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Tar Heels at the Olympics

A rich tradition

Over a dozen UNC-Chapel Hill student-athletes and alumni will be competing for their countries at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, pinnacle moments of their athletic careers.

But they're not the only Tar Heels in Paris. In addition to athletes going for gold in sports like diving, field hockey and soccer, there will be Tar Heels learning about the Games' cultural impact, interviewing Olympians after events and more.

Keep reading to learn more about members of the Carolina community playing a role in the Paris Olympics.

  • 1936Harry Williamson becomes Carolina's first Olympian, competing in track and field.
  • 111Tar Heel varsity student-athletes who have competed in the Olympics
  • 1948Floyd "Chunk" Simmons (decathlon) wins bronze, Carolina's first Olympic medal.
  • 3four-time Olympians: Shalane Flanagan (distance running), Tobin Heath (soccer) and Vikas Gowda (track and field).
  • 1972swimmer Ann Marshall becomes Carolina's first female Olympian.
  • 34gold medals won by Carolina varsity student-athletes

Going for gold

Beyond the Games

Charlie Tuggle, professor in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, has partnered with the International Olympic Committee to send students to Summer Olympics dating back to the 2008 Beijing games.

The journalism students represent the Olympic News Service, interviewing athletes after events to gather quotes that are sent to news outlets. UNC-Chapel Hill is the only university to maintain such a partnership in Paris.

Read more about Tuggle and the Hussman students’ work.

Hussman students and faculty at dinner in Paris

Kaitlyn Schmidt ’23 and Julia Roth ’23 worked with Tuggle from afar on the delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, both are working the Olympics again — this time in-person from Paris.

Schmidt will work with the Olympic News Service, while Roth — a production assistant for NBC Sports — is excited to return to the city she studied abroad in to assist with the broadcast network’s coverage.

Read more about Schmidt and Roth’s roles in Paris.

Julia Roth standing in front of Olympic swimming pool; Kaitlyn Schmidt throwing confetti in air on basketball court

Students participating in a Burch Field Research Seminar, led by historian Matt Andrews, will travel first to London to explore old Olympic venues before heading on to Paris to experience the Games.

While abroad, they’ll explore the Games’ cultural impacts, both positive and negative, on host cities while earning honors history credit.

Read more about Andrews’ Olympic research and the Honors Carolina seminar.

Animated visual of a map showing the journey from UNC to London to Paris.

Student experiences

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