The long-awaited and much-discussed 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are almost here: on Friday, July 26, the opening ceremony will kick off the event. The 33rd edition of these Summer Games promises to be special, with several firsts, stringent security measures, and a host of star athletes. Read all about these Olympic Games in Paris in this article.
Paris
It has been 100 years since the Olympic Games were last held in Paris. On Friday evening, the opening ceremony will take place, and it promises to be a spectacle from the start. It is the first opening ceremony not held in a stadium; instead, athletes will sail down the Seine in boats. According to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French President Macron, the Seine is clean enough, but many believe the water quality is still not up to par. It remains to be seen whether the athletes will voice their concerns about the river.
For two weeks, athletes will give their best across various disciplines, culminating in the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11, when all the results will be known. The Olympic flame will then be passed to Los Angeles, USA. The 34th edition will take place from Friday, July 14, to Sunday, July 30, 2028.
A remarkable 80% of all competition venues are within a 10 km radius of the Olympic and Paralympic village. This makes these villages a true hub of the Olympic Games, located about 7 km north of central Paris. Additionally, the Olympic village is just 2 km from the Stade de France, where many sports will be held. All these locations are divided into two main zones, connected by the Seine.
In these main zones, Paris will primarily use existing iconic locations in the city, with minimal new construction for the Games. Therefore, the Seine had to be cleaned, and existing venues such as the Roland Garros stadium, Parc des Princes, and the Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines will be used. The Stade Jean-Bouin will host rugby sevens, equestrian events will be at the Palace of Versailles, and cycling events will be around the Champs-Elysées. Only two new venues are being built: the Aquatics Centre for swimming sports and Paris Arena II.
Olympic Superstars
In basketball, all eyes are on the selection of the American team. Known as the Dream Team, this selection includes several MVPs (Most Valuable Players) from the American league, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid. On the first day of play, the Dream Team faced South Sudan and managed to win only at the last moment.
In tennis, Rafael Nadal is a familiar face at the start: he wants to confirm his superstar status one last time. In his farewell year, he aims for one final success on Olympic ground. Fortunately for him, he knows the clay of Roland Garros very well, having won here 14 times. The Spanish athlete also has a good relationship with the Olympics, having won gold in 2008 and 2016. This year, he will play doubles with fellow Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz.
Of all the stars, American Simone Biles perhaps has the most remarkable Olympic story. Three years ago, she made headlines by withdrawing in Tokyo, but she made an incredible comeback. Last year, she made her mark again at the World Championships in Antwerp, completing her trophy collection with 23 world titles.
No one can doubt Armand Duplantis’ jumping abilities anymore. The 24-year-old Swede is already considered the best pole vaulter of all time, having broken the world record in 2020. He has continued to break his record over the years, from 6.17 meters to 6.24 meters. His trophy cabinet already boasts an Olympic medal, 4 world titles, and 4 European titles. Expectations are high for “Mondo” to win gold again, but will he also break his world record further?
In his home country, Frenchman Leon Marchand will showcase his best. The 22-year-old swimmer recently broke Michael Phelps’ last remaining world record and has much to show over various distances. Marchand made his international debut in 2019 and finished sixth in the 400 meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
One athlete we won’t see this time is Tadej Pogacar. The Tour winner has withdrawn from the Olympics, citing the exhausting combination with the Tour de France. Likely, his partner Urska Zigart’s non-selection also played a part. He did express his desire to take the rainbow jersey from Mathieu van der Poel. However, he will miss out on a historic hat-trick, as he has already won both the Tour and the Giro.
Disciplines
A total of 32 sports will be contested at the Olympic Games. Within these sports, there are numerous different events. This year, four new disciplines have been added to the program: breakdancing, surfing, climbing, and skateboarding. These are the sports that will be contested at the Paris Games:
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Archery
- Breakdancing
- Weightlifting
- Gymnastics
- Golf
- Handball
- Hockey
- Judo
- Canoeing
- Climbing
- Modern pentathlon
- Equestrian sports
- Rowing
- Rugby sevens
- Fencing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Surfing
- Taekwondo
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Football (Soccer)
- Volleyball
- Cycling
- Wrestling
- Sailing
- Swimming
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