Paris 2024 competitions underway ahead of Opening Ceremony
With the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 just hours away and the full competition schedule set to begin tomorrow, competitions in archery, football, handball and rugby sevens have already got underway, with fans in Paris and across France treated to some thrilling action.
The men’s rugby sevens tournament has already drawn sellout crowds to the Stade de France for group stage matches and quarter-finals, with hosts France and defending champions Fiji the big attractions. France secured their spot in Saturday’s semi-finals with a 26-14 triumph over Argentina, with their global superstar Antoine Dupont scoring the final try.
“To play in front of 69,000 people is something I could not imagine doing in my whole life,” said Dupont’s teammate Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, who scored two tries in the quarter-final. “I know there’s still a long way to go, but that moment gave us crazy emotions. I was almost in tears at the end.”
The women’s handball preliminary round began at the South Paris Arena, while Les Invalides welcomed the men’s and women’s individual ranking rounds in archery, with the Republic of Korea’s Lim Si-hyeon setting the first world record of Paris 2024 with an astonishing score of 694 in the women’s event. Athletes from both sports were impressed with the Olympic venues and crowds.
“The stadium is amazing,” said German archer Michelle Kroppen. “It’s one of the most beautiful and most famous places we’ve ever shot.”
The men’s and women’s football tournaments have also kicked off, with group stage matches held in various existing venues across France, highlighting how the Paris 2024 organisers have set out to deliver Games that involve the whole nation, in line with their vision of “Games Wide Open”.
Excitement building in the Olympic Village
The Olympic Village has been busy welcoming athletes since opening its doors on 18 July.
Hockey begins on 27 July, the day after the Opening Ceremony, and Ireland’s David Harte and his teammates have spent the past few days soaking in the atmosphere and taking advantage of the various services available before they face defending Olympic champions Belgium in their first match.
“I’m enjoying the Olympic atmosphere. There’s always a good buzz around. We were here the day the Village opened, and it’s only getting better as it gets busier. All the guys are really enjoying it. We’ve tried to see and do as much as we can, if not everything,” said Harte, who is competing in his second Games.
“Some of us have gone for dental check-ups, some have gone for a haircut. We’ve enjoyed some time in Athlete365 House, voted in the IOC Athletes’ Commission election, been over to the merchandise store. I got myself one of the little mascots for my daughter.”
Energised by local passion and support
Paris 2024 is an opportunity to showcase French sports, arts, culture and heritage, and some athletes have already experienced the passion local communities have towards the Games.
The Australian gymnastics team stayed in Combs-la-Ville, a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, for a training camp before arriving in the Olympic Village. The experience left a lasting impression on the team thanks to the welcome they received.
“The community there adopted them, with a local gymnastics club packing out the gym to cheer them on as they trained and practised,” Australia’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares, an Olympic champion in track cycling, explained. “Somewhere between 400 and 500 people packed out each session. It’s a really wonderful show of what the Olympics mean and how they unify communities. It will be a lasting Olympic memory for many in that village, as well as for our gymnasts.”
Numbers behind the Games
A record 8.8 million tickets have been sold for Paris 2024, demonstrating the huge levels of interest in France and abroad for the Games, where around 10,500 athletes from the territories of 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will compete across 32 sports and 329 medal events.
Paris 2024 will be the first Games to achieve full gender parity on the field of play, illustrating the progress the IOC has made with regard to gender equality.
Some 95 per cent of the 35 venues are pre-existing or temporary structures, demonstrating Paris 2024’s commitment to staging environmentally responsible Games. There will be a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to Rio 2016 and London 2012, and a commitment to using 100 per cent renewable energy.
The Olympic Village will be transformed into 2,500 new homes after the Games for up to 6,000 people, of which 25 per cent will become public housing, and 400km of new bike lanes have also been added to the existing public transport network, to make green travel more accessible for French people.
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 begin on 26 July and will finish on 11 August. The Paralympic Games will then run from 28 August until 8 September. Tickets for both Games can be purchased here.