Storylines to watch as the Paris Olympics gets underway

This will be the third time Paris plays host to the Olympic games. It first did the honor in 1900, thus the second city to host the modern day Games following the inaugural event in Athens. Paris was again the site of the 1924 Summer Olympics. The second to be held following World War I. Now, Paris becomes the second nation to host three Olympic games, joining London (1908, 1948, 2012). In an interesting note, with an eye toward sustainability, only two new sporting venues have been built for the Games, while the rest using current or updated versions of existing buildings.

Not only are the Olympics returning to Paris for the first time in 100 years, but so will the fans. Not over a century of time, but in terms of actual folks packing Olympic sites, stadiums and arenas. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and aftermath, the most recent Olympic games have been held in front of few, if any, spectators. The Paris event will be the first Summer Games since Rio 2016 where spectators will return in full. According to SportsTravel, as of April 2024, roughly eight million of the 10 million available tickets to the various sports, were already sold. 

For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremonies will not be held inside a stadium. Instead, the Paris Games will officially kickoff with the traditional celebration being held along the banks of the famed Seine River. During a ceremony that is expected to last in the neighborhood of seven hours, the more than 205 delegation of athletes will cruise down the river in decorated boats (instead of parading into a stadium) while more than 300,000 cramped spectators will look from the banks. The final portion of the ceremonies will take place at the Trocadéro plaza near the Eifel Tower.

Speaking of the Seine. The city's prestigious waterway was slated to be used for the swimming portion of the Olympic triathlon events and the swim marathon competition. Big deal, huh? Well, nobody has been allowed to swim in the Seine for roughly a century due to the poor quality of the water. And, things don't appear to be any better today. Reported E. coli levels remain high, which obviously is not healthy for athletes to be competing in for any period of time. This predicament will certainly be something to keep an eye on as the Games draw closer. 

The water quality in the Seine River might not be the only environmental concern for the athletes. Paris could be under a noticeable stretch of hot air temperatures during the Summer Games. Such concern was raised by the recent release of Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics, from the University of Portsmouth, which details how if trends continue, athletes could be competing in potentially dangerously hot and humid conditions. Especially after 2023 was deemed the hottest year on record and 2024 could surpass that fact. 

The Paris Olympics will go amid the shadows of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. In terms of Russian athletes (along with those from Belarus, which supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine) who have qualified for the Pairs Games will compete under the moniker of an Individual Neutral Athlete. It's expected more than 50 Russian athletes will qualify for the Summer Games come time for the opening ceremonies, including 2021 U.S. Open tennis champion  Daniil Medvedev. 

The NBCUniversal family of networks will provide extensive coverage of the Paris Games. That includes action streaming on Peacock. Veteran broadcaster Mike Tirico will serve as NBC's Olympic primetime host and will be joined at times by legendary rap/hip hop entertainer Snoop Dogg, who will provide an update on the sights and sounds in and around Paris. And, perhaps the biggest storyline to come out of NBC's coverage of the Summer Games will be daily highlight packages, on Peacock, narrated via an A.I. re-creation of the voice of legendary broadcaster Al Michaels.

Some of the world's greatest athletes will be competing in Paris this summer. However, one who will not is American basketball star Caitlin Clark. The college basketball legend and All-Star rookie for the Indiana Fever was left off the roster U.S. women's Olympic squad. A somewhat controversial decision (depending on who is doing the talking), Clark will watch from home even though she's arguably the most popular female athlete in the U.S ., at moment. That said, with fellow WNBA stars A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner among the elite roster members, the U.S. is the overwhelming favorite to win a seventh straight Olympic gold medal, and 10th overall.

When it comes to men's basketball in Paris, LeBron James,  Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis will highlight Team USA, which has won 16 Olympic gold medals -- including the last four. However, this is shaping up to be one of the most competitive fields in recent memory. While the U.S. remains the favorite,  France expects to make noise with 7-foot-4 favorite son Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert in the mix . Meanwhile, Denver superstar Nikola Jokic appears set to suit up Serbia, the Americans' first opponent, and fellow Nugget Jamal Murray and Oklahoma City All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pace Team Canada.

