Denmark’s Eriksen Looking Forward to ‘Special’ Parken Stadium Return

Football - Denmark Training - Copenhagen, Denmark - March 28, 2022 Denmark's Christian Eriksen during training. (Reuters)
Football - Denmark Training - Copenhagen, Denmark - March 28, 2022 Denmark's Christian Eriksen during training. (Reuters)
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Denmark’s Eriksen Looking Forward to ‘Special’ Parken Stadium Return

Football - Denmark Training - Copenhagen, Denmark - March 28, 2022 Denmark's Christian Eriksen during training. (Reuters)
Football - Denmark Training - Copenhagen, Denmark - March 28, 2022 Denmark's Christian Eriksen during training. (Reuters)

Denmark's Christian Eriksen said he is looking forward to a "special" return to Copenhagen's Parken Stadium on Tuesday and wants to give fans a new memory from the venue where he had a near-fatal heart attack at last year's Euros.

The 30-year-old playmaker, who collapsed on the pitch and received life-saving treatment during Denmark's meeting with Finland in June 2021, is set to play in the Danes' friendly against Serbia.

"I think it's something you can't prepare for," Eriksen told reporters on Monday when asked about the reception he expects.

Eriksen returned to the Denmark team on Saturday and scored with his first touch after coming off the bench at the Johan Cruyff Arena before the Netherlands went on to win 4-2.

"The reception in Holland was very big and my expectation is it is going to be even bigger here. This is the place where it happened and people will see it," Eriksen said.

"Afterwards people will be talking about it, like everything is back to normal. They are going to have a new memory. It's going to be special and I'm looking forward to it."

Eriksen, who was fitted with a device to regulate his heart and resumed his club career with Premier League side Brentford last month, said following the Netherlands game that he was pleased to show he could still play.



Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
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Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Saudi Team Highlights Cultural Heritage

Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)
Saudi athletes wave their country’s flag during the opening parade. (Saudi Olympic Committee)

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and his deputy, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris.

Held outside the traditional stadiums for the first time in history, the ceremony featured a parade of the 206 participating countries on 100 boats traveling approximately 6 kilometers along the Seine River.

The Saudi show jumping team player, Ramzy Al-Duhami, and his colleague, the Saudi Taekwondo champion Dunya Aboutaleb, raised the Saudi flag at the opening of the world’s largest sporting event.

Al-Duhami expressed his pride in raising the Kingdom’s flag alongside his teammate, noting that it was a dream for any Saudi citizen. He wished success for the Saudi athletes in representing Saudi sports with distinction.

Aboutaleb, in turn, said he was honored to carry the Kingdom’s flag at the Olympic Games, stating: “I aspire to perform at a level that reflects the support and attention given to sports in the Kingdom.”

The Saudi athletes’ uniform was admired by the international media and the audience, who applauded the players the moment their boat appeared on the Seine River.

The designs for the opening ceremony were chosen through a national competition organized by the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, with the participation of designers from across the Kingdom.

Out of 128 competing designers, the chosen uniform by Saudi designer Alia Al-Salmi featured traditional men’s thobes and bishts and brightly patterned thobe al-nashal for women, symbolizing the athletes’ pride in their homeland and cultural roots.

Mashael Al-Ayed, 17, will be the first Saudi athlete to compete, taking to the pool for the 200 meters freestyle swimming event on July 28. Al-Ayed is the first female swimmer to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics.