COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Summer Games is roughly 300 days away, and on Thursday the NBC4 team celebrated a big announcement.

NBC4 Today morning anchor Matt Barnes, will be headed to Paris next summer to provide live coverage of the games for the third time.

Previously, Barnes has reported live from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games, which were delayed a year and held without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in 2022.

According to NBCUniversal, the Olympic Games are set to return to their former glory in 2024, with full stadiums and the world’s finest athletes gathering against the backdrop of the captivating city of Paris.

This marks the first time since 2018 that audiences will witness the grandeur of the Olympics. Paris, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games 130 years ago, will once again take center stage. This will be the third time the City of Light has had the honor of hosting the Olympics, putting it on par with London as one of the most celebrated Summer Games hosts. Moreover, Los Angeles will join this prestigious club when it welcomes the world for the Summer Games in 2028, marking the first time in 32 years that the U.S. will host this grand event.

Additionally, under the leadership of the Paris organizers, the Games are undergoing a transformation to ensure they are more accessible to the public and to showcase the splendor of their city to a global audience. In an unprecedented move, competitions will unfold amidst the iconic landmarks of Paris itself. For example, beach volleyball matches will be set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, equestrian events will take place within the historic Palace of Versailles, and urban sports will ignite the atmosphere at Place de la Concorde. Furthermore, the surfing competition will ride the waves nearly 10,000 miles away from Paris on the picturesque shores of Tahiti, nestled within French Polynesia.

The pièce de résistance, however, promises to be the Opening Ceremony, unlike any other seen in Olympic history. Rather than a conventional stadium spectacle, the organizers are turning the world’s most renowned waterway, the River Seine, into the grandest theatrical stage. Athletes from over 200 countries will eschew the traditional march into a stadium, as a four-mile-long flotilla carries them along the enchanting Seine. Hundreds of thousands of spectators will line the riverbanks, setting the stage for what is sure to be one of the most spectacular Opening Ceremonies ever witnessed at the Olympic Games.

As an NBC affiliate, NBC4 is thrilled to bring viewers exclusive coverage and in-depth insights into the 2024 Paris Olympics, with this remarkable return to Olympic glory in the heart of one of the most enchanting cities on Earth.