Going for Gold

This summer, world-class athletes will sail down the Seine. That’s the river that winds through Paris, France.

The city will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Games begin on July 26. The opening parade will take place on the Seine. There will be about 160 boats. It will be the first time the Olympic ceremony hasn’t been held in a stadium. It will also be the largest opening ceremony.

The Summer Olympics happen every four years. This year, some 10,000 athletes will compete. They’ll come from 206 nations. Paris landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower, will be used as sports venues.

The Seine River runs through Paris. There are beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower.

Changing Times

In all, there will be 32 sports at the Games. Expect to see the usual summer events, such as swimming and gymnastics. But some are new to the Olympics. These are skateboarding, climbing, and surfing. Breakdancing will make its Olympic debut.

A basketball player goes up to dunk at Paris’s Olympics Day, in 2018. The event celebrated the upcoming 2024 games.

Organizers wanted to make the Olympics more inclusive. The new sports are popular with young people. Men and women will compete together in many of them.

On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Paris is getting ready. The Seine is being cleaned up. Swimming events will take place in the river. That hasn’t happened since 1900. Paris first hosted the Olympics that year. Shortly after, swimming in the Seine was banned because of pollution.

An old French magazine cover shows a runner who competed in the Paris Olympics in 1900.

Now the Paris Olympics will get back their old charm. Emmanuel Grégoire is the city’s deputy mayor. He told TIME, “Swimming at the foot of the Eiffel Tower will be very romantic.”

Olympic Founder

The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece. We can thank Pierre de Coubertin for introducing them to the modern world. Coubertin was a French educator. He helped found the International Olympic Committee in 1896. That year, the Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. Coubertin believed sports fostered peace among nations.