The Paris Olympics are just days away, bringing with them a promise of thrilling athletic competitions and memorable moments. With Team GB assembling a formidable squad of 327 athletes and UK Sport setting an ambitious medal target of 50 to 70, the stage is set for a spectacular showcase of sporting excellence.
Officially opening on Friday, July 26, and closing on Sunday, August 11, the Paris 2024 Olympics will begin their sporting action as early as Wednesday, July 24.
This comprehensive guide provides a day-by-day breakdown of the key highlights, ensuring you won’t miss any excitement.
Day 2: Wednesday, July 24 – 0 Gold Medals
The Olympics kick off with football and rugby sevens group games. France faces the United States in men’s rugby sevens at 15:30, followed by a men’s football match between the two nations at 20:00.
The US men’s football team will be a focal point in its first Olympic appearance since 2008. Team GB will not be competing in football as there is no agreement among the home nations on how to combine.
There is also no GB men’s sevens team, as they failed to qualify. Uzbekistan faces Spain in the football group games at 14:00. This marks the first time a Central Asian nation has qualified for the Games.
Fiji, the holders in men’s sevens, play Uruguay at 16:00. The US men’s football team last won a medal in 1904, during a tournament featuring only three teams, all from North America.
Day 1: Thursday, July 25 – 0 Gold Medals
The women’s football group stage begins, with defending champions Canada playing New Zealand at 16:00 and hosts France facing Colombia at 20:00. The men’s sevens quarter-finals will also take place, with Fiji aiming for a third consecutive gold.
Team GB’s archers will participate in their sport’s ranking round for the individual events. Emma Hayes, coaching the US women’s football team, will make her Olympic debut against Zambia at 20:00.
France’s women’s handball team, the defending world champions, begin their campaign against Hungary at 18:00.
Day 0: Friday, July 26 – 0 Gold Medals
The Opening Ceremony begins at 18:30, featuring a parade of athletes on boats along the River Seine, culminating at the Trocadero.
No British athletes are in action. Similarly, no other nations have athletes competing as all attention is focused on the ceremony. The ceremony will involve more than 90 boats, which have been rehearsed in giant hangars and at a sailing center.
Day 1: Saturday, July 27 – 14 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include diving (women’s synchro 3m springboard), fencing (women’s epee, men’s saber), judo (women’s -48kg, men’s -60kg), road cycling (men’s and women’s individual time trial), rugby sevens (men’s), shooting (mixed team 10m air rifle), skateboard (men’s street), and swimming (men’s 400m free, women’s 400m free, women’s 4x100m free relay, men’s 4x100m free relay).
Josh Tarling and Anna Henderson represent Team GB in road cycling’s time trial. In swimming, Katie Ledecky faces Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh in the women’s 400m freestyle. Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen compete in women’s 3m synchro diving. Team GB begins defending its Olympic team eventing crown at Versailles.
GB’s men play Spain in hockey, and Max Whitlock competes in gymnastics qualifying. Japan’s Yuto Horigome and Sora Shirai lead in skateboarding, and Georgia’s Giorgi Sardalashvili is a contender in judo. Olympic surfing is in Tahiti, 10,000 miles from Paris, featuring the world-class Teahupo’o wave.
Day 2: Sunday, July 28 – 13 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include archery (women’s team), canoe slalom (women’s K1), fencing (men’s epee, women’s foil), judo (women’s -52kg, men’s -66kg), mountain bike (women’s cross-country), shooting (men’s and women’s 10m air pistol), skateboard (women’s street), and swimming (men’s 400m individual medley, women’s 100m fly, men’s 100m breast).
Adam Peaty aims for a third consecutive Olympic title in the 100m breaststroke. French swimmer Leon Marchand competes in the 400m individual medley final. Evie Richards competes in women’s cross-country mountain biking.
Chelsie Giles fights in judo’s -52kg category, and Team GB archers compete in the women’s team event. Simone Biles leads the US in women’s gymnastics qualifying.
France’s men’s water polo team faces Hungary, and the women’s street skateboarding final occurs. South Korea dominates women’s team archery, winning every title since 1988.
Day 3: Monday, July 29 – 18 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include archery (men’s team), artistic gymnastics (men’s team), canoe slalom (men’s C1), diving (men’s synchro 10m platform), equestrian (eventing jumping team, eventing jumping individual), fencing (men’s foil, women’s saber), judo (women’s -57kg, men’s -73kg), mountain bike (men’s cross-country), shooting (men’s and women’s 10m air rifle), and swimming (women’s 400m individual medley, men’s 200m free, men’s 100m back, women’s 100m breaststroke).
Tom Daley and Noah Williams compete in the men’s 10m synchro diving final. Matt Richards and Duncan Scott represent GB in the 200m freestyle, while Tom Pidcock defends his mountain bike title. Eventing concludes at Versailles. Adam Burgess competes in canoe slalom’s C1 final.
Seonaid McIntosh aims for a medal in the 10m air rifle. The women’s team gymnastics final, featuring Simone Biles, takes place. French triathlete Leon Marchand competes in the swimming finals. Turkey’s archery team, led by Mete Gazoz, aims for a men’s team event medal.
Day 4: Tuesday, July 30 – 14 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include artistic gymnastics (women’s team final), fencing (women’s epee team), judo (women’s -63kg, men’s -81kg), rugby sevens (women’s), shooting (mixed team 10m air pistol, men’s trap), surfing (men’s and women’s), swimming (women’s 100m back, men’s 800m free, men’s 4x200m free relay), table tennis (mixed doubles), and triathlon (men’s individual).
