2024 Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and officially branded as Paris 2024, is an international multi-sport event taking place from 24 July to 11 August 2024 in France. The opening ceremony was held on 26 July, marking the first Summer Olympics opening ceremony to be conducted outside a traditional stadium setting. Paris, having previously hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924, becomes the second city to host the Summer Olympics three times, following London's 1908, 1948, and 2012 Games. Paris 2024 also commemorates the centenary of the 1924 Games, both Summer and Winter, and represents France's sixth Olympic Games (three Summer and three Winter), with the first French Olympics since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. The Summer Games return to the traditional four-year Olympiad cycle after the 2020 edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paris was awarded the Games at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on 13 September 2017. After multiple withdrawals left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention, the IOC approved a concurrent awarding process for the 2024 and 2028 Games. Both bids were praised for their innovative use of existing and temporary facilities. The event is expected to cost €9 billion and will feature the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. It will also be the final Olympic Games held during the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony began at 19:30 CEST (17:30 GMT) on 26 July 2024, directed by Thomas Jolly. Unlike previous ceremonies, the parade of athletes took place via boat along the Seine River from Pont d'Austerlitz to Pont d'Iéna, with cultural segments at various landmarks along the route. The ceremony highlighted significant moments in French history, with a theme of "shared humanity" and love. Athletes gathered at Jardins du Trocadéro, in front of the Eiffel Tower, for the official protocol.

Approximately 326,000 tickets were sold for viewing locations along the Seine, with 222,000 distributed to volunteers, youth, and low-income families. The ceremony featured performances by Lady Gaga, Gojira, Marina Viotti, Axelle Saint-Cirel, Rim'K, Philippe Katerine, Juliette Armanet, Sofiane Pamart, and Celine Dion. President Emmanuel Macron formally opened the Games. The Olympic cauldron, lit by judoka Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec, features a hot air balloon-inspired design with a 30-metre-tall helium sphere. The cauldron uses LED lighting and aerosol water jets instead of combustion.

The ceremony sparked controversy due to a performance reenacting the painting "Le Festin des Dieux" by Jan van Bijlert, which some perceived as mocking Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Critics, including conservative politicians and religious leaders, condemned the act as blasphemous. Organizers, including artistic director Thomas Jolly, stated the performance aimed to promote inclusivity and diversity, and apologized for any offense caused.

Food

Vegan food options are available in the Olympic Village. Some commentators have humorously referred to the experience as "The Hunger Games," though this appears to be a colloquial remark rather than an official description.

Imane Khelif

Discussions around Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, have included questions about androgen insensitivity syndrome, a medical condition affecting hormone receptors. These discussions have been part of broader debates about gender and sports eligibility.

Some commentators have described the Games as a success, though perspectives vary widely.

Seine River

French officials have acknowledged that the Seine River is not fully clean, with strong currents posing challenges for event planning and safety.

Raygun

A meme making fun of Rachael Gunn's performance.

Rachael Louise Gunn (born 2 September 1987), known competitively as Raygun, is an Australian academic and competitive breakdancer.

She is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on breaking, street dance, hip-hop, youth culture, and gender in politics. She is a member of the Macquarie University Performance and Expertise Research Centre.

Gunn gained international notoreity after competing in breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the sport's debut at the Games. She received a score of zero in battles against three opponents and did not progress past the first round. After her performance, Gunn became the subject of widespread criticism and online mockery. An anonymously-filed petition on the website Change.org calling for an investigation into Gunn's position on the Australian Olympic Team was removed after being reported by the Australian Olympic Committee for containing misinformation and defamatory content.

In the breaking event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Gunn did not receive any points from the judges in each of her three round-robin battles against her opponents, losing 18–0 in all three rounds. She was eliminated at the round-robin stage after being beaten by Logistx (US), Syssy (France), and Nicka (Lithuania). As her performance and outfit did not match her competitors' street style, Gunn was subject to widespread criticism online. In response, Gunn shared a quote on Instagram: "don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you". She said she could not compete athletically with her younger rivals, and said she instead wanted to "move differently, be artistic and creative. ... I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way".

Team Australia's Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, later issued a statement supporting Gunn and condemning what she called "trolls and keyboard warriors". Martin Gilian, the Head Olympic breaking judge, said that Raygun had done exactly what breaking is supposed to be about: "originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region", which he said she achieved with her kangaroo hop. He added that the breaking community stood behind her. The World DanceSport Federation also offered the support of their safeguarding officer in case Gunn was experiencing mental health problems due to the media attention.

In the aftermath of the event, false rumours spread that Gunn's husband, Free, was a national coach involved in the Australian team selection and a judge in the Oceania Breaking Championships through which Gunn qualified. However, the Oceania qualifier did not have Free nor any other Australians on its judging panel, used the same rules as the Paris games, and was open to everyone.

An anonymous petition on Change.org, calling for an investigation into the conduct of Gunn, Anna Meares, and the selection process, garnered thousands of signatures. This petition aimed to hold Gunn accountable for "unethical conduct" at the games, also accusing Raygun of "manipulating the selection process" while calling for a public apology from both Gunn and Meares. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chief executive Matt Carroll demanded the petition be withdrawn, saying it amounted to "bullying and harassment and is defamatory" and that the AOC was especially offended by the insult to Meares. It stated that the Australian selection was made by 9 independent international judges, and that Gunn was nominated legitimately by DanceSport Australia to the AOC for selection. Gunn is not any kind of officeholder with AUSBreaking nor DanceSport, and no athlete appealed against her selection. The petition was withdrawn by Change.org on 15 August 2024.

On the same day, Gunn posted a video on social media talking of the effect that the trolling expressed on social media had had on her and her family, and asked media to stop harassing her family, friends, and the Australian and broader breaking community. She said she had taken her entry seriously and worked hard to prepare.

In September 2024 it was reported that Gunn had been elevated to world number one in the World DanceSport Federation’s rankings.

In October 2024 a papier-mache statue of Gunn appeared on a Melbourne street.

In 2026 Gunn took voluntary redundancy from her position at Macquarie University.

Commentary

With over 10% of France's population identifying as Muslim, some have raised questions about the appropriateness of Christian imagery in a French context during the Olympics, suggesting that Islamic imagery might also be relevant. This reflects broader discussions about cultural representation and inclusivity at the Games.

References

[news.com.au](https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/paris-lasting-legacy-is-a-death-sentence-for-the-brisbane-olympics/news-story/ebd9738285a9cc8717c6f7690ad9620d)

Wikipedia

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