When are the Paris 2024 Olympics and how can I watch them in UK?

The 2024 Paris Olympics beings today.

Preparations for the opening ceremony and 329 medal events across 32 sports are well underway in the French capital. Paris last held the Games exactly 100 years ago, the second of three times it has hosted the sporting extravaganza after 1900.

Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympics, said: “We really wish to make Paris 2024 the first ‘Games Wide Open’, and we are fully dedicated to bringing this concept to life.”

Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 Paris Olympics, including key dates and how to watch.

When are the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Olympic events began on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 with football, rugby, handball, and archery tournaments before the opening ceremony tonight on Friday, July 26.

The Games will end on Sunday, August 11.

Paris will then host the Paralympic Games from Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 8.

When is the opening ceremony?

The Olympic Games opening ceremony will take place later today on Friday, July 26, at 7.24pm BST. It will be held in the heart of the city along its main artery, the Seine, with boats for each national delegation.

These boats will be kitted out with cameras so that viewers can have a good view of the athletes up close.

The parade will come to an end in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.

What Sports are included?

The following sports are included in this year’s Olympic Games:

• Acrobatic Gymnastics

• Alpine Skiing

• Archery

• Artistic Gymnastics

• Artistic Swimming

• Athletics

• Badminton

• Baseball 5

• Baseball Softball

• Basketball

• Basketball 3x3

• Beach Handball

• Beach Volleyball

• Biathlon

• Bobsleigh

• Boxing

• Breaking

• Canoe Slalom

• Canoe Sprint

• Coastal Rowing

• Cricket

• Cross-Country Skiing

• Curling

• Cycling BMX Freestyle

• Cycling BMX Racing

• Cycling Mountain Bike

• Cycling Road

• Cycling Track

• Diving

• Equestrian

• Fencing

• Figure Skating

• Flag Football

• Football

• Freestyle Skiing

• Futsal

• Golf

• Handball

• Hockey

• Ice Hockey

• Judo

• Karate

• Lacrosse

• Luge

• Marathon Swimming

• Modern Pentathlon

• Nordic Combined

How to get 2024 Paris Olympics tickets

Tickets are on sale now, and the cost can differ significantly from between roughly €24 (£21) and €2,400 (£2,100).

Most websites say they are mostly already sold out for swimming and beach volleyball events.

For more information on Paris 2024, visit the official website here.

How to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics

TV channel: The BBC has announced it will broadcast two live streams of the action from July 27 to August 11 – for the duration of the Games. This will be on BBC One, BBC Two or a stream available by clicking the red button on Freeview or a smart TV.

There is reduced coverage compared with previous years, however, when BBC broadcasted everything from archery to wrestling live on its website or channels. Instead, Discovery+ is the rights holder for Paris 2024 and is showing every moment across Eurosport channels in the UK from 7am-10.30pm every day.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the BBC coverage live online for free via the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer. The Discovery+ app will be showing extensive coverage, which begins at a monthly fee of £3.99.

Highlights: The BBC will be showing a nightly highlights show called Today at the Games.

Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from reporters Matt Majendie and Malik Ouzia in Paris.