The wait is over, here they are Olympics. The Summer Olympic Games are held in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It will be the third time in the history of the French capital, exactly 100 years after the last edition in 1924 (the first was in 1900).
The Paris 2024 Olympics are the first Games after the restrictions caused by Covid-19, and will see significant public and media participation. The races will take place over 19 days, with football and rugby having already kicked off on 24 July. There Opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is held on July 26th and is a absolute novelty: no parade in the stadium. For the first time, the delegations parade along the river of the French capital, the Seine. Nearly 100 boats host the athletes. Italy is the 91st nation to parade, sharing the vessel with Israel and Jamaica.
For the entire duration of the Games the safety will be maximum. The city will be practically off-limits, divided into "grey" and "red" areas: in these areas it will only be possible to access with accreditations or QR codes with proof. The center will be blocked by 44 metal barriers and many subway stops will be closed. For the next three weeks, security will be guaranteed by 30 thousand police and gendarmes, which will increase to 45 thousand during the opening ceremony, together with 20 thousand private security guards and 10.000 soldiers for "Operation Sentinels".
La mascot of the event is theOlympic Phryge, inspired by traditional Phrygian headdresses, a symbol of freedom and the French Republic. The Olympics are over the Paralympics will follow from August 28th to September 8th.
Here is the recipe guide to the Olympics of Paris 2024 in eight points with some curiosities.
All the numbers of the Olympics
Will 10.714 athletes from 205 nations were present, which they will compete in 32 disciplines across 329 sporting events. Due to the sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian and Belarusian athletes they will compete as neutrals under the flag of Ain (Neutral Individual Athletes). The will also be present refugee Olympic team.Italy, with a record of 403 athletes (7th in the ranking of the largest teams), aims to surpass the 40 medals obtained at Tokyo 2021. Italian flag bearers will Gianmarco Tamberi e Ariadne Errigo.
THEAthletics it is the sport with the highest number of participants (2.132 athletes), followed by swimming (857), rowing (503) and field hockey (454). The sport with the smallest presence is Bmx with 25 athletes (13 men and 12 women).
- United States has the largest delegation with 591 athletes. Four nations are represented by a single athlete: Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru and Somalia. Almost gender parity was achieved, with 5.842 men and 5.633 women competing. Most athletes will stay at olympic village, located between Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and the Island of Saint-Denis, which extends over 52 hectares and will accommodate almost 14.500 people. Built in seven years, it consists of 82 buildings, 3.000 apartments and 7.200 rooms (with completely recycled and cardboard beds). The village offers numerous amenities, including a 3.200-seat dining hall, a 24-hour fitness center, a 24-square-meter polyclinic, a dentist's office, a multifaith center, laundries, a beauty salon and a convenience store. Other villages are located in Chateauroux, Lille, Marseille and Tahiti for shooting, basketball (elimination round), handball, sailing and surfing athletes.
Paris 2024: 32 sports present, 4 brand new
For the Paris 2024 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a list of 32 sports has been made official. Among the disciplines present there are athletics, swimming, gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline), football, cycling (BMX, track and road, mountain biking), and many other traditional sports such as judo, wrestling, boxing and fencing.
They are four new sports: breakdancing, surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding. There are also two new variants sports, 3x3 basketball and 7-a-side rugby, which will add a modern and dynamic touch to the Games programme. These changes were made for bring the Olympics closer to the new generations, integrating urban sports that are highly attractive to young people.
Olympic medals with a touch of the Eiffel Tower
Whoever arrives on the podium will also take home a piece of the city's history. Every medal of Paris 2024 will, in fact, be adorned with a original piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower. This metal was removed during 20th century renovations and carefully preserved over time. The Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel donated these historic pieces to give them a new life for the Games.
