Paris 2024/ Olympic Games

In 2024, the capital city of France will host the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

This will be the third time that the Olympic Games will take place in Paris, which previously welcomed the world in 1900 and 1924. Paris will become the second city, following London, to host the Olympic Games three times.

These will be the sixth Olympic Games to take place in France, behind only the eight Olympic Games (nine after 2028) which have been hosted by the United States. France has also hosted three editions of the Olympic Winter Games at Chamonix 1924, Grenoble 1968 and Albertville 1992.

The Games will open on July 26, 2024, continuing through to August 11, 2024.

Paris was confirmed as the host city of the 2024 Olympic Games at the 130th IOC Session in Lima, Peru on September 13, 2017. Paris was the only candidate after an agreement was reached for Los Angeles to host the 2028 Olympic Games after having initially expressed interest in 2024. Twelve years earlier, Paris had finished second to London by four votes for the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Prior to that, Paris had been third behind Toronto and Beijing in the voting for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Getting to Know Paris and France

One of the most modern countries in the world, France is a leader among European nations. Its global influence can be felt through its role as a permanent member of the United Nations’ Security Council as well as its positions in NATO, the G-7, G-20 and the European Union.

Although the largest portion of France (551,500km²) is located in western Europe, five overseas entities – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion – also became part of France proper in the early 21^st century. Paris is located in the north of the country.

With a population of more than 67 million (62 million in western Europe), France is the 21^st most populous country in the world. Paris itself has a population of 10.843 million, making it the country’s largest city by more than 9 million people. France is a semi-presidential republic divided into 13 metropolitan regions along with the five overseas regions. The president is the head of state while the prime minister is the head of government.

The official language of the country is French. The national anthem, “La Marseillaise”, was first adopted in 1795 and restored in 1870. It was made famous when the National Guard of Marseille sang it while heading into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French flag, featuring three equal vertical bands of blue, white and red, is known as “le drapeau tricolore” and dates back to 1790.

Paris runs on Central European Time, which is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Paris 2024 Medals

Paris 2024 chose France’s iconic symbol–the Eiffel Tower–as the design touchpoint for the Olympic and Paralympic medals. But the Eiffel Tower is not only the inspiration for the design, but also a physical part of it–each medal will feature original iron from the Eiffel Tower. Winning athletes will take a piece of French history home with them. 

The original iron from the Eiffel Tower is featured in a hexagon shape in the centre of each medal that represents mainland France. The flip side of the medals features the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, who has been a traditional figure depicted on Olympic medals since 1928.