Olympic History

This will be the French city’s third time hosting the Olympics, having previously welcomed athletes in 1900 and 1924. Back in 1900, the City of Lights was at the helm of Olympic gender equality as the first set of Games to welcome female athletes. At that time, there were just 22 female competitors out of 998, but this year is monumental, as it marks the first time that athlete numbers will be equal with 5,250 males and 5,250 females taking part.

Events in Paris 2024

What's In

Paris is making waves by adding a number of new water sports to the mix, along with bringing back events that debuted in Tokyo 2020. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ll see in the Paris games that we haven’t seen on the Olympic schedule before!

Breakdancing

A new event on the Olympic schedule that’s gained a lot of attention is breakdancing, otherwise known as breaking. First introduced in the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics in 2018, it was so successful that it will now feature in the 2024 Games. There will be male and female breaking events, where participants will compete in solo dance battles with their skills scored by judges.

Amongst Australia’s breaking team is 16-year-old Jeff Dunne. Supported almost entirely by his parents until this point, with the help of the ASF, Jeff is now asking for support from the community in his pursuit of Gold.

Water Sports

There are three new sailing-related events on the radar for this year; kitesurfing, mixed 470 sailing, and offshore sailing. Along with these, there will be both a men’s and women’s category in extreme slalom canoeing.

Surfing was introduced for the Tokyo 2020 games (postponed to 2021), and will be back again this year, taking place in Teahupo’o, a Tahitian island in French Polynesia. There’s no doubt that Aussies are keen to tune in to this one and see our four surfing team members go for gold!

Needless to say, the inclusion of all these events in this year's summer Olympics has brought excitement to water sports communities around the world.

Climbing, Skateboarding, Shooting & Boxing

Sport climbing and two categories of skateboarding - park and street - were also first completed in Tokyo and will be back - this time with spectators - for the Paris Olympic games. The mixed event in skeet shotgun shooting and a new weight class for boxing are also new events that fans can watch this year, opening the door for even more athletes to get involved.

Aussies can expect to see professional sport climber and first-time Olympian Campbell Harrison at the Paris Games. The ASF met with Campbell recently to discuss his journey so far and get his advice for other athletes. Campbell is also currently fundraising on the ASF platform to help cover expenses in the lead-up to the Games.

What's Out

Karate

To the upset and disappointment of keen karate-kas, karate will not be in this year's summer Olympics, and is also not on the program for 2028. The reasons behind the decision haven't been shared by the International Olympic Committee, although many in the community are hoping to see it back in the future!

Baseball

Baseball is another sport that won’t be back in 2024, but this is largely considered to be due to scheduling conflicts. The sport has a massive following in the U.S., where Major League Baseball takes place over the summer. The timing of this season unfortunately presents several challenges for athletes and as a result, a majority of world-class players won’t be available for the Olympics this July and August. Similarly, softball has not made it into the program this year.

However, some good news for fans of these events - they’re both scheduled for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, thanks to their popularity in the United States.

Opening Ceremony

While Olympic opening ceremonies tend to take place inside a stadium, this year, Paris is breaking the mould by taking the ceremony to the streets. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line the banks of the River Seine as more than 80 boats, representing the 205 delegations in this year’s Games, drift down.

For anyone attending in person, this is sure to bring the city alive with an excitement that will likely be felt through TV screens across Australia, too! The event will run for around six hours, finishing at the Place du Trocadéro overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

World Class Venues

The Champ de Mars, Château de Versailles, Eiffel Tower Stadium, and Grand Palais, are just some of the notable venues where athletes will be competing this year. Along with these historically significant locations, crowds will be attracted to cities across the country for various events and preliminaries. Lille, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, Lyon, and Saint-Étienne are just some of the locations with Olympic events scheduled.

A Sustainable Approach

This year, 95% of the Olympic competition venues are pre-existing or temporary venues that have been built using low-carbon construction methods.

Along with the sustainable venue-sourcing, the locations are being outfitted with a more environmentally-conscious approach. This alone has already reduced the estimated furniture needs of the games by around 25% and includes rented sports and electronic equipment.

Not only this, but all of this year’s venues are accessible via public transport, and more than three-quarters of the venues are within 10 kilometres of the Olympic Village, reducing the athletes’ travel time.

There are also upgrades being made to the sustainability of food and drinks at the 2024 Olympics.

One such innovation is that spectators will, for the first time, be allowed to bring their own reusable water bottles with them, and refill at stations installed across all sites. Food waste will also be cut down thanks to updated quantity estimation, redistribution, and composting systems for unconsumed food.

This is in a bid to boost the Games’ sustainability efforts, which aim to be a carbon-neutral event, aligning with the 2016 Paris Agreement.

Let the Games Begin

The temperatures may be dropping in the southern hemisphere, but here at ASF, we’re keen to enjoy the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and all of the new additions!

In the meantime, you too can support Aussie athletes to achieve their Olympic dreams by making a tax-deductible donation with the ASF. Find a worthwhile cause to donate to here!