Summer may have only just ended but we’ve already got one eye on next year as the Olympics head to France for Paris 2024. It’s the ultimate celebration of sport, with everything from football and tennis to archery and rowing – and there’s even a new event to look forward to in 2024.
The Olympics get underway on Friday 26th July and will last for just over two weeks, coming to an end on Sunday 11th August. It’s the third time that the games have been held in Paris and next summer marks the 100-year anniversary of the last time the French capital hosted.
Despite Paris being the host city, some events will be held across the country, much like London in 2012. The games will be spread across 16 different cities, with sports like football, handball and sailing held elsewhere.
And if you’ve booked your flights to France early in the hope of seeing the surfing, we’ve got some bad news for you. While France boasts many stunning beaches, in order to get the best conditions, all surfing events are taking place in Teahupo’o on the island of Tahiti, almost 16,000km from Paris.
Surfing was one of four sports that debuted at Tokyo 2021, alongside skateboarding, karate and climbing. Next year’s games will also see the introduction of competitive breakdancing as an event.
Great Britain have gone from strength to strength since the turn of the century and their 65-medal haul at London 2012 was the first time they’d ever won more than 60 at an Olympics.
Since then, they’ve bagged 67 in Rio and another 64 in Tokyo, so there’s hope that they can continue in a similar vein at Paris 2024. However, there may be a slight drop off. A forecast earlier this year predicted that we’ll bring home 62 medals, which would still be another magnificent return – but they’ll be confident of claiming more than that.
On the track, Keely Hodgkinson will be determined to go one better than the silver she secured two years ago. The 800-metre runner also bagged silver at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month and there’s every chance she’ll be among our gold stars.
Similarly, Laura Muir is also looking to improve on her silver medal from Tokyo. The Scot was disappointed to finish sixth in the 1500m at the worlds following a difficult season but with a year of consistency under her belt, she could bounce back next summer.
Sprinters Zharnel Hughes and Dina Asher-Smith will fancy their chances at finishing on the podium. Hughes has never won an Olympic medal while Asher-Smith has twice claimed bronze in the 4 x 100m relay.
Elsewhere, skateboarding world champion and Team GB’s youngest ever Olympic medalist Sky Brown is expected to do well again. And in gymnastics, Jessica Gadirova will be looking to build on her floor exercise gold medal from last year’s World Championships.
Team GB have traditionally done well in the pool and that success is in large part down to Adam Peaty. The breaststroke specialist has five Olympic medals to his name, including three golds, and he’s expected to add to his collection in Paris.
Tokyo 2020 stars Charlotte Worthington, who won gold in freestyle BMX, and Alex Yee, who bagged gold in the mixed relay and silver in the triathlon, will also be looking to build on their Olympic legacies at Paris 2024.
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