France to Host the Biggest Ever Sporting Event in History

The XXX111 Summer Olympic Games 2024 will be held in Paris,France from 26th July to 11th August, with some of the competitions scheduled to begin on the 24th. The French capital city was preferred on top of the only other remaining competitor, Los Angeles, USA who will be hosting the Games in 2028. Previously having hosted the world multi sports extravaganza in 1900 & 1924, Paris becomes only the 02nd city to host the Summer Olympic Games on 03 occasions after London – the English capital, which did so in 1908, 1948 & 2012. It is a centenary since the city hosted a Summer Olympiad. France will also host the Winter Olympic Games in the city of Chamonix this year – the centenary of the Winter Olympiad – the third hosted by France.

Approximately 10,500 athletes from 194 nations are expected to compete in 329 events covering 32 sports. 28 competition venues in addition to 05 non competition venues in 05 major cities & 10 other cities & territories will be used for the event. 28 core sports & 04 optional sports proposed by the hosts are included in these games. Breaking makes its debut as an optional sport while Skateboarding, Sport Climbing & Surfing returns from Tokyo, Japan where they were on debut. There are other exclusions, inclusions & expansions in Canoeing, Sport Climbing & Weightlifting. E sport has been excluded.

Russia & Belarus have been banned as participating nations & athletes from these nations will instead compete as only Individual Neutral Athletes without national identification, provided they do not actively support the war in Ukraine. But, despite the Israel – Hamas conflict, Israel is participating as a sovereign nation. The largest contingent of 591 is fielded by the United States of America. Hosts, France has a 567 strong team. Australia 465, Germany 420, China 403 & Japan 399 also comprise large contingents. Meanwhile, Bolivia, Central African Republic, Dominica, Liechtenstein, Laos, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Solomon Islands & Tuvalu – 09 nations will be represented by a single athlete each. The Refugee Olympic team will comprise of 37 whilst 42 are part of the Individual Neutral Athlete segment.

The Phryges are the mascots – a historic French symbol of freedom & liberty. The two mascots share a motto of ” Alone we go Faster, but Together we go Further “. The estimated 09 Billion Euro quadrennial world amateur sporting spectacle is reportedly powered by 15 Worldwide Olympic Partners, 07 Premium Partners, 13 Official Partners & 49 Official Suppliers & Supporters.

Ceylon first participated in the 14th Modern Summer Olympiad of 1948 in London, England. 07 athletes represented the country. Duncan White won the country’s historic first Olympic medal with Silver in the Men’s 400 M hurdles. The island nation of the Indian Ocean has since participated in 19 Games with the exception of 1976 when the 21st Games were held in Montreal, Canada. The largest contingent 0f 18 participated at the 27th Games in Sydney, Australia. That was when Susanthika Jayasinghe was on the podium to receive the Bronze medal. It was the first ever Olympic sprint medal won by an Asian female. Sri Lanka’s 02nd & only female Olympic medalist has since been upgraded to Silver. She is still the only Asian Olympic sprint medalist. The 25th Games of Barcelona, Spain saw 11 athletes representing Sri Lanka. The 20th time Sri Lanka is involved in Paris, France at the 33rd Games is with 06 athletes, 04 of them having qualified. In the 18th Games of Tokyo, Japan in 1964 was the other occasion that Ceylon was represented by 06 athletes. One of them is a hero in the land of the rising sun. Ranathunga Karunananda ran the Men’s 10,000 M event & was lapped 04 times by the leading runners. But he ran all by himself to finish the race, last. Initially jearred but subsequently cheered, he epitomised the Olympic understanding that participating is bigger than winning. 02 days later he was placed one before the last in the Men’s 5000 M heats. He went, he participated. He is a legend in Japan. ‘ Uniform Number 67 ‘ is the Olympic story of the Ceylonese Long Distance Runner – included into Japanese school text books. His competition number was 67.

Despite recent political instability on top of apparent security concerns, the sporting superpowers of the world are geared to battle it out for supremacy to supplement regional arch rivalries. Geographical, cultural, political, gains & losses are at stake.

Let The Games Begin ! All the Best to All.
Take Care. Stay Safe. Explore & Enjoy !