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Nless of an authority than Snoop Dogg has promised that the Paris Games, which begin on July 26, will be “the most epic Olympics ever.”

Snoop is right.

Firstly, the location: Paris, City of Light and Love, one of the most celebrated places on the planet, which will host around 10,500 athletes from all over the world. And for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the opening ceremonies will not take place in a stadium. Instead, athletes will sail down the Seine, through the heart of the city, in a floating parade that is sure to be a visual spectacle.

see more information: Welcome to the Olympics by Noah Lyles

Secondly, for the first time in six years, the Olympics are really back, baby! The last two Games – the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games – operated under strict COVID-19 protocols. Without international fans in the stands and on the streets, exchanging Olympic badges and athletes unable to celebrate their achievements with their loved ones – or with each other in the Olympic Village, one of the most famous venues in the world. party destinations– these Games lacked some shine. Athletes felt isolated and the restrictions affected everyone involved, even the media. With people from all continents gathered in one place, free to visit the Louvre and gather in the Champs-Élyséesobsessed with famous sports like swimming and track and field, or with strange objects of quadrennial fascination – rhythmic gymnastics or modern pentathlon, anyone? – this year’s Olympics will be truly special.

And we haven’t even mentioned the athletic performances. Simone Biles is back, reaching new heights in gymnastics. Noah Lyles is trying to succeed Usain Bolt as global track and field sensation. Katie Ledecky is making fun of the aquatic competition.

Epic indeed. So for the first time, we’re launching an Olympics newsletter, the Olympics Brief, delivered to your inbox about three times a week. I’m TIME’s senior sports correspondent and will be in Paris covering my ninth Olympics. My colleague, Alice Park, is TIME’s senior health correspondent and is also an expert on the Olympics, especially when it comes to butterflies and balance beam. She will also be in Paris, reporting on her eleventh Games.

We love these things. We’ll bring you a little bit of everything in the Olympics Roundup: behind-the-scenes sights and sounds you won’t find anywhere else, stories worth following, exclusive interviews and insights. And we’ll have a lot of fun, I promise.

Who doesn’t need more joy of living nowadays? The US presidential race heats up this summer and is unlikely to be encouraging. The Olympics, thankfully between conventions, offer a welcome respite, as the rally for U.S. athletes counts as a true, and all too rare, unifying exercise. We help you in Paris. Join us on this journey: we will begin our first shipment a week before the Games begin. Sign up for the Olympics Roundup here.