Alex Yee competes in the men’s triathlon, hoping to upgrade his Tokyo silver to gold. The women’s team gymnastics final could see Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee in action. GB’s men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team aims for gold.
Charlotte Dujardin competes in dressage, aiming to become Britain’s most decorated female Olympian. Joe Clarke returns in canoe slalom’s K1 heats. Team GB faces Ireland in women’s rugby sevens.
Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee lead the US in women’s team gymnastics. The men’s triathlon features a challenging course in Paris. China aims to reclaim the mixed doubles table tennis title but faces intense competition from Japan.
Day 5: Wednesday, July 31 – 17 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include artistic gymnastics (men’s individual all-around), BMX freestyle (men’s and women’s), canoe slalom (women’s C1), diving (women’s synchro 10m platform), fencing (men’s saber team), judo (women’s -70kg, men’s -90kg), rowing (men’s quadruple sculls, women’s quadruple sculls), shooting (women’s trap), swimming (women’s 100m free, men’s 200m fly, women’s 1500m free, men’s 200m breast, men’s 100m free), and triathlon (women’s individual).
Beth Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown lead Team GB in the women’s triathlon. Max Whitlock competes in the men’s all-around gymnastics final. BMX freestyle finals feature Charlotte Worthington and Kieran Reilly—rowing finals in quadruple sculls.
Seonaid McIntosh competes in the women’s trap final. GB women’s hockey faces South Africa. Caeleb Dressel and David Popovici compete in the men’s 100m freestyle. France’s men’s water polo team faces Hungary. Lois Toulson and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix aim for a historic women’s synchro diving medal.
Day 6: Thursday, August 1 – 18 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include artistic gymnastics (women’s individual all-around), athletics (men’s and women’s 20km race walk), canoe slalom (men’s K1), fencing (women’s foil team), judo (women’s -78kg, men’s -100kg), rowing (women’s double sculls, men’s double sculls, women’s coxless four, men’s coxless four), sailing (men’s and women’s boat), shooting (men’s 50m rifle three positions), and swimming (women’s 200m fly, men’s 200m back, women’s 200m breast, women’s 4x200m free relay).
Helen Glover leads GB’s women’s four in rowing. Joe Clarke competes in the K1 canoe slalom final. Simone Biles aims for a historic second all-around title in women’s gymnastics. Golf starts with Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood.
Luke Greenbank competes in the men’s 200m backstroke final. Beth Shriever and Kye Whyte continue their BMX racing journey. Katie Ledecky aims for a historic 13th medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Spain’s Maria Perez competes in the women’s 20km race walk. Turkey’s Mete Gazoz aims for a medal in men’s team archery.
Day 7: Friday, August 2 – 17 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include archery (mixed team), athletics (men’s 10,000m), badminton (mixed doubles), BMX racing (men’s and women’s), diving (men’s synchro 3m springboard), equestrian (jumping team), fencing (men’s epee team), judo (women’s +78kg, men’s +100kg), rowing (men’s coxless pair, women’s coxless pair, men’s lightweight double sculls, women’s lightweight double sculls), sailing (men’s and women’s windsurfing), shooting (women’s 50m rifle three positions), swimming (men’s 50m free, women’s 200m back, men’s 200m individual medley), tennis (mixed doubles), and trampoline gymnastics (women’s and men’s).
Keely Hodgkinson competes in the 800m heats. Jack Laugher dives with Anthony Harding in men’s 3m synchro. BMX racing finals feature Beth Shriever and Kye Whyte. Ben Proud competes in the men’s 50m freestyle final.
Seonaid McIntosh aims for a medal in women’s 50m rifle three positions. GB’s equestrian team competes in the team jumping final. Caeleb Dressel competes in the men’s 50m freestyle final. Joshua Cheptegei faces Selemon Barega in the men’s 10,000m. Vincent Hancock aims for a record fourth gold in men’s skeet shooting.
Day 8: Saturday, August 3 – 27 Gold Medals
Gold medal events include archery (women’s individual), artistic gymnastics (men’s floor, women’s vault, men’s pommel horse finals), athletics (men’s shot put, women’s triple jump, mixed 4x400m relay, women’s 100m, men’s decathlon), badminton (women’s doubles), equestrian (dressage grand prix special team), fencing (women’s saber team), judo (mixed team), road cycling (men’s road race), rowing (women’s single sculls, men’s single sculls, women’s eight, men’s eight), shooting (women’s 25m pistol, men’s skeet), swimming (men’s 100m fly, women’s 200m individual medley, women’s 800m free, mixed 4x100m medley relay), table tennis (women’s singles), and tennis (women’s singles, men’s doubles).
Dina Asher-Smith competes in the women’s 100m final. Max Whitlock aims for a historic fourth medal on the pommel horse. GB’s women’s eight competes in rowing. Team GB seeks to defend its title in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Tom Pidcock competes in the men’s road race. Kayak Cross makes its Olympic debut with GB’s athletes. Iga Swiatek competes in the women’s singles tennis final. Katie Ledecky aims for a fourth consecutive gold in the women’s 800m freestyle. Vincent Hancock aims for a record fourth gold in men’s skeet shooting, joining an elite group of athletes.
Wrap up
The Paris 2024 Olympics are poised to deliver an extraordinary spectacle of athletic achievement and international camaraderie. From the historic opening ceremony on the River Seine to the thrilling finals across various disciplines, these Games promise to be unforgettable.
Team GB’s athletes are ready to make their mark, competing in many events to bring home a significant medal haul. As the world tunes in to witness the pinnacle of sporting excellence, the Paris Olympics will undoubtedly create lasting memories and inspire future generations of athletes.
