When awarding awards, sarcasm must be restrained and only praise has a say. So much was said and repeated: ‘The Olympics will be a flop’; these Games had such bad press that they did not achieve the success they deserved. That Colombes was far away, that the railway rates were exaggerated, that the organization was not impeccable, was this reason enough to boycott them? No, a thousand times no. There were exciting battles, beautiful spectacles; a lot of world records fell; the big crowd didn’t bother. Too bad for her.
It feels harsh, the journalist for the daily La Presse, when he signs this article covering the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games on July 28, 1924. Stern but above all bitter, for him who, three weeks earlier, wrote with emphasis: “Let us be proud that these eighth Olympic Games take place in our beautiful country of France, in the heart of our unique capital of the world.”
A century later, it is not too late to regain this pride, and in the process, put a damper on the sarcasm that our country likes to indulge in. Because the Olympic and Paralympic Games are both a popular celebration and a boost for the 16 million visitors, the 15,000 athletes, and the 4 billion expected viewers. A sports festival, but also a French festival, which is still too early to guarantee success, but has been meticulously prepared for many years. Beyond medals and records, these Summer 2024 Games are also a tremendous lever for France. In terms of influence, economic and ecological modernization, and inclusion, hosting the world’s largest sporting event is a powerful accelerator of transformation. The grumblers will argue that if France needs bread, it could easily do without the Games. This overlooks the strength of the appointment seven years ago in France: being ready on time forces the country to excel. This is what it has done rather well so far, and it will continue to do so over the next six months.
Others are already thinking about the hangover after the Olympics, muttering “All that for this.” One must not like sports, and even less challenges. Refusing to see the incredible ripple effect in terms of activity and employment of the Olympic Games, the first to adopt a social charter. Security, transportation, urban mobility, accommodation, the uncertainties of a completely unprecedented opening ceremony: there are, it’s true, a thousand concerns to address before July 26. It is especially a historic opportunity for France, which it will rise to with panache. Remembering the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in September 1962, when he promised to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade, “not because it is easy, but because it is difficult.”
