July 26, 2024

REMINDER: YOUR SUBMISSIONS ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOMED

SUMMER OLYMPICS SPECIAL

Phryge the Paris 2024 Olympic Mascot

July 26th 2024 — August 11th, 2024

Overview for this week.

1. I'm starting out with a short overview of the preliminary field events that have already started and which events will be featured in the coming week, your best options for watching the Olympics, and I also have a link to a full schedule of the games organized by sport and date.

2. Next, I have a video of the Eiffel Tower light show from the Opening Ceremony.

3. Looking at the ancient Greek Olympics from 2,500 years ago, we see that many of the events were very similar to what we have today.

4. We have some new events as the games evolve to accommodate public taste. This year we see the introduction of breakdancing and the second appearance of sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and 3x3 basketball. Paris is also dropping baseball, softball, and karate from this year's competition.

5. Paris is afforded with the unique opportunity to present events in some iconic venues, like beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and equestrian events on the grounds of the historic Palace of Versailles. This year's games also venture far outside of the host city for sailing at the Mediterranean port city of Marseille and the surfing competition in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.

6. Next, I have a link to a directory of each athlete representing Team USA.

7. Then it's off to the new Olympic Village built along the Seine River that the athletes will call home throughout the games. We'll also get a peak inside the Olympic Village floating in the South Pacific, an Aranui 5 cruise ship, that the surfing competitors will call home. 

8. Finally, I look at the challenge of feeding 15,000 Olympic athletes from around the world nutritious meals every day, accommodating regional tastes while maintaining a decidedly French flair.

Now, to this week's Flock.

Tap to view past issues.

2024 marks the third time Paris has hosted the Summer Olympics, having previously hosted the games in 1900 and 1924. This year's Summer Olympics, the XXXIII Olympiad, run from Friday, July 26th through Sunday, August 11th, 2024. Preliminary rounds in Rugby Sevens, Handball, and Football (Soccer), began Wednesday, July 24th. This year's games include 329 events across 32 sports. the coming week will feature competition in cycling, swimming, diving, triathlon, rowing, and gymnastics.

From: Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the biggest event ever organised in France. The Olympic Games will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024, when Paris will become the centre of the world—the world of sport, and so much more. The Games are a popular, multicultural festival shared by so many people around the planet and represent a new adventure for France unlike anything it has experienced before.

In the USA you can watch Olympic television coverage on NBC, select streaming content on USA Network, Spanish language coverage on Telemundo and the most comprehensive live streaming and replays on NBC's streaming app Peacock TV.

For those following from the UK, up to 500 hours of coverage will be free to watch or stream on the BBC. There will be further coverage of the Paris 2024 on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, as well as online with Discovery+.

Light show dazzles the Eiffel Tower during 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

From: International Olympic Committee

The ancient Olympic Games were initially a one-day event until 684 BC, when they were extended to three days. In the 5th century B.C., the Games were extended again to cover five days. The ancient Games included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.

Pentathlon

The Pentathlon became an Olympic sport with the addition of wrestling in 708 B.C., and included the following: Running / Jumping / Discus Throw

Running

Running contests included:

• the stade race, which was the pre-eminent test of speed, covering the Olympia track from one end to the other (200m foot race),
• the diaulos (two stades - 400m foot race),
• dolichos (ranging between 7 and 24 stades).

Jumping

Athletes used stone or lead weights called halteres to increase the distance of a jump. They held onto the weights until the end of their flight, and then jettisoned them backwards.

Discus throw

The discus was originally made of stone and later of iron, lead or bronze. The technique was very similar to today's freestyle discus throw.

Wrestling

This was highly valued as a form of military exercise without weapons. It ended only when one of the contestants admitted defeat.

Boxing

Boxers wrapped straps (himantes) around their hands to strengthen their wrists and steady their fingers. Initially, these straps were soft but, as time progressed, boxers started using hard leather straps, often causing disfigurement of their opponent's face.

