China national badminton team arrived in Paris on Saturday for the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which is set to open on July 26.
The team members got off the plane and received warm welcome from local fans at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris on Saturday morning.
The team consists of 16 Olympic athletes and 11 support staff including coaches, doctors and rehabilitation therapists.
Before arriving in Paris, the team underwent three months of intensive training. In the next few days, all team members will undergo trainings following the plan formulated by their coaches so as to adapt themselves to the competition venues.
"The state of the athletes has undergone a period of adjustments, from the fierce competitions at the Tomas and Uber Cup, the recount after the competition and to the preparations focused on the Olympic Games. Now their state has basically achieved the intended effect of intensive training. For the next period of time, we will carefully analyze our main opponents and make the final preparations," said Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association.
The badminton competition of the Paris 2024 will take place from July 27 to August 5, leaving the Chinese team a week-long preparation.
Chinese badminton team arrives in Paris for Olympics
Chinese badminton team arrives in Paris for Olympics
Chinese badminton team arrives in Paris for Olympics
Multiple handheld pager explosions struck Beirut and the southeastern and northeastern regions of Lebanon on Tuesday, leading to a temporary internet shutdown in the southern suburbs of the capital city, according to China Media Group (CMG) reporter Ci Xiaoning.
"I am currently at the entrance of a major hospital in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Around 15:30 today, there were several explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. My Lebanese colleague, who lives very close to the area, experienced an immediate loss of internet connectivity. Reports have since confirmed that many handheld pagers were involved in the explosions," Ci reported outside a hospital in Beruit.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that the explosions resulted in at least nine deaths and about 2,800 injuries, with approximately 200 people in critical condition. The injured are being transferred to hospitals.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."
In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," vowing to retaliate.
The Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Israel has yet to comment on Tuesday's blasts. According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a security assessment meeting at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to address the implications of the explosions.
CMG reporter says internet shutdown following deadly pager blasts in Lebanon
