The Olympic Games Paris 2024 daily competition schedule, recently announced by the International Olympic Committee and the Organising Committee, reveals that cycling will feature on every day of the Games in 2024, with competitions taking place against iconic backgrounds in the French capital. While cycling also featured on all days between the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 will see some changes for cycling compared to the last edition.
Notably, the first day of medal competitions will feature both the women’s and men’s individual time trials, with the athletes setting off from the Invalides and finishing at the Pont Alexandre III. With these two podium ceremonies – one for women and one for men – cycling will be among eight Olympic sports awarding medals the day after the July 26 Opening Ceremony.
In recent editions of the Olympic Summer Games, cycling has awarded just one Olympic title on the opening day: for the men’s road race. The Olympic Champion for the women’s road race was crowned the following day. The new schedule for Paris 2024 ensures that cycling’s women will also be in the spotlight from day one.
The time trials on 27 July will be followed by the mountain bike races at Elancourt Hill (28 and 29 July).
In another change to the programme compared to Tokyo 2020, the BMX Freestyle competitions will be held before the BMX Racing.
For its second appearance at the Olympic Games – and with 12 athletes per gender as opposed to nine in Tokyo – the BMX Freestyle competitions will get under way on 30 July. Both the men’s and women’s finals will take place the following day. The Place de la Concorde will be the majestic setting for the competitions, with the urban venue also hosting skateboarding (park and street), 3x3 basketball and breaking.
BMX Racing follows on 1st and 2 August with evening sessions at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium. The finals and podium ceremonies for both men and women will be held on the second day of competition.
Cycling’s road races will be part of an action-packed midway weekend in Paris (Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 August) and will see the pelotons setting off from the Pont d’Iéna.
Finally, the Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome will host seven days of track competition – with medals awarded every day – from 5 August to 11 August, the day of the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony.
The changes in scheduling, which again ensure cycling is in the spotlight throughout the two weeks of competition, are the result of discussions between Paris 2024, the IOC, Olympic Broadcasting Services and the International Federations of all 32 sports on the Olympic programme of Paris 2024.
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will also be the first where cycling achieves full gender parity in terms of participation.
Olympic Games Paris 2024 cycling schedule
26 July: Opening Ceremony
27 July: individual time trials
28 - 29 July: mountain bike
30 - 31 July: BMX Freestyle
1st - 2 August: BMX Racing
3 - 4 August: road races
5 - 11 August: track
11 August: Closing Ceremony.