The medals, conceived as real jewels, were designed by the historian Parisian jewelry store Chaumet, which also boasted Gustave Eiffel among its historic clients. Each medal contains 18 grams of Tower Iron and features a hexagonal design to symbolize France. On the back, Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, is depicted, together with the Pantheon, the Eiffel Tower and the Panathenaic Stadium, symbols of the Athens games. Paralympic medals also include the start and end date of the games in Braille. The medals they weigh between 455 and 529 grams, have a diameter of 85 millimeters and a thickness of 9,2 millimeters. Gold medals are made of 98,8% silver and 1,13% gold, while bronze medals are made from an alloy of copper, zinc and tin. In total, for these Games will be 5084 medals awarded.
But how much are Olympic medals worth? In Italy, CONI is particularly generous with the prizes awarded to athletes who reach the Olympic podium. THE gross wages are: 180 thousand euros for a gold medal, 90 thousand for the silver medal and 45 thousand for the bronze one. AND in other countries? Some offer substantial prizes, especially those with less chance of winning many medals: if the United States offers 35 thousand euros for anyone who wins a gold, Hong Kong deliversinstead, approximately 700 thousand euros for the conquest of the most precious metal. Singapore and Taiwan also reward their athletes generously, with 650 thousand euros and 550 thousand euros respectively for a gold medal. The most generous European country for the victory is Serbia which offers 200 thousand euros.
How many medals can Italy win?
THEItaly prepares to face the French expedition with the largest delegation ever, 403 athletes. The expectations and ambitions are great. Among the most anticipated events, there are the Italian athletes who will defend their Olympic title. Marcell Jacobs is ready to compete in the 100 meters, while Gianmarco Tamberi will try to confirm his dominance in the high jump. The marchers Massimo Stano e Antonella Palmisano will be in the spotlight, as will the men's 4x100m relay with Filippo Tortu e Leonardo Fabbri in the shot put. Irma Head will try to improve on her Tokyo Bronze in women's boxing. Nadia Battocletti, fresh from the historic double at the European Championships in Rome, Yeman Crippa in the marathon, and Lorenzo Simonelli in the 110 meter hurdles are among the names to follow. Larissa Iapichino, Sara Fantini, Chituru Ali and Valentina Trapletti will complete an athletics team full of talent. Swimmers are also waiting Gregorio Paltrinieri, Thomas Cecon, Nicholas Martinenghi e Blessed Pilate. Notably absent will be the number 1 in world tennis Jannik Sinner is he withdrew at the last minute due to tonsillitis. Let's not forget the fencing, volleyball and water polo teams, all with podium goals.
Coni has established three main objectives for the Games: confirm Italy among the top ten in the medal table, exceed the number of medals obtained in Tokyo 2020 (forty) and, if possible, become the first European nation in the medal table. Historically, Italy is always been in the Top 10 of the medal table, with a few exceptions, and plans to maintain this status at these Games.
At Paris 2024, medals will be awarded in 329 races, compared to 339 at Tokyo 2020. Forecasts suggest that Italy could reach sixth place in the total medal table, like Japan, and seventh in the "graded" medal table, which considers the number of gold medals. According to experts' analyses, Italy could manage to win 11 gold medals (more than Tokyo) but remaining three medals below the absolute record of Los Angeles.
Paris 2024: ticket prices
For the Paris 2024 Olympics, i tickets have prices is vary from 24 to 950 euros, with some special events such as ceremonies which can cost up to 2700 euros. For special ceremonies tickets start from 82 euros. Furthermore, they are hospitality packages available with prices ranging from 459 to 3600 euros, offering premium and VIP experiences.
More than one million tickets were sold for 24 euros, and almost 50% of tickets had a maximum price of 50 euros. Furthermore, almost a third of tickets for medal events were sold for 100 euros or less. Tickets for highly sought-after events, such as swimming and basketball, reach a maximum price of 980 euros. Some events, such as fencing finals or beach volleyball, have prices between 90 and 420 euros.
So far, they are Over 8,6 million tickets were sold, surpassing the record of 8,3 million set in Atlanta. Organizers expect sales could exceed ten million.
