Everyone is talking about The Olympics right now! Whether it's Simone Biles being epic (yet again) or the infamous cardboard beds, no one can get enough Olympics content. Which is why when I went down an Olympics rabbit hole (as one does), I discovered the last time Paris hosted The Olympics was 1924, and I just had to find out how much the games have changed in a century.
Lars Baron / Getty Images
But you came here for pictures, not to listen to me all day...so, without further ado, here are 24 side-by-side comparisons showcasing the differences between the 1924 and 2024 Summer Olympics:
1. This was the official poster for the 1924 Summer Olympics:
Apic / Getty Images
Here is the official poster for the 2024 Summer Olympics:
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Vintage poster for the 1924 Paris Olympics showing three athletes raising their arms, with text
Illustration of a large, detailed fantasy amusement park scene displayed inside a grand exhibition hall with arched ceiling
Apic / Getty Images, Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images
2. This is an autobus that linked the Olympic Village to the stadium of Colombes during the 1924 games:
Harlingue / Roger Viollet via Getty Images
This is a modern team bus being used to transport soccer players for a 2024 matchup:
Franck Fife / AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
A historic image of an early 20th-century bus parked on a cobblestone street
A sports team bus arrives at Parc des Princes, surrounded by media personnel and a police officer
Harlingue / Roger Viollet via Getty Images, Franck Fife / AFP via Getty Images
3. This was the entrance to the 1924 Olympic Village:
Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Here is the entrance to the 2024 Olympic Village:
Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt / AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Black and white photo of an entrance to Village Olympique with structures on both sides and a few people walking in the center
Large tent structure with text
Hulton Archive / Getty Images, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt / AFP via Getty Images
4. These were the dwellings in the 1924 Olympic Village:
Archives CNOSF / Archives CNOSF / CNOSF via AFP
Here are a few of the buildings in the 2024 Olympic Village:
Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
A historical aerial view of wooden cabins in the Olympic Village, likely from the early 20th century, set in a wooded and fenced-off area
Modern urban area with various multi-story buildings, young trees and plants, and parked vehicles
Archives CNOSF / Archives CNOSF / CNOSF via AFP, Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
5. This was the 1924 Olympic Village catering hall:
Archives Cnosf / Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
Here is one of the dining rooms in the 2024 Olympic Village:
Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
People dine at a restaurant with Olympic posters on the walls from the 1924 Paris Games. The restaurant features wooden chairs and white tablecloths
A modern cafeteria with variously styled tables and chairs. Hanging plants decorate the ceiling, and large windows provide natural light
Archives Cnosf / Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
6. This is Gaston Doumergue, President of the French Republic, declaring the start of the 1924 Olympics:
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
This is the current French President, Emmanuel Macron, at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony:
Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
Here's a side-by-side comparison:
Gaston Doumergue declares the opening of the games in front of a large audience at the C.I.C.O.F. 1673 event. Numerous people in period attire are in attendance
Emmanuel Macron giving a speech at an Olympic event with other officials and spectators, including Antonio Guterres, standing nearby
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
7. This was an aerial view of the Olympic Stadium during the opening Rugby match of 1924:
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
Here's an aerial view of a few of the 2024 Olympic venues during the Opening Ceremony:
Lionel Bonaventure - Pool / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Aerial view of a crowded stadium during a sports event, with a race track and sports field at the center. Spectators fill the stands, watching the event unfold
Aerial view of a sports complex with multiple stadiums and courts, possibly set up for different sports events. The area is busy with structures and seating arrangements
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, Lionel Bonaventure - Pool / Getty Images
8. This was the 1924 Olympics Opening Ceremony:
Keystone / Getty Images
This was the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony:
Lionel Bonaventure - Pool / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
An image of athletes marching in formation at the opening ceremony of the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, held at White City Stadium, with a large audience watching
The image shows the Eiffel Tower illuminated and a large crowd gathered for an event. The scene is framed by spotlights and festive decorations
Keystone / Getty Images
9. These are British athletes marching during the 1924 Parade of Nations:
Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images
Here are British athletes showing up for the 2024 Parade of Nations:
Bertrand Guay / AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
A long line of well-dressed young men, all wearing matching blazers and slacks, march in formation during an outdoor event at a large stadium with a big crowd
A large group of people in matching clothing wave British flags on a boat named Jeanne Moreau during a public event
Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images, Bertrand Guay / AFP via Getty Images
10. This was the 1924 USA Olympic Gymnastics team during practice:
*Women did not begin competing in the Gymnastics portion of the Olympics until 1928.
