COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — We are now just days out from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. KOAA-TV is your home for the Olympics and coverage of the games from Colorado Springs, Olympic City USA.
You can watch all the competitions with NBC Sports coverage across multiple platforms.
As the home of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the training center since 1978, Colorado Springs will host several events to celebrate the games. Did you know our city is also home to 25 National Governing Bodies of Sport?
You can also learn and experience the history of the Olympics at the US Olympic & Paralympic Museum near downtown Colorado Springs.
What to expect in Colorado Springs?
Olympic City USA is primed and ready to go with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM) inviting you into the fun. The USOPM will be hosting its Summer Fest kick-off event on Saturday, July 27 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., with watch parties happening during the following week, athlete meets and greets, live entertainment, and more.
Athlete Programming for Summer Fest
11:00 - 11:15 AM: Torch Relay with Athletes Samantha Schultz, Terry "Scooter" Hayes, Chris Coleman, Michelle Dusserre Farrell, and Michael Spinks.
11:15 - 1:00 PM: Samantha Schultz Athlete Meet & Greet at the KOAA 5 tent.
11:15 - 12:00 PM: Michael Spinks & Chris Coleman Athlete Meet & Greet.
11:45 - 12:45 PM: Dominque Dawes Meet & Greet (Xfinity Tent)
12:00 - 1:00 PM: Michael Spinks and Michelle Dusserre Farrell Athlete and Meet & Greet
1:00 - 1:15 PM: News 5's Brie Groves will interview Dominque Dawes on the main stage live.
1:00 - 2:00 PM: Cindy Stinger, Adam El-Zoghby and Smanatha Schultz Meet & Greet (Olympic City USA Tent)
1:00 - 4:00 PM: Michael Spinks Athlete Meet & Greet at our KOAA 5 tent.
2:00 - 3:00 PM: Yan Xiao, Terry "Scooter" Hayes, and Samantha Schultz Meet & Greet
2:45 - 3:00 PM: News 5's Dianne Derby will be conducting a live interview on stage with Dominque Dawes and Michael Spinks.
3:00 - 4:00 PM: Jenny Arther & Nathalie Ingram Meet & Greet
As an additional bonus if you show up to the KOAA 5 tent for the meet and greets and show that you have the News 5 app downloaded and get a free News 5 gold medal! We hope to see you there.
Main Summer Fest Event Programming
9:00 AM: Sasquatch Shuffle 1K begins in America the Beautiful Park
9:30 AM: Rocky Mountain 5K begins in America the Beautiful Park
10:00 AM: Museum Opens
10:15 AM: Rocky Mountain 5K Medal Ceremony
11:00 AM: Downtown Summer Fest Begins
11:00 - 11:12 AM: Torch Relay from America the Beautiful Park to cauldron lighting
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM: Band Act #1 on stage
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Colorado Rush COS Youth Clinic in the parking lot (Ages 5-8)
12:00 - 12:30 PM: Team Handball Demonstration on plaza
12:00 - 12:45 PM: USA Basketball Youth Clinic in parking lot (Ages 6-9)
12:45 - 1:00 PM: Aerial Aura Performance = 1 i intersection
12:45 - 1:15 PM: Colorado Rush COS Youth Clinic in parking lot (Ages 9-12)
1:00 - 1:15 PM: Athlete Interview on stage
1:00 - 1:45 PM: USA Basketball Clinic in parking lot (Ages 10-13)
1:15 - 1:30 PM: On the Break Dance Academy Performance #1 on plaza
1:45 - 2:00 PM: Colorado Rush COS Youth Clinic in the parking lot (Ages 12-)
2:00 - 2:30 PM: USA Fencing Demonstration on plaza
2:00 - 2:45 PM: USA Basketball Clinic in parking lot (Ages 14-17)
2:45 - 3:00 PM: Athlete Interview on stage
3:00 - 3:15: On the Break Dance Academy Performance =2 on plaza
3:15 - 4:00 PM: Band Act #2 on stage
4:00 PM: Downtown Summer Fest Concludes
5:00 PM: Museum closes
WATCH: Olympic City USA Prepares for Paris 2024
The torch for this year's Olympics and Paralympics was unveiled in Paris last July. The design by Mathieu Lehanneur is a champagne-colored torch with an upper portion polished until it uncovers a smooth surface, enough to reflect the light of the surroundings.
Lehanneur sculpted and dented the bottom part to reflect the imagery of waves, a depiction of the rippling water in the River Seine. There is a slit cut on the side of the steel torch to let the flames seep through the side before they funnel upwards, preventing the flames from dying down no matter what the weather condition will be, as the flames will only sway.
The lighting of the Olympic Torch in Olympia, Greece marked the beginning of the countdown. The torch now lit begins the the long relay to make its way to the opening ceremony in Paris slated for July 26. Click here to learn a little more about the stages and history of the torch relay.
The opening ceremony will take place in Paris on July 26, 2024, featuring the Parade of Nations as athletes are ferried down the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower. This will mark the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics that the opening ceremony will take place outside of a stadium.
Video content and more information about the Paris Olympics can be found at www.nbcolympics.com.
For U.S. team sports, changes, a return, and a record chase.
The Paris Games will be the first since 2008 to not include Megan Rapinoe, the first since 2004 to not include Carli Lloyd, and the first since 2000 to not include Sue Bird. But it will be the first with a U.S. men’s soccer team since 2008. The U.S. men’s basketball team may face its biggest challenge in 20 years in host France, especially if Joel Embiid chooses to play for Les Bleus. The U.S. women, coming off a dominating world title last year, will try to become the first program to win eight consecutive titles in an Olympic team sport.
A different Opening Ceremony, a new sport, and a venue 9,800 miles away.
What’s new for the Paris Olympics? Start with the Opening Ceremony, the first to be held outside of a stadium. The Parade of Nations will take place on boats on the Seine River, snaking its way toward the Eiffel Tower. Breaking makes its Olympic debut at the Place de la Concorde. Surfing, which debuted in Tokyo, returns, but there are no waves in Paris. Instead, it will be held at Tahiti in French Polynesia, at 9,800 miles the farthest away an Olympic medal competition has been held from the host city.
WATCH: Breaking makes it's Olympic debut
What about Russia?
As it stands, some international sports federations are allowing athletes from Russia to take part in Olympic qualifying as individual neutral athletes. But others are not, and so far none are competing in team events. Whether those athletes who qualify will be allowed to compete at the Games is still to be decided.
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