2024 Paris Olympics: Key things to know
The 33rd edition of the modern Olympic Games kick off with an opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 in Paris. The event is bringing together over 10,000 athletes from across the world who will compete for 17 days in the world’s most prestigious sports gathering.
Cameroon has six athletes who will compete in athletics, swimming, judo, and table tennis. In total, there are 32 sports that will be on display.
Paris will be hosting the Games for the third time after doing so in 1900 and 1924. It is among the 21 cities to have ever hosted the event. No African city has hosted the Olympics since its creation in 1896 by French educator Pierre de Coubertin. The modern Olympics came after the ancient Olympic Games traced back to 776 BC in Greece.
American swimmer, Michael Phelps, stands as the most successful athlete in the event’s history. He has the highest number of medals, 28, with 23 of them in gold.
Some key emblems of the Games include the Olympic rings (5) which symbolize the Olympic movement and the logo which represents the union of the five inhabited continents of the world. The six Olympic colours represented, symbolize the colours on the flags of every competing country.
There is also the Olympic flame which stands for peace and friendship. The flame is transported in the Olympic torch and remains lit throughout the Games. The final torchbearer lights the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony to mark the start of the Games. The flame from the cauldron is only extinguished when the Games end.
Before the competition starts, an Olympic oath is taken at the opening ceremony by representatives of each group of participants (athletes, coaches, judges).
“We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honour of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
About the motto of the Games, there are four words now “Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter”. The Latin words mean “Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together”. The last word “Together” was only added in 2021.
The next Games will be hosted by Los Angeles in 2028. The city has also hosted the Olympics twice in 1932 and 1984.
