Paris 2024 Summer Olympics: Everything You Need to Know

23.04.2024 - 09:28 / cntraveler.com / Summer Olympics / Paris Olympics

Games wide open! That's the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics slogan, and you can expect to hear it more as the Games approach. With a 300,000 spectator capacity, the Olympic Committee's goal is to show spectators the iconic offerings of France, while ensuring the Games themselves are “more responsible, more inclusive, and more spectacular than ever before.” And the anticipation is palpable, as Paris has proved their cutting-edge approach to being an Olympic host in the past: Women athletes were involved for the first time ever at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, and this year, 50 percent of the athletes are women, making Paris the first host to achieve gender equality in Games history.

The Opening Ceremony will be the first ever held in a city center, with gigantic Olympic rings to be displayed on the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Seine, on which a swarm of boats will carry athletes toward the Tower. Once the Games begin, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing, which all debuted at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will be among the 32 sports in the Games—as well as one new addition: breaking (aka breakdancing).

Below, we outline everything you need to know ahead of this major event—from when the Games kick off, to how to buy tickets (or watch from home), and, of course, everything you should be doing if you'll be in Paris. Consider this your all-in-one Paris 2024 Summer Olympics guide.

The 2024 Olympic Games will begin on July 24 with non-medal competitions. Then, from July 26 to August 11, more than 10,000 athletes will compete in 329 medal events. Due to the addition of an extra day of swimming (a change from previous years) there will now be competitions in 3 highly anticipated sports around the globe, taking place in a very short window: Artistic gymnastics, swimming, and track and field will all be held on the same days of August 3 and 4.

For the complete and most up-to-date Olympic schedule, visit the Olympics website.

Ouì, ouì— Parìs! Lots of buzz has circulated around the city's plans for the Olympics infrastructure since the city won the rights to host the game seven years ago. There will be 45 sporting events across 35 competition venues in Paris and its neighboring cities— including Versailles, Le Bourget, Nanterre. Vaires-sur-Marne, and Saint-Denis. Two new permanent sport venues, Port de La Chapelle Area in the 18th arrondissement and the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, were built for these Summer Games specifically. A total of 20 out of the 35 venues being used as Olympic Games locations are in and around central Paris. Though there's one sport you won't be catching if you're headed to Europe: For surfing's second appearance in the Games, the competition will be held at Tahiti's Teahupo'o. The event