France All Set To Lift Curtain On Summer Olympic Games

7/22/2024 3:16:24 AM

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) By Isra Ali
KUWAIT, July 24 (KUNA) -- France's capital Paris is all set to host the 33rd installment of the Summer olympics from July 26 to August 11, where some 10,500 athletes from around the world will be vying for supremacy in a wide array of sports.
Residing in the 2024 Olympic Village, a state of the art facility situated on the banks of the Seine River, the spacious apartment will offer athletes a slew of amenities to ensure they are well-prepared ahead of the international spectacle, which is comprised of sports running the gamut from swimming and football to basketball and handball, amongst a plethora of others.
The mixed-gender event, a bid to promote greater gender diversity, is a major global gathering held every two years, with the inaugural edition of its current form dating back to the year 1896 in the Greek capital Athens, an event that featured the participation of both professionals and amateurs.
The initial version of the Olympic Games was a series of athletic contests collectively called the "Panhellenic Games," held in the religious sanctuary of Olympia, which involved athletes representing Greek city-states in an affair seen as a tussle of power between the regions taking part in the competition.
Founded in 1894 by French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) oversees the Olympic Games in its current form, which includes the summer, winter and youth events, later joined by a separate event dedicated to Paralympic athletes, also known as athletes with disabilities.
In its role as the Olympics' governing body, the IOC is responsible for selecting the host city of the event, in addition to unveiling a detailed schedule of the different sports and contests included in the extravaganza.
Through its rich history, the Summer Olympics had seen various interruptions over the past decades, chief among them the cancellation of the event in the years 1916, 1940 and 1944 as a result of the two World Wars, while more recently, the event had to be postponed in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
As per modern tradition, the Olympic Torch Relay is the customary practice that signals the start of the Olympic Games, a move seen as an ode to ancient Greek rulers and a message tantamount to a gesture of peace and friendship. (end)
ija

MENAFN22072024000071011013ID1108465932

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.