There are only six months to go until the Summer Olympics begin in Paris, followed by the Paralympics a few weeks later.
The opening ceremony will be held on boats, and break dancing will be shown for the first time.
When are the Olympic and Paralympic Games held and who is participating?
The Summer Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, with 10,500 athletes competing in 32 sports and 329 medals.
The Paralympics will be held from August 28 to September 8, with the participation of 4,400 athletes in 22 sports and 549 medals.
There will be 206 countries represented at the Olympic Games, and 184 countries at the Paralympics.
Paris previously hosted the Summer Games in 1900 and 1924.
It will be only the second city to host them three times. They were detained by London in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
The last Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo in 2021, and were delayed by a year due to Covid.
Where will the events be held?
There will be 15 Olympic and 11 Paralympic stadiums in central Paris.
Triathlon, marathon swimming and triathlon competitions for people with special needs will be held on the Seine River in the capital.
The Stade de France will be the venue for major athletics events. Six regional cities will organize football matches.
Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast, will host the sailing.
The surfing will take place in Teahupoo, Tahiti, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific.
Organizers say the Games will mainly use existing or temporary structures, to help reduce cost and carbon emissions.
Preparing the venues is reported to have cost around €8bn (£6.85bn).
In July 2023, the head of the organizing committee said the budget was “under control.”
What new sports will appear in Paris?
Breaking will be a new Olympic sport at the Paris Games
Breakdancing will appear for the first time as an Olympic sport. The gymnastic dance style originated in New York in the 1970s.
The four events introduced in Tokyo – BMX, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – will continue.
Karate and baseball were dropped.
What will the Olympics opening ceremony be like?
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will feature athletes performing on boats on the Seine River
The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games usually include a parade of athletes in the stadium. In Paris, they will perform on the river.
The national teams will sail across the Seine River for a distance of 6 kilometers (3.8 mi) through the city centre.
The athletes will gather on a field in a park called the Trocadero to light the Olympic flame.
Organizers say they want to allow the public to watch the opening ceremony for free. Half a million spectators are expected to line the riverbank.
What is the mascot of Paris 2024?
The games feature a pair of mascots called “Les Phryges”.
Les Phryges' motto is “Alone we go faster, but together we go further”
They are modeled on the red “Phrygian” hats worn during the French Revolution of 1789, when the monarchy was overthrown.
Paralympic Phryge (left above) has a running blade, and is the first mascot with a visible disability.
Will Russia compete in Paris 2024?
Neither Russia nor Belarus are allowed to send teams because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus's support for it. However, athletes from those countries can compete as neutral individual athletes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the International Olympic Committee for not banning Israel from participating due to its military operation in Gaza.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach told Reuters news agency that the comparison was wrong, and confirmed Israel's participation.
There will also be a Refugee Olympic Team for athletes displaced from their home countries.
At the Tokyo Games, this team included 29 members from 11 countries, including Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Cameroon.
How can I get tickets to the Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are sold to everyone around the world, on a first-come, first-served basis.
It can only be purchased from the Paris 2024 website.
Many sessions have already sold out. However, new batches of tickets are added regularly.
Prices start at €24 (£21) for Olympic events, and €15 (£13) for Paralympic events.
Are games popular in France?
One poll indicated that 44% of Parisians thought hosting the Olympics was a “bad thing.”
Bus and metro prices in Paris will double during the Games.
Some residents are upset about the security measures.
The Olympic Village is located 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) north of central Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis
The Olympic and Paralympic Village, a new aquatics centre, is being built in an area north of Paris called Seine-Saint-Denis – one of the poorest areas on mainland France.
Charities have complained after hundreds of squatters were evicted from buildings near new gaming venues.
Where will the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics be held?
- 2028 – Los Angeles, USA
- 2032 – Brisbane, Australia
- 2036 – To be decided. India, Poland, Mexico and Indonesia have expressed interest
