Paris is gearing up for a summer of sports as it prepares to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The city is already abuzz with preparations for the opening ceremony, test events and the journey of the Olympic torch relay. FRANCE 24 takes a look at the key dates leading up to start of the 2024 Summer Games.
The countdown is on. On July 26, 2024, the Summer Olympics will kick off in Paris, followed shortly after by the Paralympic Games. For nearly a month the French capital will become the focus of international sport as it hosts more than 300 competitions between July 26 and August 11.
July 9-16, 2023: Marseilles sailing test event
The Paris 2024 Organising Committee is holding a sailing test event in Marseilles to evaluate the infrastructure and racing areas in preparation for the Olympic Games.
July 26, 2023: D-365 to the Olympic Games
On July 26, 2023, the 365-day countdown to the official start of the Games in Paris begins, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the last Summer Games held on French soil. FRANCE 24 will dedicate a special day across its platforms to celebrate the event.
August 17-20, 2023: Paris triathlon test event
Paris and its iconic Alexandre III bridge will host an Olympic and Paralympic Games triathlon test event from August 17-20. Individual races will take place on August 17 and 18, a para-triathlon will be held on the 19th and the mixed relay on August 20.
July 26 and 27, 2023: French youth golf championships
The Olympic configuration of the Golf National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines will be put to the test during the French Youth Championship on July 26 and 27.
August 2-6, 2023: World Rowing Under 19 Championship
Vaires-sur-Marne stadium will host tests for sprint canoeing, slalom canoeing and rowing events. Rowing will serve as the inaugural test event for Paris 2024 during the U19 World Championships.
August 5-6, 2023: Fourth stage of the open water world cup
A round of the Open Water Swimming World Cup will take place in the Seine near Alexandre III bridge.
August 11-20, 2023: World surfing league (WSL) stopover in Tahiti
Even France’s overseas territories will get a taste of Olympic fever, hosting surfing events in Tahiti, French Polynesia, on the legendary Teahupo'o wave. The WSL 2023 will assess the venue’s Olympic preparations in coordination with the Paris Olympic committee.
August 19- 20, 2023: Fourth stage of the archery world cup
Archery will take centre stage against the backdrop of the iconic Paris Les Invalides landmark. The fourth leg of the 2023 World Cup will be held in Paris, offering a glimpse at the future archery venue for the Games.
August 28, 2023: 365 Days until the Paralympic Games
Since their first appearance in Rome in 1960, the Paralympic Games have grown in importance. As the world's leading parasport event, they are a unique opportunity for athletes with disabilities. One year before the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, FRANCE 24 will dedicate a special edition to this event.
August 30 to September 1, 2023: Canoeing and para-canoeing World Cups
Following rowing events, the Vaires-sur-Marne Olympic site will test sprint canoeing and para-canoeing during the World Cup held at the centre.
September 2023: Volunteers receive their assignments
Between September and the end of the year, the Paris organising committee will notify the 45,000 selected volunteers for the Olympic Games about their specific assignments. However, some may be called upon during the summer to participate in test events, such as the sailing event in Marseilles or the triathlon in Paris.
September 23 and 24, 2023: MTB test event
This will be a dress rehearsal for the Olympic Games. A preparatory race for the mountain bike event of Paris 2024 will be held on September 23-24 at Élancourt Hill, the highest point in the Île-de-France region, located in the Yvelines department.
October 5-8, 2023: Canoe slalom world cup finals
The final test event at the Vaires-sur-Marne centre will be the canoe slalom World Cup finals.
October 9, 2023: Paralympic Games tickets open
Official ticket sales for the Paralympic Games, scheduled from August 28 to September 8, 2024, will open this October 9. Half of the tickets available for sale will be priced at €25 or less.
April 8-14, 2024: Event at Châteauroux national shooting centre
Test competitions are scheduled to take place at the Châteauroux national shooting centre in Indre from April 8-14, 2024.
April 29, 2024: 100 days until the Olympic Games
From April 29 to May 8, 2024: Olympic aquatic centre test event
The final venue to be completed, the Saint-Denis Olympic Aquatic Centre, will be put to the test with targeted events featuring artistic swimming, diving and water polo from April 29 to May 8, 2024.
May 4-5, 2024: Field hockey test event
Yves-du-Manoir stadium in Colombes will be put to the test with an international field hockey tournament from May 4-5, 2024. While the venue may have changed since the 1924 Olympic Games, it remains a direct legacy of the last Summer Olympics in the French capital.
May 8, 2024: Arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseilles
After a 10-day journey from Greece on the Belém, one of Europe's oldest three-masted sailing ships, the Olympic flame will arrive in France. Marseilles, with its strong historical ties to Greece, will first welcome the flame to its shores before it embarks on the 775km (480 mile) journey to the capital.
July 14, 2024: Arrival of the Olympic flame in Paris
After traversing more than 60 French departments, the Olympic flame will arrive in Paris on July 14, the Bastille Day national holiday.
July 24, 2024: Start of events
Some team sports will kick off even before the opening ceremony. The Rugby 7s and soccer matches will begin on July 24, while handball starts the following day.
July 26, 2024: Olympic Games opening ceremony
Paris will kick off the Games with a spectacular opening ceremony on July 26, 2024. Organised outside of a stadium for the first time, the ceremony will start at 8:24pm as approximately 100 boats carrying the athlete delegations set sail down the Seine from Pont d'Austerlitz in the east to the Eiffel Tower.
August 11, 2024: Olympic Games closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics will take place at the Stade de France, but it won't mark the end of the Olympic sequence as the Paralympic Games will take some 17 days later.
August 28, 2024: Paralympic Games opening ceremony
As one competition ends, another begins. The first-ever French Paralympic Games will open on August 28 for 11 days of competition with an open-air ceremony between the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde.
September 8, 2024: Paralympic Games closing ceremony
That's a wrap for Paris 2024: The Paralympic Games will come to a close, bringing an end to Paris’s Olympic summer.
The article was adapted from French. To read the original click here.