How much do the Paris Olympics cost
Il initial budget for the Paris 2024 Olympics it was 6,8 billion euros, but current expenses have risen to around 8,8 billion, with the forecast of a possible increase up to 12 billion (estimated at 11,8 billion euros). The final cost it will only be confirmed by the Court of Auditors' report, expected in autumn 2025.
The funding comes for the 96% from private sources: 1,2 billion from the IOC, the same from sponsors and 1,4 billion from ticket sales. The remaining 4,4 billion are largely covered by the State and intended for the construction of three large Olympic infrastructures. The expected public cost was initially 3,2 billion but increased to 4,4 billion due to inflation and security needs. Public investment includes infrastructure improvements such as subway extensions and road upgrades.
Despite the increase in costs, the Paris 2024 Olympics are considered among the most sustainable in history. The final cost close to 12 billion is expected to be similar to that of Tokyo 2021, but still significantly lower than the approximately 45 billion of the Beijing and Rio editions. L'economic induced it is expected between 9 and 11 billion euros, with 70% deriving from organization and construction sites and 30% from tourism. It is estimated that 11,5 million tourists will visit Paris, generating a turnover of 16,5 billion euros.
Olympics: where to see them on TV and streaming
In Italy, the Olympics will be broadcast on various platforms both television and streaming. There Rai will offer 360 hours of free-to-air coverage, also available in free streaming on Rai Play. Rai 2 it will be the Olympic network and will broadcast the competitions from 7 am to 23 pm. Discovery + will be thethe only platform to offer 100% of the Olympic competitions, including every single challenge and event, from heats to finals. For complete coverage, Eurosport it will be available via satellite on Sky and streaming on various platforms including Discovery+, Sky Go, Now, Dazn, TIMvision and Prime Video Channels. Channels Eurosport they will be visible on Sky with 10 dedicated channels, Now with Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, TIMvision with 14 channels, Dazn with 8 channels and up Prime Video with a monthly subscription to Discovery+.
Olympics programme: dates and times of the main competitions
Here some of the main races scheduled of the Paris 2024 Olympics:
28th July
- 21pm: Women's individual foil final
29th July
- 21pm: Men's 19m backstroke final
31th July
- 20pm: Women's 30m Freestyle Final (Swimming)
- 22pm: Men's 22m Freestyle Final (Swimming)
August 1th
- 07: Final of the men's 30km walk
- 09am: Women's 20km walk final
- 19pm: Women's foil team final
August 3th
- 12:00: Women's singles tennis final
- 21,20pm: Women's 100m final
August 4th
- 12pm: Men's singles tennis final
- 21pm: Men's 50m final
August 5th
- 19pm: Men's Pole Vault Final
August 8th
- 08:00: Men's Marathon Final
- 20pm: Women's long jump final
- 20pm: Men's 30m final
August 9th
- 07:30: Men's 10km cross-country swimming final
- 18pm: Men's football final
- 19pm: Men's 45x4m Relay Final
August 10th
- 13pm: Men's Volleyball Final
- 19pm: Men's high jump final
- 21pm: Men's Basketball Final
- 22pm: Men's Beach Volleyball final
August 11th
- 08:00: Women's Marathon Final
- 13pm: Women's Volleyball Final
- 14pm: Men's Water Polo Final
- 15pm: Women's Basketball Final
- 20pm: Closing ceremony
Curiosity: The men's 20km race walk and the cross-country swimming races (women's and men's 10km) are the early competitions of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with start set for the 7: 30. Instead, the fight that will start later is the women's boxing final in the 60kg category, scheduled for 23pm on August 06. L'last scheduled event it will be the women's basketball final, which will take place on August 11th at 15pm, then at 30pm the Closing Ceremony that will put an end to these Parisian Olympics. The next Summer Olympic Games will be held in 20 in Los Angeles.
Here the complete calendar of the Olympics.
