Shooter Abhinav Bindra Selected as Torchbearer for Paris 2024 Olympics

India's first individual gold medallist at the Olympic Games, Abhinav Bindra, has been selected as a torchbearer for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

• The games will be held in the French capital from July 26 to August 11.
• Abhinav Bindra, the gold medalist in the men's 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will participate in the Olympic Torch Relay from April 16 to July 26.

About Abhinav Bindra

• Abhinav Bindra is a renowned Indian athlete who holds the distinction of being the first Indian to have held concurrently the world and Olympic titles for the men's 10-meter air rifle event. 
• He earned these honors at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships. 
• Bindra has also won seven medals at the Commonwealth Games and three medals at the Asian Games, making him one of the most successful shooters in India.
• Over his 22-year career, Bindra has won more than 150 medals. He is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan, which was awarded by the Government of India and is considered one of the top influencers of sport policy in the country.
• At the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Bindra finished fourth in the finals of the 10-meter air rifle event. 
• He was also appointed goodwill ambassador for the Rio 2016 Olympics Indian contingent by the Indian Olympics Association (IOA).
• On 5 September 2016, Abhinav Bindra announced his retirement, marking an end to his illustrious career.

Olympic Torch Relay

• The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay will begin in France on May 8th, 2024. The flame will travel to Marseille before embarking on a 68-day journey across French territories, covering a total of 65 territories, including five overseas territories. 
• The relay will involve 10,000 torchbearers, including 3,000 who will participate in Team Relays, and it will visit 400 cities.
• The Olympic flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. It is kindled in Olympia under the authority of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 
• A few months before the start of the Games, a flame is lit in Greece at Olympia, which is where the Ancient Olympic Games were held. 
• The flame is then carried for several weeks to the host city, mainly on foot by runners, but other forms of transport may also be used.
• Throughout the Torch Relay, the flame spreads a message of peace and friendship between nations, announcing the Olympic Games. 
• The Torch Relay culminates at the opening ceremony of the Games where the final runner (or runners) enters the stadium and lights the cauldron with the Olympic flame. 

About Paris Olympics:

• The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will take place from July 26, 2024, to August 11, 2024. However, football and rugby competitions will begin on July 24, and handball tournaments will start on July 25. 
• During the three-week event, a total of 329 events will be held across 32 sports, in which 206 NOCs, including the Refugee Olympic Team, will participate. 
• Paris 2024 will feature the sport of 'Breaking' for the first time, which made its debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. Break-dancing, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing will also be included in the list of sports at the Paris Olympics 2024.

International Olympic Committee (IOC):

• Founded: June 23, 1894
• Chairman: Thomas Bach
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Olympic values and organizing the Olympic Games regularly while supporting affiliated member organizations.