with the individual archery rounds on July 25. 

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024

The medal events of Paris Olympics 2024 will begin on Saturday, July 27 with the 10m air rifle matches, in which Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta, Elavenil Valarivan and Ramita Jindal will fight for the medals. India's likely final action will be the women's 76kg medal match, in which Reetika Hooda can aim for a medal.

Indian athletes will participate in 16 sports from July 25 to August 11, of which archery, hockey, athletics and shooting are the major events. The team aims to improve its performance at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Schedule of Indian athletes in Paris Olympics 2024

25th July, Thursday 

• Archery - Women's Individual Ranking Round (1 pm) and Men's Individual Ranking Round

26th July, Friday

• Opening Ceremony 

27th July, Saturday

• Hockey - India v New Zealand
• Badminton - Men’s Singles Group Stage, Women’s Singles Group Stage, Men’s Doubles Group Stage, Women’s Doubles Group Stage
• Boxing - Prelims Round of 32
• Rowing - Men’s Single Sculls Heats
• Shooting – 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team qualification, 10m Air Rifle medal matches, 10m Air Pistol qualification
• Table Tennis – Men’s & Women’s Singles Prelims, Round of 64
• Tennis – 1st round matches – Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles

28th July, Sunday

• Archery - Women’s Team Round of 16 to Finals 
• Rowing - Men’s Single Sculls Repechage round
• Shooting - 10m Air Rifle Women’s Qualification, 10m Air Pistol Men’s Final, 10m Air Rifle Men’s Qualification, 10m Air Pistol Women’s Final
• Swimming- Men’s 100m Backstroke Heats, Men’s 100m Backstroke SF, Women’s 200m Freestyle Heats, Women’s 200m Freestyle SF

29th July, Monday

• Archery- Men’s Team Round of 16 to Finals 
• Hockey - India v Argentina (4:15 pm) 
• Rowing - Men’s Single Sculls SF E/F 
• Shooting- Trap Men’s Qualification, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification, 10m Air Rifle Women’s Final, 10m Air Rifle Men’s Final 
• Swimming- Men’s 100m Backstroke Final, Women’s 200m Freestyle Final 
• Table Tennis - Men’s & Women’s Singles- Round of 64 & Round of 32 Tennis- 2nd round matches

30th July, Tuesday 

• Archery- Women’s Individual Round of 64 and Round of 32, Men’s Individual Round of 64 and Round of 32
• Equestrian- Dressage Individual Day 1 
• Hockey- India v Ireland – 4:45 pm 
• Rowing- Men’s Single Sculls Quarter Finals 
• Shooting- Trap Women’s Qualification – Day 1, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team medal matches, Trap Men’s Final
• Tennis- Round 3 Matches

31st July, Wednesday 

• Boxing- Quarter Finals 
• Equestrian- Dressage Individual Day 2 
• Rowing- Men’s Single Sculls Semi-Finals 
• Shooting- 50m Rifle 3 Pos. Men’s Qualification, Trap Women’s Final 
• Table Tennis- Round of 16  
• Tennis- Men’s Doubles Semi-Finals

Also Read:'Hoping to host Olympics in 2036' : PM Modi confident about India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics

1st August, Thursday  

• Athletics - Men’s 20km Race Walk, Women’s 20km Race Walk (11 AM onwards )  
• Badminton- Men’s & Women’s Doubles QF, Men’s & Women’s Singles Round of 16 
• Hockey- India v Belgium – 1:30 pm
• Golf - Men’s Round 1 Judo- Women’s 78+ kg Round of 32 to Finals 
• Rowing- Men’s Single Sculls SF A/B 
• Sailing - Men’s & Women’s Dinghy Race 1-10 
• Shooting- 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men’s Final, 50m Rifle 3 Pos. Women’s Qualification 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Singles QF
• Tennis- Men’s Singles QF

2nd August, Friday 

• Archery- Mixed Team Round of 16 to Finals  
• Athletics - Men’s Shot Put Qualification  
• Badminton- Women’s Doubles SF, Men’s Doubles SF, Men’s Singles QF 
• Hockey- India v Australia – 4:45 pm 
• Golf- Men’s Round 2 
• Rowing- Men’s Single Sculls Finals 
• Shooting- Skeet Men’s Qualification – Day 1, 25m Pistol Women’s Qualifiers, 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women’s Final
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Singles SF  
• Tennis- Men’s Singles SF, Men’s Doubles medal matches

