The 2024 Paris Olympics promise to be a groundbreaking event, not just for the historic city but for the global sporting community. With unique features and milestones, this year’s Games will showcase innovations and traditions that set them apart. From medals infused with pieces of the Eiffel Tower to competitions stretching across continents, Paris 2024 is set to make history in several ways.
Medals Infused with Eiffel Tower Iron: Olympians who win a medal will take home a real piece of the Eiffel Tower. Fragments of iron removed and preserved during renovations to the iconic structure in the 20th century have been infused into the medals, with each medal containing 18 grams (0.04 pounds) of the Eiffel iron.
Surfing in Tahiti: Forty-eight Olympians at the 2024 Paris Olympics will compete nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris. The surfing events will take place in the French territory of Tahiti, which is 9,320 miles (15,000 km) from Paris. This marks the farthest Olympic competition held outside a host city since 1956.
Gender Parity Milestone: Paris 2024 will be the first Olympics in history to achieve numerical gender parity on the field of play, with an equal number of female and male athletes. Out of the 10,500 athletes participating, 5,250 will be men and 5,250 women.
Phryges Mascots: The Phryges are the official mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Inspired by traditional Phrygian hats, a symbol of France, the mascots were chosen to represent freedom and the allegorical figures of the French Republic.
New Sports Introduced: The Paris 2024 Olympics will feature Breaking as a new sport, with competitions for both men and women where 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will compete in solo battles. Additionally, a new event in canoeing, Extreme Slalom, will be introduced, where four athletes tip off a ramp simultaneously, racing to be the first to reach the bottom of the course.
100-Year Anniversary of a Historic Double Feature: The year 2024 marks 100 years since France hosted a historic double feature Olympic event. In 1924, the Alpine village of Chamonix hosted the very first Winter Olympic Games, followed by the Summer Olympics in Paris just a few months later.
