After 16 competition-filled days, the 2024 Summer Olympics–hosted in Paris, France–came to a close on August 11th.
As the 30th rendition of the summer games, the Olympics sported a variety of routine and newly introduced sports. For the first time, breakdancing was named an official olympic sport. While the sport gathered relatively substantial viewership, MHS student Garrett Clarke (’27) noticed discrepancies between athletes, stating how “while many participants were skilled break dancers, others, such as Australia’s participant, couldn’t be compared to the other athletes.”
In addition, Clarke acknowledged other gaps in the success of the Olympics, noting how extremely popular sports, including baseball and softball are yet to be included in the games. This is likely due to the sports’ limited popularity outside the US.
Fortunately, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that these sports will be added for the 2028 Summer Games.
Despite these slight lapses in the quality of the games, it was a memorable two weeks for Team USA overall.
Men’s basketball was an absolute powerhouse, winning Team USA its fifth-straight gold medal. Packed with NBA legends including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, many had high expectations for the team. Despite their ultimate victory, the team was pushed to its limit–facing unprecedented competition from South Sudan and Serbia and winning most games by just a few points.
MHS student, varsity basketball player, and basketball fanatic Cameron Burell (’28) noted that “it was interesting to see how these players from foreign countries that don’t get any media coverage go toe-to-toe with the best players in the world. It’s truly a testament to the globalization of basketball and how it expanded to so many different countries and cultures.”
Aside from basketball, Burell speaks to the national pride sparked by the Olympic games. rejuvenation of the national pride of whatever country you are rooting for. Louis Ducrot (’27) felt a specifical connection to the 2024 games as he is from France.
Ducrot feels “it was amazing to show [his] culture and to show [his] way of life to many new people. Especially during the preparation, it was a time where everyone came together to show visitors the best version of France they could.”
While we’ll have to wait until 2028 to watch the next Summer Olympics, fortunately the 2026 Winter Olympics are just around the corner.
