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Amidst concerns Amid protests, strikes, security and whatever else can float down the Seine, the City of Light is about to pose on its years-old Olympic catwalk. For the next 19 days, Paris will be under the international lens as more than 10,000 athletes and seemingly countless fans converge on France to witness and revel in the first Summer Games held in front of crowds in eight years.
That group will include the nearly 600 athletes competing for Team USA, many of whom are favorites for gold in the 329 events scheduled to take place.
Here’s everything you need to know about how and who to watch during the Paris Olympics:
When do the Paris Olympics start?
The opening ceremony will take place on Friday evening in Paris, but the first events will begin on Wednesday at 6 a.m. PDT (3 p.m. Paris time) when Argentina plays Morocco and Uzbekistan takes on Spain in men’s soccer.
Rugby 7, archery and handball will also be held before the opening ceremony. The first medals will be awarded on Saturday.
The Paris Olympics will conclude on Sunday, August 12, with the women’s basketball gold medal match scheduled as the final event.
How to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics
He The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will take place at 10:30 a.m. PDT and will be broadcast live on NBC and PeacockNBC will re-air the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place outside a stadium for the first time, with the “Parade of Nations” taking place on boats sailing along the River Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower.
How to watch and stream the Paris Olympics
The daily event window for the Paris Olympics runs from about midnight PDT to about 2 p.m. (Paris is nine hours ahead of Los Angeles). Linear networks USA, E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, Telemundo and Universo will have coverage every day of the Olympics, with all live coverage ending around 2 p.m. PDT. “Paris Primetime” will air nightly on NBC, typically at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., and will offer a recap of the day’s biggest events and moments.
While NBCUniversal networks will broadcast many events live, including viewer favorites like gymnastics, swimming and track and field, much of the coverage will be exclusively on streaming platforms.
Peacock It will broadcast all events live and have replays and highlights on demand. Cable and satellite subscribers can log in NBCOlympics.com no additional cost to view any event.
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Part of Peacock’s coverage will include Gold Zone, a show similar to NFL Red Zone that will air from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT daily.
NBCUniversal also launched two temporary Olympic channels. “Paris Extra 1” will show a variety of live and delayed events, with a focus on team sports such as basketball, handball, water polo and field hockey. “Paris Extra 2” will primarily feature combat and racquet sports such as boxing, judo, taekwondo, badminton and table tennis. Both channels are available on DirecTV, Comcast, Cox, Dish/Sling, YouTube TV, Fubo and Hulu Live.
Click here to watch Wednesday’s Olympic TV broadcast scheduleThe Times will post television schedules one day before the events take place. Television schedules will be available at The Times Olympics page.
Who will compete for Team USA?
There will be 592 athletes representing the United States in Paris, with 119 from California, the most of any state (Florida is next with 44 athletes and Texas is third with 38). Because baseball and softball will not be played, the total number is smaller than the 613 American athletes who competed in Tokyo.
The United States will compete in 31 of the 32 sports (the U.S. handball teams will make their debut) The long-awaited return in 2028). There is one sport making its Olympic debut: rip (But don’t call it break dancing.)
Women will represent the majority of athletes competing for the United States, with 314 (53 percent of the U.S. team) the most women of any nation. There will be 157 men’s medal events, 152 women’s and 20 mixed-gender events. Twenty-eight of the 32 events will be “fully gender-equal,” the IOC said.
Here’s a look at the 2024 U.S. Olympic team:
The American athletes you can’t miss at the Paris Olympics
It’s probably worth keeping track of all the athletes at the Paris Games, but here are some of the top contenders for gold.
Simone Bileswomen’s gymnastics — The favorite in the women’s all-around competition and widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of her sport, Biles has won seven Olympic medals, including four at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. After her shock withdrawal from the team and all-around competitions in Tokyo, Biles is poised to win gold in what could be the final chapter of her legendary career.
Caeleb Dresselmen’s swimming — After winning five golds in Tokyo, Dressel is all but set to walk away from the sport in 2022. After rediscovering his passion for competitive swimming, he proved at the U.S. trials in June that he is among the favorites to win gold in the 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle.
Katie Ledeckywomen’s swimming — She is the most decorated athlete competing at the Paris Olympics. Ledecky has 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold. She will look to add to her medal tally in the 1,500-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle. Will this be her Olympic swansong or will she be swimming at SoFi Stadium in four years?
Read more: Paris Olympics TV schedule: Wednesday’s programming
Noah LylesMen’s 100 and 200 meters — Lyles, never one to shy from the camera, is the reigning world champion in the men’s 100m and 200m. He set the world’s fastest 200m time at the US qualifying trials last month and will be looking to become the first man since Usain Bolt (2016) to win Olympic gold in both the 100m and 200m.
Sydney McLaughlin-LevroneWomen’s 400m hurdles — The heavy favourite for gold, McLaughlin-Levrone broke her world record in the event at the US trials. She won gold in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay in Tokyo.
Sha’Carri RichardsonWomen’s 100 metres — Following her controversial disqualification three years ago for testing positive for marijuana, Richardson won the U.S. qualifying trials in June and is considered one of the favourites for gold. She will face stiff competition from Jamaican sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.
USA Women’s Gymnastics Team — They are the favorites to win the team competition, as four of the five have previous Olympic experience. Suni Lee won gold in the all-around and Jade Carey took gold on floor exercises in Tokyo. Jordan Chiles played a key role in helping the Americans take silver in the team championship.
Other gold contenders worth watching: Ryan Crouser (men’s shot put), Lilly King (women’s swimming), Simone Manuel (women’s swimming), Carissa Moore (women’s surfing), Ryan Murphy (men’s swimming), Gabby Thomas (women’s 200m), USA Women’s Basketball Team, USA Men’s Basketball Team
From 16 to 59
The youngest athlete at the Olympics will be gymnast Hezly Rivera. She turned 16 just before competing at the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials and is the only rookie on the team (aside from reserves). While she is the youngest, 16-year-old Paige Heyn (skateboarding street) and Quincy Wilson (4×400 medley relay) will also be in Paris. Wilson is the youngest man to qualify for the U.S. in track and field.
The oldest American Olympian in Paris? Equestrian Steffen Peters, who will compete in individual and team dressage at age 59. Peters is competing in his sixth Olympic Games after making his debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Basketball star Diana Taurasi and equestrian competitor McLain Ward have appeared in six consecutive Olympic Games dating back to the 2004 Athens Games.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
