The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are set to officially run from July 26 to August 11, French time. For Australia, this translates to July 27 to August 12. However, some events will kick off even before the Opening Ceremony, giving sports enthusiasts an early taste of the action.
Early Events Before the Opening Ceremony
If you’re eager to dive into the Olympics excitement early, keep an eye out for these events starting ahead of the main festivities:
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games Schedule
The Summer Olympics 2024 will feature 32 sports, each with multiple events. To plan your viewing schedule, check out the detailed event timetable here.
Watching the Olympics 2024 in Australia
Australian viewers can catch all the Olympic action free-to-air on Channel 9 and 9Gem. Additionally, 9Now will offer over 40 live channels dedicated to the Olympics, ensuring you don’t miss a moment.
Summer Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony Details
For the first time in Olympic history, the Summer Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony will not be held in a stadium. Instead, Paris will host a unique boat parade along the Seine. Scheduled for 8:24 PM in Paris on July 26, the ceremony will begin in Australia on the following day, July 27. Here’s the local start time for each region:
- 2:24 AM AWST: Western Australia
- 3:54 AM ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
- 4:24 AM AEST: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria
The parade will span 6 kilometres, starting from the Austerlitz Bridge and concluding at the Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower.
Olympics 2024 Closing Ceremony Details
The Closing Ceremony will be held a couple of hours after the last event, the women’s marathon, on Monday, August 12, for Australian viewers. Here’s when to tune in:
- 2:00 AM AWST: Western Australia
- 3:30 AM ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
- 4:00 AM AEST: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria
Unlike the Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony will take place inside the Stade de France, featuring a traditional parade, speeches, and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
Paralympics Schedule
The Paralympics schedule will follow the Olympics, running from August 29 to September 9, featuring 4,400 athletes. The Opening Ceremony will include a parade down the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde.
Team Australia
Australia is sending a strong team of over 450 athletes competing in 31 sports. Notable athletes include sprinter Peter Bol, reigning Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, and the Matildas. The team features 231 Olympic debutants eager to make their mark.
New Sports in Paris 2024
Paris 2024 will introduce four exciting sports:
- Breaking (Breakdancing)
- Skateboarding
- Sport Climbing
- Surfing
These sports are popular among young people and emphasize creativity and athletic performance.
How Are Olympic Sports Chosen?
The Olympic sports roster changes with each edition of the Games. Since Tokyo 2020, the inclusion of sports beyond the core 28 is decided on a per-Games basis. The local organizing committee can propose five additional sports for each edition.
Paris Olympic Legacy
Paris will host the Olympics for the third time, having previously hosted in 1900 and 1924. This makes Paris only the second city, after London, to host three Olympiads. Ten cities have hosted the Games at least twice, including Athens, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. Beijing uniquely hosted both the Summer (2008) and Winter (2022) Games.
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Future Olympic Games
Looking ahead, the Winter Olympics will take place in 2026, hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. Australia’s performance at the Winter Olympics has been improving, with a record medal haul in 2022.
For the Summer Olympics, the next host cities will be Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.
Stay tuned as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games promise to deliver thrilling moments and unforgettable memories.
