What's the deal with the Olympics? Your burning questions, answered

PARIS (AP) — The Olympics have their own language, traditions and rules — ones that are ever-evolving. It can be a lot to take in so here, The Associated Press will be answering some of the most asked questions about the Paris Games.

Most of the events are in or around Paris, but select competitions are scattered around France — or in Tahiti. It’s not uncommon for host cities to tap venues outside municipal limits. It's down to a few factors: space, appropriate facilities for each discipline, a sustainability commitment that meant only two new venues were constructed in Paris and, in Tahiti's case, the best place to get sick waves with minimal impact.

Gold, silver and bronze medalists can skip the trip to the gift shop. When the winners take the podium, they're handed a long, thin package containing the official Paris Olympics poster. They also get special stuffed Olympic Phryges with their corresponding medal.

It's the Olympic Phryge, a triangular red behemoth that has confounded some. It's meant to commemorate the phrygian bonnet, a hat that is a symbol of the French Revolution. The Paralympics mascot is much the same but has a prosthetic leg.

The Russians were already on thin ice at the Olympics before the invasion of Ukraine. Amid doping investigations, Russian athletes competed on the Olympic Athletes from Russia team in Pyeongyang and as the Russian Olympic Committee in Tokyo and Beijing. After the invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee suspended the ROC for forming sports councils in eastern Ukraine — a breach of the Olympic Charter.

Russia is not at the Olympics, but some Russian athletes are. After Belarus and Russia were barred over the war in Ukraine, the IOC permitted some of the athletes from those countries to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, abbreviated to AIN based on the French term. Winning AINs will not hear their country's anthem or wear its colors. They also weren't allowed to participate in the opening ceremony.

Pins are currency, pins are souvenirs, pins are life. Many countries, news organizations, brands and even people have customized pins — lapel-sized but often found weighing down lanyards, hats, jackets and so on. Pins are swapped, used to entice or simply savored by fans, journalists, volunteers and athletes alike.

The five interlocking rings “represent the five parts of the world now won over to the cause of Olympism,” according to modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin. But the colors of the rings do not correspond to any particular world regions or continents.

It means second chance, though this is the first time Olympic track and field athletes will get to use it. Athletes in the 200-meter through 1,500-meter races and hurdle events can get a chance at the semifinals by competing in the repechage round. Some other Olympic sports already employ it.

A number of events have been tweaked, but there's one wholly new sport debuting: breaking. There's also a new event under canoe slalom, kayak cross.

Well, there are sports and then there are disciplines and then ... there are events. There are 32 sports at these Olympics, with 45 disciplines among them. Marathon swimming and springboard diving are very different disciplines but both fall under the umbrella of World Aquatics. And then among the 45 disciplines, there are 329 events in which athletes can compete.

Sure, the swimming portion of the triathlon is only 1.5 kilometers — the same distance Katie Ledecky swam to nab her 12th Olympic medal. But can you imagine more than 50 people swimming 30 laps in the pool at the same time? Both triathlon and marathon swimming don't employ heats — all competitors start at the same time, in an open-water swim. In this case, the selected body of water was Paris' famous — and, at times, infamous — Seine River. The location also helped triathletes transition relatively seamlessly to the cycling leg of the race.

The track at the Stade de France, where athletics events are being held, is purple-hued — a marked change from the typical rusty red. Paris Games organizers wanted to stand out, in more than one way. According to Olympics.com, Paris 2024 organizers commissioned a track in a unique color so viewers would remember it. They also worked in conjunction with Olympic Broadcasting Services, which determined that the track color would help highlight competitors.

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For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.