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100 years -

On July 26, the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games will be held almost exactly 100 years after the 1924 Closing Ceremony, which was held on July 27, also in Paris.

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Hosting for the third time -

Paris will join London as the only cities to host the Olympics three times. Paris hosted the Olympic Games in 1900, 1924, and now in 2024.

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IOC Refugee Olympic Team -

The Paris 2024 Games will include the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. The first refugee team took part in the Rio 2016 Games.

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The opening ceremony -

Billed as "an opening ceremony like no other," it will see 10,500 athletes, 160 boats along 3.7 miles (5.95 km) of the Seine River, and 326,000 in-person spectators. The parade will end at the Trocadéro square.

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Olympics in a time of war -

Russian and Belarussian athletes will be allowed to compete in the Games despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. They will compete as neutral athletes, meaning they will not be allowed to parade in the opening ceremony, will not have their national anthems played, or their national flags raised if they win medals.

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Security -

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the opening ceremony could be scaled down if the security threat is deemed too high. The event could be confined to the Trocadéro—canceling the river parade—or moved indoors to the Stade de France.

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Problems with the Seine -

The Surfrider Foundation Europe charity warned that samples from the Seine showed dangerous levels of bacteria in the water, meaning the triathlon could be delayed or the swimming leg canceled altogether.

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Swimming in the Seine -

On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine River to demonstrate that it is now clean and safe to host the outdoor swimming events. 

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Tickets -

While official ballots for Paris 2024 tickets have already taken place, tickets for the Games will regularly be released on the official Olympic ticketing site, with a maximum of four or six tickets available per person, depending on the sport.

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Bedbugs -

In the fall of 2023, Paris was gripped by a bedbug crisis, with Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy mayor of Paris, calling on Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to act on the issue before the Olympics. After the initial panic, authorities said there was no trace of any unusual outbreak.

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Will the Notre-Dame reopen in time? -

The Notre-Dame, one of the city's most famous landmarks, has been closed to the public since 2019, following a devastating fire. Scaffolding has been removed to reveal the new spire, but the cathedral, unfortunately, won't be open in time for the Olympics.

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Cash prize -

For the first time in 128 years of Olympic tradition, prize money will be awarded to athletes if they are victorious at the 2024 Olympic Games. Gold medal-winning athletes in each of the 48 track and field events will walk away with US$50,000.

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The Olympic flame -

The Olympic torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, on April 16, starting the Olympic torch relay, which will formally end with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.

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When are the Games? -

The Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympics will run from August 28 to September 8.

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Paralympics -

Up to 1,069 athletes will compete across 164 medal events during the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.

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How many sports? -

There will be 32 sports played during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and a total of 329 medal events.

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Iconic landmarks -

Certain Olympic events will take place at some of Paris' most notable landmarks. Beach volleyball will be held at La Concorde, fencing and taekwondo at the Grand Palais, and the marathon will begin at Hotel de Ville.

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Other destinations -

The Olympic Games will not only take place in the capital. Sailing events will happen in Marseille, and the soccer tournament will be played in Bordeaux, Nantes, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille.

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Medals -

In keeping with tradition, the medals are gold, silver, and bronze. However, unlike any other medals awarded since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, these will contain a piece of metal from the Eiffel Tower.

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Most medals awarded -

The sport with the most medals awarded will be aquatics, with 49 events across the disciplines of swimming, marathon swimming, diving, water polo, and artistic swimming.

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The Olympic Village -

Seine-Saint-Denis, in the northeast of Paris, is the home of the Olympic Village, which will house 9,000 athletes. After the Games, the village will be turned into homes for 6,000 people and offices for 6,000 workers.

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Countries to watch -

The United States is expected to top the medal table (123 medals, including 39 gold) for the fourth Summer Games in a row, with China in second place.

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Sport climbing -

Sport climbing, which made its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will change its format. At Paris 2024 there will be two different medal events for each gender: a combined event that includes only bouldering and lead, and a separate speed climbing event.

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Surfing in Tahiti -

For the first time ever, the Olympic Games will also take place in the French territory of Tahiti. The surfing competition will be held on the island's Teahupo'o wave, around 9,321 miles (15,000 km) from Paris.

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BMX Freestyle -

BMX Freestyle will return for its second Olympic Games at Paris 2024, after making its competitive debut at Tokyo 2020.

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Breakdancing -

Breakdancing will be the first ever dance sport to compete in the Olympic Games at Paris 2024. The breaking competition will comprise two events, one for men and one for women, where dancers will face off in spectacular solo battles.

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Getting around -

While public transport is one of the best ways to get around Paris, the price of metro tickets will almost double during the Games, from €2.10 (US$2.24) to €4 (US$4.26).

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The greenest Games ever? -

The organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics promise the Games will set new standards in sustainability. Paris 2024 pledges to halve the event's carbon footprint compared to the average of previous Summer Olympics.

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Volunteers -

Approximately 45,000 volunteers will help at the Paris 2024 Olympics, assisting with various aspects of the Games, from the opening and closing ceremonies to customer service.

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Where to watch the Games? -

If you visit Paris during the Games, Paris City Hall has set up fan zones across the city, which are free to attend, and many will have screenings. Plus, the Parc des Marnes will be an excellent spot to catch a glimpse of the women's marathon.

Sources: (IOC) (Time Out) (Sky News)

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