Pankration

This was a primitive form of martial art combining wrestling and boxing, and was considered to be one of the toughest sports. Greeks believed that it was founded by Theseus when he defeated the fierce Minotaur in the labyrinth.

The 2024 Olympics will introduce breakdancing to the Olympics for the first time and bring back sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing and 3x3 basketball from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To help make room for the new sports, three sports, baseball, softball, and karate will be dropped from this year's competition.

From: CNET, By: Matt Elliott, July 22, 2024

Breaking makes debut

Over the decades, breaking has evolved from a dance party to a competitive sport that's contested around the world, but the 2024 Paris Games will be the first time breakdancers will compete for Olympic gold. And it might be awhile until we see it again at the Olympics.

Breaking was voted into the 2024 Games but didn't make the cut for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, so the earliest it could return to the Olympic stage is 2032 in Brisbane.

Newish sports return

Surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing and 3x3 basketball each made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and each returns for a second time at the Paris Games.

The Olympics have had many events that did not catch on for various reasons. Some struggled to attract enough participants, some could not attract enough spectators, and some like the swimming obstacle race were just a bad idea.

From: Canadian broadcasting Corporation

When you think of the Olympic Games, you probably think of events like running, gymnastics, and even swimming. But did you know that there have been a whole bunch of sports that used to be part of the Olympic Games but aren't anymore? They didn't last too long and have been forgotten. Check out these 11 sports that used to be part of the Olympic Games. You can use the scrollbar to move through the timeline.

French show jumper and reigning Olympic champion Penelope Leprevost poses in the Hall of Mirrors in the Chateau de Versailles

From: Agence France-Presse, France 24, July 22, 2024

AFP looks at five sites set to wow ticket-holders -- and a global TV audience of billions -- during the 17-day extravaganza starting on July 26:

Eiffel Tower

The most famous of the Paris landmarks, the Eiffel Tower, will welcome beach volleyball. The action will take place in a temporary venue near the foot of the "Iron Lady". Next door, the Champs de Mars park at the foot of the tower will host judo and wrestling

Grand Palais

Fencing and taekwondo battles will take place in the opulent setting of the Grand Palais exhibition hall, a glass-and-steel masterpiece created for the World Fair of 1900.

Palace of Versailles

Dressage, showjumping and equestrian cross country will take place in the park of Versailles Palace, some 20 kilometres from Paris. It also feature on the marathon circuit and host pentathlon events.

Marseille

Sailing contests will take place in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, France's boisterous second city, better known as the home of Olympique Marseille football team. Over 300 sailors from across the world will battle it out on the sapphire Mediterranean waters off the city. A marina has been built along the scenic Corniche coastal road heading southeast out of the city.

From: NPR, By: Rachel Treisman, July 24, 2024

Paris is officially hosting the summer games, but dozens of Olympians will compete at a venue nearly 9,800 miles away. Forty-eight surfers will hit the waves off the coast of Teahupo’o, a small village in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.

It’s not the only Olympic event taking place off-premises: Sailing competitions are happening hundreds of miles south, in Marseilles, while soccer matches will be held a two-hour train ride away, in Bordeaux.

But Tahiti is the farthest of this year’s 35 venues — and the farthest Olympic competition to be held outside of a host city since 1956, when Australia’s equine quarantine policies required the Melbourne Olympics to hold equestrian events in Stockholm, Sweden.

Here's a directory of the athletes representing the USA in the Paris Olympics with a preview of athletes to watch in basketball, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, and track & field. You can sort the list of team USA athletes by home state/territory, sport, and medals.

From: NBC, By: Chris Phelan, May 29, 2024

What is the purpose of the Olympic Village?

First and foremost, the Olympic Village is the athletes' home away from home. When they're not competing at the highest level, they are free to use the Olympic Village as they would their own residence in their home country. They eat, sleep, socialize, and yes, we'll be honest, the general atmosphere of the Olympic Village is reportedly more college dormitory than retirement home, much to the delight of the thousands of athletes who'll call the Village their home for weeks on end. 

