Arab Athletes Shine at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Egypt's Mohamed el-Sayed Wins Bronze in Fencing

Egypt celebrated its first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as fencer Mohamed el-Sayed clinched bronze in the Men’s Epee Individual event. El-Sayed defeated Hungary's Tibor Andrasfi 8-7 in a thrilling overtime match, marking a significant achievement for Egypt with its second-ever Olympic fencing medal. This 21-year-old fencer's journey included victories over Colombia's Jhon Rodríguez (15-7), Italy’s Santarelli (15-10), and Belgium’s Neisser Loyola (9-8) before losing to France’s Yannick Borel in the semi-final.

Algeria's Imane Khelif Secures Boxing Medal

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won welterweight gold, dispatching China’s Yang Liu.

Before winning the gold medal, she made headlines by securing a bronze medal in the women’s 66kg category. Overcoming past controversies, Khelif triumphed over Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori, earning her place in the semi-finals against Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng.

Kaylia Nemour Wins Algeria's First Olympic Gymnastics Title

Algeria's Kaylia Nemour made history by winning the gold medal in the uneven bars at the Bercy Arena. Scoring an impressive 15.700, Nemour edged out China's reigning world champion Qiu Qiyuan, and became the first African gymnast to win an Olympic gold. Her victory, Algeria's sixth-ever Olympic gold, follows a successful season with notable performances in Cottbus, Doha, and Baku. Nemour’s triumph is a milestone for African gymnastics and a moment of pride for Algeria.

Egypt Ahmed Elgendy Wins Modern Pentathlon Gold Medal

Ahmed Elgendy won Egypt's first gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games in the Modern Pentathlon. The 24-year-old, who earned a silver medal at Tokyo 2020, set a new world record with 1,555 points, surpassing the previous record of 1,551 set by Hungary's Csaba Bohm in June.

In the semifinals, Elgendy set an Olympic record of 1,516 points before improving in the final. On the last day of competition, he scored 300 points in riding, 245 points in fencing, and 322 points in swimming, completing the 200m freestyle in 1:59.30.

Entering the final event, the laser run, Elgendy had a 17-second head start and finished 13 seconds ahead of Japan's Taishu Sato, earning 698 points and setting a new world record. Elgendy is the first African athlete to win Olympic gold in the Modern Pentathlon.

His gold medal is Egypt's first in Paris and adds to the country's medal count.

Egyptian Weightlifter Sara Samir Wins Silver at Paris 2024 Olympics

Egyptian weightlifter Sara Ahmed Samir won the silver medal in the 81kg Women’s Final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She lifted a total of 268kg, including 117kg in the snatch and 151kg in the clean and jerk, surpassing her previous personal best of 148kg from the 2022 World Championships.

Samir, 26, finished second to Norway’s Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda, who set an Olympic record with a total lift of 275kg (121kg in the snatch and 154kg in the clean and jerk).

Samir, a bronze medalist from the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2022 world champion encountered a challenge in her third snatch attempt at 119kg after successful lifts of 113kg and 117kg. She completed her first clean and jerk at 146kg but did not succeed in her final attempt at 155kg.

A recent YouGov survey showed that many UAE residents plan to use online streaming channels and social media to follow the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to the data, 49% of UAE residents will watch the games through online streaming, while 48% will rely on social media updates.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is an international multi-sport event set for July 26th to August 11th, 2024 in France.

Mega sporting events, such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, are massive undertakings that attract global attention and significant investments. While these events bring excitement and economic benefits to host cities and countries, they also have the potential to create significant environmental and social impacts if not managed carefully.