The next editions of the Summer Olympics and Paralympics will be here before you know it! Here’s what you need to know
(note: Information will be added as it becomes available)!
When are the Olympics?
Paris 2024 Olympics are from 26 July to 11 August, 2024.
When are the Paralympics?
Paris 2024 Paralympics are from 28 August to 8 September 2024.
But doesn’t Olympic competition start earlier?
It does! At Paris 2024, men’s rugby sevens, men’s football and women’s football will start before the Opening Ceremonies. Rugby gets underway on July 24 and 25 (Day -2 and Day -1), men’s football will have group play on July 24 (Day -2), and women’s football will have group play on July 25 (Day -1).
When will the podcast air?
We’ll produce daily episodes during the Games. We’ll record at the end of the Paris day and drop them as soon as possible after recording. All episodes will include results for every event on that day’s schedule, along with our popular feature “What officiating or volunteer job do we want to do?” and other talk that will be special to the Paris Games.
What sports are on the Olympic and Paralympic programs?
The Olympics has 28 sports: archery, athletics, aquatics (includes artistic swimming, diving, swimming, marathon swimming and water polo), badminton, basketball (includes 3×3), boxing, canoe (includes kayak), cycling (includes road, track, mountain bike, BMX racing and BMX freestyle), equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (includes artistic, rhythmic and trampoline), handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball (includes beach volleyball), weightlifting and wrestling.
The Paralympics has a 22-sport program: blind football, boccia, goalball, para archery, para athletics, para badminton, para canoe, para cycling (includes road and track), para equestrian, para judo, para powerlifting, para rowing, para swimming, para table tennis, para taekwondo, para triathlon, shooting para sport, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
What are the new sports and events this year?
The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee gets the opportunity to select sports that aren’t on the set program. They’ve kept sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the one brand new Olympic sport is breaking.
Several sports will also have new events: Extreme canoe slalom, mixed team race walk, kiteboarding and mixed 470 sailing. In Tokyo, sport climbing was one medal event made up of three disciplines. In Paris there will be two medal events: speed and boulder/lead.
How do I get tickets?
The Paris 2024 Organizing Committee will manage ticket sales for the entire world, a first for the Games. To bring some level of fairness to the process, they’re selling tickets in rounds, via ticket lotteries. The first round occurred in February 2023. The second round occurred in May 2023. As of July 2023, the ticket portal is open, and there will be regular (likely unannounced) ticket drops. Prices range from €24 ($25) to €950 ($971). That said, the likelihood of finding €24 tickets is slim, and many sessions are sold out. Travel and hospitality packages are also available, and sales of those are ongoing.
Tickets will be 100% digital. There will be an official resale platform where you’ll be able to buy tickets at face value (no price gouging!). The official platform will be the only place to resell tickets. If you don’t get tickets in the lottery, don’t worry – you may be able to get them here!
Tickets for the Paralympics will go on sale October 9, 2023. Organizers plan to have a variety of options, from single tickets to day passes.
How can I volunteer for the Olympics and/or Paralympics?
The volunteer application window has already closed. Over 200,000 people applied for 45,000 slots. Applicants will learn whether or not they’ve been selected in September 2023.
How can I watch the Games?
Rights-holding broadcasters include (with more to come):
- Airlines/Cruise Ships: Sport 24
- Australia: Channel Seven
- Canada: Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
- Europe: Discovery/Eurosport – Olympics only – Covers 50 countries/territories: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State.
- The Paralympics will be on Infront. They have rights to 51 countries in Europe, not including the United Kingdom.
- France: France Télévisions
- United Kingdom: BBC will have reduced coverage. BT Sport customers will get access to Discovery+
United States: NBC – Coverage will be on NBC, Peacock, USA, E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, Telemundo, Universo. Peacock will stream all sports/events live, plus have full-event replays, NBC programming, curated video clips, virtual channels and exclusive original programming. NBC will air at least 9 hours of daytime coverage daily with live finals, as well as a 3-hour enhanced primetime show..
What’s OBS?
OBS is Olympic Broadcasting Services. It provides all of the feeds (TV and radio signals) so venues don’t have to have cameras for every broadcaster. They also provide commentary, like TKFLASTANI Olly Hogben, although your local station may use some of their own talent.
What are Hospitality Houses?
Many National Olympic Committees host a “team house” or place where athletes, friends, family, and fans can go to watch events and enjoy local delicacies and culture.
Games-goers can expect to find about 20 hospitality houses in Paris. Some will be open to the public, some won’t. If they’re open to the public, they may require tickets.
Find out more from House Party.
What can you tell me about the Paris logo?
For the first time, the same logo is being used for both the Olympics and the Paralympics. The logo itself can look like two different things: (1) a white flame in front of a gold medal, or (2) Marianne (the gold medal looks like her hairline, and the little cauldron looks like her lips). Marianne is a French icon, a symbol of the Republic who personifies liberty, equality and fraternity.
Who are the mascots?
Meet Les Phryges! We have the Olympic Phryge (Phryge Olympique) and the Paralympic Phryge (Phryge Paralympique). They are hats–but not just any hat. They are Phrygian caps, which is a symbol of revolution and freedom. These revolutionaries want to ignite the world of sport and get more people active!
