By Paige Albright
Boston University News Service
With the 2024 Paris Olympic games nearing their end, the media has been consumed by events, bringing in NFL-like viewership in the United States. The opening ceremony drew 41.5 million viewers alone; an increase in the US’ audience due to new events, age-old rivalries and even Snoop Dogg.
Along with dominating viewership, the US continues its winning streak in the medal count with 103 medals overall and 30 gold medals, as of day 13 of the games. The closest competitor to the US is China trailing only by a single gold medal, but trailing in the total count by over 30 total medals with two days of the competition left.
One of the biggest contributing factors to the US’ dominance in these games has been the triumphs of Team USA’s women’s competitors. A week into the competition, all individual medals for the US had been won by women. This Olympic Games is the first game with equal participation by both men and women, and it’s evident by the many record-breaking performances.
The US women – such as gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky and hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – took home golds in the most commanding fashion. All three set medal count records and world records in their respective sports.
Countries including Dominica, Guatemala and Saint-Lucia won their nation’s first gold medals by their female competitors. Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour won Africa its very first medal as a continent in gymnastics on the uneven bars.
Rapper and personality Flavor-Flav pledged to sponsor the women’s water polo team after learning many of the athletes work multiple jobs to support themselves while training as a part of Team USA. Michele Kang also pledged four million dollars to the women’s rugby team that earned bronze at the games; the best Team USA has ever finished in the sport of rugby.
However, the failings of the Olympic committee have also been apparent in Paris. Most notably the setup of the games, namely athlete accommodations and venue safety. Since the first night of the Olympics, the comfort afforded to competitors in the Olympic Village has been put into question. The eco-friendly approach pushed by the Paris organizers left much to be desired from the unforgiving cardboard beds to the lack of AC in housing, and most frustratingly to the athletes’ quality of food.
Issues with the quality of meat have forced some nations to privately supply food to their athletes. Both the United Kingdom and Australia have pivoted to food from outside the village for their athletes. With athletes needing to perform at their best, being unable to rest and refuel properly can become a concern for coaches and Olympians alike.
The River Seine has been a point of contention in the games from even before the opening ceremony. The river played host to multiple different events for the games; however, water safety concerns have persisted.
The river originally provided transportation, plumbing and more to centuries-old Paris. Most Parisians would never think of swimming in the river themselves, let alone forcing hundreds of elite athletes to compete in the event of their career. France spent almost two billion dollars to clean up the river, with leaders of the nation pledging to swim the Seine to prove its cleanliness.
However the citizens of Paris had opposing thoughts, and a protest of the games came in the form of citizens defecating in the river the morning of the set debut date. The mayor’s swim was delayed twice due to the raised levels of E. Coli, which led to the postponement of the men’s triathlon by two days. However, many athletes while competing were seen vomiting after the swim portion of the race.
Athletes also stated that the river had lots of trash and debris in the water. Two athletes have been hospitalized due to infections from the river. With no alternative venue for the other events, races like the open water had to go on even after competitors from earlier events fell sick.
Other controversies of the games pertain to the age-old drama surrounding performance-enhancing drugs. After standout performances from Chinese swimmers and a world record set by Pan Zhanle in the 100-meter freestyle, many have raised questions about doping. This comes just as the American figure skating team was awarded their gold medal in Paris from the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 after Russian skaters were disqualified for failing their drug tests.
New sports, such as breaking, made their debut at the Olympics; as did the debut of four mixed-relay teams: a triathlon relay, track, swim and marathon. Team USA set a world record in the 4×400 meter mixed medley relay in the semifinals. They were unfortunately not able to fend off the Netherlands team in the finals, and they placed with a silver medal.
Kayak Cross was introduced at the games this year, too. Four athletes slid down a ramp in a kayak to start the race, then proceeded down the whitewater in a bumper car each battle. Team USA’s first-ever whitewater Olympic medal came from Evy Leibfarth in the canoe salmon, finishing with a bronze.
Team USA’s team sports have been performing past expectations. The basketball teams and the women’s soccer team headed to the gold medal finals. Both men’s and women’s volleyball are still alive in the semis, beating old foes and powerhouses. US synchronized swimming received its first-ever medal in program history, going viral with “moonwalk” skill.
Another viral moment for Team USA at the games came from pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik whose challenging performance and perfect execution helped the team break its decades-long medal drought. Nedoroscik has poor vision and went viral for competing virtually blind whilst on the apparatus. Nedoroscik was seen meditating and napping during the rotation of his teammates, waiting a painstaking three hours to complete his single routine during the men’s gymnastics team finals.
Looking to the next games and the future, many are excited to see more countries become true competitors, including France’s Leon Marchand who won gold in all his swimming events at the games. Young talent also stole the show in events like skateboarding and diving. With so much room to grow, world records are bound to be broken.
