By: Aditya Ahuja

The Paris 2024 Olympics are officially scheduled to begin today, July 26, with an elaborate opening ceremony along the Seine River in France. However, the Games ‘unofficially’ kicked off on July 24 with football and rugby sevens competitions, followed by women’s handball and archery individual ranking rounds on July 25.

Starting events before the official opening ceremony is a common practice, particularly for football, due to the physical demands of the sport. Teams cannot play matches every day, so scheduling them in advance ensures at least 48 hours of recovery time between games.

Benjamin Ceugnart, Competitions Calendar Project Manager at Paris 2024, elaborated on this scheduling approach: “Since the Barcelona 1992 Games, football has started ahead of the opening ceremony. Players need a recovery period of at least 48 hours, so men’s teams play two days before, and women’s teams one day before the opening ceremony.”

Why archery, handball and rugby have started early?

India’s first event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is archery, taking place at the Invalides venue, which is situated next to the Seine River where the opening ceremony will be held. Due to security reasons, the rankings rounds were scheduled a day before the grand ceremony.

The early starts for rugby sevens and handball are new this year. Ceugnart pointed out that this change was necessary for smoother logistics, as these events share venues with athletics and weightlifting in Paris, necessitating an early start.

It’s important to note that there will be no elimination rounds or medals awarded before the official opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.