There will be plenty of flag-waving fans from all over the world. And COVID-19 testing, hopefully, won’t be a Games-defining activity.
After a fanless (and delayed) 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in which there were almost no international fans, a more familiar version of the Games is on tap for Paris.
Gone are the worries about testing positive for COVID-19 and being immediately banned from competing or travelling — though the virus clearly still could affect competition, as evidenced by five Australian water polo players testing positive in the Olympic Village this week.
It’s also the first Olympics not in Asia since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, meaning the majority of big events will be in daytime hours for potential bigger audiences in the Americas. Paris is six hours ahead of Eastern Time.
“Heading into Paris, I’m looking for a completely brand new experience,” said Canadian beach volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes ahead of the Olympics. “I’m so lucky to do this with (new partner) Brandie (Wilkerson) and head in with a different mindset. I really get to enjoy what the Olympic journey means with Brandie. I think that’s really special.”
It seems the paying public is excited, too.
AFP reported earlier this month that Paris organizers have sold 8.6 million tickets, already 300,000 more than the record set in 1996 in Atlanta. When the Games close on Aug. 11, Paris expects to have sold 10 million tickets.
The pomp and pageantry associated with the traditional Games figures to be one of the main storylines as the Summer Olympics return to Paris for the first time in 100 years.
Organizers are looking for more than a return to normal. The opening ceremony on Friday is set to be the first to be held outside a stadium, with athletes set to be paraded down the Seine River in boats in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.
But as always, the Olympics will be about more than sport. What’s happening in the world at the time always comes into play at the Games — which means security will be a major story. Before the opening ceremony, the French rail network was sabotaged, leading to massive delays and a full-scale investigation.
Meanwhile, we’ve already had our first major Olympic controversy with the Canadian women’s soccer team’s doping scandal.
Here’s a look at some of the big talking points on and off the fields of play:
Geopolitics and safety
Russia’s representation will be dramatically different at these Games, as has been the case with all international sporting events since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As of earlier this month, just 16 Russian athletes were slated to compete in individual sports and will do so as neutral athletes with no flag or anthem if they hit the podium.
That will have a major impact on the medal table, as Russia won the third-most medals at the Tokyo Games.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is slated to have its smallest contingent of athletes in Olympic history — 140 — as that country deals with the war.
Of course, Russia-Ukraine is far from the only major current geopolitical conflict.
The Israel-Hamas war, which has led to protests around the world, will present security questions for teams from Israel and Palestine. Israel currently has 88 athletes qualified, while Palestine has eight. Already, we had some tense scenes Wednesday for Israel’s opening men’s soccer game against Mali.
Security, as a whole, will be beefed up in this tense world climate. CNN reported that 35,000 French police officers will be out each day at the Games, with an extra 10,000 for the opening ceremony.
That goes along with 10,000 soldiers and 1,800 international police officers.
Can Lyles emulate Bolt?
Jamaican Usain Bolt won the men’s 100- and 200-metre races for three Olympics in a row from 2008 to ’16.
American Noah Lyles has his eyes set on doing the same thing after accomplishing the feat at last year’s world championships.
It won’t be easy. While he has the fastest time in the 200 this year, he’s only fourth in the 100. Unheralded Jamaican Kishane Thompson rocketed to a 9.77-second 100 last month at a home meet.
Lyles matched his personal-best time of 9.83 seconds in the glamour event at the recent U.S. championships.
“I’d say from this week, I’m pretty confident (in the 100),” Lyles said, per ESPN. “Every time I did a block start, there wasn’t a lot of thinking. It was kind of just doing. It was a lot closer to how I feel in the 200, which is what I’ve been waiting to feel for a very long time now. And every time I get that feeling, it makes the race that much more confident.”
Ledecky’s record quest
American swimmer Katie Ledecky already has won seven Olympic gold medals and 10 medals overall.
She needs two golds to match an all-time women’s record across all sports — held by Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina. Ledecky also is two medals of any colour away from tying the record for most won by a female swimmer.
The Maryland native won four medals at last year’s world championships, so she seems to be in good position to make history. But she’ll be challenged by Canadian Summer McIntosh and Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in what’s shaping up to be an outstanding meet.
This will be the fourth Olympics for Ledecky.
