The city of light and love is about to get very busy hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games. From July 26 through August 11 all eyes will be on Paris as the city hosts the 2024 Olympic Games, bringing innovation and singular French style to the greatest sporting competition in the world.
Medals will be awarded in 32 different sporting competitions held in various locations around the country, as well as Tahiti which will host surfing as it makes its debut as an Olympic sport.
Other sports making their Olympic debut are skateboarding and sport climbing, as well as breakdancing. The latter is slated to be one of the most intriguing competitions. Competitors from around the globe will challenge each other’s ability, style and intricate footwork in a tradition that arose from the streets of New York in the 1970s.
There are separate events for men and women who will face off in solo throw-downs scored on creativity, personality, technique, versatility, performance skills and musicality using moves such as windmills, the six-step and freezes.
Paris, which has hosted the games twice before, promises to break other molds as well, being the first city to hold the opening ceremonies elsewhere than the athletic stadium.
In Paris, the Olympics will kick off along the River Seine with 160 boats transporting each nation’s delegates. The floating parade will travel nearly four miles to the Trocadero to close out the ceremony.
And in a distinctly French touch, the luxury jeweler house of Chaumet, founded in 1780, will be designing the gold, silver and bronze medals, turning the symbol of excellence into veritable objets d’art. The medals are constructed using pieces of scrapped iron from the Eiffel Tower’s 2023 refurbishment, and winning athletes will be able to take a piece of the iconic city home with them.
Chaumet is part of the luxury conglomerate LVMH, a natural partner for the Games. VIP guests will sip on LVMH-owned Moët & Chandon champagne and Hennessy cognac. French athletes will be clad in French leather goods maker Berluti and Dior is sponsoring several French athletes.
The organizing committee predicts that 1 billion viewers around the world will tune in for the spectacle where, for two weeks this summer, all eyes will be on Paris.
