Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
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Let the games begin!
The 2024 Summer Olympics are here, which means when we’re not enjoying some time outside, we’ll be glued to our screens as we watch our favorite athletes compete in gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and more.
The games are being held in Paris this year, where over 10,000 athletes facing off in the hopes of taking home the gold for their country. And while we’ve seen big names and classic disciplines return to the international competition, we’ve also seen four new sports this time around, including breakdancing.
Plus, there is much more to see, like celebrity appearances, performances (such as those following the opening ceremony, which took place along the Seine), and the Paralympics, which will immediately follow the Summer Games.
Ahead, we’ve got everything you need to know before and after the torch is lit. Read on to find out all about the featured sports, learn how to watch the competitions, and more.
Oh, and don’t forget to keep checking this space for updates!
How can I watch?
NBC and Peacock will be the main platforms offering coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the United States.
For those with cable, NBC will air at least nine hours of daytime coverage, including live finals coverage for major events like gymnastics, swimming, and more. According to a report from NBC Sports, “Paris 2024 will have more programming hours on the NBC broadcast network than any previous Olympics.”
However, because these events will be taking place six hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in the U.S., NBC will also offer a three-hour “primetime show” each day that compiles the best moments, competitions, and more that you might have missed.
Those streaming the Games can turn to Peacock, which will be the digital home for all Olympics coverage. In fact, for the first time in Summer Olympics history, Peacock will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events. According to NBC Sports, the app will also feature “full-event replays, all NBC programming, curated video clips, virtual channels, exclusive original programming, and more.”
Specifically, how can I watch the gymnastics finals?
Gymnastics is a hot commodity, so if you’re looking to tune into the individual all-around final to cheer on Team USA’s Simone Biles and Suni Lee, you should know the competition will take place August 1 at 6:15 p.m. Paris time (12:15 p.m. ET; 9:15 a.m. PT). The best way to watch is on Peacock.
When are the Games?
The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11. (However, three sports will start two days early, on July 24: handball, soccer, and rugby.)
To kick off the Games, the opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. CET (1:30 p.m. EST in the U.S.) on July 26. The players will be introduced in an ambitious spectacle taking place on the Seine River—a unique move, given that the ceremony has always previously been held inside a stadium.
Despite rumors that the ceremony could be moved inside due to terrorist threats, it seems likely the plan will move forward as intended. “My job is to be worried, so I will be 99.99 percent sure that this is going to happen,” said Olympic organizing committee CEO Etienne Thobois.
Throughout the next 19 days of competition, there will be 329 events and 754 sessions across 32 sports. And once the Games end, the Paralympics follow. These will take place from August 28 to September 8.
Which sports are included?
The 2024 Summer Olympics will feature 32 sports: archery, artistic gymnastics, artistic swimming, athletics, badminton, basketball, basketball 3x3, beach volleyball, boxing, breaking, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling BMX freestyle, cycling BMX racing, cycling mountain bike, cycling road, cycling track, diving, equestrian, fencing, football (soccer), golf, handball, hockey, judo, marathon swimming, modern pentathlon, rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
Since 2020, host cities have been given the opportunity to add up to six more sports, and for the Paris Games, the four sports that have been added are breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. Of the four, breaking (also known by its popular misnomer breakdancing) is the only sport to be making its Olympic debut this year.
What countries are participating?
While we may cheer for our corresponding nation when the Olympics roll around, the participating countries don’t technically compete as nations, but rather as part of a National Olympic Committee (of which there are 206).
According to the International Olympic Committee, “The IOC is the sole authority to recognize a NOC. Together with the International Sport Federations, the NOCs are a constituent of the Olympic Movement under the leadership of the IOC. The mission of the NOCs is to develop, promote, and protect the Olympic Movement in their respective countries, in accordance with the Olympic Charter.”
The 204 NOCs participating in this year’s Games, in alphabetical order, are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (U.S.), Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Two NOCs, Russia’s and Belarus’s, were banned by the IOC from participation in the Paris Games because of their countries’ involvement in the war on Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian athletes may still compete as part of the AIN, or Individual Neutral Athletes delegation.
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team will also be participating in the Games. It is a team composed of 36 athletes from 11 different countries, in a tradition that began with the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
See the Team USA athletes attending the 2024 Games here.
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