With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games around the corner, you will hear many people refer to the event as “the Olympic Games”. Although the Royal Spanish Academy recognizes both terms as synonymous, there is a distinction that not everyone is aware of.

The term “Olympic Games” refers specifically to the 17 days between the opening and closing ceremonies. This period includes various individual and team events in sports selected by the International Olympic Committee. On the other hand, the Olympic Games is the four-year period between each Olympic Games, beginning on January 1 of the competition year and ending on December 31 of the year before the next event. For example, the upcoming Games in Paris will represent the 30th edition of the competition, marked as the 33rd Olympiad.

There is no specific reason why the period between competitions is set at four years. During the Olympiad, athletes who want to represent their country compete in both national and international competitions. The winners of these events ultimately determine who gets to compete in the Olympic Games.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games The Games will begin with the Opening Ceremony on the Seine on July 26 and will last until Sunday, August 11. The Olympic program includes 32 sports, with a total of 329 events. These include artistic gymnastics, tennis, fencing, water polo, basketballand football. As previously mentioned, Paris 2024 will mark the 30th edition of the Olympic Games and the 33rd Olympiad, as the events could not be held during the war years of 1916, 1940 and 1944.

The global sporting event has its origins in ancient Greece, where competitions such as running, wrestling and jumping were held in honor of the god Zeus. This tradition faded until the 19th century, when Pierre de Coubertin led a movement to revive the modern Olympic Games. The first of these modern games took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896, with athletes from only 14 countries. Over the years, the Olympic Games grew in popularity and evolved into the prominent sporting event we know today.

As excitement builds for the upcoming Games, the anticipation of watching top athletes from around the world compete is sure to unite fans and inspire many.

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