Paris Olympics 2024: A Glimpse into the Games
The Paris Olympics 2024 is currently underway, bringing together athletes from around the world to compete in a variety of sports. The games are taking place in Paris, France, and will conclude on August 11, 2024.
Key Highlights
- Dates: July 26 – August 11, 2024
- Location: Paris, France
- Motto: “Games wide open”
- Number of Athletes: Approximately 10,714
- Number of Sports: 32
- Number of Events: 329
A Brief History of the Olympics
The Olympic Games, a global sporting event, trace their roots back to ancient Greece. Held in Olympia every four years, these games were dedicated to the god Zeus. They ceased to exist in the 4th century AD but were revived in 1896 in Athens, Greece, thanks to the efforts of Pierre de Coubertin.
Since then, the Olympics have evolved into a quadrennial spectacle, showcasing human athleticism and unity. The modern Games have expanded to include both Summer and Winter editions, with a growing number of sports and participating nations.
The Impact of the Olympics on Host Cities
Hosting the Olympics can be a double-edged sword for a city. While it offers opportunities for growth and global recognition, it also comes with significant challenges and costs.
Positive Impacts:
- Infrastructure Development: The Olympics often catalyze improvements in transportation, accommodation, and public facilities, leaving a lasting legacy for residents.
- Economic Boost: The Games can stimulate tourism, create jobs, and attract investments, leading to economic growth.
- Global Spotlight: Hosting the Olympics elevates a city’s international profile, attracting businesses and tourists long after the Games.
- Cultural Exchange: The event fosters intercultural dialogue and understanding, promoting diversity and tolerance.
Negative Impacts:
- Financial Burden: The costs of hosting the Olympics can be exorbitant, often leading to budget deficits and increased taxes.
- Displacement: Construction projects for Olympic venues can displace residents and businesses, disrupting communities.
- Environmental Impact: The Games can have a significant environmental footprint, requiring careful planning and mitigation measures.
- White Elephants: Some Olympic venues become underutilized after the Games, resulting in wasted resources.
PARIS OLYMPIC 2024 SPORTS
The Paris 2024 Olympics features a total of 32 sports. This includes 28 returning sports and 4 new additions.
The 32 Sports are:
- Aquatics: Swimming, Marathon Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball (3×3, Basketball)
- Boxing
- Breaking*
- Canoe (Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom)
- Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Road Cycling, Track Cycling)
- Equestrian (Equestrian Eventing, Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Jumping)
- Fencing
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics (Artistic Gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline Gymnastics)
- Handball
- Hockey
- Judo
- Modern Pentathlon
- Rowing
- Rugby (Rugby Sevens)
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding*
- Sport Climbing*
- Surfing*
- Table Tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball (Beach Volleyball, Volleyball)
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling (Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling)
*Indicates new sports added to the Olympic program.
Total Indian Players in PARIS OLYMPIC 2024
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, India will be represented by 117 athletes across 16 sports disciplines. This contingent consists of 70 men and 47 women, who will compete in 69 events for a total of 95 medals.
Tennis player Rohan Bopanna, at 44 years old, is the oldest Indian athlete competing in Paris 2024, while swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, at just 14 years old, is the youngest. The largest representation comes from athletics, with 29 athletes in this discipline.
Trap shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who secured India’s first quota for Paris 2024 at the 2022 ISSF World Championships, did not make it to the final team after national trials. Instead, Prithviraj Tondaiman was awarded the quota in the men’s trap event.
Indian shooters have achieved a historic milestone by securing quotas in every Olympic shooting category for the first time. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) also made a strategic adjustment by exchanging one of the pistol quotas for a women’s trap shooter. Manu Bhaker, who excelled in the national trials in the women’s 10m air pistol and women’s 25m pistol, allowed for this quota swap. The freed quota in the pistol category was allocated to Shreyasi Singh for the women’s trap event.
Rudrankksh Patil, who had secured a men’s 10m air rifle shooting quota, did not make it to the final team either. Sandeep Singh replaced him following the national trials. Similarly, Tilottama Sen, Akhil Sheoran, Mehuli Ghosh, Shriyanka Sadangi, Varun Tomar, and Palak Gulia, all of whom secured quotas in their respective events, were also not selected for the final team.
In sports like shooting and wrestling, quotas are awarded to countries rather than individual athletes. This allows for the replacement of athletes who secured quotas if they do not make the final team, leading up to the Games.
The final selection of athletes for the Paris Games is at the discretion of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of each country. Therefore, the participation of Indian athletes in Paris 2024 depends on their NOC’s selection process.
Race walkers Priyanka Goswami and Akshdeep Singh were the first Indians to qualify for athletics events at Paris 2024. In the men’s 20km race walk, four Indian athletes achieved the Paris Olympics qualifying standard, with one making the cut through world rankings. However, as each national federation can send a maximum of three athletes in this event, Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh, and Paramjeet Singh Bisht were selected, with Ram Baboo not making the cut.
Priyanka and Akshdeep also secured a quota for India in the marathon race walk mixed relay event, with Suraj partnering Priyanka for Paris.
Meeting the entry standard or securing a quota is only part of the Olympic qualification process. The final decision on athlete selection is made by the NOC.
Murali Sreeshankar, who achieved the long jump qualifying standard, will not compete in Paris due to a knee injury that has sidelined him for the entire 2024 season.
India reclaimed the boxing quota in the women’s 57kg category through Jaismine Lamboria at the Olympic qualifiers in Bangkok in June, following the suspension of the original quota-holder, Parveen Hooda, due to whereabouts failures.
Here is the complete breakdown of Indian athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics:
| Sport | Number of Athletes |
|---|---|
| Athletics | 29 |
| Shooting | 21 |
| Hockey (Men’s and Women’s) | 32 |
| Badminton | 4 |
| Wrestling | 12 |
| Boxing | 8 |
| Other Sports | 11 |
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