OLYMPIC GAMES
When do the 2024 Paris Olympics end? When is the closing ceremony?
Officially opened on Friday, the 33rd Summer Olympic Games will span nearly three weeks of competition, before coming to a climax in mid-August.
The curtain was officially raised on the 2024 Olympics on Friday, in an opening ceremony that saw athletes from 205 teams take part in a four-mile boat parade along the river Seine.
French greats light the Olympic cauldron
In a rainy Paris, the ceremony reached its climax when legendary French athletes Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec lit the Olympic cauldron in the Jardin des Tuileries, before the ring of flames was lifted into the sky by a hot-air balloon. This was an homage to the fact that the first hydrogen-powered flight of a balloon occurred in the Tuileries in the late 18th century.
The opening ceremony also witnessed a special performance by music icon Céline Dion, who serenaded spectators from the Eiffel Tower. It was the Canadian singer’s first live show since she revealed two years ago that she had been diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome.
How long do the Paris Olympics last?
While the opening ceremony marked the official opening of the 2024 Olympics, some events actually began in the days beforehand. The first action of the Games came on Wednesday July 24, in the men’s soccer tournament. 1992 champions Spain beat Uzbekistan in Group C, and two-time champions Argentina suffered a surprise Group B loss to Morocco - in chaotic circumstances.
Overall, there will be 19 days of competition in France, where the last of the Games’ 329 events - across 32 sports - will be contested on Sunday August 11.
The Olympic action will be closed out by the women’s basketball tournament’s gold-medal game at Bercy Arena - a clash that is very likely to feature the United States. The Stars and Stripes have not failed to win the competition since 1992, and are the bookmakers’ overwhelming favourites for an eighth straight gold. The women’s basketball final is scheduled to tip off at 9:30am ET/6:30am PT.
How can I watch the 2024 Olympics?
Viewers in the United States can watch Paris 2024 on NBC Olympics, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock, as well as NBC sister channels including CNBC, E! and USA Network. Aside from Peacock, your streaming options include fuboTV, which offers users a free trial.
Enjoy the 2024 Olympics on fubo.
At AS USA, you can follow a live blog with the latest medal count.
When is the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony?
Just a few hours after the women’s basketball final, the 2024 Olympics will come to their conclusion with the closing ceremony, which is to be held at 2pm ET/11am PT on August 11. Entitled “Records”, the ceremony will take place inside the Stade de France, the venue for the Games’ track and field events.
The closing ceremony will be “a unique and exceptional show on a 2,800 m2 stage”, the Olympics’ organisers say. “Featuring over a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists, this visual spectacle will bear the signature of artistic director Thomas Jolly.
“An original soundtrack, new interpretations, musical performances and the participation of world-renowned singers will complete the picture. Part of the show will take place in the air, while the giant sets, costumes and spectacular lighting effects will take spectators on a journey through time, both past and future.”