# Canonical recap data for 1924 Summer Olympics (1924)
# Source: https://recap.at/1924/1924-summer-olympics-paris
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1924-summer-olympics-paris
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1924/1924-summer-olympics-paris"
title: 1924 Summer Olympics
aliases:
- Paris 1924
- Games of the VIII Olympiad
- Jeux Olympiques d'été de 1924
subtitle: ""
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1924-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1924
decade: 1920
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris drew 3,089 athletes from 44 nations to compete across 126 events, establishing modern Olympic standards that persist today.
summaryLong: Ice hockey was contested at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, one of the sports featured in the newly established Winter Games format.
lede: Paris hosted the 1924 Summer Olympics from May to July, drawing nearly 3,100 athletes from 44 countries to compete in 126 events. The Games introduced the Olympic Village concept and the torch relay, creating traditions still central to the Olympics today. Strong performances by athletes like Finland's Paavo Nurmi-who won five gold medals-established new benchmarks for Olympic achievement.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp/1280px-%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1924"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 50
keyFacts:
- label: Total athletes
  value: 3,089
- label: Participating nations
  value: "44"
- label: Female competitors
  value: "136"
- label: Events contested
  value: "126"
- label: Duration
  value: May 4 – July 27, 1924
- label: Main venue
  value: Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
- label: Gold medals won by Paavo Nurmi
  value: "5"
- label: First Olympic feature debuted
  value: Olympic Village housing complex
timeline:
- date: 1924-05-04
  title: Opening Ceremony
  description: The 1924 Summer Olympics officially begin in Paris with opening ceremonies that include the inaugural Olympic torch relay.
- date: 1924-05-06
  title: Jackson Scholz wins 100m sprint.
  description: American sprinter Jackson Scholz captures gold in the 100 meters, establishing a strong U.S. presence in track events.
- date: 1924-07-08
  title: Paavo Nurmi's distance dominance
  description: Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi begins his record-setting run of victories at the Games, winning multiple distance events across track and field competitions.
- date: 1924-07-13
  title: Ice hockey competition concludes
  description: Ice hockey competition at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix concluded, with Canada capturing the gold medal.
- date: 1924-07-27
  title: Closing Ceremony
  description: The 1924 Summer Olympics conclude after establishing record participation and introducing institutional standards that shape modern Olympic competitions.
sources: []
related: []
relationships:
- targetSlug: treaty-of-versailles
  type: happened_during
  confidence: 85
  evidence: Paris 1924 occurred five years after Versailles and was explicitly framed as the first Olympics following the treaty's ratification; the Games demonstrated the treaty's vision of international reconciliation through sport, though Germany remained excluded per Versailles punitive terms.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: league-of-nations-established
  type: happened_during
  confidence: 78
  evidence: The League of Nations was established in 1920; the 1924 Paris Olympics reflected and reinforced the League's internationalist ideals by bringing nations together for peaceful competition, though the IOC remained technically independent of the League.
  source: ai
- targetSlug: 1936-berlin-olympics
  type: evolved_into
  confidence: 72
  evidence: Paris 1924 established the modern Olympic organizational template and demonstrated the Games' propaganda value; Berlin 1936 directly built on this infrastructure while weaponizing it for Nazi ideology, making Paris 1924 the immediate template for the subsequent politicization of the Olympics.
