The Olympics come to Marseille for the first time!
Sailing and football: from July 24 to August 8, 2024
Marseille is the sole venue for the Olympic sailing events and is one of the seven venues selected to host matches from the men’s and women’s football competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Marseille Stadium will host 10 Olympic football matches, including a quarterfinal and a semifinal in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
Meanwhile, the Marseille Marina and the southern part of the bay of Marseille will be the scene of competitions in 10 sailing disciplines that will bring together 330 athletes from 66 nations. The waters of Marseille will welcome a most magnificent spectacle.
As these two sports are not represented at the Paralympic Games, there will be no Paralympic events in Marseille.
Olympic sailing events
There are 12 days of sailing competitions featuring ten Olympic events, including two mixed events and six sailing categories.
- Women’s and men’s windsurfing, iQFoil class (new board, never before used at the Olympic Games).
- One-person dinghy (event formerly called the Laser category) for women (ILCA 6 - Laser Radial) and men (ILCA 7 - Laser Radial).
- “Forty-niner”, “49er”, or skiff, men’s and women’s competitions: another type of sailing vessel with sleek lines and wings that can be manoeuvred by two people, this event has become highly popular since it was included at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
- Kite Foil (Formula Kite), men’s and women’s competitions: kiteboarding is being introduced as an official event at the 2024 Olympics.
- Nacra 17: catamaran with a double hydro foil, mixed event.
- 470: mixed two-person dinghy (new Olympic event).
SAILING EVENTS, WHAT TO KNOW
The unique feature of the Olympic sailing events is that they use a fleet racing format with all the boats and athletes, classified by category, competing simultaneously on the same course that is marked out by buoys. The aim is to reach the finish line as quickly as possible after rounding all the buoys. The top finishers in the ten series races qualify for the medal race. This single race is shorter and counts double in points. It determines the podium by adding the points obtained in this race to the points obtained throughout the week in the other races.
The medal race format is different for windsurfers and kitesurfers. The top 10 finishers in the week’s races qualify and compete in several elimination races. The last race medal race determines the Top 3 in the overall ranking based on the finish.
Images © Worldsailing
Calendar of Olympic sailing events
Subject to change according to weather conditions
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Tickets for the Olympic sailing events
Olympic football matches
The men’s Olympic football tournament features 16 teams and 288 athletes. The women’s tournament has 11 teams and 199 athletes. The men’s teams mainly consist of players under the age of 23 (only three older players are allowed). The women’s competition features national teams with no age limit and is the equivalent of a world championship. Marseille is fortunate enough to welcome the United States women’s team, which has won four gold medals in the last seven Olympic Games. The USA will play two group matches in Marseille and, depending on the results, maybe a knockout stage game, too. It’s sure to be a great spectacle!
Marseille will host ten matches, including two quarterfinals and two semifinals (an equal number of men’s and women’s matches).
MEN’S TOURNAMENT |
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT |
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Tickets for the Olympic football events
Games Preparation Centres
The Olympic Games preparation centres are facilities selected by Paris 2024 to host delegations from around the world for preparatory training periods, or as a back-up base during the competition.
The aim is to provide the best possible conditions for training, recovering from jet lag, acclimatising to the area, and preparing to excel in the Olympic Games. In Marseille, ten venues have been selected to provide for ten different disciplines.
The other key dates of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Arrival of the Olympic flame in France ► May 8 and 9 2024
Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris ► July 26 2024
Olympic Games ► July 26 to August 11 2024
Paralympic Games ► August 28 to September 8 2024
Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Marseille
Access to Olympic sites and practical information
Access to the Olympic and Club 2024 venues for people with disabilities