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2024 Summer Olympics: Everything you need to know

Here's what to know about Paris Games, the opening ceremony and Team USA.

DENVER — With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games set to begin in Paris, here's everything you need to know about the Games and Team USA, and how to watch.

When are the 2024 Summer Olympics?

The Summer Games are being held Friday, July 26 through Sunday, Aug. 11. A few sports start competition before the opening ceremony. Some men's soccer and rugby will be played on July 24. Archery, women's soccer, women's handball and rugby begin on July 25.

Where are the 2024 Olympics?

The Summer Games are hosted by the city of Paris, which previously hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924. Some destinations that will be used as competition venues include:

There are 35 competition venues: 13 in Paris, 12 in Ile-de-France and 10 in the rest of France. Surfing is being held in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, in French Polynesia.

Credit: AP
The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

What's the time difference between the U.S. and France?

Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast and eight hours ahead of Denver.

That means most Olympic competition will start about 1 a.m. and end by 4 p.m. MT.

How many athletes will compete in the 2024 Olympics?

About 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete. There will also be a team of refugee athletes who compete under the Olympic flag.

How many American athletes will compete in the Olympics?

Team USA has about 600 athletes from 48 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands. The only two states that don't boast a hometown athlete are Wyoming and North Dakota.

On the U.S. roster, women outnumber men 314 to 278. Athletes range in age from 16 to 59.

Some of the more well-known members of Team USA include Simone Biles and Suni Lee (gymnastics), Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson (track and field), LeBron James and Diana Taurasi (basketball), and Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel (swimming).

When is the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony and how do I watch?

Credit: AP
A rescue boat cruises on the Seine river near the Eiffel Tower on Monday, June. 17, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

NBC coverage of the opening ceremony will start at 10 a.m. MT, Friday, July 26, 2024. The ceremony itself starts at 11:30 a.m. Instead of being held in a stadium, the opening ceremony will be a four-mile-long floating procession down the Seine River.

Viewers can also watch on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com and the NBC/NBC Sports apps. Spanish-language coverage will air on Telemundo starting at 11 a.m.

The opening ceremony will air again in primetime, beginning at 6:30 p.m. MT on NBC. 

Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning and Mike Tirico will host NBC’s coverage. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, hosts of “Today,” will also be part of the broadcast team.

How do I watch the Olympics?

NBC and 9NEWS will air live competition each morning and afternoon during the Olympics. USA Network, GOLF Channel, CNBC, E! and Universo will also air Olympics coverage. Viewers can watch livestreams of all events on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com and the NBC and NBC Sports apps.

During primetime, NBC will show the biggest moments from the day's competition and go behind-the-scenes with the athletes.

Click here for the full NBC Olympics schedule.

How many sports are there in the 2024 Summer Olympics?

Olympic athletes in Paris will compete in 329 events in 32 sports. The only new sport is breaking. There are also several new events in existing sports, including kayak cross and kiteboarding.

The sports in the 2024 Olympics are:

  • Aquatics (Swimming, Marathon Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming)
  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball (3x3, 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)

What do the medals look like for the 2024 Olympics?

The medals awarded from the Paris Olympics and Paralympics will contain a chunk of iron from the Eiffel Tower.

The Paris Mint manufactured about 2,600 medals for the Olympics and 2,400 for the Paralympics.

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