Venues Worthy of the Gold
Day 3: World-Class Athletes Will Compete in World-Famous Venues
The Opening Ceremonies demonstrated that Paris is pulling out all the stops to showcase itself this summer, and that extends to the event venues as well.
The city’s best known landmark creates a photogenic and (Eiffel) towering backdrop for Beach Volleyball’s temporary 13,000 seat stadium. Expect to see some iconic photos (and paintings?) from here over the next two weeks.
You may not immediately picture beach volleyball when you think of the Eiffel Tower, but there is no such dissonance when it comes to the Château de Versailles. It is impossible to not conjure images of stately horses with the mere mention of the 2024 Equestrian venue. Louis IVX’s 17th century palace was once home to over 2,200 of them, and Olympic organizers have assiduously created a modern venue fit for a king.
And of course what would tennis in France be if not played at Roland Garros?
Meanwhile, nearly 10,000 miles from Paris (but still technically France), 48 Olympic surfers will be riding for gold in Tahiti. There they will attempt the legendary wave Teahupoo (translation: wall of skulls), a geographic anomaly that will challenge even the world’s best.
Standing alongside these classically French venues is the stunning new timber frame Paris Aquatics Centre, which will host Diving, Water Polo, and Artistic (synchronized) Swimming.
What To Watch Today
(All times Eastern. Full event relays available on-demand on Peacock)
13 more Gold medals will be handed out today including another exciting day in the pool, and the first action from Mountain Biking and whitewater Canoeing.
Elsewhere there are big names on the Tennis court, the absolutely loaded USA Men’s Basketball team takes on Nikola Jokic and Serbia, and the USWNT face Germany looking to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
3:30 am - Shooting: 10m Air Pistol Men's Final 🥇
6:00 am - Shooting: 10m Air Pistol Women's Final 🥇
6:00 am - Tennis: Woman’s Singles First Round, Jessica Pegula vs Viktorija Golubic 🇺🇸
7:30 am - Tennis: Men’s Singles First Round, Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics
8:10 am - Mountain Biking: Women's Cross-country 🥇
10:48 am - Archery: Women's Team Medal Matches 🥇
10:00 am – Judo: Women’s <52kg and Men’s <66kg 🥇 🥇
11:00 am - Skateboarding: Women's Street Final 🥇🇺🇸
11:15 am - Basketball: Men’s Group Play, USA vs Serbia 🇺🇸
11:45 am - Canoe Slalom: Women's Kayak Single Final 🥇
1:00 pm - Tennis: Woman’s Singles First Round, Coco Gauff v Ajla Tomljanovic 🇺🇸
2:00 pm - Rugby 7’s: Women’s Pool Play, USA vs Brazil 🇺🇸
2:30 pm - Swimming: Men's 400m IM, Women's 100m Butterfly, and Men's 100m Breaststroke Finals 🥇 🥇 🥇
3:00 pm - Soccer: Women’s Group Play, USA vs Germany 🇺🇸
3:45 pm - Fencing: Women's Foil Individual and Men's Épée Individual Gold Medal Bouts 🥇 🥇
In Other Olympic News… Venue Edition
Olympic venues old and new will not be serving alcohol this summer due to Evin’s Law, a 1991 statute that bans the sale of alcohol at public sporting events.
Neither road nor mountain cyclists are happy with the rough streets of Paris and slippery gravel of the Mountain Bike venue in nearby Ellencourt Hill.
Twelve years later, London’s use of Olympic venues to revitalize neighborhoods serves as an examples for Paris.
Though only awarded the 2034 Winter Games a few days ago, Utah leaders are already thinking about how to turn Salt Lake City’s second time hosting into more development for the region.
Photo of the Day
Nice photos! I particularly like the one with a portion of the Eiffel Tower in it.