The 2024 Summer Olympics, hosted in Paris, France is running from July 26 to August 11. There are a lot of new, unexpected, and anticipated aspects of the games to take place over the month-long spectacle.
- The Opening Ceremony, for the first time ever, isn’t taking place inside a stadium, but on the water. Running down the center of Paris. La Seine is where several boats, representing each country attending the games, will be positioned. Spectators will be on the banks of the river watching the ceremony unfold, creating a memorable atmosphere for viewers around the world. Attending the Opening Ceremony does not come for free though. Ticket prices range from 5,000 to 9,500 ($5,400-$10,200) Euros depending on the seat. Packages, including 360 access, dinner, a butler, and hotel room, are around 19,000 Euros ($20,500).
- Just recently, the state of the triathlon and marathon swimming are put in jeopardy due to health hazards surrounding the Seine. The swimming legs of the marathon and triathlon are meant to take place in the Seine, but due to a recent discovery of an alarming amount of bacteria in the river, these events could be canceled. Due to the way that the Paris sewer system is set up, it has the possibility to overflow into the Seine, causing severe health hazards if exposed to the water. However, there has been a nearly 1.5 billion dollar clean-up effort focused on making sure that the river is safe for human exposure by the time the Olympics roll around.
- The 2024 Olympic games are actually taking place in a lot more places than just Paris. For example, the surfing event will take place nearly 9,800 miles away from Paris on the small French Polynesian Island of Tahiti. In the small village on the southern half called Teahupo’o, to be specific. It is still a French speaking country after all, so it definitely counts to be part of the Paris Olympics. Not far away, the Sailing events will be held in the small southern town of Marseille, France. The city lies on the Mediterranean, making it the perfect location for the sailing event. Also on the Mediterranean, Nice will host 6 matches for both men and women’s soccer.
- Most notable about the Paris Olympics is the way that they are using some of the most famous landmarks in Paris as venues for various events. Beach volleyball will have its court setup just in front of the Eiffel Tower, providing an amazing backdrop for the competition on the sand. Equestrian and the modern pentathlon is set to take place in the magical gardens at Château de Versailles. In addition to the magical landmarks, events such as soccer and tennis will take place at notable venues around the Paris region.
- One of the most exciting parts of the Olympic games is seeing what the medals will look like this year, and they did not disappoint. Every medal has a small piece of the Eiffel Tower on the back of it, giving all of those lucky athletes a souvenir to remember. The Eiffel Tower has gone through numerous renovations throughout the years, allowing some of the metal to find its way around the neck of the victorious athletes. There will be around 329 medal events that take place.
The Paris Olympics brings forth many unique additions to the games while keeping people around the world in anticipation. Utilizing the landmarks and locations specific to French culture shows how the games themselves will no doubt be one of the most memorable. From the Opening Ceremony on La Seine to the events that could take place on the Mediterranean Sea, France and French-speaking countries are well represented throughout the duration of the Olympic Games.
This summer, get ready to experience an Olympics like never before, certain to join the most notable games in Olympic history.
