Why Paris 2024 Was The Worst Olympics Since 2000

This year’s Olympic Games in Paris saw some spectacular action, but data collected by CoinPoker.com shows it was the worst games since Sydney 2000 for world records broken.

In 2024, a total of 19 official world records were broken, seven fewer than four years ago in Tokyo and six below Rio 2016’s tally.

London 2012 meanwhile witnessed a whopping 35 new world records, the most of any modern Olympics and one more than in Beijing four years prior. 

The 19 records broken in Paris is the lowest total since Sydney 2000, where only eight records were broken. 

This study focuses only on official world records, which excludes certain events with variable courses and conditions such as rowing and kayaking.

Number of World Records Broken At The Summer Olympic Games

City	Year	World Records Broken
Paris	2024	19
Tokyo	2020	26
Rio	2016	25
London	2012	35
Beijing	2008	34
Athens	2004	28
Sydney	2000	8

Why Were So Few Swimming Records Broken In Paris?

With so many different sports on show, there are numerous reasons why a world record may or may not be broken.

But in Paris, the depth of the swimming pool appears to have significantly slowed down the athletes.

The pool at the La Defense Arena is 2.15m deep, much shallower than the 3m pools used in Tokyo and Rio.

This can increase the turbulence of the water, creating a more choppy surface as well as adding more resistance, both of which will add marginally to a swimmer’s time.

Where Did The Records Topple?

While Paris has earned the title of ‘worst Olympics since 2000’ for world records, there were still some disciplines that saw numerous records broken.

The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines vélodrome was already known to be a fast track for cycling, but weather and air pressure conditions at the games combined perfectly to see a total of six new world records. 

Team GB were responsible for three of these records, with the women’s team sprint cycling team of Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane breaking the world record three times on their way to winning gold.

Away from the velodrome, four world records were broken in swimming, three in athletics, two in both weightlifting and speed climbing, and one apiece in archery and shooting.