Paris Olympics 100 years later: The evolution from Paris 1924 to Paris 2024

The 2024 Olympics will mark the third time Paris has hosted the Games and the first in 100 years. The main events start on July 26, with some preliminary matches beginning two days earlier. This will make Paris only the second city after London to host the Olympics three times, having previously done so in 1900 and 1924.

A look back at 1924

The 1924 Olympics were held from May 4 to July 27, lasting nearly three months with 17 sports and 126 medal events. In contrast, the 2024 Games will be much shorter, lasting about two weeks and featuring 32 sports with 329 medal events. Many sports from 1924 are still part of the Olympics, but women’s events were largely absent back then. The 1924 Games are notable for being the first time football was considered a world championship, with FIFA recognizing the titles won in 1924 and 1928 as equivalent to World Cup titles. Tennis was included for the last time until it returned in 1988, and rugby was played in its 15-player form, which didn't reappear until the seven-player version in 2016.

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Modern changes

The 1924 Olympics introduced the concept of the Olympic Village, where athletes stayed in wooden huts near the Stade Olympique de Colombes. For 2024, the Village will be located near the Saint-Denis stadium, just seven kilometers from central Paris, and will house over 10,000 competitors.

Participation in the Olympics has grown significantly since 1924. The 1924 Games saw 3,089 athletes from 44 countries, with notable first-time participants like Ecuador, Ireland, Lithuania, Philippines, and Uruguay. In contrast, the 2024 Games are expected to host around 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries.

The 2024 Olympics will celebrate the centenary of the 1924 Games, highlighting how much has changed over the past century in terms of the scale, diversity, and duration of the event. The growth in the number of sports, the inclusion of women’s events, and the expansion of participating nations reflect the evolving nature of the Olympic Games.