Everything you need to know about the 2024 Paris Olympics: Gold medal odds and more

The Capital of Fashion will bring the flair to the 2024 Paris Olympics with the first ever Opening Ceremony held outside of a stadium on Friday, July 26. A "Parade of Nations" will feature custom-made floats that each represent one of 91 national delegations. They will flow down the Seine River and meet in front of the Trocadero, where the Olympic torch will be lit to signal the start of the summer games. 

First Lady Jill Biden will lead the American delegation, while NBA superstar LeBron James will serve as a flag bearer for the U.S.

Nearly 600 athletes from across all 50 states will be in Paris for the Olympics from July through August, and the U.S. is expected to rack up a ton of medals, including the highest number of gold, according to sportsbooks.

Below YouBet dives into the 2024 Paris Olympics and provides you with everything you need to know ahead of the Summer Olympics in France.

When is the 2024 Paris Olympics?

The 2024 Paris Olympics will begin on Friday, July 26, and run through Sunday Aug. 11. The event will mark the third time the City of Light has hosted the Summer Olympic Games. London is the only other city with as many Summer Olympic Games, and Los Angeles will join the mix as a three-time host in 2028.

How many sports are in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 32 sports, including two new ones — breaking (or breakdancing) and kayak cross. Surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing are also back after making their first appearance at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

Sports that will not be returning include baseball, softball, and karate.

Who are the top U.S. athletes to follow in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Of the nearly 600 American athletes at the Paris games, a few are likely to attract the most headlines during the Summer Olympics.

Simone Biles, at age 27, will return to the Olympics for the third time and could become the second woman to win two all-around gold medals. She will also seek redemption for the Tokyo Olympics, where she withdrew from competition while suffering from the "twisties," a mental block that affected her performance.

She's a -500 favorite to rebound at Paris and win the all-around women's competition, followed by USA teammate Sunisa Lee (+450) and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade (+600).

Sha'Carri Richardson is another big name representing the U.S. at the Summer Olympics. The track and field sprinter qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but was suspended for testing positive for THC and was ineligible to participate in the 100-meter dash at the games as a result. She'll appear in Paris this time around and could become the first American woman to win the Olympic 100 meters since Gail Devers in 1996.

On the men's side, LeBron James and Steph Curry headline the men's USA basketball team, who will look for a fifth straight gold medal. Team USA is a -500 favorite to collect gold in 2024, and Canada is the +1100 second choice, followed by France (+1200) and Serbia (+1600).

You can also bet on the top tournament points scorer. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a +350 favorite to record the most points of the tournament while participating as a member of Team Canada. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is a member of the Greek national team, is the +600 co-second choice with reigning three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of Serbia. The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, is a +1000 choice to lead the men's tournament in scoring while playing for his native country of France.

Which country is favored to win the most medals at Paris?

Nielsen's Gracenote has projected that the U.S. will earn 112 medals in total at the 2024 Paris Olympics, specifically 39 gold, 32 silver, and 41 bronze. China is expected to finish second in the medal count with 86 overall and 34 gold, 27 silver, and 25 bronze.

At the Tokyo games, the U.S. topped all countries in number of medals, with 113 (39 gold, 41 silver, 33 bronze). China was second, with 89 total medals (38 gold, 32 silver, and 19 bronze).

The U.S. is a heavy favorite (-750) to win the most medals in 2024 and has topped the rankings for medal count in 16 of the 28 Summer Olympic Games since the country began competing in 1896.

Should Team USA finish first in the medal count in 2024, it would mark the eighth straight summer games in which the U.S. accumulated the most medals.

How to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics

The full schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics can be found here: www.nbcolympics.com/full-schedule.

Ahead of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, men's soccer and rugby will get started on Wednesday with opening matches. Women's and men's archery, plus women's soccer and handball begin on Thursday, July 25. Men's and women's shooting will also start ahead of opening ceremonies on Friday.

The first full day of the Paris Olympics will showcase 24 sports. Among them are badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, rowing, rugby, shooting, skateboarding, soccer, surfing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and water polo.

You can watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on NBC, its cable networks, and streaming platform Peacock.