The Summer Olympics are once again being held after four years. Every four years, athletes gather to compete in a selected country or city regardless of religion, language, or race. They aim to represent their countries well and return with victories.
This year, the Olympics are being held in Paris, France, and it is planned to be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
The arrangements for the Olympics in Paris started early. As the author of this article, I had the chance to observe the preparations for the event in person in April. A crucial aspect of the preparation process was the Seine River. Most citizens thought that the river was not clean enough for the Olympic Swimming events.
Thanks to the tremendous work put in by the authorities in Paris, following years of promises of cleaning and more than $1 billion of investment, the river is finally clean and “swimmable,”. However, the citizens were still not entirely convinced. As a response, the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, swam in the river, with Tony Estanguet, the President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Previously, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sport, had also swum in the river to prove that it was clean and ready for the Olympic activities.
There are forty Olympic sports, but thirty two of them are played in the Summer Olympics while the other eight are played in the Winter Olympics. In addition to the existing twenty eight Olympic sports, breakdancing, surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing will be performed for the first time at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Which are adding the already diverse list of sports some more, giving more athletes, climbers, dancers a chance to be a part of this respected event.Featuring competitions across thirty two sports and thirty five venues, the Games will host approximately 10,500 athletes competing for 329 medals.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Mascot is the Olympic Phryge, based on the traditional small Phrygian hats that the mascots are shaped after. The name and design were chosen as symbols of freedom, representing the French Republic.
Türkiye will be participating in the Olympics with a total of 102 athletes. In the past, Türkiye has won a total of 104 medals, with 41 golds. National athletes achieved successful results in nine sports branches at the Olympics, of which sixty six were in wrestling, eleven in weightlifting, nine in taekwondo, seven in boxing, four in karate, three in athletics, two in judo, and one each in archery and gymnastics. Moreover, this year our volleyball team, The Sultans of the Net is determined to return to Türkiye with victory.
One of the sport branches that the Turkish citizens are the most hopeful for is volleyball, especially after the great success of the team in 2023. The opposite hitter of the Turkish volleyball team, Ebrar Karakurt, said that their main aim is to be in the top three and get a medal. She added that she believes that the team is extremely qualified and capable of getting a gold medal.
As for the other branches, Türkiye will be going with one female athlete for badminton, Neslihan Arın, one male athlete for cycling, Burak Abay, one male athlete for weightlifting, Muhammed Furkan Özbek, one female athlete for rowing, Elis Özbay, one female athlete for table tennis, Sibel Altınkaya, and with teams for other several sports. A total of 102 athletes, including 54 women and 48 men across eighteen sports, will represent the country. Team Türkiye consists of athletes from thirty one different clubs, including Ebrar Karakurt from Russia’s Lokomotiv Kaliningrad, the only member competing from a foreign club.
Veli Ozan Çakır, the General Manager of Sport Services for Türkiye, talked about the significance of this year’s Olympics, since it is the country’s 100th anniversary of its first time in the Olympics; reinforcing on the gratitude our athletes are feeling. He also added that the athletes are filled with the gratitude of being a part of this year’s games. Moreover, he congratulated the athletes for their sacrifices, with the fact that some had spent more than a year away from their families in demanding training camps.
Hopes are that Turkish athletes return home with several gold medals, but, more importantly, that they bring the country a sense of unity. We wish all the countries the best of luck. With the pride we are filled with of going to the olympics in a well qualified team, we are now stronger.