“After London (in 2012), I wanted to get back to that level and prove that I wasn’t just a one-hit wonder,” she said at the U.S. Trials, per USA Today. “But at the same time, I reminded myself that anything more than that is just icing on the cake, cherry on top, whatever. Again, I just never thought I would make it to that one Olympics. That’s the perspective that I think that I’ve been able to maintain and that keeps me focused and keeps me enjoying the sport so much.”
Doping concerns
A doping scandal involving Chinese swimmers will be front of mind at the pool.
World Aquatics announced before the Games that there will be increased drug testing for Chinese swimmers — with at least eight tests a year for one of the sport’s leading countries. That is double the number of tests for most countries.
Eleven members of the current team tested positive for a banned heart medication six months before the Tokyo Olympics, but were not suspended.
A Chinese state-backed investigation in June 2021 blamed mass contamination by food in a hotel kitchen though without evidence to prove it. The case was not publicly revealed until reporting three months ago, by the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD.
The United States has been heavily critical of the World Anti-Doping Agency for accepting China’s findings and is conducting a federal investigation.
“Right now people are just getting away with everything,” legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps told a Congressional hearing in June, per National Public Radio. “How is that possible? It makes no sense. I’m one (who believes) if someone does test positive, I’d like to see a lifetime ban.”
Domestic dispute
France just completed a turbulent election period in which a leftish coalition won the most seats in the national assembly, but did not achieve a majority.
It marks the first time France has a minority situation, split between the winning New Popular Front coalition, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party and the far-right National Rally.
Macron has asked Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to stay on through the Olympics, even though the latter has offered his resignation.
Recently, a major French union, CGT, refused to rule out strikes during the Olympics if it feels Macron is not respecting election results.
Water woes?
Marathon swimming and the triathlon are expected to be held in the Seine, but whether the water will be safe is a major question.
Paris has gone all out to clean up the river, where swimming has essentially been banned for 100 years because of pollution levels
In recent days, various political figures have taken dips in the river to try to show that everything is going well.
If the Seine is unsafe on competition days, Olympic organizers say the triathlon will be turned into a duathlon and marathon swimming can be moved to Vaires-sur-Marne, where rowing and canoeing events will be held.
Biles is back
Simone Biles already has accomplished more than any gymnast in history, but the American will be hoping for a much better experience at these Olympics.
Biles withdrew from several events in Tokyo because of mental health issues and a condition called ‘the twisties’ — causing a gymnast to lose a sense of where they are in the air.
Now, Biles is feeling better and seems poised for more medals. She won four golds and a silver at last year’s world championships.
“I never pictured going to another Olympic Games after Tokyo just because of the circumstances. I never thought I would go back in the gym again, be twisting, feel free,” she said at the U.S. Trials last month, per USA Today. “So it’s actually really exciting.”
Nadal’s last stand?
All eyes will be on the great Rafael Nadal as the tennis competition takes place on the famous clay courts at Roland Garros.
Nadal, 38, has won a record 14 French Opens at the same facility.
However, the Spanish star hasn’t ruled out a return in 2025.
Nadal did skip Wimbledon this year to put his focus on his preferred clay surface, hoping for second run at an Olympic title after taking gold in Beijing in 2008.
Another player from Spain, Carlos Alcaraz, just won Wimbledon. No one would be disappointed to see those two square off on the Olympic stage.
We do know this will be the end for Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who announced this week that he will retire after the Olympics.
Places to be
Roland Garros is one of numerous notable sites hosting events.
The Stade de France is the site for track and field and rugby sevens The 75,000-seat venue hosted the 1998 men’s soccer World Cup, won by the host team
Place de la Concorde, a famous public square at the eastern end of the Champs-Élyséess, hosts BMX freestyle, skateboarding, breaking and 3X3 basketball.
The Grand Palais, built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, welcomes fencing and taekwondo.
There’s also the Eiffel Tower stadium for beach volleyball.
And, nowhere close to actual France, we have surfing in Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia, located in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s known for having some of the best surfing waves in the world.
Hoop it up
NBA stars like LeBron James and Joel Embiid will suit up for the U.S. men’s basketball team, but WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark was not picked for the American women’s team, leading to plenty of debate.
No matter what anyone thinks of that decision, the American women will be heavily favoured to bring home their eighth consecutive gold medal.
The men’s team, with a stacked roster, also is favoured, though they could face competition from numerous opponents, including Victor Wembanyama and host France, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and much-improved Canada.