By Lj Holmgren, M.S. in Sports Management Lecturer and Deputy Program Director
Paris, a city with a rich Olympic history, is set to host the Games for the third time this summer. The events will involve 206 nations and 10,500 athletes competing in 32 sports over 16 days of competition at 35 venues, with the unique addition of surfing competitions on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.
With the iconic Eiffel Tower as a stunning backdrop and the Opening Ceremony on July 26 consisting of a flotilla with over 160 boats carrying athletes and delegations on the picturesque Seine River, this year’s Olympics are set to be a visual spectacle that will capture global attention.
On top of that, Paris will also host the Paralympics for the first time, kicking off on August 28 with a parade of athletes through the heart of Paris. The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games will involve 4,400 athletes representing 182 nations competing in 22 sports over 11 days of competition at 20 venues, including the Eiffel Tower Stadium. The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are also the first to hold the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for universal accessibility.
What will be different at this year’s Games? Here are five things to look out for (and a sneak peak at the 2028 Los Angeles Games):
Gender Parity
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be an historic milestone in the Olympic Movement, as they are set to achieve gender parity for the first time. This significant achievement, with an equal number of male and female participants among the 10,500 athletes, marks an important step towards promoting gender equality in sports.
The Most Digital Games
The days of gathering around the TV to watch the Games with friends and family are over. The excitement is now easily accessible through digital platforms, including streaming options, phones, tablets, smart TVs, and social media. This shift in coverage brings the Games to fans’ fingertips and offers new ways to experience and interact with the event. When Beijing hosted the Olympics in 2008, the Games were measured by TV coverage and global audience reach. Now, metrics include digital coverage, digital reach, and video views. The 2020 Tokyo Games (hosted in 2021 due to the pandemic) saw 3.05 billion unique views across multiple platforms.
In the United States, NBCUniversal’s extensive coverage will involve 1,500 streaming hours (up from 1,200 during Tokyo 2020), 140 network hours on broadcast TV, screening of the Opening Ceremony in more than 150 IMAX movie theaters, insider looks through podcasts, and the addition of 27 content creators contracted to cover the Games on platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Overtime, and Meta as part of NBCUniversal’s “multi-platform social creator program.” This comprehensive digital coverage ensures that fans can experience the Games in new and exciting ways.
Athletes as Brands and Content Creators
Athletes’ personal social media accounts allow for 24-hour insider coverage of the Games. What better way to learn about the Games than to follow Olympians and Paralympians on social media? Gone are the days when fans only learned athletes’ stories from network hosts and their research team. Now, fans can scroll through social media profiles for an inside look at their lives and journeys to the Games. Athletes have become content creators by documenting their lives on YouTube, participating in viral challenges and dances on TikTok, and curating pictures on Instagram. We can expect content ranging from unboxing gear to an inside look at the Olympic and Paralympic Village as athletes and teams try to fill the audience’s insatiable appetite for content.
Introducing New Sports
With a push to bring the Games to a new generation of viewers, the events selected for the sports program have changed over time. Gone are the days of Olympic tug-of-war, croquet, standing broad jump, and tumbling. Over the past few Games, some new sports, like karate, have been introduced, but will not be returning to the Paris Games. Others like surfing, sport climbing, and skateboarding were added to the 2020 Tokyo program and will return in 2024.
So, how are new sports chosen for the Games? Competitions are selected by the organizing committees and based on their popularity in the host country. Kayak cross and breaking are brand new competitions added to the 2024 Paris Games, with 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls competing for the first Olympic medals in the sport.
A Focus on Sustainability
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) adopted a sustainability strategy that includes three “spheres of responsibility." These include the IOC - the owner of the Olympic Games and the organization that is the leader of the Olympic Movement. Under these spheres, the IOC focuses on five areas using impact, control, and influence lenses: infrastructure, sourcing and resource management, mobility, workforce, and climate.
With this strategy in place, the 2024 Paris Organizing Committee is reducing the number of new venues built; providing more low-carbon, plant-based food in the Athletes’ Village; eliminating single-use plastics; and planning to convert the Athletes’ Village into 2,200 family homes post-Games.
Passing the Torch
Even before the torch is passed at the close of the 2024 Games, the 2028 Los Angeles Organizing Committee is already getting ready for its Games. A few things to look forward to in LA28 are even more attention to sustainability; the introduction of more new sports, including cricket, flag football, and para climbing in the Paralympic sport program; the return of a modified version of lacrosse (sixes), last appearing at the 1908 London Games; and the return of some old favorites, including softball and baseball.
About the Program
The Columbia University M.S. in Sports Management provides students with a comprehensive curriculum and access to sports industry practitioners and influencers. Students acquire skills in areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation, global sports management, facility and event management, and sports law and ethics.
