Equestrian Rider Omar Al Marzouqi and cyclist Safia Al Sayegh carried the UAE's flag during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday, July 26, on the River Seine.
Al Marzouqi won the silver medal in individual showjumping at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018. In Hangzhou, Al Marzooqi helped the UAE claim team bronze at the Asian Games and won a silver medal in the individual competition.
The 21-year-old Al Marzouqi told the Emirates News Agency (WAM), ‘’This historic moment represents a great motive for the Emirati athletes to deliver the best results in the competitions in order to raise the flag again on the Olympic podiums.’’
Al Marzouqi said of the team’s preparations to participate in the scheduled competitions: “There were many gradual stages of preparation in Germany, Britain, and Italy.”
The UAE’s national equestrian team will compete with 20 other teams in the show jumping competition starting in early August. The individual competitions, which will be held on August 5 and 6, will include 75 riders.