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Paris 2024 Olympic Games: everything you need to know

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

Today marks 500 days until the equestrian action gets underway at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To get you in the mood, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know at this stage.

Mock-up of the Opening Ceremony (c) Paris 2024

the schedule and format

The equestrian competition will run through most of the Games period, starting the day after the opening ceremony – which is set to take place in a magnificent spectacle along the river Seine (above). A total of 200 athletes will participate in the Games across the three Olympic disciplines.

Here’s the schedule and a little bit about the competition format…

Eventing

Unlike in Tokyo, eventing will take place first, running over three days now that the dressage phase has been condensed into a single day. A total of 65 athlete/horse combinations will compete in the Games, including 16 teams. Teams will comprise of three combinations, plus one travelling reserve combination, who can be substituted in during the competition if medical or veterinary grounds rule out one of the original team members. All combinations will ride a dressage test on day one, tackle the cross-country course on day two, and showjump on day three, collecting penalties as they go.

Unlike in other major championships, two rounds of showjumping will take place on the final day – one to decide the team medals, then a second which will the top 25-placed combinations compete for individual medals.

• Dressage: 27 July
• Cross-country: 28 July
• Showjumping and medal ceremony: 29 July

Dressage

There will be 60 athlete/horse combinations competing in Paris, including 15 teams made up of three combinations. Each team also has the option of bringing a travelling reserve combination, who can be brought in between the team qualifier and team final. The Grand Prix sees athletes split into six groups based on the FEI Dressage World Horse Rankings – three groups will compete on each day of competition, with the top two from each group, plus the six next best ranked combinations, qualifying for the Grand Prix Freestyle individual final.  After the Grand Prix, the top 10-ranked teams will qualify for the Grand Prix Special team final, which will decide the medals.

• Grand Prix: 30–31 July
• Grand Prix Special and team medal ceremony: 3 August
• Grand Prix Freestyle and individual medal ceremony: 4 August

Showjumping

Showjumping will be the final discipline to get underway, starting after the dressage team competition has concluded. A total of 75 athlete/horse combinations will take part, including 20 teams made up of three combinations. Each team also has the option of bringing a travelling reserve combination, who can be brought in between the team qualifier and team final.

The team qualifier will consist of a speed round without a jump-off, with combinations ranked depending on how fast they complete the course – times and penalties will be combined to give an overall team score. In the final, all teams start on zero penalties and will jump again – a jump-off will occur in the event of a tie for medal placings.

In another change to the Tokyo format, the jumping team competition will run ahead of the individual competition, as it did in previous Games such as Rio 2016 and London 2012. Chefs d’Equipe have the option of making a pre-competition change of athlete/horse combinations between the end of the team final and the start of the individual competition. The individual competition is open to all competitors and will run in a similar manner to the team one, starting with a speed round to decide the rankings for the final. Scores start at zero penalties for the final, as combinations jump against the clock for medals – a jump-off will occur if more than one combination goes clear inside the time.

• Team qualifier: 1 August
• Team final and medal ceremony: 2 August
• Individual qualifier: 5 August
• Individual final and medal ceremony: 6 August

the venue

All equestrian competition will take place against the backdrop of the iconic Palace of Versailles, which was constructed in the 1660s and become the home of King Louis XIV’s court in 1682. The former royal residence and its grounds were named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979 for its status as a centre of power, art and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries.

A temporary arena and grandstand seating for up to 40,000 spectators will be built in the Etoile Royale, an esplanade that sits west of the Grand Canal in the grounds of the palace. The cross-country course will run through the woods near the Grand Canal.

Mock-up of the venue at Versaille (c) Paris 2024

Tickets

Registration for the second ticket ballot opens today (15 March) and runs until 20 April. Those successful in the ballot will be given a 48-hour window in which to purchase single-session tickets for all days of competition across the Games, including those with medal ceremonies.

For the equestrian disciplines, tickets start from €24 for qualifier sessions. The most expensive session is the jumping individual final, which has a top ticket price of €420.

Subject to availability, any remaining tickets will go on sale in real-time later this year.  

Volunteering

Do you want to be part of the Games experience? The Paris 2024 organising committee is looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers to help the Olympic and Paralympic Games run smoothly. If you’d like to apply, the volunteering platform is currently live – you have until May to submit your application.

In order to volunteer at the Games, you must be…

• at least 18 years old on 1 January 2024
• able to speak French and/or English
• available for at least 10 days between 12 July 2024 (the day the Athletes’ Village opens) and 10 September 2024 (two days after the closing ceremony for the Paralympic Games)

All applications will be reviewed between May and September, and successful applicants will be notified between September and December.

How to watch

Just as they did for Tokyo 2020, Eurosport holds the TV and multi-platform rights package for the 2024 Olympic Games in 50 countries across Europe, including the UK. Coverage will include a mix of free-to-air and subscription viewing of all competition across Eurosport platforms and the Discovery+ streaming service.

BBC Sport has confirmed that it will continue to offer live and on-demand coverage of the Games. Their rights package will include two simultaneous livestreams, as well as a daily highlights programme, digital clips of the top action, and coverage on Radio 5 Live.

Between now and then

Thanks to some brilliant results at the FEI World Championships in Herning and Pratoni, we’ve already secured team slots for all three of our Olympic disciplines. Athletes will have from December 2023 and 24 June 2024 to secure the minimum eligibility requirements that will allow them to be selected for the Games.

The FEI European Championships take place this summer and, as well as being a qualification event for nations that haven't already secured a place, offer combinations the chance to demonstrate to the selectors what they’re capable of on the world stage. Here are the all-important dates…

• FEI Eventing European Championship (Haras du Pin, France): 9–13 August
• FEI Jumping European Championship (Milan, Italy): 29 August – 3 September
• FEI Dressage European Championship (Riesenbeck, Germany): 4–10 September