You must be thrilled to host the Olympics?
I don’t know how many times I heard those words nor how many times they brought a headache.
Should I get off my high horse? Maybe. Will I be complaining? Yes. And in doing so, I might be adding to our well-deserved reputation … but hear me out, it’s not all bad.
When I first heard Paris had been chosen to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, I opened a bottle of wine and celebrated with a big gulp. Cliché, but true. Don’t tell me some of you didn’t head to the closest pub when London 2012 was announced.
As a massive sports fan, I used to travel around Europe following my favourite athletes and now I couldn’t believe I would be able to witness history, right in front of my eyes.
Well, I did it from my sofa as I always have, due to financial constraints.
My budget didn’t allow me to buy tickets or to even access Paris itself. Just like many of my fellow French citizens, paying 480€ for gymnastics qualifications or 600€ for swimming was just not an option. And even if other sports were a tiny bit more accessible, public transport prices would dig a hole in my pocket.
Frustrated, I (im)patiently waited for Paris 2024 to arrive, ironically called the “people’s Olympics”, to start… without me.
As scandal after scandal started to emerge, I started to feel it was maybe for the better.
The organisation seemed like a nightmare; nothing would be ready, rights were being dismissed and money was flowing as if it emerged from a bottomless pit. I soon began to lose interest.
Fortunately, our dear President Emmanuel Macron gave me the perfect distraction…
Chaos erupted in our political ranks and divided our people. Suddenly, nobody mentioned the Olympics anymore. We were focused on voting and figuring out what the future of our country would look like. We quietly observed parties forming awkward alliances, threatening our basic rights.
I live in a little village on the West Coast, no one dared to mention this political hell for fear of starting violent debates. At some point, no one dared to talk at all. The distraction was turning into a nightmare.
But, guess who came knocking on my door and made my hypocritical self feel better on the 26th of July?
Here’s a hint, it has 5 magnificent rings, 3 waves and a lot of promise.
Anxious for the future of my people, I took a breath and tried to kick the French habit of complaining out of my system.
No, the opening ceremony did not suddenly unify us. But how good did it feel to see the athletes holding on to the holy grail and standing together? I remember looking at my family, showing nothing but thrill.
This is why the Olympics is so important. The heated debates hit a stop, not because our government brought us back together. No, Léon Marchand, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the Lebrun brothers, Emeline Pierre, Ugo Didier and so many others did. They forced us to hold our breath and dream. They were home and owning it.
At the local pub, people started to mingle again, putting their differences aside for a while. The beauty of sports gave us a truce and I am very thankful for it.
Was I disappointed to not be able to go? Massively. Were there negative consequences for the country? Definitely. But Paris 2024 also showed us how beautiful we can be together. How we are capable of doing hard things if we commit and believe in ourselves!
And we need to keep this belief in our brains as the political fight starts once again, this time, with no distraction. The 2030 Winter Olympics in our beautiful French Alps couldn’t get here fast enough…