The 2024 Summer Games have kicked off in full gear and I couldn’t be more excited! From rooting for Katie Ledecky, who went to school in my hometown, to attentively following the table tennis matches, I’ve always been in awe of how the Olympics takes the unifying power of sports and transforms it into global camaraderie. So, if you’re also an Olympics fan who happens to be celebrating from home this year, here are some ideas to help get you into the spirit.
Throw a watch party
What better way to celebrate the Olympics than throwing a good watch party? I know I’ve already pestered all of my friends to send me their available dates so I can plan my own. I’m envisioning remodeling my living room into a quasi-Paris, decked out in handmade posters, garlands and flags. And, of course, a party isn’t complete without food. Coordinate with your guests and ask them to bring a dish or drink from a different country — as host, you can supply French food like croissants, macarons and brie.
Make themed treats
On the topic of food, celebrating means having the perfect excuse to bake a good sweet treat. On my baking queue is a jello pool (complete with a team of gummy bear swimmers and Nerds Rope candy as buoy dividers), medal sugar cookies (only covered with gold sugar because we’re all winners) and a pan of Olympic rings Rice Krispies.
(Lightly) stalking all of the athletes
But my favorite way to get into the Olympic spirit is a good stalking session, featuring players from the swimming team to the trampoline team. Whether I’m deep diving on TikTok or watching old performances on YouTube, I love learning about the different journeys, training routines and personal stories of each athlete. Watching the events after becoming more informed about their backgrounds makes rooting for the Games all the more exciting.
Channel my inner athlete
Whenever the Olympics roll around, I always feel my inner athlete reignite — and while my dreams of becoming a professional gymnast died when I couldn’t learn how to do a backbend, something about the season always inspires me to tap into my (little) athletic ability. Honestly, this usually just means playing a heated match of pingpong with my older brother or racing around the neighborhood with my younger cousins.
No matter how you choose to celebrate, the Olympics have a special way of bringing out the sports-watcher in all of us. So, get creative, have fun and enjoy the 2024 Summer Games from the comfort of your own home! I know I will.