Wow, what a summer. Across the world, top athletes faced off in competitions ranging from the European Soccer Championship in Germany, Copa America in the United States, Wimbledon in England, the Tour de France and more, headlined by the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris! The French events kicked off on July 26th with Lady Gaga and Celine Dion ringing in the games. The show was the first opening ceremony that took place outside of an arena as countries’ boats streamed down the newly cleaned Seine River. On July 14, and 650 miles away in Berlin, Germany, Spain won a thrilling 2-1 match over England to win a record-breaking fourth UEFA European Championship (Euro) title and third in the last five Euro tournaments. The final score was heartbreaking for England supporters who have been on the cusp of world tournament championship for decades, losing in the Euro final for the second consecutive tournament. The loss came against a formidable Spain squad that won all seven matches of their tournament, netting a tournament-record 15 goals. On the very same day, just hours earlier, the Copa America Championship, the North and South American equivalent to the European Championship, crowned Argentina in a 1-0 extra time record-breaking 16th victory.
The Copa America tournament was underscored by controversies ranging from field conditions to venue security to referee quality. Members of the Argentina national team pointed out the low quality of the field, or pitch, in their interviews after a group stage game against Canada. Later on in the tournament, in a pivotal group stage game, the United States national team played a chippy match against Uruguay overcast by the shadow of timid and inexperienced refereeing. Kevin Ortega, the chief referee for the match, was repeatedly confused and frantic as high intensity moments emerged. As Uruguay closed out the match with a 1-0 victory, Ortega refused to shake the hand of United States player Christian Pulisic. The tournament’s challenges concluded during the final between Columbia and Argentina in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Slated to begin at 8pm., the match was delayed three times due to ticketless fans storming the stadium, before finally starting almost an hour and a half late. Many ticket holders unfortunately became trapped in the congestion and… It remains that Europe maintains their soccer, or ‘football’, dominance over the Americas.
With the major soccer tournaments in the rear view mirror, focus turned to the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad—the 2024 Paris Olympics. The games were packed with drama. Iconic moments, tight medal races and a river safety controversy were among the headlines that defined the 2024 Paris Olympics. After being awarded the games in September of 2017, Paris became the second city to host the Summer Olympics three times, and the preparations began. French Olympic officials estimated the games would cost about 9 billion euros, with nearly 1.4 billion euros contributing to the ambitious cleanup of the notoriously Seine river. The first, and potentially most infamous, of the Olympic storylines was the controversy of the Seine river’s threat to athlete health–with discussion of E. Coli causing bacteria–but after years and billions of cleanup efforts, athletes dove into the water for events such as the triathlon and 5,000 meter swim. As the games continued, athletes from around the globe gained attention for a breadth of reasons. Noah Lyles, a sprinter from the United States, gained traction in 2023 for his criticism of National Basketball Association (NBA) fans, referring to the NBA champion as “World Champion,” considering the NBA is a domestic league based in the United States of America, despite attracting the top talent from around the world. Many of the top basketball players attacked Lyles’ take. It is theorized that Noah Lyles’ derogatory comments prompted the uniting of the top basketball players in the United States to represent the country in Paris as a team that was often referred to as “the Avengers.” Both Lyles and the United States men’s basketball team left satisfied as Lyles won gold in the men’s 100-meter and the United States men’s team won gold in basketball. The United States men’s basketball team’s victory was a game for the ages, with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry making four consecutive three-pointers in the last few minutes of the gold medal game against France to seal the deal—there is no more “world champion” doubt. The United States women’s basketball team also defeated France in their gold medal game to win their eighth consecutive gold medal.
Legendary Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic won his first gold medal in men’s singles tennis after winning 24 grand slams, defeating Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, who Djokovic fell to weeks earlier in the finals at Wimbledon. United States swimmer Katie Ledecky continued her reign of dominance, setting yet another world record in the women’s 1,500-yard freestyle. After winning her ninth gold medal, Ledecky claimed the title of most decorated American women in Olympic history. The United States women’s gymnastics team, led by the legendary Simone Biles, won gold after finishing second three years previous in Tokyo. Finally, the United States men’s volleyball team claimed their sixth olympic medal after defeating Italy in the bronze medal match. Vassar College alumni Matt Knigge ’18 contributed to the Olympic effort as an alternate middle blocker, one of three players who traveled and trained with the 12 rostered Olympians. Read more about Knigge’s journey in our article on Matt Knigge last fall. Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec attracted global attention for his nonchalant approach to the ten-meter air pistol event. Dikec went viral for his unserious look with a white “Team Turkey” t-shirt, normal eyeglasses and his non-shooting hand in his pocket. Finally, break dancing made its olympic debut and finale, garnering backlash after Australian “breaker” Rachel “Raygun” Gunn went viral for her unorthodox performance. After the spawning of myriad memes making fun of Raygun, breaking was ultimately removed as an Olympic sport. It is unclear if the two events are connected.
Over the weeks of competition the gold medal count fluctuated, with the United States and China trading places for the lead. In the end, the two countries tied at 40 each, but the United States dominated the total medal count with 126 total medals, topping China’s 91 total medals. As the games and the summer winded down, a post-COVID-19 sports world came into focus. After a quicker-than-normal three-year turnaround for the Paris Olympics due to Tokyo’s postponement, the Olympics are back to their normal, four-year cycle as the attention turns to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. England fans hold their breath once again, eyeing the 2026 World Cup in the United States as their next opportunity. Tadej Pogacar cemented himself as a great as he won his third Tour de France, defending a lead of more than five minutes in the final day of racing. Carlos Alcaraz continued his streak of dominance, topping Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon to win his fourth grand slam. Though major international sports have come to an end for about two years, this year should be ripe with sports drama. The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoff race is heating up and the National Football League (NFL) season is just kicking off. Over the coming months, I expect stories from around the nation as top athletes perform at the highest levels.