On the first full day of competition, China emerged victorious in their first gold medal at the Paris Olympics, despite the rain that spoiled the opening ceremony.
In a highly contested mixed-team 10-meter air rifle final, the teenage combination of Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting defeated South Korean competitors Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun 16–12, with Kazakhstan taking home the bronze.
As the rain continued to generate problems and drown Friday night’s daring celebration on the Seine River, one sporting victim had already been claimed by the storm early on Saturday.
Rain overnight forced the organizers of the men’s street skateboarding competition to reschedule it for Monday at the Place de la Concorde in the historic center of Paris.
The first round of tennis at Roland Garros was similarly impacted by the rain, with play on the ten covered outdoor courts not starting until 13:30 local time (1130 GMT), according to the organizers.
At Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony, which featured 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale that culminated with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance by singer Celine Dion, torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators.
The center-right Le Figaro newspaper in France gave the event generally positive reviews, calling it “full of surprises but often disjointed.”
However, the athletes from South Korea were mistakenly introduced as North Koreans during the ceremony, forcing the International Olympic Committee to issue an apology.
The IOC said on its official Korean-language X account, “We deeply apologise for the error that occurred when introducing the South Korean team in the broadcast of the opening ceremony.”