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive Here is the 2024 USA Men's Gymnastics team:
Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
An acrobatic team dressed in matching uniforms performs complex balancing stunts outdoors in front of wooden buildings
Five male gymnasts in blue tracksuits smile and hold medals on a gymnastics floor
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, China News Service / China News Service via Getty Images
11. This is Gertrude Ederle, a record-breaking swimmer, who competed in the 1924 Olympics:
At the 1924 Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay (her swim time was 04:58.80) and bronze medals in the 100 and 400-meter freestyle races. Ederle would later become famous for being the first woman to swim the English Channel.
Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images And 100 years later, we have Katie Ledecky , who has won more gold medals than any other female swimmer in history:
In comparison to Ederle, Ledecky's swim time during the 2024 Women's 400m Freestyle was 4:00.86.
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images Here they are side-by-side:
A swimmer smiles, wearing a cap and a sleeveless top with a winged emblem
Katie Ledecky, wearing a blue Team USA jacket, smiles while holding a bronze medal at a swimming competition
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
12. Here is Team USA diver Albert White winning the 3 meter springboard diving competition in 1924:
PA Images via Getty Images
Here are China's Yang Hao and Lian Junjie competing in 2024's synchronized diving:
Vcg / VCG via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Male diver in mid-air dive at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with an audience in a stadium watching in the background
Divers executing synchronized dive mid-air, over water, with
Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images, Vcg / VCG via Getty Images
13. Polo is no longer an Olympic competition — but, here are the 1924 Polo gold medalists from Argentina
The sport was removed from the official Olympic program after the 1936 Summer Olympics.
El Grafico / Getty Images This is Spain's Daniela Terol competing in one of the newer Olympic sports — Skateboarding
Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo games.
Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images And here's a side-by-side comparison of the sports:
Four polo players on horses, dressed in traditional riding attire and helmets, pose for a photo on a field. Names of the players are not provided
A skateboarder wearing a helmet and casual clothes rides a ramp in front of a
El Grafico / Getty Images, Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images
14. These are two dapper fellas playing a "gentlemanly" game of field hockey in the 1924 Olympics:
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
This is a 2024 field hockey matchup between France and Germany:
Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Two men aggressively competing in a field hockey match, one pushing his stick into the other's neck. Another player is seen in the background
Two male field hockey players on a blue field, one in a blue uniform and one in a white uniform, are in action, with focus on the player in the blue uniform running with the ball and the player in the white uniform closely behind. Names unknown
Bettmann / Bettmann Archive, Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
15. Here are Helen Wills and her coach, Hazel Wightman, competing in women's doubles during the 1924 Olympics:
Wills won two gold medals during the 1924 Olympics, for singles, without the loss of a set, and this round of doubles.
Central Press / Getty Images Here is Coco Gauff lasering in on a tennis ball in 2024:
Andy Cheung / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Suzanne Lenglen and Molla Mallory playing tennis. Suzanne is wearing a visor and bending low to hit the ball, while Molla stands nearby with her racquet
Coco Gauff, in a white tank top and blue skirt, is mid-motion hitting a tennis ball on a clay court
Central Press / Getty Images, Andy Cheung / Getty Images
I have to say, the tennis uniforms have vastly improved in a century.
16. Just a (very) old-fashioned game of basketball in 1924:
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
And South Sudan's Wenyen Gabriel going in for a slam dunk against Puerto Rico at the 2024 Olympics:
Pool / Getty Images
Here's a side-by-side comparison:
Historical photo showing a basketball game at Colombes, circa 1924. Players in white uniforms are under an outdoor hoop, with a packed stadium in the background
Basketball player from South Sudan wearing jersey number 9 dunks during an Olympic match. Other players from both teams and spectators are visible in the background
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Pool / Getty Images
17. Here are the 1924 French tandem cycling champions:
Tandem cycling was removed from the Summer Olympics in 1972. However, a version of the event is still featured in The Paralympics, where blind and visually impaired cyclists ride with sighted captains.
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images Here are Thomas Pidcock L of Britain and Martin Vidaurre Kossmann of Chile competing during the cross-country mountain bike race:
Cross-country mountain biking first became an event at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Cyclists Eugène Cugnot and Georges Coury on a tandem bicycle, accompanied by two men and a spectator, at a sports event
Cyclists compete intensely in a mountain bike race on a rocky, outdoor trail near an Olympic rings structure
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
18. This is a rider and his horse during the 1924 Equestrian jumping competition:
Archives Cnosf / Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
This is Eiken Sato and horse Conthargo-Blue of Team Japan during the 2024 Jumping Team Qualifier:
Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Equestrian rider clears jump on white horse at a competition, with
A rider in a red jacket on a horse jumps over an obstacle during a horse jumping competition in front of a crowd at a sports event
Archives Cnosf / Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
19. This is the British Men's Rowing team during the 1924 Rowing Eights event:
Central Press / Getty Images
This is Team Netherlands celebrating their win in the 2024 Rowing Men's Quadruple Sculls Final A:
Alex Davidson / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Rowers in white uniforms team up and row in sync on a river, with a coxswain steering at the front in a hat and long-sleeve shirt
Four male rowers, including Dirk Uittenbogaard and Abe Wiersma, celebrate in an orange boat during a rowing competition. Two are raising their arms in victory
Central Press / Getty Images, Alex Davidson / Getty Images
20. This is Team USA's Richard Norris Williams during the 1924 Men's singles tournament:
Besides being an Olympic gold medalist, Williams was also a Titanic survivor. He narrowly avoided leg amputation after jumping into the frigid Atlantic on the night of April 14, 1912. Barely 12 weeks after his rescue, Williams was back on the court.
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images Here is Spain's Rafael Nadal stretching for a forehand during the 2024 Men's Singles second-round:
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
A tennis player in mid-action, Williams, is captured during a match in 1978. The photo shows his powerful forehand swing on the court with spectators in the background
Rafael Nadal lunges to hit a forehand during a clay court tennis match
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
21. The 1924 Women's Fencing semi-finalists pose for a picture:
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
Italy's 2024 Women's Fencing team celebrates their win against Team France:
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Group of female fencers from 1924, part of the Club des Rapières (C.D.R.). They wear traditional fencing attire and hold masks and foils
Four female fencers in white uniforms cheer and celebrate, raising their arms in victory during a sports event
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
22. South Africa's William H. Smith and France's Jean Ces in the ring during the 1924 boxing semi-finals:
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
Belgium's Victor Schelstraete lands a punch against Spain's Enmanuel Reyes Pla in the 2024 Men's Boxing quarter-finals:
Mohd Rasfan / AFP via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Two boxers, LaBarbara and Castellenighi, are mid-fight in a boxing ring
Two boxers fight in a boxing ring. The boxer on the left wears red shorts and gloves, while the boxer on the right wears blue shorts and gloves
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images, Mohd Rasfan / AFP via Getty Images
23. Uruguay and Switzerland during a 1924 soccer match-up:
ARCHIVES CNOSF/Archives CNOSF/AFP via Getty Images
France's Jean-Philippe Mateta scores his first goal against New Zealand in the 2024 Olympics:
Alex Livesey / Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Old photograph capturing a soccer match between Switzerland and Uruguay, dated 6/9/1924. The handwritten inscription
Soccer match action where a player in a white jersey (number 14) is about to shoot while a goalkeeper in red and a defender in black react. Crowd in the background
Alex Livesey / Getty Images
24. If you were going for the gold in 1924, this is what you would get:
Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images
This is what gold medalists are receiving in 2024:
Mondadori Portfolio / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
And here's a side-by-side comparison:
Two gold medals from the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris are displayed. Both medals have an engraving of a victorious athlete holding a laurel wreath
A person holds a gold medal and a silver medal, both featuring Olympic symbols, in their hands, which have painted nails. The individual wears a jacket
Aurelien Meunier / Getty Images, Mondadori Portfolio / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
How do you think the 1924 Olympics compare to the 2024 Olympics? Share your thoughts in the comments below!