Vivian Naa-Maku NarteyThe Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will surely be one of the most exciting games we have had in a while. Every single team in the competition will be looking to secure gold in Paris. Here are some of the teams that will likely have the most success at the games this year.
United States of America
The United States of America (USA) has been a top contender in the Olympic Games for decades. They have competed at every summer Olympic competition with the exception of the 1980 games. The USA has been the most dominant team in terms of medals with an outstanding 2975 total medals. Some of the team’s most notable athletes include world-renowned gymnast Simone Biles and former professional swimmer Michael Phelps. USA fans are especially looking forward to watching this year’s Basketball team in Paris. With Lebron James and Stephen Curry playing on the same team for the first time, fans are expecting an absolute masterclass performance in this year’s Olympics.
Germany
Germany has typically had a strong presence in both the Summer and Winter Olympics for a very long time. The only time that they did not complete were 1920,1924, 1948, as they were the aggressor nation in WWI and WWII. Despite this, they are likely to be one of the most dominant teams in the upcoming Olympics as well. Germany is currently third in the world for the most gold medals with 351 medals. Additionally, Germany has especially excelled in individual sports with eight athletes having eight or more medals. While Germany is the type of team that can do well at most events in the Summer Olympics, their most anticipated events are likely to be football, track and field, and swimming.
China
The People’s Republic of China has a deep history in the Olympic Games. China’s first Olympic Games was competed in 1932. However, in 1949 the Chinese Communist government assumed control of mainland China and a lot of leaders, including those in the Chinese Olympic Committee fled to Taiwan. Since then, the IOC struggled with issue of having “two” Chinas: the National Olympic Committee (NOC) in Beijing and NOC in Taipei. This 4 decade long political struggle came to a halt in 1979 when an All-China sports Federation was born, and the team competed a year later. China has typically done very well in artistic gymnastics and diving. The upcoming Paris Olympics will be the team’s twelfth time competing in a Summer Olympic cycle.
France
With the Olympics being hosted in Paris this year, the home- country advantage will surely be helpful to an already strong team like France. This will be France ‘s 6th time hosting the Olympics, second only to the United States. France has won over 1000 medals with 312 being gold. French athletes to watch out for this upcoming Olympics include Kylian Mbappe for the French National Football team and Léon Marchand for the French Swim team. Both of these athletes are hoping to bring home the gold medal and it will be exciting to watch this summer.
Japan
Japan’s Olympic debut was in 1912 and since then they have only missed two Olympic games. Japan dominated in men’s gymnastics from the mid 1950s to the mid 1980s. However, since then they have become a top contender in sports such as swimming and wrestling. Susaki Yui is a professional wrestler who will represent Team Japan. After not securing a spot in the 2020 Olympics games, Yui will be looking to win gold for her team this year. Additionally, Japanese swimmer Seto Daiya secured his spot in the games after winning the 200 meter individual medley.
Great Britain
Last but not least, Great Britain is definitely a team that people will keep an eye on. Great Britain is the only nation that has never not competed in an Olympic competition. While Great Britain is another one of those teams that can compete well in most events, their most exciting event to watch will be track and field. The team has many great athletes that have competed in the past such as Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu. That said, the talent that they have for these upcoming games will be a force to be reckoned with. Emma Finucane is a 20-year-old sprinter who had an exceptional 2023 season after winning gold in the UCI world championships. She will be looking to make her mark on an Olympic stage.
