After more than two weeks of competition, the 2024 Paris Olympics wrapped up Sunday.

The U.S. women’s basketball team came back to beat France and win gold Sunday morning, securing the top spot in the medal tally for the country. The U.S. finished in a tie with China with 40 gold medals, but ended up on top for the fourth consecutive Summer Olympics by winning the silver medal count, 44–27. Team USA finished with 126 medals in total, 35 more than China, which had the second-most total medals. China was the last country to win more medals than the U.S. in a Summer Olympics when it hosted the Games in Beijing in 2008.

Overall, the Games were a recovery from the COVID-19-marred 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, as fans returned in droves to events, brands were able to activate on the ground, social media buzzed due to several breakout stars—and controversial topics—and viewership recovered drastically for NBC.

A Gold for NBCU

Weeks after acquiring media rights to the NBA, NBCU followed up with a successful showcase of the Paris Games. The network had a strong overall presentation ranging from its slew of broadcasters such as Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle, to the addition of Gold Zone on Peacock, and even to the integration of Snoop Dogg.

The final Saturday in Paris—which showcased the gold medal triumphs of the U.S. men’s basketball and women’s soccer teams—delivered 30.7 million viewers, almost three times as much as the comparable Saturday from Tokyo in 2021, according to NBC. 

Team USA’s men’s basketball win over host France averaged 19.5 million viewers, the most for a gold medal basketball game since the 1996 Athens Games and over eight million more than the average 2024 NBA Finals game, while the USWNT’s win over Brazil averaged nine million viewers, the most for a soccer finale since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

While the Sunday viewership numbers are still yet to be revealed, the 16-day viewership of the Games since the opening ceremony on July 26 is at 31.3 million, an 82% increase from Tokyo.

NBCU’s viewership calculations for the Paris Olympics could be seen as inflated, as it combines viewership numbers from the afternoon, when it’s prime time in France, and re-airs during prime time in the U.S., but it’s nonetheless still a win for the network—especially because in 2014, NBCU renewed its rights deals to the Olympics until 2032.

Cash Haul

While the Olympics feature many millionaire professional athletes, being an Olympian doesn’t always guarantee a massive payday—or even a sustainable income.

Track and field became the first sport this year in which winners would receive a prize from the sport’s governing body, as it pledged $50,000 to each gold medal winner.

Most countries offer prizes to their athletes for winning medals. They go as high as $768,000 for Hong Kong, which had two gold medalists in fencing, épéeist Man Wai Vivian Kong and foilist Cheung Ka Long.

For the U.S., the medal rewards were $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. Some teams received performance incentives from their committees, like the U.S. swim team, which distributed a $250,000 prize to 48 swimmers.

Some athletes also received nonmonetary prizes from their countries, whether from the government or private donations. The Philippines’ Carlos Yulo, who won two gold medals in gymnastics, received a house and lot, furnished condominium, and free ramen.

With the Paris Olympics in the books, Los Angeles is officially on the clock for the next Summer Games. 

The opening ceremony in L.A. is slated for July 14, 2028—only 1,432 days away from Monday.

The LA28 organizing committee is working on a budget that currently sits at roughly $7 billion. That’s lower than the $10 billion price tag the Paris Olympics will likely end up with, and the $13 billion spent on the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.

Already, L.A. Olympics officials have rolled out some tantalizing plans for competition venues. Following the success of the U.S. Olympic swimming team trials at the Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Rams and Chargers’ SoFi Stadium will host swimming events at the Olympics in 2028. 

The city that last hosted the Olympics in 1984 will lean on its variety of other Games-ready venues, too. The Los Angeles Coliseum will host track and field events, basketball will be played at the Clippers’ new $2 billion Intuit Dome, the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena will give gymnastics a big spotlight, and the famous Southern California beaches will welcome events like surfing and open-water swimming.

In an effort to avoid building new venues for the Los Angeles Olympics, softball and canoe slalom will be played 1,300 miles away at existing facilities in Oklahoma City. This summer, surfing for the Paris Olympics was conducted in Tahiti.

New Look, Familiar Sports

Six new sports are on the docket for the Los Angeles Olympics. Perhaps most notable for American fans is the debut of flag football and the return of baseball. Both competitions could feature top professional players.

The NFL has shown support for Olympic flag football and is open to active players participating. During the Paris Games, the league released an ad with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Los Angeles touting the 2028 Olympics. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred last month said he is also open to having active players from his league compete at the Olympics, which would likely require a break during the regular season.

Squash will also make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. Softball is returning to the Games. And so are cricket and lacrosse, which haven’t been part of the Olympic program in more than a century.

Breaking (also known as breakdancing), which made its Olympic debut in Paris late last week, won’t be a competition in Los Angeles. Boxing’s status is up in the air as the sport struggles to agree on a governing body.