Following years of anticipation, the 2024 Olympics in Paris are here, with the official kick off set to begin with a historic Opening Ceremony this week.
Several events are scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday before Friday's opening ceremony, which will begin at 1 p.m. CT. And this year's ceremony will be unlike any other.
At previous ceremonies, a stadium has provided the stage for the theatrics of the Games' opening night. In Paris, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, a river that runs along the heart of the city.
The historic ceremony will launch a two-week global competition featuring dozens of sports, hundreds of countries and thousands of athletes.
Here's more information on the 2024 Opening Ceremony:
When is the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be on Friday, July 26. The ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m. CT and is expected to last more than three hours.
Local
What channel is the Olympics Opening Ceremony on?
NBC’s networks and streaming services have a comprehensive TV schedule featuring more than 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Olympics.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
That includes NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, USA Network, Olympic Channel, Golf Channel, Telemundo Deportes, NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
NBC will offer comprehensive coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which will air live on the network across all time zones as part of a full day of Olympic programming.
What happens during the Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The highlight of the Opening Ceremony is the Parade of Nations, where thousands of Olympians representing 206 countries make their grand entrance into the Games.
This year, rather than marching into a stadium, they will arrive by boat on the Seine.
Over 10,000 athletes will sail down the nearly four-mile route on approximately 160 boats that will represent each national delegation. The parade route ends at the Trocadéro, located across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, where the final elements of the Opening Ceremony will be held.
Additional festivities include the raising of the host nation's flag and singing of its anthem, live performances that incorporate the culture of the host nation, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
For the U.S., tennis star Coco Gauff has been tapped to lead American athletes during the Parade of Nations, joining NBA superstar LeBron James.
What's happening before the Opening Ceremony?
Here's a look at the events taking place ahead of Friday's opening ceremony:
| Date/time (CT) | Event | Stream |
| Wednesday, July 24, 8 a.m. | M Soccer: Argentina vs. Morocco | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24, 8 a.m. | M Soccer: Uzbekistan vs. Spain | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24, 8:30 a.m. | M Rugby: Pool play (12 matches) | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 10 a.m. | M Soccer: Egypt vs. Dominican Republic | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 10 a.m. | M Soccer: Guinea vs. New Zealand | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 12 p.m. | M Soccer: Japan vs. Paraguay | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 12 p.m. | M Soccer: Iraq vs. Ukraine | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 2 p.m. | M Soccer: France vs. United States | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Wednesday, July 24. 2 p.m. | M Soccer: Mali vs. Israel | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 2 a.m. | W Handball: Slovenia vs. Denmark | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 2:30 a.m. | W Archery: Individual ranking round | NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 4 a.m. | W Handball: Netherlands vs. Angola | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 7 a.m. | W Handball: Spain vs. Brazil | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 7 a.m. | M Rugby: Pool play (6 matches) | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 7:15 a.m. | M Archery: Individual ranking round | NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 9 a.m. | W Handball: Germany vs. South Korea | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 10 a.m. | W Soccer: Spain vs. Japan | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 10 a.m. | W Soccer: Canada vs. New Zealand | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 12 p.m. | W Soccer: Nigeria vs. Brazil | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 12 p.m. | W Soccer: Germany vs. Australia | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 12 p.m. | W Handball: Hungary vs. France | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 1 p.m. | M Rugby: Quarterfinals and placing | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 2 p.m. | W Soccer: United States vs. Zambia | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 2 p.m. | W Soccer: France vs. Colombia | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Thursday, July 25, 2 p.m. | W Soccer: Norway vs. Sweden | Peacock, NBC Olympics |
| Friday, July 26, 2 a.m. | Shooting: 10m air rifle mixed team pre-event training | N/A |
| Friday, July 26, 3 a.m. | M Shooting: 10m air pistol pre-event training | N/A |
| Friday, July 26, 4:45 a.m. | W Shooting: 10m air pistol pre-event training | N/A |
