One year from today, the 2024 Olympic Games will swing fully into gear as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad officially begin — although some competitions, including the handball, will already be underway at that point. 

The official dates for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are 26 July 26 to 11 August, with the opening ceremony to be held on the 26th, while the handball competition begins on the 25th. In total, the Paris 2024 Games will include 19 days of competition across all 32 sports in 41 competition sites. Handball is on the programme at the Olympic Games for the 15th time overall, and consecutively for the 14th time for men and the 13th time for women. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) heralds Paris 2024 as the beginning of a new era for the Olympic Games, with two main elements setting these Games apart from previous ones: the Games Wide Open philosophy and the implementation of the Olympic Agenda 2020.

The Games Wide Open slogan refers to the idea of inclusivity and how the public will be part of the Games more than ever before. The concept includes the fact that sports events will be held at iconic Parisian monuments, creating an open-air sports arena throughout the city; the Opening Ceremony being held in a city centre for the first time ever, on the River Seine, allowing hundreds of thousands to be able to join the celebration; and a range of ticket prices designed to be more accessible, with 65% of tickets available at EUR 100 or less. 

Paris 2024 will be the first in line with the reforms in the Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5. 

The Paris 2024 Games will set new sustainability standards for major sports events, with an expected reduction in the carbon footprint of 50%, compared with the average of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games. They are the first Olympics aligned with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Paris 2024 Games involve minimising construction and 95% use of existing infrastructure as well as 100% renewable energy, with the Games adapted to the city rather than vice versa. “Utilising the best of what France has to offer: embracing Paris’ iconic urban venues, these Games will bring sport to where people are,” states the IOC. 

It is also the first Games where quota places between male and female athletes are fully equal, with a total of 10,500 competitors expected.

The core legacy of Paris 2024 focuses on encouraging people to be active in order to combat sedentary lifestyles and obesity; this also relates to the Games Wide Open philosophy. 17,000 French primary schools — almost 50% of those operating in the country — have received sports kits from Paris 2024 to aid in the roll-out of a daily 30-minute exercise period during the school day. More than 6,000 children have learned to swim as part of a special summer programme and another 20,000 are expected to do so throughout the summer of 2023. 

On Tuesday, one year and one day from the opening of the Paris 2024 Games, the Olympic torch was revealed. Designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, the torch incorporates elements inspired by the principles of the Paris 2024 Games, such as equality, which became the concept of symmetry in the design. The colour of the torch combines the three medal colours — gold, silver and bronze — to create a champagne tint. “There is a perfect balance between an object that is very beautiful and very aesthetic but it is also something that carries a meaning that will endure,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet. 

The torch will travel from Olympia in Greece, starting on 16 April 2024, and arrive in France in the port city of Marseille on 8 May. From there, the torch relay will see the Olympic flame transported to Paris with 10,000 torchbearers taking part over 68 days. 

The Paris 2024 mascots, the ‘Phryges’, were revealed previously, as were the official pictograms for the Games and the logo. 

Handball at Paris 2024

12 teams will compete in each the men’s and women’s handball competitions at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Olympic hosts France are also entering the competitions as defending title holders in both the men’s and women’s categories after claiming the gold medals at Tokyo 2020. 

Alongside the two France teams, the winners of the 2023 Men’s World Championship, Denmark, and the winners of the EHF EURO 2022, Norway, are qualified in the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively. 

Their opponents are to be found through a series of continental championships and qualification events taking place from October 2023 to January 2024, after which a further six places in each gender category will be decided at the IHF Olympic Qualification Tournaments in March (men) and April (women) 2024. The winners — or top-ranked team after already qualified Norway and/or France — of the 2023 Women’s World Championship coming up in November and December will also earn a place at the Olympic Games. 

The handball matches will be played in two venues: South Paris Arena 6 in Paris for the group matches, and Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille for the knock-out and medal rounds. 

Photos: Paris2024