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When do the Olympics actually start?

Hint: It’s not the same day as opening ceremony

FIFA Chief of Global Soccer Development Arsene Wenger attends the draw for the Paris 2024 Olympic Soccer tournaments, Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (Christophe Ena, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

We are now weeks — not months or years— from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from starting.

But what is actually the first day that the Games start? It’s actually not July 26, the day of the opening ceremony down the Seine River.

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Technically, the Olympics will start two days prior on July 24 when the soccer competition kicks off. There will be a full slate of games in the men’s competition, including the U.S. playing host France.

The women’s competition will kick off the next day. Soccer has traditionally started before the opening ceremony so games can be spaced out to give players adequate rest during the Olympics.

Check schedules and results of all Olympic events by visiting the page below. It has a daily schedule of events and results, so you don’t need to go anywhere else for your Olympic news!

Click here to see who is competing, the upcoming Olympics schedule and results as they come in.