  source: ai
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp/1280px-%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp/1280px-%C3%85bningsceremoni_ved_Den_VIII_Olympiades_Lege%2C_juli_1924.webp.png"
  caption: "1924"
  credit: Wikipedia · "1924"
  width: 330
  height: 185
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Rhapsody in Blue
  artist: George Gershwin
  year: 1924
  note: Premiered in New York in February 1924; epitomized the Jazz Age's cosmopolitan ambition that paralleled Olympic modernism
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-26T09:44:14.152Z"
- title: Sweet Georgia Brown
  artist: Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard
  year: 1925
  note: Released in 1925; became a jazz standard and cultural touchstone of the post-Games era
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-26T09:44:14.152Z"
topFilms:
- title: Battleship Potemkin
  year: 1925
  note: Sergei Eisenstein's masterpiece released just after the Paris Games; represented avant-garde cinema's rapid evolution during the same period
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-26T09:44:14.152Z"
- title: The Gold Rush
  year: 1925
  note: Charlie Chaplin's silent film released in June 1925; demonstrated cinema's dominance as popular entertainment competing with live sports
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-26T09:44:14.152Z"
- title: Phantom Carriage
  year: 1921
  note: Victor Sjöström's Swedish film exemplified the international reach of cinema in the early 1920s, much like the Olympic Games
  referenceCard:
  status: not_found
  checkedAt: "2026-05-26T09:44:14.152Z"
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: The 1924 Paris Olympics occurred at the height of the Jazz Age and during the Roaring Twenties-a period of modernist experimentation, prosperity in Western Europe, and tentative reconciliation after World War I. Radio was ascendant, cinema was maturing as an art form, and international travel was becoming aspirational for the middle class. The Games embodied the era's faith in progress, technology, and the capacity of organized spectacle to unite diverse peoples. However, this optimism coexisted with fierce nationalism, rigid gender norms, and the exclusion of Germany and Austria as war reparation measures, revealing the limits of Olympic universalism.
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Number of Athletes
  thenValue: 3,089
  thenYear: 1924
  nowValue: 10,500+
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Paris 2024 projects approximately 10,500 athletes; 1924 had roughly 3,089 across all sports
- metric: Female Athlete Participation
  thenValue: 136 (4.4%)
  thenYear: 1924
  nowValue: ~5,250+ (50%)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Women constitute approximately half of Paris 2024 roster; in 1924 they were excluded from gymnastics, team sports, and most field events
- metric: Number of Sports
  thenValue: 1924 included athletics, swimming, fencing, cycling, shooting, equestrian events, rowing, wrestling, weightlifting, gymnastics, tennis, rugby, football, and boxing.
  thenYear: 1924
  nowValue: "32"
  nowYear: 2024
  note: 1924 included athletics, swimming, fencing, cycling, shooting, equestrian events, rowing, wrestling, weightlifting, gymnastics, tennis, rugby, football, ice hockey (winter), hockey, basketball, and boxing
- metric: Participating Nations
  thenValue: "44"
  thenYear: 1924
  nowValue: 206+
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Germany was still excluded in 1924 as a post-WWI sanction; Olympic participation expanded dramatically after decolonization and Cold War thaw
- metric: Estimated Total Cost
  thenValue: ~$20 million (USD, adjusted)
  thenYear: 1924
  nowValue: $9+ billion
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Paris 2024 budget is estimated at €9.3 billion; 1924 costs were minimal by comparison, reflecting simpler infrastructure and smaller scope
impactStatement: The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris marked the Games' return to peacetime after World War I and established the modern template for Olympic organization through the International Olympic Committee's strengthened governance. Held from May to July across multiple Parisian venues, the Games demonstrated sport's capacity to rebuild international goodwill and normalize competition between nations still nursing war wounds.
consequences:
- title: IOC Governance Standardization
  year: 1924
  description: The Paris Games solidified the International Olympic Committee's authority to organize and oversee the Olympics, establishing protocols that remain largely intact today. Baron Pierre de Coubertin's vision of the IOC as a permanent governing body was operationalized through centralized control of rules, venues, and athlete qualification standards.
- title: Women's Participation Expansion
  year: 1924
  description: Paris 1924 featured 136 female athletes competing in track and field, fencing, and other sports-nearly triple the number from the 1920 Antwerp Games. This marked a turning point in Olympic inclusion, though women remained severely underrepresented relative to male competitors.
- title: Summer Olympics Venue Rotation Established
  year: 1928
  description: The success of Paris 1924 as an established sporting city led the IOC to formalize the practice of rotating Summer Games among major international cities. This pattern-moving to Amsterdam in 1928, then Los Angeles in 1932-became the Olympic standard.
