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Athletes and support teams arrive in Paris for Olympic kickoff

FILE - A view of the building for German athletes at the Olympic Village Monday, July 15, 2024 in Saint-Denis, outside Paris.   -  
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France

Athletes and support staff are arriving at Paris airports in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Maria Luisa Doig Calderon, a fencer from Peru, is eagerly anticipating her third Olympiad where she will proudly carry her country's flag.

"It's a dream come true of course. We train so much for this. I've been doing my sport for 28 years, so yeah, this is going to be my third Olympic Games and I'm so excited to just begin," she said.

Kirsty Gilmour, an experienced British athlete, has some strategies to help her relax while she waits for her first badminton match at the Olympic village.

"I brought my pillow from home. I brought a little candle from home. Just to try and make it feel a bit more homelike and not a separate, very strict Olympic Village, so try and make it a little bit comfy."

The Paris 2024 Olympics is set to start this Friday, the first time the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is held outside of a stadium.

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