Yousef Al-Matrooshi, Emirati swimming champion, held the honour of waving the UAE flag during the opening ceremony of the 32nd Olympic Games in Tokyo.
This years’ games will see 83,911 athletes competing in 33 sports divided by 339 competitions held in 48 sports venues.
The opening ceremony was held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo without spectators, with the Japanese Emperor Naruhito attending, along with the heads of states from 15 countries, including the French President Emanuel Macron, as well as Tomas Bach, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee.
Also attending were Shehab Ahamed Al-Faheem, the Ambassador of UAE to Japan and Engineer Aza Bint Suleyman, the Assistant Secretary General for the Administrative and Financial Affairs of the National Olympic Committee.
Shehab Ahmad Al Faheem, the Ambassador of UAE to Japan said, “We look forward to seeing the UAE flag flying high during this global event,".
Australia were dealt an early blow in their quest to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup after the depleted former champions crashed to a 23-run defeat by Zimbabwe in Colombo on Friday.
Arsenal has wasted the chance to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday, with Noni Madueke's second-half header cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter.
Defending champions India continued their march towards the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a 93-run win over Namibia in a group A contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash on Thursday.