Opening ceremony controversy rages on

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony controversy shows no signs of abating as backlash for a particular part of it continues to gather steam.

A moment which saw 18 performers, including three famed drag queens, pose behind a long table with the Eiffel Tower visible in the backdrop saw social media explode on Friday with many seeing it as a drag queen-themed ‘woke’ parody of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper".

One of the performers donned a large silver headdress that resembled the halo depicted in paintings of Jesus which received particular scrutiny and on Sunday, the International Olympic Committee issued an official apology despite an ardent defence of France’s right to freedom of expression.

Since an initial social media backlash, celebrities, political figures and Catholic church leaders have upped the recoil from the opening ceremony. Christian groups initially slammed the moment but in the last couple of days, top churches in Iraq and other countries have since joined in the criticism with some people even gathering outside of French Embassies.

Ukraine gets its first medal

33-year-old fencing great Olga Kharlan secured Ukraine's first medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Day Three earning bronze in the sabre individual event. 

After losing to French fencer and eventual silver-medalist Sara Balzer, Kharlan took on South Korean's Choi Se-bin making an extraordinary comeback from 11-5 down to win 14-15 and get her hands on her third Olympic bronze medal.

The Ukrainian, who now resides in Italy, is a four-time world champion and has two individual Olympic bronze medals as well as a team sabre gold from 2008 but contemplated retiring from the sport in December 2022.

Last summer Kharlan was disqualified from the World Championships for refusing to shake the hand of her beaten opponent Anna Smirnova who staged a sit-down protest before Kharlan's win was eventually overturned.

As the first Ukrainian athlete to officially face a Russian or Belarusian opponent since the Kremlin launched an invasion of her country, she offered to touch blade but refused to shake Smirnova's hand.

Facing a deduction of crucial qualifying points, Kharlan's Olympic aspirations then took a hit when she was consequently deducted crucial qualifying points only for the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, a former Olympic fencer, to intervene and offer her a wildcard entry for her "unique situation".

Djokovic beats Nadal in possible final meeting of two titans

Today saw the subdued swansong of a tennis legend as Rafael Nadal bid farewell to his fans following a humbling by his longtime rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris 2024 singles competition.

In their 60th head-to-head clash, the tie between the two tennis titans was billed as a blockbuster but fell short of any historic happening as Djokovic's comprehensive victory ended the Spaniard's search for a third Olympic gold medal instead pushing himself towards his first-ever Olympic gold medal. 

The Serbian beat the King of Clay in two sets winning 6-1 and 6-4 forcing Rafa's farewell in which he blew kisses to his fans and exited the Philippe Chatrier court after what was likely the last-ever competitive meeting between Djokovic and Nadal.

Chinese debutants dethrone Daley

Despite becoming the first-ever diver to win three Olympic medals in the diving event, Daley didn't quite clinch gold in the men's synchronised 10m platform finals instead coming in second place to the extraordinary Chinese pair Yang Hao and Lian Junjie on their Olympic debuts. 

The pair had won three consecutive world titles including beating out Tom Daley and partner Noah Williams in Qatar earlier this year. Lian and Yang scored a total of 490.35 points from six rounds with 103.23 coming from their immaculate final dive while the Team GB pair's 463.44 points earned them silver ahead of Canadians Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray came in third with 422.13.

So, who's at the top of the medal table at the end of Day Three?

As Day Three of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games draws to a close Japan remains at the top with its six golds more than any other nation along with two silvers and four bronzes to boot. 

The host nation France has made its way up to second with five golds, eight silvers, and three bronzes amounting to a total of 16 medals while the People's Republic of China now sit in third with five golds, five silvers, and two bronzes.

Australia have slipped a few places now down to fourth with five gold medals and four silver models and the Republic of Korea makes up the top five with five gold medals, three silver medals, and a bronze medal. 

Below them, the United States is in sixth with its 20 medals the highest number of medals overall but just three of them gold while Great Britain has pushed up the table into seventh thanks to golds in Equestrian and the Cycling Mountain Bike event. 

Bring on Day Four!