The Albanian Olympic team, consisting of eight athletes, made its appearance during the opening ceremony parade on the Seine River last night, July 26, marking the beginning of the 33rd Olympic Games held in Paris.

The Albanian team is made up of eight athletes: four have qualified through performance standards, while four others have received invitations. Athlete Luiza Gega, who will compete in the 3000m steeplechase, and wrestlers Zelimkhan Abakarov (57 kg), Islam Dudaev (up to 65 kg), and Chermen Valiev (74 kg) will represent Albania at “Paris 2024” as qualified participants. Additionally, Albania has received four invitations for “Paris 2024.” Invited athletes include Franko Burraj in the 100m sprint, Greisi Koxhaku in the 100m freestyle swimming, Kaltra Meça in the 200m freestyle swimming, and Manjola Konini in shooting sports, competing in both the 25m pistol and 10m air pistol events.

According to the schedule, Konini will compete first on July 27, followed by Meça on July 28 and Koxhaku on July 30. Franko Burraj will compete on August 3, Gega on August 4, with the wrestlers Abakarov, Valiev, and Dudaev competing in succession on August 8, 9, and 10, respectively.

The Albanian Olympic team paraded before an audience of 80 world leaders and over 300,000 spectators. Among the distinguished guests was the Albanian Prime Minister, who has been in Paris since Thursday and was warmly welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at a special reception for the leaders of the participating countries.

The “Paris 2024” Olympic Games officially began with an opening ceremony on the Seine River, a historic first. Around 85 boats carrying nearly 7,000 athletes participated in a six-kilometer-long parade on the Seine, in the heart of Paris. The event will bring together 10,500 athletes from around the world, competing in 329 events across 32 different sports disciplines.