Paris Olympics 2024: Morocco, Kenya to kick off football and rugby matches

Paris Olympics 2024: Morocco, Kenya to kick off football and rugby matches

The Paris 2024 Olympics will start on Friday with an exceptional opening ceremony across the River Seine.
Olympic rings adorn the Eiffel Tower in advance of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.  Photo: Reuters

Football and rugby matches at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will begin Wednesday ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

Morocco's match against Argentina at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne will be among the first two football matches of the summer games.

Rugby sevens will also start with the match between Australia and Samoa kicking off at at 1330GMT before Kenya faces Argentina at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will start on Friday with an exceptional opening ceremony across the River Seine.

Opening ceremony

It will be the first time that an opening ceremony of the Olympics will not be held at a stadium.

Israel, after they were allowed to play at the Paris 2024 Games despite the country's ongoing war on Gaza, will face Mali in a Wednesday football match at Parc des Princes.

In previous months, there were global calls to ban Israel from the Olympics.

From rights groups to athletes, demands are growing for a boycott of Israel over the atrocities taking place in the Gaza Strip, which have led to the death of more than 39,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7 last year.

Wednesday's football and rugby fixtures:

Football:

Argentina vs. Morocco (Geoffroy-Guichard)

Uzbekistan vs. Spain (Parc des Princes)

Guinea vs. New Zealand (Nice)

Egypt vs. Dominican Republic (La Beaujoire)

Iraq vs. Ukraine (Lyon)

Japan vs. Paraguay (Bordeaux)

France vs. US (Marseille)

Mali vs. Israel (Parc des Princes)

Rugby Sevens

Australia vs. Samoa (Stade de France)

Argentina vs. Kenya (Stade de France)

France vs. US (Stade de France)

Fiji vs. Uruguay (Stade de France)

Ireland vs. South Africa (Stade de France)

New Zealand vs. Japan (Stade de France)

Australia vs. Kenya (Stade de France)

Argentina vs. Samoa (Stade de France)

France vs. Uruguay (Stade de France)

Fiji vs. US (Stade de France)

Ireland vs. Japan (Stade de France)

New Zealand vs. South Africa (Stade de France)

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