The Paris 2024 Olympics are quickly approaching and you are guaranteed to see tons of familiar faces (think: Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles). Other faces will be new — some appearing so fresh that you may wonder just how old athletes have to be to compete at the Olympic Games. The answer, as it turns out, isn't cut and dried.
According to the International Olympic Committee's official rules, there is no single age limit for the Olympics. However, each sport's international regulatory body governs the rules of their respective sports, including age eligibility. Some federations allow very young athletes to participate in the Olympics, while others have higher age minimums. To help you better understand the Olympics age requirements, we broke it down by some of the most popular sports below.
The Olympics age requirements can run the gamut between summer and winter sports.
— Additional reporting by Alexis Jones
Alexis Jones is the senior health editor at POPSUGAR. Her areas of expertise include women's health, mental health, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, diversity in wellness, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining POPSUGAR, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women's Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.
Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist, dramaturg, teacher, and copywriter/editor.