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When are the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
The Olympics officially run from July 26 to August 11, French time — July 27 to August 12 for Australia.
But there are several programs running before the Opening Ceremony.
If you're keen to get an early start on all the action, here's which events will begin ahead of the Games:
Where can I find the schedule?
A whopping 32 sports are featured in the Summer Olympics schedule, many of which consist of a variety of events.
Where can I watch the Olympics in Australia?
The Olympics will be broadcast free-to-air on Channel 9 and 9Gem.
There will also be more than 40 live channels dedicated to the Olympics on 9Now.
When is the Opening Ceremony?
The tricky part about watching most of the Paris Games live will be the time difference.
The Opening Ceremony is no exception.
It's scheduled to start 8.24pm in Paris on July 26, which, for Australia, actually falls on the following day — Saturday, July 27.
Here's the specific time it will start for each region, according to broadcaster Channel 9:
- 2.24am AWST: Western Australia
- 3.54am ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
- 4.24am AEST: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the ceremony won't be held in a stadium.
Instead, Paris has decided to take the parade to the Seine.
Each national delegation will have its own boat that will wind 6 kilometres through Paris from the Austerlitz Bridge.
The ceremony's finale will be held at the Trocadéro, which is home to gardens on the opposite side of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
When is the Closing Ceremony?
Prepare for a very early start to your week if you want to catch the closing ceremony live.
It's scheduled to start a couple of hours after the last event — the women's marathon.
For Australian viewers, it's going to fall on Monday, August 12.
Here's the start time for each region:
- 2am AWST: Western Australia
- 3.30am ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
- 4am AEST: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria
Don't expect another parade through the city, though.
This one will take a more traditional approach inside the walls of Stade de France.
You can expect to see a closing parade, speeches, and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
When are the Paralympics?
The Paralympics will kick off a couple of weeks after the Olympics wraps up, running from August 29 to September 9.
This year, 4,400 athletes will be competing.
Who is representing Australia?
Australia is sending more than 450 athletes to the Games this year, who will compete across 31 sports.
Sprinter Peter Bol, reigning Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus and the Matildas are among crowd favourites who have booked their places at Paris this year.
The team also features 231 Olympic debutants hoping to strike gold.
Which sports are being added to the Olympics?
The following sports have been approved for Paris 2024:
- Breaking (breakdancing)
- Skateboarding
- Sport climbing
- Surfing
The Olympics website notes these sports are "closely associated with young people and reward creativity and athletic performance".
"All four are easy to take up and participants form communities that are very active on social media."
How are sports chosen for the Olympics?
The list of sports included in the Summer Olympics changes a good deal between each edition.
Since Tokyo 2020, inclusion of sports outside the "core" 28 to the schedule has been on a per-Games basis.
That means the local organising committee for each Games has been allowed to propose the addition of five sports of their choosing to the program.
While skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing were added to Paris 2024 as additional sports, they've since been added to the core Summer Olympic Sports list, so we'll see them again at LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
How many times has Paris hosted the Olympics?
This will be the third time — it previously played host in 1900 and 1924.
Paris is only the second city to host three Olympiads, the other being London, which did so in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
It's not unusual for a city to host more than once, though.
Ten cities have played host at least twice in the history of the modern Olympic Games.
That number includes Athens, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Beijing holds its own record as the first city to have held both the Summer (2008) and Winter (2022) Games.
When are the next Olympic Games?
Next up is the Winter Olympics in 2026.
They're going to be hosted by the Italian cities Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Australia's track record at the Winter Olympics isn't as strong as the Summer Olympics but we took home a record number of medals in 2022.
Then-23-year-old Jakara Anthony was the jewel in the crown that year, breaking a 12-year drought since an Australian had last topped the podium at the Winter Games.
As for the Summer Olympics, Los Angeles will host the Games next in 2028 before they arrive in Brisbane in 2032.