Athletics, the main attraction of the Paris 2024 Games, has finally begun – to the delight of fans around the world. Following an exciting aquatics and gymnastics event in the French capital, athletics kicked off on Thursday morning with its first competition – the men’s 20km Race Walking.

The full programme began on Friday and included the Decathlon 100m, Hammer Throw heats, Women’s High Jump heats and Women’s 100m Preliminary Rounds among others. The athletics events are now in full swing and spectators are eagerly watching favourites such as the steeplechase, men’s and women’s 100m races and the 4x100m relay.

The grand finale will be the Women’s Marathon on August 11. Providing expert commentary across 48 events, the BBC’s world-class team of commentators includes:

Steve Cram

Steve Cram, the dominant middle-distance runner of the 1980s, will lend his expertise to the BBC’s athletics coverage. Known as ‘Jarrow Arrow’, Cram broke the world records for the 1500m, 2000m and mile in 19 days in the summer of 1985.

The silver medallist, who became the first man to run the 1500 metres in under 3 minutes 30 seconds, became the BBC’s lead commentator for athletics events at the London 2012 Olympics. He has since made regular appearances at other Olympic Games and the winter editions.

Andrew Cotter

A familiar voice to Paris Olympic viewers, Andrew Cotter was praised for his impromptu translations of several speeches at the opening ceremony last week. Known for his coverage of golf and rugby, Cotter has been part of BBC Sport’s athletics commentary team since 2013.

The Scottish commentator, who plays golf for Scottish Schools and Scottish Universities, began his broadcasting career at an Edinburgh radio station before joining BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky News. The 51-year-old multi-sport commentator has been the voice of Olympic athletics, including the opening and closing ceremonies, since 2016.

Steve Backley

Steve Backley brings two decades of top-level athletics experience to his expert analysis of the field events. He held the javelin world record with a throw of 91.46m in 1992 and won two Olympic silver medals and a bronze. Backley succeeds Paul Dickenson as BBC Sport’s lead field commentator and has reached millions at every World, European and Olympic Games since Beijing. His most memorable moments include covering the victories of Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford.

Colin Jackson

Colin Jackson is a beloved national figure and one of Britain’s most famous athletes for his success in the 110m hurdles, winning a silver medal at the Seoul 1988 Games. His world record of 12.91 seconds in the 110m hurdles remained unbroken for almost 13 years.

Having made her voice heard at the 2004 Olympics, Welshman has been a key member of the BBC’s athletics commentary team at every Games since, and has also appeared on shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Who Do You Think You Are? and Dancing on Ice.

Paula Radcliffe

Competing in four consecutive Olympic Games from 1996 to 2008, Paula Radcliffe won the marathon gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. She also won the London and New York marathons three times and held the fastest women’s marathon time for an impressive 16 years.

Earlier this week, the 50-year-old Cheshire native found herself embroiled in a controversy after wishing convicted rapist Steven van de Velde “good luck” before their beach volleyball match. Her comments, broadcast on LBC radio, led to her issuing an apology, saying she was “deeply sorry” and “ashamed”.

Jazmin Sawyers

Jazmin Sawyers has been one of Britain’s top long jumpers for the last decade, competing in the last two Olympic Games. The multi-talented athlete began her sporting journey as a gymnast at the age of four, before moving into athletics when she joined Stoke Athletics Club at the age of 10.

He won bronze at the 2022 European Championships and won gold in the same event at the 2023 European Indoor Championships. However, his dreams of winning Olympic gold were dashed when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this year, missing the Paris Games. He will now offer his expertise as a commentator.