The Paris Olympics have almost arrived. Here's what to watch for

Transcript

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

This week the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off in Paris. All eyes are on the French capitol, which is hosting the Olympics for the first time in a century. Athletes, spectators and members of the press are streaming into the city. And guess what? We are among them. I am sitting here with NPR's Becky Sullivan and Brian Mann, which is just part of NPR's Olympics team. Hi to both of you.

BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Hello.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey there, Juana.

SUMMERS: Folks, can you just start off by describing some of what we've all been seeing and hearing here as Paris prepares to host these games?

MANN: Yeah, I'll go first. I'm just completely crushing on this city. It's beautiful. I've been eating a ridiculous amount of pastries, walking in the gardens and the streets. And give a listen. This is what it sounded like the first morning I was here having a cup of coffee.

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UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in French).

MANN: So that's Paris right out of central casting there.

SUMMERS: (Laughter).

MANN: The city looks great. It appears French organizers are ready to host these games. And, of course, no COVID or pandemic restrictions - that's a big change from the last two Olympics in Tokyo and Beijing.

SUMMERS: And, Becky, one thing I tend to think is really cool about these Olympics is that, yes, there is going to be competition scattered all across the city of Paris but also outside of the city.

SULLIVAN: Totally. There are venues for soccer and rugby in other French cities that aren't Paris. Sailing is going to be held on the Mediterranean Sea. Surfing is going to be held thousands of miles away, actually, in Tahiti. But I think for Americans watching this on TV, what you're going to see is really a showcase of Paris and the areas right around it - equestrian events held at the gardens of Versailles, beach volleyball held in a temporary venue built right at the base of the Eiffel Tower, triathlon and marathon swimming held in the river Seine, should the water test find that it should be clean enough. So I think when you watch it on TV, what you're really going to see is that Paris vibe.

SUMMERS: Speaking of watching on TV, one thing that draws a lot of attention in every Olympics is the opening ceremony.

SULLIVAN: Totally.

SUMMERS: It's taking place on Friday, and it will be held on a river rather than in a stadium. And we've been able to all sort of see some of the preparations for that as we've walked around the city. What do we know about the opening ceremony?

SULLIVAN: Yeah. So this is actually the first time that the opening ceremony has not been held in a stadium since the modern Olympics began. The idea is to have some four miles of the river Seine - have people set up along the banks and the mini bridges across the river, sitting in stands to watch as athletes, delegations from countries parade by boat down the river, floating past the Louvre, past Notre Dame, finally ending at the Trocadero, which is the palace across from the Eiffel Tower.

It's timed that it's taking place as the sun is getting low and setting. There are thousands of athletes participating and also thousands of dancers and other performers. Organizers are really excited about it, hoping it'll be a total spectacle.

SUMMERS: I bet. And, Becky, I do understand that we have learned today who one of the two flag bearers from the U.S. will be - kind of a big deal.

SULLIVAN: I agree. So they announced today that the male flag bearer for Team USA is going to be Lebron James. You might have heard of him.

SUMMERS: Indeed.

SULLIVAN: This is his fourth Olympics. In the past, he has won two golds and one bronze. Obviously, he's hoping to lead Team USA to another gold this time around. The female flag bearer - still a mystery - will be announced tomorrow.

SUMMERS: I want to talk a bit broadly about Team USA. There are nearly 600 athletes on the Olympic roster. Tell us. Who are some of the standouts, and where might the U.S. really shine in competition?

MANN: Yeah. So there are going to be some big names back. Becky mentioned Lebron James. Also, Katie Ledecky will be in the pool. She's America's most dominant swimmer since Michael Phelps retired. But one thing that's pretty cool is that there are a lot of new faces and new names. One - a guy I really want people to keep an eye on is 16-year-old sprinter Quincy Phillips (ph). Juana, he's a high school student - blazing fast. He's got a shot at running the 4 x 400 relay. Another athlete who has a great story here is Weini Kelati. She was a refugee from Eritrea just 10 years ago. Now she's an American citizen. She dominated in the women's 10,000m race in the American finals. She's got a really strong chance to win gold for the USA.

SULLIVAN: And, you know, Juana, you're asking about where the U.S. might stand out. I should say that the U.S. is projected to win the most overall medals. And so there are just tons of things that Brian and I could mention. Another thing to raise is women's gymnastics led, of course, by the 27-year-old Simone Biles, who's already a seven-time medalist. She's expected to potentially pick up as many as four or five more. Another one is USA basketball. The women haven't lost a game at all since 1992.

SUMMERS: Wow.

SULLIVAN: They're expected to win gold. And the men's team is also thought to be a favorite for the gold. This is a team full of NBA All-Stars, but they actually had a little bit of a scare the other night in a friendly game against South Sudan. Here is Team USA coach Steve Kerr talking about how it was a real wake-up call.

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STEVE KERR: It's a good reminder that when we play against teams, it's the biggest game of their lives. And we have to expect everyone to play like that.

MANN: And so, really, as Kerr says, it's going to be stiff competition here. But Team USA looks really strong.

SUMMERS: Brian, on another note, one thing that you have been reporting on is some news around Russia's Olympic team. The team here this year is actually tiny compared to the last summer games. Tell us why that is.

MANN: Yeah. This is historic. We're seeing a collapse of one of the most powerful Olympic teams in the world. Three years ago, Russia fielded more than 330 athletes at the summer games. That was in Tokyo. Here in Paris, only 15 Russians expected to compete. This is because of doping scandals that have been going on for years. The country's team also faced sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine - so really a massive change to Russian sport. Also, Juana, because of IOC sanctions, that handful of Russians who do compete here - they're going to have to do it as neutrals. They won't be allowed to fly Russia's flag or play the national anthem.

SUMMERS: Last thing, Becky and Brian, for each of you - tell us about just one of the storylines that you're most looking forward to following here at the Paris games.

MANN: Well, I hate to say it 'cause it's not very fun, but one of the big stories will be sports doping. There's already a scandal involving elite Chinese swimmers who will compete here. Some of them tested positive for banned substances. American athletes are furious about that. There is a U.S. Justice Department probe underway. When those Chinese athletes get in the water facing swimmers from the U.S. and other countries, scrutiny is going to be intense.

SULLIVAN: Let me give you something a little lighter, a little hopeful. The USA, like, as we just mentioned, has long been dominant in women's gymnastics, which, just across the board, is one of the biggest draws of any sport at any Olympic games. By contrast, at least in the United States, men's gymnastics has traditionally been kind of ignored. The team hasn't won a team medal since 2008, and they haven't won even any individual medal since 2016. But this year the USA Men's Gymnastics Team is so serious about changing that. They are poised to potentially compete for a bronze or maybe better, they're hoping. And they're excited about it not just for the medal success, of course, but also to help just inspire more opportunities for boys in the sport altogether.

SUMMERS: And I will just jump in really quickly with one of my own here. I have been following the U.S. weightlifting team, and there are incredibly big hopes this year that an American woman could bring home the gold. And I will just note that is something that has not happened since the Sydney games in 2000, which was the very first year that women's weightlifting was a part of the Olympic program. Becky Sullivan and Brian Mann, thank you so much and looking forward to the next few weeks with both of you.

SULLIVAN: Same to you, Juana.

MANN: Yeah. This is going to be fun.

SUMMERS: And our entire NPR Olympics team will be bringing coverage of the Paris Games across all NPR platforms for the next few weeks.

(SOUNDBITE OF TODD TERJE'S "INSPECTOR NORSE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.