- title: Mass Media Broadcast Infrastructure
  year: 1924
  description: Paris 1924 was the first Olympics extensively covered by radio, with live commentary reaching listeners across Europe and North America. This precedent transformed the Games into a media spectacle and revenue driver for future host cities.
- title: Cold War Olympic Rivalry Template
  year: 1952
  description: The competitive infrastructure and nationalist fervor demonstrated at Paris 1924-particularly German participation after wartime exclusion-foreshadowed how the Soviet Union and United States would weaponize Olympic competition for ideological supremacy during the Cold War.
archiveSnapshots: []
categories:
- sports
- festival
metaDescription: Paris hosted the 1924 Summer Games, showcasing elite athletes competing across track, swimming, gymnastics, and more. The event solidified modern Olympic traditions and thrilled European crowds.
originSignals:
- "wikipedia:1924-summer-olympics-paris"
translations:
es:
lede: París fue sede de los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1924 entre mayo y julio, atrayendo a casi 3.100 atletas de 44 países para competir en 126 eventos. Los Juegos introdujeron el concepto de Villa Olímpica y la carrera de la antorcha, creando tradiciones que siguen siendo centrales en los Juegos Olímpicos hoy. Los fuertes desempeños de atletas como Paavo Nurmi de Finlandia -quien ganó cinco medallas de oro- establecieron nuevos puntos de referencia para el logro olímpico.
summaryShort: Los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1924 en París atrajeron a 3.089 atletas de 44 naciones para competir en 126 eventos, estableciendo estándares olímpicos modernos que persisten hoy.
summaryLong: El hockey sobre hielo compitió en los Juegos de Verano de 1924 por segunda vez, siguiendo su introducción en los Juegos de Amberes de 1920.
generatedAt: "2026-06-04T23:51:00.815Z"
fr:
lede: Paris a accueilli les Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924 de mai à juillet, attirant près de 3 100 athlètes en provenance de 44 pays pour participer à 126 épreuves. Les Jeux ont introduit le concept du Village olympique et le relais de la flamme, créant des traditions qui restent au cœur des Jeux olympiques aujourd'hui. Les performances exceptionnelles d'athlètes comme le Finlandais Paavo Nurmi, qui a remporté cinq médailles d'or, ont établi de nouveaux critères de réussite olympique.
summaryShort: Les Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924 à Paris ont attiré 3 089 athlètes en provenance de 44 nations pour participer à 126 épreuves, établissant les normes olympiques modernes qui persistent aujourd'hui.
summaryLong: Le hockey sur glace a participé aux Jeux d'été de 1924 pour la deuxième fois, suite à son introduction aux Jeux d'Anvers de 1920.
generatedAt: "2026-06-04T23:51:02.872Z"
de:
lede: Paris war Gastgeber der Olympischen Sommerspiele 1924 von Mai bis Juli und zog knapp 3.100 Athleten aus 44 Ländern an, um in 126 Wettkämpfen zu konkurrieren. Die Spiele führten das Konzept des Olympischen Dorfes und das Fackellaufkonzept ein und schufen Traditionen, die heute noch zentral für die Olympischen Spiele sind. Starke Leistungen von Athleten wie Finnlands Paavo Nurmi – der fünf Goldmedaillen gewann – setzten neue Maßstäbe für olympische Leistungen.
summaryShort: Die Olympischen Sommerspiele 1924 in Paris zogen 3.089 Athleten aus 44 Nationen an, um in 126 Wettkämpfen zu konkurrieren, und etablierten moderne olympische Standards, die heute noch bestehen.
summaryLong: Eishockey konkurierte bei den Olympischen Sommerspielen 1924 zum zweiten Mal, nach seiner Einführung bei den Antwerpen-Spielen 1920.
generatedAt: "2026-06-04T23:51:05.391Z"
geo:
lat: 46.603354
lng: 1.8883335
place: France
note: Location inferred from recap.country via OSM Nominatim.
significance: 25
