Olympics and ParalympicsOlympics and Paralympics

The 33rd Edition of the Summer Olympic Games was held in Paris, France. India finished 71st in the medal tally with a total of 6 medals.

• Official Mascot & Motto: The official mascot was 'The Phryges' (Phrygian caps, symbolizing freedom). The official motto was 'Games Wide Open' (Ouvrons grand les jeux).
• Indian Flag Bearers: Table Tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal and Badminton star P.V. Sindhu were the flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony. Shooter Manu Bhaker and Hockey goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh were the flag bearers at the Closing Ceremony.
• Manu Bhaker's Historic Double: Manu Bhaker became the first athlete of independent India to win two medals in a single Olympic edition: Bronze in Women's 10m Air Pistol and Bronze in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (with Sarabjot Singh).
• Neeraj Chopra's Silver Streak: Neeraj Chopra secured a Silver medal in the Men's Javelin Throw with a best effort of 89.45m, becoming the second Indian male athlete to win individual medals in consecutive Olympic Games.
• Other Medalists: Swapnil Kusale won Bronze in Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions. Aman Sehrawat won Bronze in Men's Freestyle 57kg Wrestling (becoming India's youngest individual Olympic medalist at 21). The Indian Men's Hockey Team won Bronze by defeating Germany 2-1.

India delivered its best-ever performance in Paralympic history at Paris 2024, securing 29 medals (7 Gold, 9 Silver, 13 Bronze) and finishing 18th in the overall medal standings.

• Avani Lekhara's Consecutive Gold: Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic Gold medals, defending her title in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event with a world record score of 249.7.
• Sumit Antil's Javelin Dominance: Sumit Antil defended his gold medal in the Men's Javelin Throw F64 category with a Paralympic record throw of 70.59m, becoming the first Indian man to defend a Paralympic title.
• Harvinder Singh's Historic Archery Gold: Harvinder Singh won India's first-ever Paralympic Gold medal in Archery (Men's Individual Recurve Open), defeating Poland's Lukasz Ciszek.
• Dharambir and Pranav Soorma's Club Throw Sweep: Dharambir won Gold and Pranav Soorma won Silver in the Men's Club Throw F51 event, marking a historic 1-2 finish for India in athletics.

Athletes from Uttar Pradesh played a pivotal role in India's success at both the Olympics and Paralympics, winning crucial medals and bringing laurels to the state.

• Praveen Kumar's High Jump Gold: Praveen Kumar, hailing from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, won the Gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 event with an Asian Record jump of 2.08m.
• Suhas Yathiraj's Silver Streak: Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, an IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre (formerly DM of Noida), won his second consecutive Paralympic Silver medal in Men's Singles Badminton SL4.
• Preethi Pal's Historic Double Bronze: Preethi Pal, from Muzaffarnagar, UP, became the first Indian woman track-and-field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics, clinching Bronze in both the Women's 100m and 200m T35 events.
• Lalit Upadhyay's Hockey Bronze: Varanasi-born Lalit Kumar Upadhyay was an integral part of the Indian Men's Hockey team that secured the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Essential historical and institutional facts frequently asked in UPPSC and AHC RO/ARO exams.

• International Olympic Committee (IOC): Founded on 23 June 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin. Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland. Current President: Thomas Bach.
• Olympic Symbol (Rings): Consists of five interlaced rings of blue, yellow, black, green, and red, representing the five inhabited continents of the world (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania).
• First Indian Woman Medalist: Karnam Malleswari won a Bronze medal in Weightlifting (69kg category) at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.
• First Indian Paralympic Medalist: Murlikant Petkar won India's first-ever Paralympic Gold medal in the 50m Freestyle Swimming event at the 1972 Heidelberg Games.