Paris 2024 Olympic slogan unveiled with 2 years to go

By OlympicTalkJul 25, 2022, 12:57 PM EDT

Paris 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic organizers unveiled the Games’ slogan — “Games Wide Open” — on the eve of the two-years-out date from the Opening Ceremony.

“It‘a simple, but for us it’s effective,” Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet said, noting the slogan is a continuation of the previous bid slogan, “Made for Sharing.” “This idea of sharing with people the energy of the Games is very important.”

That will manifest with events such as the previously announced mass participation marathon that will be held in relation to the Games on the Olympic marathon route.

The Opening Ceremony will be like none before — held outside a stadium along the Seine River with boats carrying athletes along famous landmarks, climaxing with the Eiffel Tower.

The Games — with non-medal competition starting July 24, 2024 — feature 329 medal events, 10 fewer than the record 339 in Tokyo. Paris hosts for a record-tying third time, 100 years after its last time hosting.

Breaking is the lone sport on the Paris program that will make its Olympic debut, though it was held at the last Youth Summer Olympics in 2018.

Competition venues include Roland Garros for tennis and boxing, Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower for beach volleyball, the Palace of Versailles for equestrian and modern pentathlon and Tahiti for surfing.

Estanguet said that no discussions have been had yet on the cauldron setup and who may be a final torchbearer. He also said organizers will look at ways for athletes who are not staying in the Paris area, such as the surfers, to celebrate the Opening Ceremony.

Among the upcoming milestones for Paris 2024 is the mascot reveal.

“We tried to add a French touch,” Estanguet said.

Recent Olympic slogans
Salt Lake City 2002: Light the Fire Within
Athens 2004: Welcome Home
Torino 2006: Passion Lives Here
Beijing 2008: One World, One Dream
Vancouver 2010: With Glowing Hearts
London 2012: Inspire A Generation
Sochi 2014: Hot. Cool. Yours.
Rio 2016: A New World
PyeongChang 2018: Passion. Connected.
Tokyo 2020: United By Emotion
Beijing 2022: Together for a Shared Future
Paris 2024: Games Wide Open

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An invitation to the world to come and experience a whole set of new emotions together.

You are 1'30 min away from discovering the slogan of the #Paris2024 Olympic AND Paralympic Games.#RoadToParis2024 pic.twitter.com/ciLzX5DZqb

— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 25, 2022

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz set French Open semifinal showdown

By OlympicTalkJun 6, 2023, 6:59 PM EDT

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will play in the French Open semifinals on Friday in the most anticipated match of the tournament.

Each man advanced with a quarterfinal win on Tuesday.

Djokovic, eyeing a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam men’s singles title, rallied past 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4. The Serb reached his 45th career major semifinal, one shy of Roger Federer‘s men’s record.

Later Tuesday, top seed Alcaraz crushed fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5) to consolidate his status as the favorite in Friday’s showdown.

“This match, everyone wants to watch,” Alcaraz said. “I really wanted to play this match as well. I always say that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Alcaraz, who at last year’s U.S. Open became the first male teen to win a major since Rafael Nadal in 2005, is at this event the youngest man to be the top seed at a major since Boris Becker at 1987 Wimbledon.

The Djokovic-Alcaraz semifinal will produce the clear favorite for Sunday’s final given left-handed 14-time French Open champion Nadal is out this year with a hip injury and No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev lost in the first round. Djokovic and Nadal share the record 22 men’s major titles.

Djokovic and Alcaraz met once, with Alcaraz winning last year on clay in Madrid 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5).

“[Alcaraz] brings a lot of intensity on the court,” Djokovic said, before breaking into a smile. “Reminds me of someone from his country that plays with a left hand.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic were set to be on opposite halves of the draw — and thus not able to meet until the final — until Medvedev won the last top-level clay event before the French Open to move ahead of Djokovic in the rankings. That meant Djokovic had a 50 percent chance to wind up in Alcaraz’s half, and that’s what the random draw spit out two weeks ago.

Earlier Tuesday in the first two women’s quarterfinals, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and 43rd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova advanced to face off in Thursday’s semifinals.

Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, swept Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4 to complete her set of semifinals in all four Grand Slams. Sabalenka will take the No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek if Swiatek loses before the final, or if Sabalenka makes the final and Swiatek does not win the title.

Svitolina, a former world No. 3, returned to competition in April from childbirth.

Muchova took out 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-2, to make her second major semifinal after the 2021 Australian Open.

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw

By OlympicTalkJun 6, 2023, 5:16 PM EDT

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The French Open men’s singles draw is missing injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, leaving the Coupe des Mousquetaires ripe for the taking.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Novak Djokovic is not only bidding for a third crown at Roland Garros, but also to lift a 23rd Grand Slam singles trophy to break his tie with Nadal for the most in men’s history.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

But the No. 1 seed is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s U.S. Open to become, at 19, the youngest man to win a major since Nadal’s first French Open title in 2005.

Now Alcaraz looks to become the second-youngest man to win at Roland Garros since 1989, after Nadal of course.

Alcaraz missed the Australian Open in January due to a right leg injury, but since went 30-3 with four titles. Notably, he has not faced Djokovic this year. They meet in Friday’s semifinals.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed, was upset in the first round by 172nd-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild. It marked the first time a men’s top-two seed lost in the first round of any major since 2003 Wimbledon (Ivo Karlovic d. Lleyton Hewitt).

All of the American men lost before the fourth round. The last U.S. man to make the French Open quarterfinals was Andre Agassi in 2003.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

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