![African female athletes aim for Olympic medals in Paris](https://gdb.voanews.com/D994EAE0-9A22-4C2A-A0DC-00B30117AC9E.jpg)
African female athletes aim for Olympic medals in Paris
Voice of America
FILE - Kenyan runners Mary Moraa, right, Sarah Moraa, second from right, and Lilian Odira, center, fight for the lead in the women's 800-meter final during the Kenya Athletics Olympic Trials at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, June 14, 2024. Azenaide Carlos, left, and Eliane Paulo of Angola celebrate a goal during a women's handball match between Angola and Netherlands, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 25, 2024, in Paris. Netherlands won 34-31.
The 2024 Olympics begin Friday, with more than 10,000 athletes gathering in Paris dreaming of winning gold, silver or bronze. Among them will be dozens of women from African countries, many of whom have overcome major social and economic challenges to get to Paris.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20240906132104.jpg)
Senegal's Foreign Minister Yassine Fall, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso shake hands after a press conference in Beijing, Sept. 5, 2024. In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sept. 2, 2024.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20240906112824.jpg)
Palestinians inspect the damage at a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, hit by an Israeli bombardment on Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sept. 5, 2024. FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Sept. 4, 2024. Demonstrators carry symbolic coffins during an anti-government protest to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the Oct. 7 attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Sept. 5, 2024 A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sept. 1, 2024.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20240906100916.jpg)
Peopel wait for the arrival of Pope Francis outside the Port Moresby International airport on Sept. 6, 2024. Nuns walk toward the entrance of the Port Moresby International airport on Sept. 6, 2024, prior to the arrival of Pope Francis. Over mountains, by air, and by sea, pilgrims flocked to the capital ahead of Pope Francis's arrival on Sept. 6 on a landmark four-day visit.