3rd August, Saturday 

• Archery- Women’s Individual Round of 16 to Finals
• Athletics- Men’s Shot Put Final 
• Badminton- Women’s Singles QF, Women’s Doubles Medal matches 
• Boxing- Quarter Finals, Women's 60kg - Semifinal 
• Golf- Men’s Round 3 
• Shooting- Skeet Men’s Qualification – Day 2, Skeet Women’s Qualification – Day 1, 25m Pistol Women’s Final - Skeet Men’s Final 
• Table Tennis- Women’s Singles medal matches 
• Tennis- Men’s Singles medal matches

4th August, Sunday 

• Archery- Men’s Individual Round of 16 to Finals
• Athletics- Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Round 1 (1:35 pm), Men’s Long Jump Qualification  
• Badminton- Women’s Singles SF, Men’s Singles SF, Men’s Doubles Medal matches 
• Boxing- Semi-Finals 
• Equestrian- Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle
• Hockey- Men’s Quarter Finals 
• Golf- Men’s Round 4 
• Shooting- 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Qual-Stage 1, Skeet Women’s Qualification – Day 2, Skeet Women’s Final 
• Table Tennis- Men’s Singles medal matches

5th August, Monday  

• Athletics- Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Round 1, Women’s 5000m Final  
• Badminton- Women's Singles medal matches), Men’s Singles medal matches 
• Shooting- Skeet Mixed Team Qualification, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men’s Final, Skeet Mixed Team medal match
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Team Round of 16
• Wrestling- Women’s 68 kg Round of 16 & QF

6th August, Tuesday  

• Athletics- Men’s Javelin Throw qualification, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Final, Men’s Long Jump Final
• Boxing- Semi-Finals, Women's 60kg - Final 
• Hockey- Men’s SF Sailing- Men’s & Women’s Dinghy medal race 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Team QF 
• Wrestling- Women’s 68 kg SF to medal matches, Women’s 50 kg Round of 16 & QF

7th August, Wednesday  

• Athletics- Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final, Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay, Women’s 100m Hurdles Round 1, Women’s Javelin Throw Qualification, Men’s High Jump Qualification), Men’s Triple Jump Qualification
• Boxing- Men's 63.5kg, Men's 80kg Finals 
• Golf- Women’s Round 1 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Team QF, Men’s Team SF 
• Weightlifting- Women’s 49 kg 
• Wrestling- Women’s 50 kg SF to medal matches, Women’s 53 kg Round of 16 & QF

8th August, Thursday  

• Athletics- Men’s Javelin Throw Final, Women’s 100m Hurdles Repechage, Women’s Shot Put qualification
• Boxing- Men's 51kg, Women's 54kg Finals 
• Hockey- Men’s medal matches 
• Golf- Women’s Round 2 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s SF 
• Wrestling- Women’s 57 kg Round of 16 & QF, Women’s 53 kg SF to medal matches, Men’s 57 kg Round of 16 & QF

9th August, Friday  

• Athletics- Women’s 4x400m Relay Round 1, Men’s 4x400m Relay Round 1, Women’s 100m Hurdles SF, Women’s Shot Put Final, Men’s Triple Jump Final
• Boxing- Men's 71kg, Women's 50kg, Men's 92kg, Women's 66kg Finals 
• Golf - Women’s Round 3 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Team medal matches
• Wrestling- Women’s 57 kg SF to medal matches, Men’s 57 kg SF to medal matches, Women’s 62 kg Round of 16 & QF

10th August, Saturday 

• Athletics- Women’s 4x400m Relay Final, Men’s 4x400m Relay Final, Women’s 100m Hurdles Final, Women’s Javelin Throw Final, Men’s High Jump Final 
• Boxing- Women's 57kg, Men's 57kg, Women's 75kg, Men's +92kg Finals 
• Golf- Women’s Round 4 
• Table Tennis- Men’s & Women’s Team medal matches
• Wrestling- Women’s 76 kg Round of 16 & QF, Women’s 62 kg SF and medal matches

11th August, Sunday 

• Wrestling- Women’s 76 kg SF to medal matches 
• Closing Ceremony

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom expressed disappointment over the poor performance of Indian boxers in the Paris Olympics 2024. She said that being a medal winner, it is natural that she feels bad.

