Why are some Paris 2024 Olympics events starting before the opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics is scheduled to take place on July 26. However, some sports will begin before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Rugby sevens and football began on July 24, and handball for the women's segment on July 25.
There are multiple reasons for the same schedule. The first and biggest reason for this schedule is historical. According to Benjamin Ceugnart - Competitions Calendar Project Manager at the Paris 2024 Olympics, football started before the opening ceremony during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The tradition has been continued since then.
According to Ceugnart, the sports that are highly athletic and the players can't play every day is another reason. They need 48 hours to recover and perform at their best in the next fixture. Hence, to accommodate the fixtures in the calendar, these sports start before the opening ceremony.
Rugby seven and handball mostly take place from the first day of the Olympics. However, the organizers chose to start these sports before the ceremony to make sure that all the events finished on the last day of the Olympics.
Benjamin Ceugnart also explained that handball and weightlifting will take place in the same arena. So the organizers need to have enough transition period for smooth running for both events.
Snoop Dogg To Carry Torch on its Final Leg in Paris 2024 Olympics
The countdown to the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics has begun. This week, on Friday, the world will witness the beginning of one more edition of one of the biggest sporting events. American rapper Snoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch in its final leg. The rapper will take the torch around the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.
The news was confirmed by the mayor of Paris, Mathieu Hanotin, on Tuesday. Snoop Dogg will be joined by French rapper MC Solaar, and Ukrainian retired pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. There will be more celebrities who will be joining the trio as they carry the flame in its last lap.
The Olympic torch is a part of history, and the tradition began in 1896 in Athens during the first-ever edition of the Modern Olympics. Over the past 2 months, the Olympic torch has been relayed around France, and now it is ready to reach its final destination, which is the Eiffel Tower.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at River Seine, which is situated right at the heart of Paris.