In 2024 Summer Olympics officially started in Paris, France, on July 26 with Opening Ceremony outside the famous city Seine The river before the sports competition. Around 10,500 athletes will walk in the Parade of Nations, and then these top competitors – many of whom have trained for years to take a shot at coveted gold, silver and bronze medals – will compete in sports over 16 days of competition.
From July 26 to the closing ceremony of the Olympics on August 11, athletes will compete in 32 sports categories, ranging from archery to table tennis. Spectators from around the world will gather to watch their favorite athletes, such as Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky, in swimming and gymnastics, among others. Tennis star Coco Gauff will lead in team USA at the Paris Olympics three years later missing the Tokyo Games because he tested positive for COVID-19.
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What was the original Olympic sport played in the first Summer Olympics?
Ancient olympic sports included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankrasis (a combat sport, similar to modern mixed martial arts) and equestrian events. Originally a one-day event until 684 BC the Olympics were extended to three days and then to five days to cover a wide range of sporting events for the participants.
Some ancient sports techniques – such as for the discus – haven’t changed much, but other techniques have changed over the years. Boxers, in the Ancient Olympics, wrapped ropes around their hands to strengthen their wrists and fasten their fingers, but over time, athletes began to use hard leather ropes. These ropes often cause disfigurement on the face of the enemy. Jumpers compete with heavy weights when jumping drop behind their plane.
What are the new Olympic sports for the 2024 Games?
For the first timeathletes will be able to compete in breaking – urban dance started in the United States – which was added to the Olympics as new sport at the 2024 Paris Games. Athletes will compete in two events – one for men and one for women – where 16 men and 16 women will face off in a solo breakdance battle.
What are some of the more obscure Olympic sports?
The competition will take place at 35 venues divided into three general areas, the Olympics said. Paris will host 13 sports, Ile-de-France 12 sports, and the rest of France will host 10 sports.
Some of the more obscure Olympic sports are the trampoline Olympics, where athletes bounce at least 26 feet in the air while spinning and tumbling; rugby sevens, where athletes play intense matches lasting 14 minutes; and the modern pentathlon. The modern pentathlon, introduced in the Olympic program in 1912 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, consists of four events combining five sports: running, riding, swimming, fencing and shooting.
Complete list of Summer Olympic Sports for 2024
- Aquatics (swimming, marathon swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming)
- Archery
- Track
- Badminton
- Basketball (3Ă—3, basketball)
- Fist
- disconnect*
- Canoe (sprint canoe, slalom canoe)
- Cycling (BMX freestyle, BMX racing, road cycling, track cycling)
- Equestrian (equestrian events, equestrian dressage, equestrian jumping)
- Fencing
- football
- Golf
- Gymnastics (artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics)
- hand ball
- hockey
- Judo
- Modern pentathlon
- Rowing
- Rugby (rugby sevens)
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding*
- Sport Rock Climbing*
- Surf*
- Table Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball (beach volleyball, volleyball)
- Lift weights
- Wrestling (Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling)
