This is what you need to know about when the 2024 Paris Olympics start and end, along with key games and events on the schedule.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are set to kick off soon, with a schedule full of sporting events. Here's everything you need to know about when this summer's Olympics will start and end.
The Olympics will officially open in Paris on the night of Friday, July 26 and continue through Sunday, Aug. 11, although some team events started on July 24. The July 26 opening ceremony will be held on the Seine river, which flows though Paris. The closing ceremony, which includes a parade of flags and athletes, will take place on Aug. 11.
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics will be unique. According to organizers, the July 26 event will be the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside of a stadium. The Tokyo opening ceremony last time around was held in a largely empty stadium because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Paris, athletes will parade in boats down the Seine river. The flotilla will begin at 7:30 p.m. local time on Friday, July 26,, which is 1:30 p.m. Eastern in the U.S. and 10:30 a.m. on the West Coast.
An estimated 94 boats will travel along the almost four-mile route as part of the ceremony, with delegations and performers joining athletes on the Seine, according to organizers. Around 10,500 athletes representing 206 National Olympic Committees are taking part in the Games.
Around 120 heads of state, royals and other leaders will also attend the opening ceremony.
The closing ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics will be on Sunday, Aug. 11, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern, in the Stade de France. It will feature a parade of flags, a parade of athletes and victory ceremonies, among other events. The closing ceremony in Tokyo lasted for about three hours.
Artistic gymnastics events are scheduled for July 27 to Aug. 1, and then again from Aug. 3-5. Rhythmic gymnastics events, a female-only event, are scheduled for Aug. 8-10. Artistic and rhythmic gymnastics test different skills and use different equipment.
All trampoline gymnastics events are scheduled for Aug. 2, the day starts with the women's qualifications, followed by the women's final. Then comes the men's qualifications and the men's final later on Aug. 2.
Women's artistic gymnastics, featuring athletes including U.S. star Simone Biles, involves four core events: beam, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. Men's artistic gymnastics features eight events across six pieces of equipment: rings, vault, pommel horse, horizontal bar, parallel bars and floor exercise. There are two additional events to test the overall skill of the male gymnasts.
There are two categories of competition in Olympic rhythmic gymnastics, individual all-around women and group all-around women. It showcases skill, flexibility and musicality using balls, hoops, clubs and ribbons.
Some who go to check the Olympics schedule for soccer may be confused: The sport is listed under football, as it is known in most of the world.
The events started before the official opening ceremony on July 26 because of the number of matches in the tournament. Matches are scheduled for most days during the Games, with the full listings and results available online.
Competition actually began two days before the opening ceremony, on July 24, with preliminary rounds in archery, soccer, handball and rugby. The swimming events will run during the first week of the Games from July 27 through Aug. 4, with track and field events taking place from July 1 to Aug. 11.
The marathon is traditionally the last athletic event.
While a full schedule is available online, the Paris Games organizers note that it is subject to change.
There will be both live and tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics airing on TV. At least nine hours of coverage will be broadcast each day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on NBC and Telemundo. Some events will air on the USA Network, Golf Channel, CNBC and E!.
Peacock will livestream events from the 2024 Olympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies and every Olympic basketball game.