Also Read: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

India had sent a team of six boxers to the Paris 2024, which included two men and four women. It also included Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and world champion Nikhat Zareen.

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing

Mary Kom expressed her desire to re-enter professional boxing, stating, "I am planning to make a comeback.I will try to make a comeback in pro-boxing." In the same event, she shared her happiness in participating in sports-promoting events but remained concerned about India's performance at the Olympics. 

'We will assess what needs to be done'

Mary Kom told IANS during the Army Sports Conclave, "Looking at the Olympics performance, its unfortunate that we didn’t win a medal in the 2024 Olympics. We will assess what needs to be done moving forward and what shouldn’t be done,"

India's boxing campaign was disappointing 

Lovlina (women's 75kg) missed out on a historic second medal at the Paris Olympics and lost to China's Li Qian in the quarterfinals. At the same time, in the men's 71 kg category, Nishant Dev had reached the quarter-finals, but he had to face defeat from Marco Verde of Mexico.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (women's 50kg), Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal (men's 51kg) and Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) lost in the round of 16 in their respective categories. Jasmine Lamboria (women's 57 kg) was eliminated in the round of 32. Overall, India's Paris Olympics boxing campaign was disappointing.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

"As a world champion and medallist myself, its natural to feel disappointed. We'll focus on more practice and hard work for the upcoming tournaments," Mary Kom added.

Only three boxers achieved olympic medal

Notably, so far only three Indian boxers have won medals in the Olympics – Vijender Singh (bronze in Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (bronze in London 2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (bronze in Tokyo 2020).

A lot of instances have seen cricket being differentiated from other sports. Especially, in South Asian countries, where cricket rules a fraternity, "sports" look doomed. An established "Cricket versus Sports" league is not a 2-month long tournament. It's an age-long duel with apparent results. But, is cricket guilty?

If we look back, Cricket was not as big as it is now. Restricted within the allies of a colonized country, cricket was just a time pass. 36 years to Independence, but a famous singer (Lata Mangeshkar) had to arrange a charity musical show to gather prize money for the 1983 World Cup Winners.

India gained some confidence since then. the biggest boost came after the win in the inaugurating T20 World Cup Win. 2007, 24the September, exactly 20 years back, the seed of the cash-rich league got sown. 

Indian Premier League, started in 2008, is the biggest source of money earning for BCCI. Keeping aside BCCI, the neighbouring cricketing nations have their cricket board more powerful than the other boards. But is this a fault of Cricket?

"Athletes" ignites the fire of "Cricket versus Sport" League

India won its second T20I World Cup after ending its 11 years of drought. The fans who were frustrated for a decade finally got one thing to celebrate. The Marine Drive got flooded with people. The Wankahde Stadium showed all its suppresed love to the team.

Felicitations came from their respective state governments. BCCI provided a huge lump of prize money to the players and the support staff.

But this has triggered athletes from different sports. Names like Chirag Shetty and Saina Nehwal came into the limelight criticizing the sport. When Shetty wanted equal recognition for India's win in the last Uber Cup, Saina went a step ahead. Her view was simple- people wouldn't even hate cricket even if she did so. But, why would someone hate cricket?

This is not a once or twice-told story. This widespread competition with cricket is not new. But is cricket a foe to other sports? Here are a few stories of "influence" and "idolization" in the recent past, not only from India but from neighbors too.

Sri Lanka Cricket funded CWG participating athletes.

The pre-2022 Commonwealth Games has seen an economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Not just economic, but the life on the island was distressed. The then Prime Minister Rajadhakshya fled from the country. Sri Lanka since its independence faced their record crisis.

The country fell short of food and fuel. The pandemic had already hit the Sports authorities. The crisis increased the hardships. They ran out of money. The situation was so pathetic that the boards couldn't manage transport to send the accessories to the athletes

At a point, the country thought of withdrawing its name from the Birmingham CWG. But at that very moment, Sri Lanka Cricket stepped in.

