It’s time for the sprint to the finish.
The final 100 days of a 1,083-day window from the closing ceremony in Tokyo to the opening ceremony in Paris are upon us, bridging two Summer Olympic Games under very different circumstances.
The story of Tokyo 2020 was as much about who was there, the best athletes in the world, as who wasn’t there — tens of thousands of fans as the world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic originally pushed the Games back from 2020 to 2021, and most athletes were forced to train in unique circumstances, turning their homes into makeshift training centres, and missing out on many of the world championships and other events that would normally fill their calendars.
Despite the year delay, spectators were still not permitted to attend events in 2021 due to the state of emergency in the Greater Tokyo Area. Iconic sporting moments played out with a backdrop of deafening silence.
In difficult circumstances, Canadian athletes still thrived. A haul of 24 medals — seven gold, seven silver, and ten bronze — was Canada’s highest total ever in a non-boycotted Olympics.
A four-year Olympic cycle between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 became five years with the postponement of the Games, in turn shortening the gap between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Preparation for Paris had to be altered to match the shorter window between Olympics, but it was a somewhat more “normal” cycle as the world opened up again and the Games got back on schedule.
Paris 2024 will be special.
As fans fill the venues once again, and the Games head back to one of the most famous cities in the world for the first time in 100 years, the Olympics will return to what they have always been — a celebration of sport that is intended to bring people together.
As final qualification events for Paris 2024 take place across several sports, excitement builds for the marquee sporting competition in the world, but it will also come and go in the blink of an eye.
On Tuesday, Team Canada and lululemon revealed the kit that athletes will wear at the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, and soon athletes will be start to be named to Team Canada in their respective sports.
Both are among many milestones as the Games draw closer. One hundred days away is another one.
Before we know it, athletes from the competing nations will be sailing down the Seine as part of an audacious plan for the opening ceremony on July 26. That plan may have to be changed to a traditional ceremony in a stadium as security risks are monitored in the French capital, but the hope is that the initial plans can remain intact.
However it plays out, it will start 16 days of triumph, heartbreak, and just about every other emotion. When the Games close on August 11, they will make way for the Paralympics, which will take centre stage from August 28 to September 8 in the French capital.
As is the case with every Olympic cycle, new stars emerged over the past three years.
Summer McIntosh went from a talented 14-year-old at Tokyo 2020 to a favourite to reach the podium in several swimming events this year, still just 17. Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers have helped Canada establish itself as a leading nation in the hammer throw events, the men’s basketball team has qualified for the first time in 24 years, Felix Dolci is becoming a household name in gymnastics, and Fay De Fazio Ebert is a rising star on the skateboard.
These are just a few of the stars of both today and tomorrow, and for many this is the first time they will wear the maple leaf on the biggest stage. For other athletes, however, including some of Canada’s greatest, Paris 2024 is their final opportunity.
Whatever stage of their career, Canadian athletes will give their all in pursuit of sporting excellence, with the support of a nation behind them.
As the popular saying goes, it’s about the journey and not the destination — although the destination can be pretty great too.
There are 100 days to go. Are you ready?
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