While U.S. men's and women's basketball teams seem on track to continue their Olympic dominance, the nation's women's soccer team heads to Paris with a chip on its collective shoulder and without some familiar names. Stalwart Megan Rapinoe has retired and fellow legend Alex Morgan was surprisingly left off the roster for Paris . With the likes of established stars Alyssa Naeher,   Lindsey Horan, and   Crystal Dunn, the U.S. will try to win gold for the first time since 2012, and after losing in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinals and claiming bronze at Tokyo last time out.

Consider it a victory in itself that the U.S. men's soccer team will feature in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Unlike the American women, the U.S. men are not favored to medal, but stranger things have happened. The Olympic soccer competition features competitors who are under age 23, with allowance of three players over that threshold per squad. The only time a U.S. men's soccer team medaled at the Olympics came in 1904.

Alex Morgan might be the biggest omission among the U.S. delegation of athletes in Paris, but all eyes should certainly be fixed on celebrated and highly decorated American swimmer Katie Ledecky. The most decorated female swimmer of all time, Ledecky has won seven Olympic golds and three silvers. She'll be favored to win the 800-meter freestyle for a fourth straight games -- thus equaling Michael Phelps' mark of winning an event at four consecutive Olympics -- as well as a second consecutive 1,500 free. She's slated to compete in three individual events and the 4x200 free relay

In addition to Ledecky, fellow American swim veterans Simone Manuel and Caleb Dressel are worth watching in Paris. Both have endured some intense health issues since the Tokyo Games. The 27-year-old Manuel has dealt with ramifications of overtraining, which kept her out of the pool for an extended stretch. However, she won the 50 free at the U.S. trials. Meanwhile, Dressel, who made news amid addressing his mental health, turned heads by winning the 50 free and 100 butterfly at the Indianapolis trials.

If Katie Ledecky is the queen of the pool, then Simone Biles is Olympic gymnastics' superstar. Back after a grueling and rather disappointing Tokyo Games, Biles, who has won four gold medals, one silver and two bronze in two Summer games, looks to become the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast of all time. The 2016 Olympic All-Around champ, Biles leads a highly talented and experienced U.S. squad that features reigning All-Around champion Suni Lee, Jade Carey, who won Tokyo gold in the floor exercise, and Jordan Chiles, who was also part of the silver medal-winning U.S. team from the 2020 Games. 

When U.S. gymnasts needed a boost or a little good cheer, they had Beacon, the 4-year-old golden retriever therapy dog, to lean at the recent Olympic trials. Beacon, who is part of the U.S. staff, has become quite the media sensation, and the hope is that he'll be able to join the American contingent of gymnasts at Paris this summer. If that's the case, be prepared to hear -- and see -- plenty of Beacon amid the Olympic coverage.

The U.S. track threesome of Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is poised for Olympic success. Lyles won the 100 and 200 meters at the recent U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore, and will try to better a bronze-medal effort in the latter from Tokyo. Meanwhile, Richardson has her eyes set on gold in the 100 after she earned a suspension after testing positive for THC metabolites shortly after qualifying for the Tokyo Games. Meanwhile, McLaughlin-Levrone, a two-time gold medalist in Tokyo, ran a world-record time of 50.65 seconds in the 400 hurdles at the trials.

Looking for the next young U.S. track superstar? Remember the name Quincy Wilson, who at age 16 and about to be a high school junior in Maryland, is the youngest American male track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics. Wilson, who turned heads by finishing sixth in the 400 at the recent U.S. trials, will go to Paris as an option to be part of the 4x400 relay squad. Expect plenty of a hype and attention surrounding Wilson, regardless the outcome.

American Nikki Hiltz could be in the hunt for a medal in the women's 1,500-meter run. However, Hiltz, who was assigned female at birth but identifies as transgender and nonbinary, already felt she made a statement by winning the event at the U.S. trials in a meet-record time of 3:55.33. The controversial topic of gender assignment and identification remains a hot-button issue in international sports. In Hiltz's case, she does not face any restrictions as a transgender athlete since she was assigned female at birth. That said, it will be interesting to see how the 29-year-old Hiltz handles the pressures of the Olympics -- on and off the track.

Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing are a few of the sports that will be added to the 2024 Olympic program in Paris. However, the one new addition that is sure to draw plenty of eyes will be "breaking." As in break dancing. A major success at 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, the breaking competition features elements of top rock, down rock, and freeze. "Breakers" will compete in one-on-one format, and be judged on their performances. America's Victor Montalvo will be one to watch.