Paris 2024 Olympic Games: How do athletes qualify?
When is Paris 2024? Which sports are at the Games? And how do athletes qualify? Read on to find out.
What are the Olympic Games?
The Olympic Games are the world’s biggest multisport event, and are held every four years (expect in exceptional circumstances).
Inspired by the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896.
They were the brainchild of Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic movement.
The Olympic Games are organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) whose headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland with its President Thomas Bach.
Tokyo 2020 was delayed by a year, and ended on 8th August 2021. The next Olympic Games – sometimes known as the Summer Olympics - will be Paris 2024.
Which sports can people qualify to compete in at the Olympic Games?
There are scheduled to be a total of 32 sports at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with more than 10,000 athletes from over 200 nations taking part in 306 medal events.
Breaking will make its Games debut after its success at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games.
The 32 sports are:
Aquatics (diving, marathon swimming, artistic swimming, swimming, water polo), archery, athletics, badminton, basketball (including basketball 3x3), breaking, boxing, canoe, cycling (road cycling, cycling track, mountain biking, BMX freestyle, BMX racing), equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline), handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball (including beach volleyball), weightlifting, and wrestling.
What age restrictions are there on competitors?
Any age restrictions are set by the individual International Federations (IFs) for each sport.
For example, competitors in boxing must be between 18-39 years of age. Special permission was granted to Mira Potkonen who was 40 at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 after the Games were delayed by one year, and claimed her second medal at consecutive Games.
In gymnastics, athletes must turn 16 in the year of the Games, with no maximum age cut-off.
Men’s football is essentially an under-23 competition but each squad is permitted three overage players.
Several sports have no minimum age, with 12-year-old Syrian Hend Zaza the youngest competitor in Tokyo in the women’s table tennis competition.
Another 12-year-old, Japan’s HIRAKI Kokona, was the youngest medallist with silver in women’s park skateboarding.
What are the qualifying events for the Olympic Games?
There are several different methods of qualification which depend on the sport and its IF.
Some sports, like shooting and taekwondo, offer quota places for National Olympic Committees (NOCs) based on performances of individual athletes, but the NOC in question can select a different athlete to take that place at the Games.
In team sports, nations need to earn their place through strong performances in either the World Championships or continental competitions or continental or global qualifiers. There will be between eight and 12 nations in team sport disciplines at the Olympic Games.
Who selects athletes for the Olympic Games?
Athletes are selected by their respective NOCs, who are responsible for supporting them and entering them for the Games.
The IOC sends out invitation letters to all NOCs one year before the Opening Ceremony and those NOCS then submit entries for the Games who are then approved or otherwise by the IOC.
Athletes must comply with the Olympic Charter which includes compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of Manipulation of Competitions.
When are the next Olympic Games?
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be held from 26 July to 11 August 2024.