A Historic Olympic Games

The 2024 Summer Olympics, held in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024, marked a significant milestone as Paris became the second city in history to host the Summer Olympics three times.

Groundbreaking Achievements and Innovation

For the first time in Olympic history, the Opening Ceremony was held outside of a stadium, transforming Paris’s most iconic landmarks into sporting venues. The city’s beloved locations, including the Eiffel Tower for beach volleyball and the Chateau de Versailles for equestrian events, became extraordinary sporting arenas.

The Games made history by achieving perfect gender parity on the field of play, with the International Olympic Committee distributing an equal number of quotas to female and male athletes among the 10,500 participants. This commitment to equality was further demonstrated when 96% of National Olympic Committees chose both a female and male athlete to carry their flags.

Competition Highlights and Medal Count

The United States and China tied for first place with 40 gold medals each, marking the first-ever gold medal tie between the two most successful nations in Summer Olympic history. The United States topped the overall medal table with 126 total medals, while China secured 91 medals.

Host nation France finished fifth with 16 gold medals and 64 total medals. The Games also celebrated new milestones for several nations, with Dominica, Saint Lucia, Cape Verde, and Albania winning their first-ever Olympic medals.

Legacy and Impact

The Paris Olympics left a lasting legacy, with strong engagement and successful sustainability initiatives. The Paris 2024 Forum highlighted the transformative power of sport and its positive impact on French citizens through various Games-related initiatives.

The Games also introduced breaking as a new Olympic sport, featuring 16 men and 16 women competitors, though it will not return for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.