The 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the 33rd edition, officially begin today July 26, in the picturesque city of Paris with a uniquely designed Opening Ceremony set to become one of the most iconic in Olympic history. The quadrennial celebration will see attendees from diverse cultures and heritages, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of one of the world’s most famous cities.
Continuing the tradition since 1928, Greece will lead the parade procession, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team. The procession will then follow an alphabetical sequence of participating countries. The final three countries in the parade will be the hosts of the 2032 Summer Games, Australia, the host of the next Summer Games, the USA, and the current host, France. Notably, the Paris 2024 Games will be the first to achieve gender parity among athletes, featuring 5,250 male and 5,250 female competitors.
The estimated cost of this year’s games is £9 billion, with the organizing committee promising to make it the greatest Olympics in history.
For Ghanaians, all eyes are on their athletes to proudly wave the national flag and bring home medals. Team captain Joe Paul, ahead of the competitions, expressed the team’s ambition to reach the finals. “We are number seven in the world,” Paul said, emphasizing their goal of avoiding complacency and taking each race as it comes. “Being seventh in the world means on paper we should be able to make the finals because it’s about eight or nine teams that go into the finals.”
The team previously competed in the 2020 Olympic Games, marking this as their second appearance at the world’s biggest sporting event. Reflecting on their past performance, Paul added, “We were in the finals in Tokyo. We want to go to the finals and then get something out of it. We want to get on the podium. So being number seven is something that we always talk about, but we are not satisfied. We want to make sure we go in there and try to come out with the ultimate. The ultimate is gold, but if we get silver or bronze, we are still going to be happy with it.”
The track and field events will begin on August 1 and run through to August 11, keeping the excitement and competitive spirit alive for athletes and fans alike.
