Category: Summer Olympics

Paris 2024, Here We Come!

7/27/2024

Games & Rings Heads To The Paris 2024 Olympics

Paris 2024, here comes Games & Rings! Opening Ceremony watched, now Games & Rings is off to Paris for a week's worth of in-person Olympics-watching.

Follow along with the adventures by keeping an eye on Games & Rings' Instagram channel; from diving on the 29th to soccer on the 5th, and multiple other sports and Paris action in between, the Games fun is about to become even more real for Games & Rings...

Can't wait to get on the grounds and start cheering.

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Sport-by-Sport Burning Questions For Paris 2024

7/12/2024

What Answers Am I Looking Forward To Being Answered At Paris 2024?

We're only 14 days away from the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! (And only 12 days from the start of actual competition!)

And I've got loads of sport-by-sport questions needing answers as the Games unfold. Who will make the podiums? Who will be the breakout star(s)? The underdog hero? On and on...

But there is definitely a lead story line I'll be following across each of Paris 2024's 32 sports - check them out below. I can't wait to find out what transpires...and to see some of these unfold in person at the Games!

What are yours? Let me know in the comments...

And keep an eye on my 'A Little Roundup' posts on this site to stay in touch with select news items and headlines featuring Olympic sports' athletes as the Games approach.

It goes beyond sport.
It's the Olympic Spirit.#MoreThanSport | #Paris2024 | #Olympics | @Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/f1x1hvT8rH
â€” The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 12, 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Is Unveiled

7/25/2023

How Does The New Summer Olympic Torch Compare to Others?

Today, the torch for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics was revealed; this will be used in the official Torch Relay leading up to the Games next summer, and will share 'the spirit of the Games throughout the host city and across the country'.

For the 2024 Olympics, the torch will reach France on May 8, 2024 in Marseille after a Mediteranean journey from Greece. From there, it will cross France until the Opening Ceremony on July 26, when it will light the official Games cauldron by the final relay torchbearer; always a highlight of the evening.

Designer Mathieu Lehanneur was commissioned to work on the torch, inspired by the themes of 'equality, water, and peacefulness' - resulting in symmetry, waves, and gentle curves, respectively. The unique champagne color of the torch adds a sense of 'lightness'.

Some fact and figures:

Size: 70cm
Minimum diameter: 3.5cm
Maximum diameter: 10cm
Weight: 1.5kg
Color: Champagne
Material: ArcelorMittal XCarb® steel from recycled and renewable sources
Fuel: Biopropane
Number of Torches produced: 2,000

What do you think of the new torch? And how does it compare to previous ones?

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch (Paris 2024)

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Mascot Is Here

11/14/2022

Thoughts on the Latest Summer Olympics Mascot, The Olympic Phryge?

Well, the official Paris 2024 mascot has been unveiled. And, it sure is a different take, as it is a 'living' embodiment of a traditional 'liberty' symbol from throughout French history...the Phrygian cap.

It certainly is French! And, the Phyrges are a "nod to the revolutionary spirit" Paris 2024 wants to install in the Games, according to the organizing committee's Tony Estanguet.

Of course, there is a colorful characterization story as well. From Paris 2024 regarding the Olympic Phryge: "Always thoughtful and an astute strategist, she embarks on adventures only after carefully weighing up all of the pros and cons. Just like the Olympic athletes, she knows the importance of measuring all the various parameters to achieve her goals."

Earlier thoughts that Paris 2024 might go in such a unique direction proved well-founded. The Olympic Phryge and Paralympic Phyrge join London 2012's Wenlock and Mandeville and Atlanta 1996's Izzy as departures from typical animal-based mascots.

What do you think?

The Olympic Phyrge (l) and Paralympic Phyrge (r) are the Paris 2024 mascots (Paris 2024)

Previous Summer Olympic Games Mascots

All the previous 13 Summer Olympics since Munich 1972 have had at least one official mascot, helping to market the Games through personality and fun, while bringing in additional revenue opportunities through licensed paraphernalia.

Ten Top Summer Sports Not In The Olympics

8/17/2022

Which Sports Events Should Be in the Summer Olympic Games?

There's been lots of talk recently in Olympic circles regarding the sports program for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. Between existing Olympic sports boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon facing potential expulsion, if you will, and the invitation from LA28 to other select sports for consideration, there's been plenty to ponder.

That LA28 invitation went to nine governing bodies: breaking (which is set for Paris 2024 inclusion), baseball & softball and karate (both of which were unfortunately dropped after Tokyo 2020), squash, flag football, lacrosse, cricket, kickboxing, and motorsports.

Will multiple PSA squash champions Ali Farag and Nour El Sherbini ever see an Olympics? (PSAWorldTour)

The latter of that list - motorsports is a possible watershed moment on the Olympic program, as it was only in 2012 that the IOC removed from its charter reference to not including any sports where motorization was a key element.

Flag football would seem a stretch to this rather traditionalist, but there has been world championship events since 2002, and a way for 'American football' to receive a foothold into the Games. But I never thought I'd see breaking in the Games, either. We'll see what develops after these nine sports make their cases later this month. Current guidelines call for an overall athlete cap of 10,500 plus a global youth appeal, limited operation complexity, and sustainable environmental impact.

I know, not every sport can (or should) be in the Games. But in the meantime, though, below are my thoughts on the top ten sports or sport disciplines that I'd like to see make it into a Summer Olympic program. Or at least brought back as a demonstration sport!

What do you think should be in the Games? Let me know in the comments.

And check out my thoughts on recommended new Winter Olympic sports, too.

<<Previous

Paris 2024, Here We Come!

Games & Rings Heads To The Paris 2024 Olympics

Sport-by-Sport Burning Questions For Paris 2024

What Answers Am I Looking Forward To Being Answered At Paris 2024?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Is Unveiled

How Does The New Summer Olympic Torch Compare to Others?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Mascot Is Here

Thoughts on the Latest Summer Olympics Mascot, The Olympic Phryge?

Ten Top Summer Sports Not In The Olympics

Which Sports Events Should Be in the Summer Olympic Games?

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