When someone asks where was the Olympics held in 2024, the "official" answer is Paris. Obviously. But if you actually followed the Games, you know that's only about 60% of the story.
Paris was the hub, sure. But the 2024 Games were basically a giant, sprawling treasure hunt across France and its overseas territories. We saw volleyball players diving in the sand under the literal legs of the Eiffel Tower and surfers dodging "deadly" reef breaks nearly 10,000 miles away in the South Pacific. It was weird. It was ambitious. Honestly, it was a bit of a logistical nightmare that somehow worked out.
The Heart of the Action: Paris Proper
The organizers didn't just want to build a bunch of new stadiums that would sit empty and rot three years later. They decided to turn the city's most famous landmarks into sports arenas.
You had Les Invalides, this massive historic military complex where Napoleon is buried, serving as the backdrop for archery. Imagine trying to hit a bullseye while staring at a giant golden dome. Then there was the Grand Palais. If you've never seen it, it's this stunning glass-and-steel hall built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. For 2024, it hosted fencing and taekwondo. It looked like something out of a movie.
The Eiffel Tower Stadium
This was the one everyone saw on Instagram. They built a temporary outdoor arena at the Champ de Mars, right at the base of the tower. It hosted beach volleyball. Watching a match at sunset with the tower sparkling in the background? Unbeatable.
Place de la Concorde
This is the giant public square at the end of the Champs-Élysées. Historically, it’s where they used the guillotine during the French Revolution. In 2024, it was the "Urban Park." This is where the "cool" sports happened:
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- Breaking (the first time dance was in the Olympics)
- 3x3 Basketball
- BMX Freestyle
- Skateboarding
It was loud, it was dusty, and it felt way more like a festival than a traditional Olympic event.
Beyond the City Limits: Greater Paris
A lot of the "heavy lifting" happened just outside the city center in a place called Seine-Saint-Denis. This is where you’ll find the Stade de France, which served as the main Olympic stadium for athletics and rugby sevens.
Nearby, they built the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Interestingly, this was one of the only brand-new permanent buildings constructed for the Games. It’s made almost entirely of wood to keep the carbon footprint low. They even made the spectator seats out of recycled plastic bottle caps.
The Palace of Versailles also got in on the action. Yes, that Versailles. The royal gardens hosted the equestrian events and the modern pentathlon. You had horses galloping across grounds where Louis XIV used to hang out. It’s about 20km west of Paris, and the visuals were basically a postcard come to life.
The 10,000-Mile Deviation: Tahiti
This is the part that still trips people up. If you're asking where was the Olympics held in 2024, you have to include Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
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Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, which is an overseas territory of France. It’s in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 15,706 kilometers away from Paris. That’s a 22-hour flight, minimum.
Why there? Because the waves in mainland France in July are... okay. The waves at Teahupo’o are legendary. They are some of the heaviest, most dangerous waves on the planet. The surfers didn't even stay in a normal village. They lived on a cruise ship called the Aranui 5 anchored off the coast because the local village was too small to house everyone. It was the first "floating" Olympic village in history.
The Soccer and Sailing Split
If you were a soccer fan, you could have been almost anywhere in France. Matches were scattered across six other cities:
- Marseille (The big port city in the south)
- Lyon
- Bordeaux
- Saint-Étienne
- Nantes
- Nice
Marseille was also the headquarters for Sailing. They used the Roucas-Blanc Marina. It made sense—the Mediterranean breeze is a lot more reliable for racing than a river in the middle of a city.
Speaking of the river, we have to talk about the Opening Ceremony. For the first time ever, it wasn't in a stadium. It was on the Seine. About 10,500 athletes piled onto nearly 100 boats and floated 6 kilometers down the river while it poured rain. It was chaotic. Lady Gaga performed on the banks, Celine Dion sang from the Eiffel Tower, and the whole thing ended at the Trocadéro.
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What You Should Know If You’re Visiting the Sites Now
The 2024 Games are over, but the "where" still matters because the legacy is everywhere. Most of the temporary stands at the Eiffel Tower or Concorde are gone, but the Olympic Village in Saint-Denis is being turned into a massive residential neighborhood with 2,800 apartments.
If you're planning a "2024 Tour," here’s the reality check:
- The Seine: You still can't just jump in for a swim yet, though the city spent $1.5 billion trying to clean it up for the triathlon. They’re aiming for public swimming by late 2025 or 2026.
- The Venues: Most are back to being museums or parks. You can visit the Vélodrome National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines if you want to see where the track cycling records were broken.
- Tahiti: Teahupo’o is still a world-class surf spot, but unless you're a pro, maybe just watch from the shore. Those waves don't play.
The 2024 Olympics weren't just "in Paris." They were a massive experiment in using what you already have. By spreading the events from the heart of the capital to the shores of the Pacific, they proved you don't need to build a "Ghost City" of stadiums to host a modern Games.
Actionable Insight: If you’re looking to experience the 2024 Olympic vibe today, skip the crowded tourist traps in central Paris. Head to Saint-Denis to see the new Aquatics Centre or take the RER C train out to Versailles to walk the cross-country equestrian path. It's much quieter now, and you can actually see the scale of what they pulled off without the 15-euro hot dogs.