The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 10 practical question and answers

This is the event not to be missed during the summer of 2024 in Paris! Held in France from 26 July to 8 September 2024, the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will welcome thousands of international athletes and many more spectators. All will be gathering in France around a common passion, a love of sport. From the Grand Palais de Paris to the beaches of Tahiti, this event promises to be one to remember. For a quick overview, here are the answers to 10 questions you may have!

1. When do the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games take place?

For several weeks, Paris and France will be the focus of the world. The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in two phases. The Olympic Games take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. An exception to this: the handball football and rugby tournaments, which due to their extensive calendar of matches will start on 24 July 2024. The Paralympic Games take place from 28 August to 8 September 2024.

2. Where do the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games take place?

The vast majority of the events will take place in Paris ... The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are also being held across France. Most of the events will take place in the capital, including at landmark monumental sites that are well known to the public: fencing and taekwondo at the Grand Palais, beach volleyball and blind football at the Stade Eiffel, swimming, triathlon, and on-road cycling at the Pont Alexandre III. Also hosting events are historic stadiums like Parc des Princes, Stade de France, and Stade Roland Garros.

In mainland France, the cities of Bordeaux, Nantes, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille will host the football tournament. The Pierre de Mauroy stadium in Lille will be the venue for the handball matches, and the Marina of Marseille (in the Mediterranean Sea) for the sailing events. Overseas, Tahiti, with its exceptional Teahupo'o wave, will host the surfing event.

More information on the venues for the sporting events of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

3. Are there new disciplines to discover during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

There is going to be ‘dancing’ in Paris 2024! Breaking is making its debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Also known as breakdancing, this style of dance, derived from hip-hop, consists of acrobatic movements on the floor, accompanied by a rhythmic soundtrack. The events - both men's and women's - consist of ‘battles’ between 16 participants, one-on-one, to music set by a DJ. The dancers compete for the highest artistic score from the judges, to become the first Olympic medallists in the history of this discipline. Events will take place on 9 and 10 August 2024, in Place de la Concorde, Paris. Sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing are the other three new sports for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

More information on new events for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

4. How can I become a volunteer for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

This is an opportunity to be part of something historic! 45,000 volunteers are expected at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. A unique chance to be part of the organization of this unique global event, to welcome visitors from all over the world, and see some of the most renowned French and international athletes. The process could not be simpler: register on the volunteers' portal on the Paris 2024 website from 22 March to 3 May, 2023, the applications are looked at in the spring and summer of 2023 and applicants are notified in autumn 2023. Conditions include being at least 18 years old on 1 January 2024, speaking French and/or English, and being available for at least 10 days between the opening of the Athletes' Village and two days after the closing of the Paralympic Games.

More information on how to become a volunteer for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

5. Where is the Paris 2024 Olympic Village?

It is so big that it stretches over ... three different municipalities in Seine-Saint-Denis! The Olympic Village is located in Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen and Île-Saint-Denis, at the gateway to Paris. This campus is the friendly and privileged place to live for the athletes during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It has been designed for and with the athletes, with a special focus on the welcome, well-being and comfort of athletes from around the world. Some 25,000 athletes are expected in the Olympic Village: 14,500 during the Olympic Games and 9,000 during the Paralympic Games.

6. Where can I see the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

This will be a first in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. The opening ceremonies will not take place in a stadium, as is traditional, but in the heart of Paris! For the Olympic Games, the Opening Ceremony will be held along the Seine River, an extraordinary setting. On 26 July 2024, the national delegations will travel six kilometres along the river aboard small boats from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadéro, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. A record 600,000 spectators are expected to attend the event.

The Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games will be just as impressive. On 28 August 2024, 4,400 athletes will parade down the famous Champs-Élysées Avenue to the Place de la Concorde. Two events not to be missed, for fans of sport, but also for the beauty of the occasion.

More information on the Paris 2024Opening and Closing Ceremonies

7. What is the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad?

Sport is also a question of culture.  That is why the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are also organizing a Cultural Olympiad. This programme explores the links between sport and culture through artistic projects, such as shows or exhibitions, which will be held all over France between summer 2022 and September 2024. The invitation to participate was launched in April 2022, and it is possible to apply until 2024.

More information on the Cultural Olympiad

8. What do the official Paris 2024 mascots look like and how can I get them?

A nod to France’s history. The official mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are the Phryges, in the form of little Phrygian caps. Made popular during the French Revolution, the Phrygian cap is a symbol of freedom known throughout the world. Centuries later, it has been the inspiration for the official mascots of Paris 2024. One mascot, wearing trainers, personifies the Olympic Games. Another, equipped with a prosthesis for its right leg, personifies the Paralympic Games. The Phrygian mascots are available as soft toys, or pictured on mugs, jumpers, and bags, and can be purchased on the dedicated website set up by the Paris Tourist Office, or on the website of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, or in the Paris 2024 shop, situated in the Forum des Halles, Rue Pierre Lescot in the 1st arrondissement.

More information on the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games official mascots

Buy the soft toy official mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympics

9. How can I buy tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

With almost 10 million tickets on sale for the Olympic Games and almost 3.4 million for the Paralympic Games, there will be something for everyone! But to get your precious ticket, you have to follow a specific timetable. First of all, you have to register for the draw on the official Paris 2024 ticketing website, from 1 December 2022 to 31 January 2023. This is the first phase of sales concerning the purchase of customized packs. From 15 February 2023 onwards, the lucky ones will be given a 48-hour window to buy customized packs. The second phase of sales concerns the sale of single tickets. The draw for this second phase of sales will take place from 15 March to 20 April 2023 and will go on sale on 11 May 2023.

More information on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games official ticketing

10. How do I take part in the Marathon pour tous (‘Marathon for All’)?

A dream opportunity for everyone: run on the official route of the Olympic Marathon. All this is possible in Paris 2024! The Marathon pour tous (‘Marathon for All’) initiative gives the public the chance to tread in the footsteps of Olympic athletes. The prestigious 42.195 km course runs from Paris City Hall to the Esplanade des Invalides, passing through the town of Versailles and its famous royal palace. Another 10 km route, within Paris itself, is also scheduled. To participate in one or both of these unique events, you must be at least 20 years old and register on one of the three official platforms: Club Paris 2024, the app Marathon Pour Tous or Team Orange Running.

Plus d’infos sur le Marathon pour tous (‘Marathon for All’)