This article is also available in French.
The Summer Olympics start on July 24th, two days before the opening ceremony. For those of you who don’t know, events like soccer, rugby sevens, handball, and archery take place before the official start of the games on Friday 26th. That means you can start enjoying Olympic sports from this Wednesday until Sunday, August 11th.
If this is your first time watching the Summer Games, we have Olympic predictions available at Novibet. If you are interested in betting on the Olympics, you can use our predictions to make wagers. Or you can use our insight to find out who is the favourite heading into an event. Either way, there is a lot to enjoy over the next two and a half weeks.
Where are the Olympics 2024?
This year, the Olympic Games take place in Paris, France. This is not the first time the French capital has hosted the Olympics, but it is the first time in 100 years since the games have been in France. Paris was the host nation of the second modern-day Olympic Games in 1900. It quickly became the first city to host the games twice when they returned in 1924.
While most events will take place in or very close to Paris, there are a few outlying venues. Most soccer matches will occur outside of Paris in cities such as Marseille, Lyon, and Nice. Plus, surfing will take place in Tahiti, French Polynesia. They split the events at the Olympics into various zones, but most games will take place in Paris.
When is the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics?
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics is Friday, July 26 at 2:30 pm ET. While every opening ceremony is a sight to behold, this year we could be in for a real treat. The event will last just under four hours as France will put on one heck of a show to kick-start this year’s competition.
For those unfamiliar with the opening ceremony, they break up the evening into several parts. This year, 206 nations are competing at the games. There is also the lighting of the Olympic torch, which includes a fantastic torch relay. To mark the start of the games, they lit the torch 100 days ago in Olympia, Greece. It will then journey across Europe and other territories as 10,000 torchbearers bring the heat to the Jardins du Trocadéro.
They will also conduct a parade where they announce each country and territory at the games. The opening ceremony will begin after each nation has enjoyed a bit of the spotlight. At each Olympic Games, the host nation tries to outdo their predecessors. The ceremonies in Beijing, Rio, and Tokyo have been mesmerising over the past few years, so the bar is high for the French.
Where to Watch the Olympics in Canada?
Canadian residents looking to watch the Olympic action have multiple networks broadcasting the events. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), The Sports Network (TSN), and Sportsnet are the three English-speaking sources. For anyone looking to enjoy the coverage in Canadian French can tune in to Réseau des sports (RDS).
Because of the time difference, catching every single event will be impossible. However, there should be plenty of coverage in the evening, recapping the big events of the day. Ensure you check the schedule and plan for all the events you want to watch.
How Many Nations Compete at the Olympics?
At the Paris Olympics 2024, 206 nations are competing for gold medals. However, there are a couple of entries in this year’s competition not competing under a country’s flag. 37 athletes are competing for the Refugee Olympic Team and 32 for the Individual Neutral Athletes.
The Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) is the name used for Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 games. Both countries are banned from competing under their flags following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team has 37 athletes from 11 countries competing. 14 of these athletes are Iranian, but there are also competitors from Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
When is the Closing Ceremony at the Paris Olympics in 2024?
The closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is on Sunday, 11th of August at 4:00 pm ET. The ceremony lasts two hours and 15 minutes before we officially mark the end of the summer games. At that point, it will be two years before the next Olympics. The Winter Games alternate with the Summer Olympics, with the next event taking place in Italy in 2026.
That means you need to get your Olympic bets sorted if you are wagering on the winner of the games before August 11. To help you throughout the Olympics, we are going to release various predictions and betting tips. We will also highlight all the major Canadian athletes, such as a look at the Team Canada Basketball roster. Ensure you follow Novibet to keep updated with the latest action!