The board contributed 22 million Sri Lankan Rupees to the athletes participating. They hosted Australia and gathered the amount, despite the fears of the crowd ruining it.

Cricket Sri Lanka tried to cover all the funds. However, the athletes still had limited athleisure. CWG authorities too came in help for the athletes. Sri Lanka finished the CWG Campaign with four medals (one silver and three bronze).

Pakistan Cricket Board- the unsung sponsor for Arshad Nadeem

The Paris Olympics Gold medallist Arshad Nadeem was initially an age-group cricket player, His focus later shifted to javelin through which Pakistan got its first medal after 1992.

Arshad Nadeem registered a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres sealing the gold for his country. Earlier he won the silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest, with a throw of 87.82 meters. He gave Pakistan’s first-ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

But what did Pakistan give him? ignorance! The Commonwealth champion earlier expressed that he has been using a javelin for the last 8 years. His bosom friend and admirer Neeraj Chopra from India tweeted, urging the Pakistan Government to buy Nadeem news javelins.

Nadeem hails from Punjab's Miyan Channu village. Struggling themselves, the villagers funded him for his Olympic campaign. Added, that it was the Pakistan Cricket Bard who sponsored him.

PCB also financed Nadeem and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt's air tickets.

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

BCCI's baby steps for Olympians

Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced financial aid for the Olympians.BCCI granted Rs. 8.5 Crores (approximately $1.03 million) to the Indian Olympic Association for their Olympics campaign.

Recently a new NCA (National Cricket Academy) is near completion. The old existing facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city center will be upgraded to a multi-sport training facility.

Apart from the cricketers, it will open doors for the Olympians too. NCA will have new facilities that will let them train there.

The new facilities will have World-Class Playing Grounds will have:

• 45 Practice Pitches: A variety of pitches to cater to different training needs.
• Indoor Cricket Facilities: For year-round practice and skill development.
• Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool: To aid in recovery and cross-training for athletes.
• State-of-the-Art Training and Recovery Facilities: Equipped with the latest sports science technology to help athletes maintain peak physical condition and recover efficiently from injuries.

Cricketer- "athlete" collaboration

When one section came forward criticizing the fame, the other one took it handy to make their own.

Mahi's influence

Speaking about Swapnil Kusale, he himself mentioned that he doesn't follow any other sport apart from shooting. But he follows Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Kusale, who is an Indian Railways employee is a ticket checker like Dhoni. It took him 12 years to feature in the Olympics. And take India's first ever 10m Rifle position 3 medal. The Asian Games Champion accepted that MS's calm personality helps him to stay calm in chaos.

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The Kohli aggression

One of the biggest heartbreak for any badminton fan was Lakshya Sen's exit from the Olympics without a medal. The Chinese Lee Zii Jia shattered Sen's bronze medal dream. 

But Sen's popularity is still unmatched in the sports arena. Even though he is "big," he still wants to "be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years." In "The Ranveer Show" podcast he expressed his admiration for Kohli.

The other name that comes in the list is Nitesh Kumar. The Olympic Champion in the Men's Singles SL3 category is a Kohli fan. His winning celebration had some glimpses of Kohli's aggression.

But Nitesh's love for Kohli is not limited to celebrations. After succumbing to a deadly injury in Vizag, he started upgrading his badminton skills. Not only that, he delved himself into fitness, inspired by the 2013 version of Kohli.

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The Wall looks upon The Wall

Soon after retirement, Indian Men's Hockey team goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh was assigned to train the junior hockey team. The two-time Olympic Bronze medallist was delighted to get this role. he not only talked about the future prospects but did mentioned about Rahul Dravid.

"The Wall" of Indian Hockey looked upon "The Wall" of Indian Cricket when it came to coaching. The way Dravid devoted himself to training the cricketing juniors, Seejesh is looking forward to doing the same for his sports.

Read also: Hockey India decides to retire jersey No. 16 in honor of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

Cricket is another sport

The 2028 Olympics will feature Cricket after 128 years. The brand value of Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in the addition of cricket. But as Sunil Chhetri, the Indian former captain of Indian Football once said, Cricket excelling is great for that country. Then, how does that justify other sports not getting the "love" cricket gets?

