As per usual, the world once again had all of its eyes fixated on the Olympics over the summer. Celebrating the world’s greatest athletes, the Olympics are the pinnacle of many of these athletes’ careers. It’s a source of immense national pride, a home to some of the most emotional moments of the year, and a great way to celebrate the absolute limits of human potential.
Due to the sudden outburst of COVID over 2020, the Tokyo Olympics of 2020 were postponed to 2021, and heavily limited in its creative direction, so it was up to the 2024 Olympics to pick up where the games left off. Coupled with the ongoing geopolitical tensions around the world, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) felt that the Olympics “were more important than ever before”. “We will have a very complex [Olympics], but in such times, the Olympic games and its values and missions are more important than ever,” IOC president Thomas Bach said. “We want to make the Olympics a symbol of peace.”
This year, the Olympics, which were held in Paris, immediately catapulted into a controversial start. The Opening Ceremony, which was held in the River Seine, was the first ceremony ever to be held throughout the host city rather than a stadium. It made use of some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks such as Celine Dion’s rendition of Hymne A L’Amour atop the Eiffel Tower. However, it was marred by a drag/LGBTQIA+ performance that was incredibly similar in likeness to “The Last Supper”, which drew fire from church leaders and conservatives across the world. “I thought it was a disgrace,” former President Trump said. While it’s intent may be interpreted through a variety of lenses, what’s certain is that it drew plenty of disdain from many spectators.
The games themselves were filled with numerous surprises and noteworthy moments. A major focus of this year’s Olympics was the concept of “virality”, which drew attention to a few of the lesser known events. A primary example of this would be the mass influx of attention placed on Turkish Shooter Yusuf Dikec and Korean Shooter Kim Yeji. While the two athletes took wildly different approaches to the same sport, both received worldwide attention for the “aura” they imposed. In a completely new addition to the Olympics, Australian breakdancer Raygun also drew worldwide attention to herself, albeit for the different reasons. “I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating,” Raygun said. Viral moments aside, the Paris 2024 games also featured numerous historic accomplishments which will be listed below.
While the past Olympics was certainly filled with a few controversial moments, it was historic in a multitude of ways. Paris 2024 was not only one of the first Olympic Games ever to fully utilize the city’s most iconic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, and the River Seine, and also marked a major shift to a more eco-friendly competition. The games ended with a phenomenal closing ceremony with a performance from French singer Yseult, with her rendition of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and a thrilling and unforgettable baton handoff that featured Actor Tom Cruise rappelling off the Stade de France. “I think we all feel pressure. We feel the pressure to make sure that our city, the region, is prepared and ready and that we take full advantage of what’s going to come our way,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. Despite this pressure, the city is confident that LA2028 will build upon Paris and be a phenomenal event. “Everybody who’s here remembers what an incredible success the Olympic games were in ‘84, as they were in 1932 as well, and they will be again in 2028,” City Council President Paul Krekorian said.
Listed below are a few of the most notable and record breaking accomplishments of American athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Simone Biles – Won Gold in the Women’s Artistic Individual All-Round, Artistic Team All-Round, and Women’s vault, and claimed a silver in Women’s floor
Katie Ledecky – won a record 4th gold in the women’s 800 freestyle, and also claimed three other medals
Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry – led the U.S Men’s basketball team to Gold while in their late thirties
Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone – smashed the world record for the women’s 400 hurdles and won gold in the women’s 4 by 400.
Ryan Crouser – became the first every olympian to win three straight gold medals in shot putting
US Women’s Soccer – reclaimed the gold medal which they won last in 2024
Noah Lyles – became the “fastest man in the world”, beating Jamaican Kishane Thompson by 0.005th of a second.
