50 Fun Facts About Paris 2024 Olympics

Which sport made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024?

The other three had all arrived at Tokyo 2020; breaking was the one genuinely new sport on the Paris programme.

Along which river were the athletes paraded by boat at the opening ceremony?

It was the first modern Olympic opening ceremony staged outside a stadium, and most of it happened in the rain.

In which city did the IOC Session formally award the Games to Paris in 2017?

The two French IOC members, Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet, were not allowed to vote under the Olympic Charter.

Which other city was the last rival left when the IOC decided to award 2024 and 2028 together?

Boston, Hamburg, Rome and Budapest had all withdrawn, leaving the IOC to hand Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 in one go.

Paris first hosted the Summer Olympics in 1900 and again in which year?

Paris 2024 marked the centenary of those Games, making Paris the second city after London to host three Summer Olympics.

Where were the surfing events held?

The Tahiti surf site was 15,716 km from Paris, the most distant Olympic venue in history.

Which Mediterranean city hosted the sailing events?

Marseille, 777 km from Paris, also staged some of the football matches.

Which nation topped the medal table at Paris 2024?

It was the fourth straight Summer Games atop the table for the Americans and their 19th overall.

How many gold medals did the top two nations each win, tying for first place?

The tie was broken on silvers; it was the first gold tie between the two most successful nations in Summer Olympic history.

Which nation finished third in the gold-medal table with 20 golds?

Japan's 20 golds and 45 total medals put it third by gold but only sixth by overall count.

Where did host nation France finish in the gold-medal table?

France's 16 golds and 64 medals were its first top-five finish since Atlanta 1996.

Which boxer won the Refugee Olympic Team's first-ever medal?

Ngamba, a refugee from Cameroon, took bronze in the ring.

Which of these countries won its first-ever Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024?

Dominica and Saint Lucia both opened their Olympic medal accounts with gold; Albania and Cape Verde won their first medals but not gold.

Roughly how many tickets were sold, an all-time Olympic record?

Including the Paralympics the total reached 12.1 million, and several sports reported record attendances.

Which previous Games held the ticket-sales record that Paris broke?

Paris sold 9.5 million of its 10 million available tickets.

The medals contain hexagons of scrap iron taken from which structure?

The iron came from the tower's original construction and was engraved with the Games' logo.

Which Parisian jewellery house designed the medals?

Around 5,084 medals were struck by the French mint, Monnaie de Paris.

Which Greek goddess appears on the reverse of the medals?

She is shown inside the Panathenaic Stadium, host of the first modern Olympics in 1896.

The podiums were painted gray as a homage to what?

They were built in France from French wood and fully recycled plastic, with a design inspired by the Eiffel Tower.

Who was the artistic director of the opening ceremony?

Jolly described the theme as love and "shared humanity", and later defended the much-debated feast-of-the-gods segment.

Which singer closed the opening ceremony?

The Canadian star's performance capped a show that also featured Gojira and Philippe Katerine.

Who sang "La Marseillaise" from the roof of the Grand Palais?

The mezzo-soprano performed the anthem atop the Grand Palais in a dress in the colours of the tricolour.

Philippe Katerine appeared painted blue as which Greek god?

His turn as the god of wine was part of the feast-of-the-gods tableau that sparked a global debate.

Which heavy metal band performed during the opening ceremony?

The French metal act played from the windows of the Conciergerie alongside soprano Marina Viotti.

Judoka Teddy Riner lit the cauldron alongside which sprinter?

Pérec, a triple Olympic champion, and Riner are both from Guadeloupe.

Above which Paris park did the balloon-style cauldron float each night?

The cauldron was topped by a 30-metre helium sphere inspired by hot-air balloons.

How were the cauldron's flames produced, a first for the Olympics?

No fuel burned at all; the glow came from LEDs and aerosol water jets.

Where was the closing ceremony held?

It was the first Games since Sarajevo 1984 to hold the opening and closing ceremonies in different places.

What was the title of the closing ceremony?

It imagined a dystopian future in which aliens rediscover and reinvent the vanished Olympic Games.

Which American actor appeared in the LA28 handover at the closing ceremony?

He shared the segment with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and H.E.R.

Which 1984 Games was the last before Paris to split its ceremonies across two venues?

Paris opened on the Seine and closed at the Stade de France.

How many medal events were contested at Paris 2024?

They spanned 32 sports and 48 disciplines, including the 28 core sports plus four optional ones.

Which sailing class, new in 2024, was described as the F1 of the Olympics?

The high-speed foiling kite event had separate races for men and women.

Which new event saw four paddlers race each other through gates at once?

It was the first head-to-head race in Olympic canoe slalom history.

Which sport allowed men to take part for the first time at Paris 2024?

Paris also added a women's weight class in boxing and a marathon race walk mixed relay.

The Phryges, the Games' mascots, are anthropomorphic versions of what?

The cap is a historic French symbol of liberty, worn by Marianne in Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People.

The emblem is a representation of which personification of France?

A flame is formed in negative space by her hair, and the whole shape doubles as a gold medal.

Who designed the official poster, a diptych pairing the Olympics and Paralympics?

The two halves took 2,000 hours over six months and can stand alone or combine into one image.

Who was president of the Paris 2024 organising committee?

Estanguet is a three-time Olympic slalom canoeing champion.

Which luxury group supplied the trunks that held the torch and medals?

Its Louis Vuitton trunks, along with Dior gowns on Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura, drew complaints about sponsor product placement.

Which Belgian brewer became a Worldwide Olympic Partner during the Games?

Meanwhile Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone all declined to renew their sponsorships after 2024.

Under what label did Russian and Belarusian competitors take part?

Abbreviated AIN, they were not counted as a delegation and were barred from team sports.

How many of the 206 National Olympic Committees were represented in Paris?

Russia and Belarus were suspended; North Korea returned after its Tokyo absence.

Which swimmer won the most gold medals at Paris 2024, with four?

The Frenchman won the 200 and 400 medley, 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly.

Which Chinese swimmer won the most medals of any athlete, six in total?

Her haul was one silver and five bronzes.

Which mentor of Michael Phelps coached France's star medley swimmer at Arizona State?

He later followed Bowman to Texas after three NCAA seasons at Arizona State.

Where did the Olympic marathons finish?

The races started at the Hôtel de Ville on a course with 438 m of elevation change.

Which swimmer was the first French torchbearer?

She was one of four relay captains, alongside her brother Florent.

Which venue served only plant-based food?

It hosted skateboarding, breaking and BMX, while athletes in the Village ate about 30% plant-based meals.

Which Assassin's Creed character carried the torch over the roofs in the opening ceremony?

Arno is the hooded hero of Assassin's Creed Unity, which is set in revolutionary Paris.