How does that justify Chirag Shetty repeatedly slipping down on the court, in the Olympics quarterfinal, having his partner Sattwikraj Rankireddy as the lone warrior? 

How does that justify the associations not getting enough funds and definitely investing to find talent?

How does that justify archers failing to read the wind in bigger stages?

It's an open-ended question. Is it cricket the enemy, or the system? Is cricket actually an enemy or a friend in need?

Indian badminton player Malvika Bansod continued her brilliant form and entered the Super 1000 quarter-finals for the first time by winning a tough match against her higher ranked opponent Kirsty Gilmour at the China Open 2024 in Changzhou on Thursday.

Also Read: India at Paralympics: Medals by every edition

Malvika Bansod, BWF ranking 43rd, toiled hard for one hour and five minutes before defeating two-time Commonwealth Games medalist and world number 25 Gilmour of Scotland 21-17 19-21 21-16 in the women's singles round-of-16 match.

Earlier defeated Paris Olympics bronze medalist

The 23-year-old player achieved this victory a day after defeating the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia. 

However, Malvika Bansod, the only Indian shuttler left in the competition, faces a tough challenge as she will face fourth seed and two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the last eight stage.

Although the Japanese shuttler has won both the matches against Malvika, the Indian shuttler came close to defeating  Yamaguchi and she is hopeful that she will be able to register victory this time.

Malvika's sensational performance in pre-quarterfinals

In the opening game against Gilmour, Malvika was down 11-5 at the break. The Indian shuttler brought down the deficit to two points at 16-14 and then won seven of the next eight points to go one game up in the contest. Gilmour, drew on her experience to mount a comeback and close a tight second game.

Malvika surged to an eight-point lead at 10-2 in the decider. She later extended her advantage to 20-11. Gilmour fought back with five consecutive points to make it 20-16 but the late fightback proved too little for Malvika, who comfortably sealed her spot in the quarter-finals.

Indian athletes Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra and Vinesh Phogat's brand value was boosted after the Paris Olympics 2024 where India bagged six medals. Manu Bhaker became India's only female athlete to bag multiple medals at a single Olympic while Neeraj Chopra had to be satisfied with a silver in javelin. However, wrestler Vinesh Phogat had to return home with disappointment despite qualifying for the final in the women's 50kg category. But, that did not stop her brand value from rising to nearly three times.

Manu Bhaker bags a 1.5 cr deal with Thumbs Up

Shooter Manu Bhaker won bronze in women's 10-metre air pistol and then won another bronze medal in the mixed 10-metre air pistol team event alongside Sarabjot Singh. This success made Manu an overnight celebrity in India and after returning home with those two medals she has been making huge brand deals which boosted her brand value on a large scale.

Manu used to charge INR 25 Lakhs per deal before the Paris Olympics 2024. But, after the success at the Olympics, her endorsement deal now has surged up to six times, helping her grab an INR 1.5 cr deal with Thumbs Up.

Read Also | India at Olympics: Every medal India won at the Olympics 

Neeraj Chopra's brand value rose to INR 330 Cr.

India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra was already one of the highest-paid Indian athletes barring from cricketers. Though Neeraj could not defend his gold medal in Paris, his brand value rose by 30-40%. As per a report by NDTV, Neeraj's brand value is now USD 40 million or INR 330 crore.

Read Also | Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

Vinesh Phogat now charges INR 1 cr per brand deal

On the other hand despite qualifying for the finals of the Women's 50kg wrestling event and becoming the first Indian women wrestler to achieve the feat, Vinesh Phogat had to return empty-handed after failing the weigh-in on the final day by 100 gms. Though Manu had appealed for a silver medal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), her appeal was declined.

Read Also | Explained: What is the weigh-in rule in Wrestling? Why was Vinesh Phogat disqualified from Paris Olympics 2024?

Despite a sad end to her Paris Olympics journey, Manu has been seen as a hero in India and was given a grand welcome when she returned home. Her performance in the Summer Olympics surged her brand value by a huge number. As per the Economic Times, Manu used to charge INR 25 lakhs per brand deal and is now charging INR 75 lakhs to 1 Cr. per deal.