NEW YORK CITY, NY (WAVY) – Wednesday, April 17 marks a big milestone in the journey to Paris: 100 days until the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
At the Team USA Media Summit in New York City, athletes say they are ready for their shot at Olympic glory.
“I’m really excited for just like being in that Olympic atmosphere and seeing what the city is like with the games happening there,” said Fiona O’Keefe, who has qualified for Team USA in the marathon.
Officials with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) say they’re ready to take hundreds of athletes to the City of Light. They’ve created a training center for Olympic and Paralympic athletes to use while there.
“So in Paris, we have a high performance center and a world class facility called Athletica, where we essentially transport our Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to Paris,” said Rocky Harris, USOPC Chief of Sport and Athlete Services. “It has everything from sports medicine, nutrition training facilities.”
This will be the first Olympics with family and friends in the stands, since the Winter Olympics in South Korea in 2018, which is a welcome change for all involved.
“The Tokyo year, you know, I got the silver medal,” said printer Kenny Bednarek. “It was just awkward just because the fans weren’t there, you know, it was the final race, you know, big moment and then you hear crickets… you’re kind of like ain’t nobody here.”
More people means more security challenges, something organizers are thinking about.
Nicole Deal, USOPC Chief of Security and Athlete Services, said, “We’ve been working closely with French security, the organizing committee, the State Department, especially, Diplomatic Security, and ensuring that we have a comprehensive security plan in place for Team USA.”
This will also be the first Games since South Korea without COVID testing for the athletes. It’s a relief, but keeping athletes physically and mentally healthy is a top priority.
“All of our psychological services providers are duly certified in mental health and sports psychology,” said USOPC Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Finnoff. “We have a ton of other resources that we provide to Team USA athletes to keep them both physically and mentally healthy.”
Organizers say there are more than 800 team USA athletes who will complete in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. So far, only about 15% of the team has been named, so it will be a busy few months ahead.