Two Arab fencers have secured the first medal for the Arab world at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Egyptian Ziad El-Sisi and Tunisian Farès Ferjani both advancing to the semi-finals of the men's foil competition.

El-Sisi, the world's number-one ranked fencer, defeated German Mathias Sapu 15-14 to secure his place in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Ferjani, ranked 14th in the world, overcame Chinese opponent Chen Bing with the same score.

The two Arab fencers will face off in the semi-finals on Saturday at 5:50 PM GMT, with the winner advancing to compete for gold and silver.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan claimed the first medal of the 33rd Summer Olympics in Paris, securing bronze in the mixed 10-meter air rifle team competition. The Kazakh duo, Alexandra Lu and Islam Satbayev, defeated Germany's Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich 17-5 in the third-place match.

China secured the first gold medal of the Games in the same event, defeating South Korea.

The Olympics opened on Friday with a spectacular, unprecedented ceremony held on the Seine River, featuring 6,800 athletes from 205 nations. The event took place against the backdrop of Paris' iconic landmarks, despite rain and a sabotage incident on the city's train network.

French President Emmanuel Macron officially declared the opening of the 33rd Olympiad under a rainy sky in front of the Eiffel Tower, marking the 100th anniversary of Paris hosting the Games for the second time.

The opening ceremony, held for the first time outside a main stadium, was witnessed by 320,000 spectators seated in specially constructed stands along the riverbanks and an estimated 200,000 more watching from nearby balconies.