Paris 2024 Olympics: Countdown to Friday’s opening ceremony begins

There’s weekend rain forecast in Paris, but temperatures are set to soar into the thirties next week, posing problems for athletes already struggling to keep cool in the heat of battle. Getting your strategy right could be key to Olympic success:

Novak Djokovic, chasing the one major honour he has not yet won, is the top seed in the men’s singles in the absence of world number one Jannik Sinner, who withdrew on Wednesday with tonsilitis.

And there could be a blockbuster second-round clash between the Serbian and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal after they were placed in the same section of the draw.

Nadal, who skipped Wimbledon to continue training on clay after a first-round French Open defeat to Alexander Zverev, will surely privately be cursing his luck again.

He said: “I’m always happy to be in this amazing city and of course this place. Roland Garros is, as everyone knows, the most special place for me in the world of tennis.

“I’m just excited to have the chance to be back here. This year I was not able to spend a lot of time at Roland Garros. The Olympics is completely different and I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”

There is one North Star at the Olympics, one inalienable truth that guides this movement through uncertain times. Athletes measure success in gold, silver and bronze but the International Olympic Committee is a bit more brutal about the real bottom line.

Without sponsors and broadcasters, the Olympics would be a shell event, which is why the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) may soon be forced to make some difficult decisions about the future of dressage.

While the women have full international squads on show, men’s teams are generally an U23 event with up to three overage exceptions per squad – meaning a blend of some of the world’s best and the most exciting up-and-coming youngsters across the entirety of Olympic football this summer.

Here we’ve picked out ten players whose performances and selections could define the football memories and medals at Paris 2024.

Russian and Belarusian entrants will instead compete under the AIN banner. Here is what it stands for and what you can expect to see if one of the individuals becomes an Olympic champion:

You will note the absence of Russia and Belarus from the medal table over the next couple of weeks, even though there are athletes from both nations competing in Paris. Here’s why:

Viewers in the United Kingdom will enjoy the insight of plenty of past Olympic greats with both Discovery+ and the BBC unveiling strong line-ups of presenters, commentators and pundits for Paris 2024.

Just like at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, every moment from the French capital will be shown live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service with extensive television coverage on Eurosport’s television channels.

The BBC has also struck a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to continue to provide free-to-air coverage of the Games up to and including 2032.

Emma Hayes has grit and guile; the question remains will that be enough for gold. The former Chelsea coach was in combative mood as she put the final touches to the USA’s preparations for the Olympic women’s football tournament.

Expectation management is often the name of the game in these seemingly endless days before the Olympic flame actually ignites. Some like to beat their chest and talk themselves up, others – from the ‘no-one puts more pressure on me than me’ school of sports psychology – prefer to fly under the radar.

Hayes – as we’ve come to learn from her seven Women’s Super League titles – doesn’t overthink this stuff, she just tells it like is it.

One of the features of these Olympics will be the stunning city scenery on show, with a number of events taking place in the shadow of some of the most famous landmarks in Paris.