Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics
The Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off over the weekend starting two weeks of competition across 32 different sports and events. The games this year return three years after the previous Olympics in Tokyo which had to be played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fans are back to the stadiums and venues for this year’s games, which brings back a lot of the energy and support lacking in the previous event. Even watching from home, it’s clear that there’s a special feeling in the air at every event.
My personal relationship with the Olympics started in 2004 with the Athens Olympics when I was just 13 years old. With it taking place during the summer break, I was drawn to the spectacle and then to the games themselves, getting invested in sports I had no prior interest in watching.
Since then, for two weeks every four years, I become glued to the television to watch everything from archery to canoe slalom. Even as someone who enjoys the best of films and video games, often watching 400 films a year, it must be said that none are more gripping and entertaining than the Olympics.
I understand that for most people, the draw is following your own nations, and hoping they do well, cheering them on to victory. While I do that too, I have recognised that just about every event and sport will have athletes with incredible storylines of perseverance, effort and excellence.
Within the first five minutes of tuning into an event at the games, the commentators do a great job of keying you into who’s the best and who is the underdog, who has battled the odds to get there and who has the pressure to maintain their streak.
Using the graphics, broadcasting technology and the commentary, you also understand the rules and regulations of the sport, and how the scoring system works. Even if is a sport you have never been exposed to before, there is now enough knowledge to follow along and start picking a favourite.
Even if you didn't know anything about the sport five minutes earlier, you’re now hooked, invested and informed. Rarely does any form of entertainment do that.
And I’m not talking about just the track and field events here. While that remains the jewel in the crown of every Olympic Games, I think there’s so much to watch and enjoy during the first week before the track and field events even begin.
Take fencing for example – I don’t think I’ll ever be invested enough in fencing to even care who is the best at it or what are the techniques to achieve a win. But at the Olympics, I become fencing’s biggest fan. Because the stakes are so high for these athletes, you feel elated when they win and deeply sad when they lose.
The quality of the broadcasting has also made it so much easier to follow along and become invested. High definition 4K cameras, slow motion footage, information graphics and 3D mapping have all been used during this year’s Olympics, bringing viewers across the world closer to the events and athletes.
Writers can spend a lifetime attempting to write a good story, but few could rival the real stories of the athletes and their accomplishments at the Olympics. Other sporting events like the football World Cup or the Super Bowl might be bigger spectacles, but neither offers a chance to see the best of the best in multiple sports at one event.
There will always be star athletes that capture all the attention, the likes of Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, US gymnast Simone Biles and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. Following these athletes and seeing them push the boundaries and break records is an incredible sight, but there are inspiring and heartwarming stories to be found everywhere during the games.
The efforts to keep the games fresh and interesting, even to younger audiences, must be commended too. Skateboarding was introduced at the Tokyo Olympics, and it has already become a popular event, capturing the attention of new generations. This year, there is breakdancing, another event that will certainly introduce the Olympics to demographics that might not have been interested.
I’ve often considered going over to an Olympic host city during the games to watch in person, but I soon shirk the idea because attending one event is missing many others. At least from the comfort of my couch, I can jump from one to another and make sure I have a daily schedule of what to follow.
The strength and magic of the Olympic spirit is that it could affect you whether you’re there in the stands or watching at home.
