Let the games begin!
The 2024 Summer Olympics are nearly 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 will be facing off in the hopes of taking home the gold for their country. And while we’ll see big names and classic disciplines return to the international competition, we’ll also see four new sports this time around, including breakdancing.
Plus, there is much more to look forward to, like the opening ceremony taking place along the Seine, and the Paralympics, which will immediately follow the summer Games.
Ahead, we’ve got everything you need to know before 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 Peaco*ck will be the main platforms offering coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in the U.S.
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 Peaco*ck, which will be the digital home for all Olympics coverage. In fact, for the first time in summer Olympics history, Peaco*ck 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.”
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, where the players will be introduced in an ambitious ceremony taking place on the Seine river, a unique move given that the ceremony is usually held inside a stadium.
Despite rumors that the ceremony could be moved inside due to terrorist threats, it seems likely that the plan will more 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.
What 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, taekwondo, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
Starting in 2020, host cities have been given the opportunity to add up to six new sports, and for the Paris games, the four additional 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 (IOC), “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 206 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, BOC, 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, 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, Peoples Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, ROC, 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, Timor-Leste, 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.
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team will also be participating in the Games. It is a team composed of 36 athletes from 11 different countries, a tradition that began with the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
See the Team U.S.A. athletes attending the 2024 Games here.
Joel Calfee
Editorial and Social Media Assistant
Joel is the editorial and social media assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he covers all things celebrity news. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him singing off-key at concerts, scavenging thrift stores for loud wardrobe staples, or perusing bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.
