This summer, all eyes have turned to Paris as they ramp up for the 2024 Olympic Games. You don’t have to go all the way to France to feel the excitement though, you can enjoy the athletic feats from right here in the Netherlands. Here’s how you can watch the Paris Olympics in the Netherlands. 

2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

The Summer Olympics of 2024 will take place in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, with over 10.500 athletes from 206 nations competing in 45 different sports. The Paralympic Games are taking place from August 28 to September 8.  

When is the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony will begin at 7.30pm Paris time on Friday, July 26. A river parade will depart from the Austerlitz bridge and make its way along the River Seine, passing several Paris attractions and venues for the games. The boat procession will end with its arrival at the Trocadéro at around 11.15pm. 

As the first Olympic opening ceremony not taking place in a stadium, the event is bound to be memorable. All the athletes are a part of the 3,7 kilometre parade and 300.000 spectators are expected to line the banks of the river and the venue. 

Where can I watch the 2024 Olympic Games?

The Paris Olympics will be broadcast live by Dutch broadcaster NOS, where you can watch the games for free without a subscription. Other platforms such as HBO Max and Eurosport will also be covering the games. 

If you want to watch the Olympic Games on the go from your mobile phone or don’t have a TV subscription, there are many live streams of the games on the internet, from YouTube.

The Dutch Olympic team

With the biggest Dutch team ever set to go to the Olympics in 2024, the chances of bringing back some gold medals are certain. A record 276 athletes will represent the Netherlands in everything from rowing and cycling to swimming and athletics. 

This year, the team consists of 162 female athletes and 114 male athletes, with the youngest being an 18-year-old breakdancer and the oldest being a 50-year-old equestrian. 

The best Dutch contenders for Olympic medals

According to the Dutch analysis bureau, Gracenote, the Dutch Olympic team could come home with 34 medals. While this is a lower prediction than the record 36 the Netherlands won in Tokyo, it is predicted that up to 17 of them will be gold.

Some of the best contenders for those podium positions include two-time Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, who will be competing in the 1.500, 5.000, and 10.000-metre races, as well as the marathon. Femke Bol will also go for gold in track and field as she battles competitors in 400-metre races and the mixed 4x400 relay.

Liemarvin Bonevacia, Niels Laros and Churandy Martina hold the Netherlands’ hope of podium finishes in track and field for the men’s team, with Martina competing in the Olympics for his sixth time. 

Harrie Lavreyson has the chance of taking gold for track cycling in three events: the sprint, the team sprint and the keirin. This would round off his career medal wins to five, tying him with the Dutch record set by speed skater Sven Kramer.

Thumb image credit: Hethers / Shutterstock.com