Amid concerns about protests, strikes, security and whatever might be floating in the Seine, the City of Light is about to strike a pose on its yearslong Olympics runway. For the next 19 days, Paris will be in front of the international lens as more than 10,000 athletes and seemingly countless fans converge on France to witness and revel in the first Summer Games held in front of crowds in eight years.
That group will include the nearly 600 athletes competing for Team USA, many of whom are favorites for gold across the 329 events slated to be held.
Here’s everything you need to know about how and who to watch during the Paris Olympic Games:
When do the Paris Olympics begin?
The opening ceremony takes place Friday night in Paris, but the first events start Wednesday at 9 a.m. EDT (3 p.m. Paris time) when Argentina plays Morocco and Uzbekistan faces Spain in men’s soccer.
Rugby sevens, archery and handball also will start before the opening ceremony. The first medals will be awarded Saturday.
The Paris Olympics will end Sunday, Aug. 11, with the women’s basketball gold medal game slated to be the final event.
How to watch the Paris Olympics opening ceremony
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. EDT and will be shown live on NBC and Peacock. NBC will reair the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to occur outside a stadium for the first time, with the “Parade of Nations” scheduled to take part on boats floating down the Seine River in front of the Eiffel Tower.
How to watch and stream the Paris Olympics
The daily window for events at the Paris Olympics runs from roughly 3 a.m. EDT until about 5 p.m. (Paris is six hours ahead of New York). Linear networks USA, E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, Telemundo and Universo will have coverage every day of the Olympics, with all live coverage ending around 5 p.m. EDT. “Paris Primetime” will air each night on NBC, usually at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., offering a recap of the day’s biggest events and moments.
Though NBCUniversal networks will broadcast many live events, including viewer favorites such as gymnastics, swimming and track and field, a large portion of coverage will be exclusively on streaming platforms.
Peacock will broadcast every event live and will have replays and highlights on demand. Cable and satellite subscribers can log into NBCOlympics.com at no additional charge to watch any event.
Part of Peacock’s coverage will include Gold Zone, an NFL Red Zone-like show streaming from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT each day.
NBCUniversal also launched two temporary Olympics channels. “Paris Extra 1” will show a range of live and delayed events, with a focus on team sports such as basketball, handball, water polo and field hockey. “Paris Extra 2” will feature mostly combat and racket sports such as boxing, judo, taekwondo, badminton and table tennis. Both channels are available on DirecTV, Comcast, Cox, Dish/Sling, YouTube TV, Fubo and Hulu Live.
Who will be competing for Team USA?
There will be 592 athletes representing the United States in Paris, with 119 from California — the most of any state (Florida is next with 44 athletes and Texas third with 38). With baseball and softball not being played, the total number is down from the 613 U.S. athletes who competed in Tokyo.
Team USA’s Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 200 meter final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 25, 2023. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
The U.S. will compete in 31 of the 32 sports (U.S. handball teams will make their long-awaited return in 2028). There is one sport making its Olympic debut — breaking (don’t call it break dancing, though).
Women will comprise the majority of athletes competing for the U.S., with 314 (53% of Team USA) — the most women for any nation. There will be 157 medal events for men, 152 for women and 20 mixed-gender. Twenty-eight of the 32 events will be “fully gender equal,” the IOC said.
Here’s a look at the 2024 U.S. Olympic team:
Must-watch US athletes at the Paris Olympics
Every athlete at the Paris Games is probably worth watching, but here are some of the top contenders for gold.
Simone Biles, women’s gymnastics — The favorite in the women’s all-around competition and considered one of the greatest in the history of her sport, Biles has won seven Olympic medals, including four at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. After her shocking withdrawal from the team and all-around competitions in Tokyo, Biles is out to win gold in what could be the final chapter of her storied career.
Caeleb Dressel, men’s swimming — After winning five golds in Tokyo, Dressel nearly walked away from the sport in 2022. After rediscovering his passion for competitive swimming, he proved at the U.S. trials in June he is among the favorites to win gold in the 100-meter butterfly and 50 freestyle.
Katie Ledecky, women’s swimming — She is the most-decorated athlete competing at the Paris Olympics. Ledecky has 10 Olympic medals, including seven golds. She will be looking to add to her medal count in the 1,500-meter freestyle, 800 freestyle and 400 freestyle. Will this be her Olympic swansong, or will she be swimming at SoFi Stadium in four years?
Team USA’s Katie Ledecky reacts after winning gold in the final of the women’s 800 meter freestyle swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
Noah Lyles, men’s 100 and 200 meters — Never camera shy, the Yu-Gi-Oh! card-carrying Lyles is the defending world champion in the men’s 100 and 200 meters. He set the world’s fastest time in the 200 at the U.S. trials last month and he’ll try to become the first man since Usain Bolt (2016) to win Olympic gold in the 100 and 200.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, women’s 400-meter hurdles —The overwhelming favorite for gold, McLaughlin-Levrone broke her world record in the event at the U.S. trials. She won gold in the 400 hurdles and 4×400 relay in Tokyo.
Sha’Carri Richardson, women’s 100 meters — After her controversial disqualification three years ago because of a positive marijuana test, Richardson won the U.S. trials in June and is considered a favorite for gold. She’ll face tough competition in Jamaican sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.
U.S. women’s gymnastics team — They’re the favorite to win the team competition, with four of the five having previous Olympic experience. Suni Lee won gold in the all-around and Jade Carey took gold in floor exercise in Tokyo. Jordan Chiles played a critical role in helping the Americans take silver in the team championship then.
Other gold contenders worth watching: Ryan Crouser (men’s shot put), Lilly King (women’s swimming), Simone Manuel (women’s swimming), Carissa Moore (women’s surfing), Ryan Murphy (men’s swimming), Gabby Thomas (women’s 200 meters), U.S. women’s basketball team, U.S. men’s basketball team.
From 16 to 59
The youngest athlete at the Olympics will be gymnast Hezly Rivera. She turned 16 just before competing in the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials and is the only first timer on the squad (other than the reserves). While she is the youngest, 16-year-olds Paige Heyn (skateboarding street) and Quincy Wilson (4×400 mixed relay) will also be in Paris. Wilson is the youngest man to ever qualify for the U.S. in track and field.
The oldest U.S. Olympian in Paris? That goes to equestrian rider Steffen Peters, who will compete in team and individual dressage at age 59. Peters is appearing in his sixth Olympics after making his debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Basketball star Diana Taurasi and equestrian competitor McLain Ward have appeared in six consecutive Olympics dating to the 2004 Athens Games.
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