Above all else, the Olympic Village provides all participating Olympic athletes with a safe place to live while they compete in Paris. While nobody will confuse the Village with luxury hotel accommodations, it is nevertheless a well-functioning, modern complex with countless amenities.

What does the Olympic Village look like?

For the past year, Olympic officials have worked around the clock to build the 2024 Olympic Village, which looks more like a sprawling upscale apartment complex that wouldn't look out of place in any major U.S. city. The Village is thoughtfully designed to allow the athletes to train, socialize, relax, and live in a safe complex that will anticipate their needs.

Much of the Village's recreation areas and green spaces are located on the banks of the Seine River, allowing even the most competitive Olympian ample opportunity to bask in the serenity of one of Paris' most famous bodies of water.

Individual rooms resemble no-nonsense flats and apartments of countless European cities — nothing too fancy. Notably, you won't find the latest TVs or video game consoles in the athletes' apartments, which fit two beds per room.

From: NBC Washington, July 23, 2024

During the 2024 Olympics, surfers will have a unique home a long way away from Paris.

The boat's restaurant.

The 2024 Paris Olympics surfing competition will take place in Tahiti, half-way across the world from the rest of the games — and the Olympic village. Rather than endure traditional Olympic accommodations, the surfers will spend their off-time aboard an Aranui 5 cruise ship.

Bunk beds on the Aranui 5

Olympic Village Dining Hall

From: The New York Times, By: Priya Krishna, July 22, 2024

The unforgettable moment when a competing athlete first enters the Olympic Village in Paris may be defined not by the complex’s impressive size and sweep, but by a smell: the scent of freshly baked baguettes.

This is by design.

“Every French village has a bakery,” said Guillaume Thomas, who works in communications for the Paris Olympics. “We want people to be able to smell the baguette as they enter.”

A boulangerie set up at the mouth of the village will churn out more than 2,000 baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat and focaccia daily, and even offer baking classes for athletes seeking respite from the grueling competition.

For the 15,000 Olympic athletes competing this summer, food is vital for optimizing performance. The French would like to sprinkle in some delight.

Offerings at the restaurants, like falafel and fregola salad, lean multicultural and vegetarian, and will be served on French porcelain dishware.

But there’s a difficult balance to strike between showcasing the French lifestyle and serving 40,000 meals a day that must cater to countless athletic, cultural and dietary requirements.

Sodexo brought in 20 of its chefs from around the world to ensure cultural sensitivity in the six restaurants. Two of the restaurants are French, two are Asian, one is halal and one is simply called “world.”

From: University of Utah Health, July 17, 2024

When we watch the world’s best athletes perform in the Olympic Games, we might focus on the hours of physical training they endure to rise to their level of competition. But often overlooked is an equally important component of an Olympian’s life: nutrition.

Fuel Your Fitness

While specific dietary requirements will depend on the type of sport you play, in general, athletes’ bodies demand more energy to power them through their training regimens and help them recover.

“An athlete will usually need 50 to 70 percent of their caloric intake to come from carbohydrate food sources, (the main fuel source for our brain and muscles),” says Lucy Mower, MS, RDN, CD, an outpatient clinical dietitian at University of Utah Health. “Individuals involved in high-level athletic training also require increased protein to support their recovery as well as fluid to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during training.”

All athletes will need the following in some capacity, but how much they need will depend on their training and competition regimen.

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Antioxidant-Rich Foods
• Healthy Fats
• Hydration

Flock contributors Tara and Josh staying cool on the Trinity River

These Flock regulars are always here for you:

In coming weeks: we'll be sharing more investigative articles from our roving reporter William George, original writing from Flock favorite Dino DeConcini, and an update on the Marolt brothers' coming expedition to Argentina.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our third year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

520-818-4433

View as Webpage