10 interesting things about the Paris Olympics

According to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera website reported on July 18, the 2024 Olympic Games will open in Paris, France, on July 26, when more than 10,000 athletes will compete for their coveted Olympic MEDALS. Here are 10 things you need to know about Paris 2024:

1. Surf far away

While Paris is the main host city, the tournament will also be held in 16 other cities in mainland France.

However, the surfing competition will be the most unique - taking place in the French territory of Tahiti, the legendary Tiahoup surf spot in the Pacific Ocean.

The surf spot, located 15,000km from Paris, will break the record for the farthest venue for a medal event from an Olympic host city.

But competitors will be happy to fly halfway around the world to ride the waves at one of the most spectacular surf spots on the planet.

2. Break dancing: The new Olympic sport

The Paris Games have embraced a new Olympic sport: breakdancing, an urban dance derived from hip-hop culture.

The competition will consist of two events - men's and women's - and will be held in Paris on August 9-10, marking the sport's reentry into the Olympics following its successful hosting of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

3. The Eiffel Tower will be part of the Olympic Games

The iconic Eiffel Tower will be a part of the Games in many ways.

Beach volleyball competitions will be held in a temporary outdoor arena beneath the tower, while athletes will also be able to take home parts of the tower - Olympic MEDALS will be decorated with raw iron metal from the Eiffel Tower.

4. Parisians are running

For the first time in history, the public will be able to experience the Olympic Games firsthand by running the same course as Olympic runners on the same day.

The mass participation event will involve 35,000 amateur runners.

5. Swim in the Seine

The Seine River, which will host the Olympic marathon swimming and triathlon swimming events, also hosted some events a century ago, during the first Paris Olympics in 1900.

From 1923 until recently, swimming was banned in the Seine because of its water quality. But Paris organizers have repeatedly assured participants that the water will be clean enough for swimming during the Games.

6. Mascot

Frige is the official mascot of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are modeled after the traditional Phrygian hat, which is a symbol of France.

Olympic organizers said the name and design were chosen to symbolize freedom and represent the French Republic.

7.100th anniversary

The 2024 Games will mark the return of the Olympic Games to Paris after 100 years. Paris hosted the Olympics for the first time in 1900 and again in 1924.

Paris will also become the second city to host the Games three times after London (1908, 1948 and 2012).

8. Equal participation of male and female athletes

Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games in history to have gender parity on the field, with equal numbers of men and women competing in the world's biggest sporting event.

Of the 10,500 athletes who participated in the Games, 5,250 were men and 5,250 were women.

9. Translation error? Except for the Paris Metro

The Paris public transport system has provided more than 3,000 staff with AI-powered translation devices to help guide the routes of hundreds of thousands of visitors during the Games.

The device can translate between French and 16 different languages.

10. Turn off the air conditioner

Paris 2024 organisers have promised the "greenest Games ever", with athletes' rooms set to be air-conditioned.

The buildings of the athletes' village are designed with a cooling system that draws water from underground, and the facades are adjusted so that they receive little direct sunlight.