When Paris was selected as a host city for the 2024 Summer Olympics, organizers clearly had some ideas up their sleeve about where to host the Games’ 32 sports and projected 10,000 athletes.
The Olympics officially get underway today, with rugby sevens and soccer events two days ahead of Friday’s opening ceremonies, which will be conducted by boat down the iconic Seine River.
As for the events themselves, the Paris Olympics are set to take place in some of France’s most well-known locations, which could produce some of the most iconic images ever captured at a sporting event.
In no particular order, here are five of the most impressive venues the games will be using this year:
Paris 2024 Olympics
If there’s one structure best associated with any city in the world, it might be the Eiffel Tower and Paris. This year’s beach volleyball event will take place at a temporary stadium right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, in a pop-up venue that will be gone after the summer.
Stade Roland-Garros (Tennis, Boxing)
While many Olympics are criticized for bringing in venues that won’t get much usage in the future, the same can’t be said of the iconic Roland-Garros, home of the annual French Open.
It will host both the men’s and women’s tennis events this year and several boxing matches during the Games.
Teahupo’o, Tahiti (Surfing)
Grand Palais (Fencing, Taekwondo)
Have you ever seen the Olympics take place in a historic palace before? Well, the fencing and taekwondo events will offer you that opportunity, with those sports taking place in the structure first built for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900.
The Seine River — Pont Alexandre III (Marathon Swimming, Triathlon)
Arguably the city’s most iconic feature next to the Eiffel Tower might be Paris 2024’s most controversial venue. Marathon swimming and triathlon are both expected to be hosted in the Seine River starting at Pont Alexandre III, though locals and many activists have been raising concerns about high bacteria levels and unsafe swimming conditions for the athletes.
A full list of venues can be seen on the official Paris 2024 website.