The Summer Olympics are making a historic return to Paris after a century-long hiatus. The French capital last hosted the international competition in 1924, featuring 22 sports. This time, the event promises to be grander with 32 sports, including the debut of breaking.
A HISTORIC OPENING CEREMONY
For the first time in the history of the Summer Games, organizers will not hold the Opening Ceremony in a stadium. Instead, a spectacular flotilla of boats will parade down the Seine, showcasing Paris’s iconic river in a unique celebration of culture and sport. Mark your calendars for 7:30 a.m. ET on July 26, when the XXXIII Olympiad officially begins, although soccer and rugby sevens events will kick off on July 24. The Games will conclude on August 11.
AN EXPANDED SPORTS LINEUP
This summer, 10,500 athletes from over 200 national committees, including a refugee team, will compete in 329 events. The Paris Olympics will feature 28 returning sports, along with four exciting additions: sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and breaking. These sports were chosen to make the Olympics more gender-balanced, youthful, and urban.
SPORTING EVENTS SCHEDULE
- Archery: July 25 to August 4
- Artistic Gymnastics: July 27 to August 5
- Artistic Swimming: August 5 to 10
- Athletics: August 1 to 11
- Badminton: July 27 to August 5
- Basketball: July 27 to August 11
- Basketball 3×3: July 30 to August 5
- Beach Volleyball: July 27 to August 10
- Boxing: July 27 to August 10
- Breaking: August 9 to 10
- Canoe Slalom: July 27 to August 5
- Canoe Sprint: August 6 to 10
- Cycling BMX Freestyle: July 30 to 31
- Cycling BMX Racing: August 1 to 2
- Cycling Mountain Bike: July 28 to 29
- Cycling Road: July 27 to August 4
- Cycling Track: August 5 to 11
- Diving: July 27 to August 10
- Equestrian: July 27 to August 6
- Fencing: July 27 to August 4
- Football (Soccer): July 24 to August 10
- Golf: August 1 to 10
- Handball: July 25 to August 11
- Hockey: July 27 to August 9
- Judo: July 27 to August 3
- Marathon Swimming: August 8 to 9
- Modern Pentathlon: August 8 to 11
- Rhythmic Gymnastics: August 8 to 10
- Rowing: July 27 to August 3
- Rugby Sevens: July 24 to 30
- Sailing: July 28 to August 8
- Shooting: July 27 to August 5
- Skateboarding: July 27 to August 7
- Sport Climbing: August 5 to 10
- Surfing: July 27 to 31 (pending weather conditions)
- Swimming: July 27 to August 4
- Table Tennis: July 27 to August 10
- Taekwondo: August 7 to 10
- Tennis: July 27 to August 4
- Trampoline: August 2
- Triathlon: July 30 to August 5
- Volleyball: July 27 to August 11
- Water Polo: July 27 to August 11
- Weightlifting: August 7 to 11
- Wrestling: August 5 to 11
VENUES ACROSS FRANCE
Most of the Summer Games will be held within or near Paris, but some events will take place in other French cities like Nice, Marseille, and Bordeaux. Notably, the surfing competition will be held 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION
Paris 2024 organizers have committed to sustainability by using primarily existing venues and eco-friendly temporary structures. The Stade de France will host the closing ceremony and several athletic events, while the Athletes’ Village was constructed on a former industrial site. The Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis is the only permanent competition venue built specifically for these Games.
Ambitiously, marathon swimming events and the swimming legs of the triathlons are planned for the Seine, which has been off-limits to swimmers for over a century due to pollution. Despite extensive cleanup efforts, officials caution that these events might be postponed or canceled if the river’s water quality remains insufficient.
FUTURE OLMPIC EVENTS
After the Summer Olympics, the Summer Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 8. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will host the Winter Olympics in February 2026, and Los Angeles will host the next Summer Games in 2028.
Get ready for an unforgettable Olympic experience as Paris welcomes the world for a spectacular celebration of sports, culture, and unity!
