The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics is in full swing as the French capital city of Paris hosts the biggest sporting spectacle on earth. The organisers have ensured to add a Parisian flavour to the event as evidenced by the elaborate opening ceremony, which was carried out outside the confines of the stadium for the first time in the history of the quadrennial event.
The French have also managed to include another custom during the events as ‘A Brigadier’ has been followed with enthusiasm with heavyweight names from the world of sport declaring events underway by tapping a baton on the floor thrice.
Chief of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet, explained the custom in a presser as he elaborated on the origins of the tradition. The practice of tapping the ground thrice with a baton originates from French theatre, where a person does the Brigadier to inform the audience that the performance is about to start.
Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra performed the Brigadier to signal the start of Ramita Jindal’s 10m air rifle event. The legendary tennis doubles pairing of Bob and Mike Bryan did the same ahead of the women’s singles game between Croatian Donna Vekic and American Coco Gauff.
Tennis icon Billie Jean King did the same ahead of the doubles game featuring stalwart Rafael Nadal and sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
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There seem to be multiple theories in defence of the custom with one stating that the three taps signify the bond between the performers, the spectators and the narrative that links them together. While a more pious justification states that it is a nod to the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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