SI:AM | The Olympics Are Officially Underway

To get you excited, here are a few story lines to watch.

The Paris Games are underway. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Let this be the first of many times I encourage you to subscribe to the Olympics podcast I’m doing with Mitch Goldich.

In today’s SI:AM:

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Allons-y!

Did you know that the Paris Olympics have already begun? It’s true. While the opening ceremony isn’t until Friday, events started over in France on Wednesday with soccer and rugby. If you’re one of those people who only cares about the United States, Team USA is already in action in men’s soccer and men’s rugby. The men’s soccer team will face France at 3 p.m. ET and the men’s rugby team has two games—against France at 10:30 a.m. ET (that’ll probably be over by the time you’re reading this) and against two-time defending gold medalists Fiji at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Wednesday’s action marks the beginning of two-and-half-weeks of wall-to-wall Olympics action. If you’re worried about being able to digest it all, I have the perfect solution. I’ll be hosting a podcast with senior editor Mitch Goldich every day throughout the Olympics. And I really mean every day—even weekends. It’s called “Daily Rings” and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

We’ll be covering all the sports, bringing you all the top stories in big sports like track and swimming, but also highlighting the overlooked sports like rugby and handball. We won’t claim to be experts on all sports, but we’ll approach everything with enthusiasm and we’re looking forward to learning about some of the lesser known sports alongside our audience.

Our first three episodes are already out now, including our two-part preview of all 39 sports. You can listen to Part 1 below and subscribe to the show to follow along with us throughout the Games.

I always enjoy watching the Olympics, but being involved in this project has taken my excitement to another level. I’ve spent most of the past month doing extensive research into all of the events, so here is a nonexhaustive list of things I’m excited to see in Paris:

Stephen Curry’s debut for Team USA

Curry is one of the greatest basketball players in history but the timing has never worked out for him to be on an Olympic team. He’ll finally get that opportunity now at age 36.

The new look U.S. women’s national soccer team

Last year’s early World Cup exit raised alarm bells about the formerly dominant USWNT. It’s a team in a transitional period and it will be feeling the pressure in this tournament after having not won a major international tournament since 2019. Only eight players on the 18-woman roster were on the team in Tokyo, and only 10 were in the squad at last year’s World Cup.

The course for the cycling road race

Cycling fans are used to seeing races go past some famous Paris landmarks, but the Tour de France avoided the city this year due to the Olympics. Instead, we’ll get to see the cyclists navigate some new areas of the city, including three laps up and down Montmartre, the famous hill that was home to artists like Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s a steep hill with tight turns and cobblestone streets. Expect some dramatic crashes.

Tennis at Roland Garros

The home of the French Open will host the tennis tournament. This could be the last time that Rafael Nadal, a 14-time winner at the French, plays on those famous red clay courts.

The debut of breaking

I was skeptical of breaking (aka breakdancing) being included in the Olympic program when it was first announced, but after watching some competitions, I’ve changed my position. I think it’s going to be an immensely popular event. There’s no way you can watch these performers and not come away thinking that they have incredible athleticism.

Two new sailing disciplines

The sailing competition won’t just feature boats. There are two new events that fall under the sailing category: a new type of windsurfing and the debut of kiteboarding. Both events feature athletes using boards equipped with hydrofoils, which allow them to reach frankly frightening speeds. The windsurfers can reach up to 40 mph and the kiteboarders can travel as fast as 50 mph.

Noah Lyles’s pursuit of history

The American sprinter won the 100m and 200m at last year’s world championships and is seeking to become the first American man to win both events at the same Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984. (Listen to our episode with former SI writer Chris Chavez to learn why that’s such a rare accomplishment.) The 200 is Lyles’s best event, but he’ll also be a contender in the 100, which no American man has won since Justin Gatlin in 2004.

Bryce Harper is pushing MLB to allow its players to participate in the 2028 Olympics. / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Colin Heathcock is a name you’ll be hearing a lot during these Olympics. Stephanie Apstein profiled the 18-year-old phenom who will be a favorite to take home a medal.

• Apstein also spoke with several MLB players about the possibility they could compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

• Chris Mannix isn’t feeling too great about the U.S. men’s basketball team after another exhibition game that was closer than it needed to be.

• Can you believe NFL training camps are already getting started? Albert Breer went to Raiders camp, where Las Vegas has a real quarterback battle being waged.

• Gilberto Manzano weighed in on the other big question mark for the Raiders—whether they should trade star receiver Davante Adams.

• A staggering number of people watched this weekend’s WNBA All-Star Game.

The top five…

… things I saw last night:

5. The reception Pirates star rookie Paul Skenes got in Pittsburgh as he took the mound for the start of the ninth inning. It was Skenes’s longest start as a big leaguer (8.1 innings, eight strikeouts, two runs).
4. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s vicious swing for his fourth homer in five games.
3. Giants rookie Tyler Fitzgerald’s fifth homer in five games. He’s the first Giants rookie to ever homer in five straight games.
2. Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho’s leaping catch at the wall.
1. Rangers shortstop Jonathan Ornelas’s throw from deep in the hole. I had basically the same reaction as Max Scherzer did.