A man once said, “The main thing in the Olympic Games is not victory but participation; the chief thing in life is not to win but to struggle."

The Opening Ceremony:
The Olympics, in 2024, was successfully hosted in the City of Lights, Paris. It was a splendid showpiece where individuals from all around the Earth had come to compete. The welcome ceremony for the summer Olympics started on the 26th of July. The Games were officially launched by the head of the French state – Emmanuel Macron. The opening ceremony was introduced, for the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, outside a stadium. The athletes were ferried on water in the Seine River to the temporary Olympic structure at Jardins du Trocadéro. The artistic programme was divided into 12 parts reflecting the history and the culture of France, and it was intermixed with the parade. This was done in sites like Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie prison, the Musée d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower, among others. This ceremony included musicians like Gojira, Aya Nakamura, Philippe Katerine, Juliette Armanet, and international musicians like Lady Gaga and Céline.

Participation & Events:
About 200 different countries took part in the Olympics, including Great Britain, USA, China, Australia, Japan, France, Pakistan, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Germany. The programme featured 329 events in 32 sports and encompassed a total of 48 disciplines. These included 28 main Olympic sports, and 4 optional sports. They included breakdancing, skateboarding, surfing and sports climbing.

Historic Wins and Triumphs:
In women’s beach volleyball, A.P. Ramos and D. Lisboa of Brazil emerged victorious, earning the gold medal, with M. Humana-Paredes and B. Wilkerson of Canada followed closely behind, and earned the silver medal. In women’s sports climbing, J. Garnbret of Slovenia earned the gold medal. Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky won the men’s swimming race, earning the country's first medal in this event. Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history at the summer Olympics, bagging his nation's first ever track and field win. In the men's 100m race, Noah Lyles of the US won the gold medal, giving the US its first victory in the event since 2004. Last but not least, Toby Roberts of Great Britain earned a gold medal in men’s boulder 2024.

Wow… congratulations everyone!

Winning Country:
Up until now, the United States has topped the Olympics this year, with 40 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 41 bronze medals. In second place comes China, with 40 gold medals, 27 silver medals, and 24 bronze medals. Third place is a tie between France and Great Britain, France with 16 gold medals, 26 silver medals and 22 bronze medals, and Great Britain, with 14 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 29 bronze medals.

Now, the only thing left for me to say is, if you haven't watched the Olympics until now, you really don’t know what you’re missing out on. So, grab some popcorn and your tv remote, and sit down to watch it!

Goodbye, and thank you for reading : )

Written by: Marlee Potter
Edited by: Hazel Antler
Proofread by: Daphne Clarke