Summer Olympics
The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics will kick off shortly (Jul. 26).
Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
The 33rd Olympiad will officially after the opening ceremony that starts at 7:30 (UTC +2).
All 54 African countries have sent delegations this year.
Get to know the men and women who will carry the flag of their country at this 33rd Olympiad:
The International Olympic Committee decided in 2020 that national delegations would have two flagbearers — one male, one female — at the opening ceremony at an Olympics, a move to promote parity.
Not all countries have complied by this rule so far.
Names are written in this order: Male ; Female athletes
U = Unannounced
Algeria – ALG
Yasser Triki (Athletics) ; Amina Belhadi (Judo)
Angola – ANG
Azenaide Carlos (handball)
Benin – BEN
Valentin Houinato (judo) ; Noélie Yarigo (athlétisme)
Botswana - BOT
U
Burkina Faso – BUR
Hugues Fabrice Zango (Athletics) ; Marthe Koala (Athletics)
READ MORE: Paris Olympics: Fanzone celebrates African cultures and athletes
Burundi – BDI
Belly Crésus Ganira (Swimming) ; Ange Ciella Niragira (Judo)
Cameroon - CMR
U
Cabo Verde – CPV
Daniel Varela de Pina (Boxing) ; Djamila Correia Silva (Judo)
Central African Republic – CAF
Nadia Guimendego (judo)
Chad - CHA
U
Comoros - COM
U
(The) Congo – CGO
(F) Natacha Ngoye Akamabi (Athletics)
Democratic Republic of the Congo – COD
Arnold Kisoka (Judo)
Côte d’Ivoire – CIV
Cheick Sallah Cissé (taekwondo) ; Marie-Josée Ta Lou (Athletics)
Djibouti - DJI
U
Egypt – EGY
Ahmed El-Gendy (Modern pentathlon) ; Sara (Ahmed) Samir (weightlifting)
Eritrea - ERI
U
Eswatini – SWZ
Chadd Ning (Swimming) Hayley Hoy (swimming)
Ethiopia - ETH
U
Gabon - GAB
U
Gambia – GAM
Faye Njie (Judo) Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye (Athletics)
Ghana – GHA
(M) Joseph Amoah (athlétisme)
Guinea – GUI
(M) Naby Keïta (Football)
Guinea-Bissau - GBS
U
Equatorial Guinea - GEQ
U
Kenya – KEN
Ferdinand Omanyala (Athletics) ; Trizah Atuka (Volleyball)
Lesotho – LES
Tebello Ramakongoana (Athletics) ; Michelle Tau (taekwondo)
Liberia – LBR
Emmanuel Matadi (Athletics) and Olympic debutant Thelma Davies (Athletics).
All the more reasons to celebrate, the country marks this Friday the 177th anniversary of its declaration of independence.
Libya - LBA
U
Madagascar – MAD
Rosinah Randafiarison (Weightlifting)
Malawi - MAW
U
Mali – MLI
Alexien Kouma (Swimming) ; Fatma Marine Kamara (Boxing)
Morocco – MAR
Yessin Rahmouni (Equestrian) ; Ines Laklalech (Golf)
Mauritius - MRI
Jean Gael Laurent L'Entete (Cycling) Aurelie Halbwachs (Athletics)
Mauritania – MTN
Camil Doua (Swimming)
Mozambique – MOZ
Matthew Lawrence (Swimming) - Alcinda Panguana (Boxing)
Namibia – NAM
Alex Miller (Cycling) ; Vera Looser (Cycling)
Niger - NIG
Abdoul Issoufou (Taekwondo) ; Samira Awali Boubacar (Athletics)
Nigeria – NGR
(F) Tobi Amusan, the nation's queen of track is the World Record holder in the 100m Women's Hurdles.
Uganda – UGA
Charles Kagimu (Cycling) ; Gloria Muzito (Swimming)
Rwanda - RWA
Eric Manizabayo (Cycling) ; Clementine Mukandanga (Athletics)
Sao Tome and Principe - STP
Senegal - SEN
Louis François Mendy (Athletics); Combe Seck (Canoe)
Seychelles - SEY
Dylan Sicobo (Athletics) ; Khema Elizabeth (Swimming)
Sierra Leone – SLE
Somalia - SOM
(M) Ali Idow Hassan (Atletics)
South Africa – RSA
Akani Simbine (Athletics) ; Caitlin Rooskrantz (Gymnastics)
South Sudan - SSD
Kuany Kuany (Basketball) ; Lucia Moris (Athletics)
Sudan - SUD
United Republic of Tanzania - TAN
Andrew Tjomas Mlugu (Judo) ; Shophia Latiff (Swimming)
Togo - TOG
Eloi Adjavon (Triathlon) ; Naomi Akakpo (Athletics)
Tunisia – TUN
Salim Jemaï (Canoe) ; Khadija Krimi (Rowing)
Zambia – ZAM
Muzala Samukonga (Athletics) ; Margret Tembo (Boxing)
Zimbabwe - ZIM
Makanakaise Charamba (Athletics) ; Paige Van Der Westhuizen (Swimming)
Approximately 10,500 athletes will compete across 32 sports in 329 events at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 from 26 July to 11 August.
Who is performing at the opening ceremony?
In addition to the athletes who will participate in the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other athletes will be featured in the opening and closing ceremonies. Most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps. It was reported that French-Malian star Aya Nakamura, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are among those who will perform at the opening ceremony.
Go to video
Paris plans to name sports venue after late Ugandan Olympian Cheptegei
01:02
China elevates ties with Africa to "strategic level'
Go to video
South Africa's justice minister denies corruption in bank scandal
Go to video
UN experts call for expanded arms embargo, impartial force in Sudan
01:01
Debt relief an "urgent imperative" for Africa, says African Union chair at China-Africa summit
01:32
UN chief says Africa's debt situation is a recipe for social unrest