Day 1 of the Summer Games kicks off

Since the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Shooting has had the honor of awarding the first set of medals of the Games, and Paris will be no exception.

The medal matches of the 10-meter mixed team air rifle final get underway at 4:30ET, and the first gold of the Games will go to either China or South Korea — they topped the order in Saturday morning’s qualifying round to progress to the gold medal match with Kazakhstan and Germany set to compete for bronze.

Day 1 will see 13 sets of medals handed out across seven sports, with diving, road cycling and rugby sevens among those to be awarded before tonight’s box-office action in the pool.

Let the Games begin! Day 1 of the 33rd Olympiad got underway bright and early this morning, with Badminton the first sport to begin over at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.

Team USA’s Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai started their mixed doubles campaign but were comfortably beaten by Huang Dongping and Feng Yanzhe of China, who are among the gold medal favorites in the event.

Plenty of other sports are also already underway this morning in Paris — the dressage events in equestrian have begun in the stunning surroundings of Versailles while athletes competing in the prelims of rowing, volleyball and handball have also had early wake-up calls.

For an opponent standing across the badminton net from twin sisters Kerry and Annie Xu, it would be hard to strategize the weaknesses and strengths of each in the heat of battle.

“Very hard for the opponent to say ‘Hey, which one is not good today,’” laughed coach Harry Tan.

Though the sisters are individuals in every respect, their play on the badminton court has become one of a singular force — that’s propelled them to a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the doubles category, even after a four-year layoff during which they barely touched a racket.

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This year’s Olympic surfers aren’t heading to Paris.

Instead, they’ll catch waves in Tahiti and forgo the famed Olympic Village for a cruise ship stationed near their competition site.

It’s the first time Olympic athletes will spend the Games on this so-called floating Olympic Village.

That’s because the nearby village of Teahupo’o proved too small and lacking viable options for the incoming athletes, and the Paris Olympic committee requires all athletes to be housed within 45 minutes of their competition venue.

The Olympic surfers will live aboard the Aranui 5 and will each have their own private room, complete with a real bed and an ocean view, in addition to access to a fitness center, outdoor pool, library, spa and panoramic bar.

For American athletes, the first in a series of unforgettable moments at the Olympics Games in Paris is the Team USA Welcome Center where members get fitted for their official Ralph Lauren attire. TODAY’s Hoda Kotb walks through the experience and meets some of the athletes.