How many countries are competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 2024 Paris Olympics are just around the corner and thousands of athletes will vie for gold on the global stage. But just how many countries have athletes competing in this year’s games?

Technically speaking, no countries compete in the Olympic Games, per the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Instead, athletes from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are heading to Paris to participate in the games.

For the 2024 Paris Olympics, the IOC confirmed “the territories of 206 National Olympic Committees” along with the IOC Refugee Olympic Team are taking part in the global tradition. The Refugee Olympic Team is designed to “allow elite level athletes who would otherwise not have the opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage,” per the IOC.

The Refugee Olympic Team was first created in 2015 and introduced at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with 10 athletes competing that year. At the 2024 Paris Games, 37 athletes living in 15 countries and competing in 12 different sports will represent the Refugee Olympic Team, according to the IOC.

In total, the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 10,500 athletes, per July reporting from the Associated Press. The summer Olympics attract more Olympians than the winter ones, with the Olympic Winter Games typically averaging around 2,900 athletes from more than 80 NOCs.

The Paris Games also mark a major milestone, with gender parity and an equal split of female and male athletes competing.

The following NOCs will be competing at the Olympics with at least one athlete present: