French Olympic diver Alexis Jandard was seen taking an awkward fall on his diving board at the inaugural ceremony of the newly built Paris Olympics Aquatic Centre.
The ceremony took place on Thursday with French president Emmanuel Macron in attendance to open the £154million (€180m) purpose-built Aquatics Centre – which is situated near to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
The 26-year-old diver, who has qualified for the 2024 Olympics, was seen in a video preparing to somersault into the pool with two other athletes as part of the celebrations.
Jandard, who won silver in the Team Event alongside Jade Gillet at the World Aquatics Championships in 2022, was seen bouncing up and down on his board before landing awkwardly on his right foot.
He subsequently appeared to lose his balance and fell backwards onto his lower back.
French Olympic diver Alexis Jandard fell on his spring board at a ceremony on Thursday
It happened during an opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics Aquatic Centre
The diver, who represented france at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s three metre springboard event, went head over heels and into the water below him.
Jandard won bronze in the 3m world synchronized springboard at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last year.
Speaking after the fall, Jandard reassured fans that he wasn’t injured by the incident and saw the lighter side of his fall.
‘I want to reassure you right away, there is no problem,’ he told French outlet RMC Sport.
‘Everything is fine. I didn’t hurt myself, these are things that happen unfortunately. It came at a time when I wasn’t expecting it at all. These are things that happen but don’t usually happen to me. I’ve broken boards before but the board has never broken me before.’
Speaking on why he lost his balance, he added: ‘I arrived on my support and my leg gave out. I didn’t slip or anything.
‘Afterwards I fell on the board. It’s non-slip and what’s more, the board was new, beautiful, and I think there’s still my back on the board there. Small hazards.
‘Plus it was live so obviously we ended up like that. It’s a shame but it’s funny. When you take a step back, it’s funny.’
The Aquatics Centre is the only permanent sport structure that is set to be built for the 2024 Games and will be able to host 5,000 spectators with the addition of another 2,000 removable seats.
The new building will host water polo, diving and synchronised swimming competitions and after the games will be used for the Paralympics swimming events.
Speaking at the ceremony, Macron lauded those who have helped to build the new facility, saying per French outlet RFI: ‘There is a great human chain that has made it possible to build this centre.
President Emmanuel Macron was in attendance watching on at the inaugural ceremony
The Aquatics Centre is the only permanent sport structure that is set to be built for the 2024 Games
Jandard won bronze in the 3m world synchronized springboard at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
The new centre is the only permanent sport structure that is set to be built for the 2024 Games
‘The elected representatives and local authorities who are funding it alongside the government and all the government departments who have monitored the project.
‘And I’d like to congratulate our architects, the contractors and the thousands of journeymen who worked on it.’
Macron added: ‘We will train our future champions here in these pools and we will be able to have other sports here.
‘You can be proud of what you have around here.’
Diving events at this summer’s Games will take place between the July 27 and August 10.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
