Paris 2024

[Sir Rols]

How fun! They’re great!

Usually the  Olympic posters are either bland or very arty. These are just…. so whimsical. They just beg you into poring over their fine details. Bravo Paris!

[Sir Rols]

Nn

On 3/4/2024 at 6:27 PM, FYI said:

So, the way the picture is being painted here, looks like Paris 2024 is going to be the most geo-politically tense Games in decades (even moreso than either Beijing Games, but those were due to the actual host itself), & a total contrast to Tokyo 202One (where hardly anyone, but the athletes & officials, were there to make any fuss). 

So much for the thought by many involved parties over the years, that the Olympic Games should be above politics, but politics is exactly what is always involved. Those Paris 2024 organizers really have their plates full with this one.

 

4 hours ago, Quaker2001 said:

That's the sad part of this.  We've seen many years where the host city/country has been dealing with problems they largely helped to create.  Then we get Tokyo and a once-in-a-century plague that came at the worst possible time for them, although they still managed to pull off the best games they could under nearly impossible circumstances.

And now Paris, which everyone thought would be free and clear of large scale issues, but that won't be the case and it's through no fault of their own.  My sincerest hope for them is that for all that we're discussing geo-political issues, that by the time we get to late July, it is not a defining narrative of their Olympics and the focus rightfully belongs to the athletes.

 

3 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

We are in the most tense geopolitical situation since the 80s and yet, unlike the LA & Moscow games, there is not (for the moment) a significant boycott movement from nations.

There may not be any Russian/Belarusian athletes included in the neutral team, but since the 2018 Olympic Games, Russians have been increasingly outside the Olympic movement. So it won't really be anything significant in my opinion.

I do not think that the Paris 2024 narrative will be dominated by these geopolitical questions. And from this point of view, given the complicated situation at the moment, I think that we are doing very well for the moment. It could be much worse.

This was drifting off-topic a bit, so took it here.

I don’t want to minimise or trivialise the global tensions now (sh!t, it’s not hard to picture us all sleepwalking into Armageddon these days), but Olympics-wise this is all just small beans compared to the 1970s and 1980s. I know I’m showing my age (though Baron and AF still pip me in that department), but 1980 was a HUGE clusterf*ck both for the Olympics and general doomsday fears. We all got a bit complacent once the Berlin Wall fell and we had a decade or two of relative calm and hope.

Apart from Russia’s non-participation in the games, not sure how else Putin could try to spoil the show? For sure, he’ll unleash the troll farms, but I can’t exactly see him sending teams of FSB agents to spray novichok on the crowds at the OC. He’ll probably more likely celebrate every Ukrainian medal with a drone strike fireworks show on Kyiv, or - as per his penchant for Olympic-time military manoeuvres - launch an August offensive in the Ukraine or stage military exercises on the borders of the Baltic states (surely he’s not stupid enough to actually invade and start WWIII).

And Israel? They’ve always warranted extra attention and security measures since 1972. I guess that will be ramped up even moreso this year. And I guess a few Muslim athletes will probably suddenly develop medical reasons to withdraw just as they’re coming up to face Israelis in their comps.

Don’t want to be complacent, but I’m still cautiously optimistic on the outlook for the games. There’s no boycott talk like in the lead-up to Beijing 2022. There’s no zika or covid-type panic around this time. There’s gnashing of teeth about the security of the OC, but I really wouldn’t see them going ahead with it if they didn’t have confidence in their ring of steel around it (security in the rest of France at the time is another matter). Considering we’ve hit peak pre-games jitters time, it’s heartening the biggest media scares have been the water quality of the Seine and the strength of the Seine-side apartment balconies. 

 

 

[Bear]

16 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

Apart from Russia’s non-participation in the games, not sure how else Putin could try to spoil the show?

personally I'm concerned about cyber security. like we saw how they attempted to disrupt the 2018 opening ceremony in a retaliation attempt. I'm sure it will turn out fine in the end but until the games are underway I don't think I'll be able to stop worrying about it haha

[sebastien1214]

4 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

Apart from Russia’s non-participation in the games, not sure how else Putin could try to spoil the show? 

What seems quite likely to me, in terms of possible direct Russian involvement in disrupting the Olympic Games, would be a cyberattack; from what I had read, at the time of the Pyeongcheang 2018 OOC, there had already been a cyberattack which had caused major problems; probably from the Russians.

That said, during the hearing of the Minister of the Interior on the security of the Games, in the list of threats that they imagined they put forward the hypothesis that a terrorist organization or a State was using a "proxy". Like for example a State which would finance a group of criminals to carry out attacks (I am not necessarily talking about terrorist attacks; but it could be like during the fiasco of the Champions League final with supporters who had been attacked). I don't think the Russians would go that far but it's interesting (and reassuring) to see that our authorities are thinking about all types of scenarios.

4 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

There’s gnashing of teeth about the security of the OC, but I really wouldn’t see them going ahead with it if they didn’t have confidence in their ring of steel around it (security in the rest of France at the time is another matter). Considering we’ve hit peak pre-games jitters time, it’s heartening the biggest media scares have been the water quality of the Seine and the strength of the Seine-side apartment balconies. 

To be completely honest, in the French media, at the moment what we are talking about the most is precisely the security of the opening ceremony with the fears and concerns (which are legitimate).

That said, given the system presented, I really don't see how there could be any security problems* during the opening ceremony. By this I mean that Paris will be almost confined that evening: closure of airports and airspace for 150km around, 45,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers to secure the sites, mandatory registration with the police to be able to access the area tonight (even if you live nearby!), SWAT teams in every boat... they even plan to inspect the catacombs, which means they even think the dead could be a threat. So on all this, I am confident (and to tell the truth my fear is that we are in fact too paranoid and that the ceremony will end up being held with no audience and without a parade on the Seine).

(*within the area of the opening ceremony. I always thought that the biggest risks were in the rest of the city; and besides, it would be the same if the ceremony had taken place in a stadium)

[Sir Rols]

12 minutes ago, Bear said:

personally I'm concerned about cyber security. like we saw how they attempted to disrupt the 2018 opening ceremony in a retaliation attempt

 

7 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

What seems quite likely to me, in terms of possible direct Russian involvement in disrupting the Olympic Games, would be a cyberattac

Yeah, that what I was getting at in mentioning Vlad would unleash the troll farms. From what I can gather, French security is girding for that possibility.

8 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

(*within the area of the opening ceremony. I always thought that the biggest risks were in the rest of the city; and besides, it would be the same if the ceremony had taken place in a stadium)

I’ve always thought so too. A lone wolf attack, not just in the rest of Paris, but anywhere in France. And as you said, that would be more a mater of the timing, rather than the location of the ceremony.

[FYI]

1 hour ago, Sir Rols said:

He’ll probably more likely celebrate every Ukrainian medal with a drone strike fireworks show on Kyiv, or - as per his penchant for Olympic-time military manoeuvres - launch an August offensive in the Ukraine or stage military exercises on the borders of the Baltic states (surely he’s not stupid enough to actually invade and start WWIII).

Yeah, I can definitely see him doing that. As far as being stupid enough to start WWlll, who knows. Just over two years ago, nobody really thought that he would be dumb enough to actually invade Ukraine.

1 hour ago, Sir Rols said:

Don’t want to be complacent, but I’m still cautiously optimistic on the outlook for the games. There’s no boycott talk like in the lead-up to Beijing 2022. There’s no zika or covid-type panic around this time. There’s gnashing of teeth about the security of the OC, but I really wouldn’t see them going ahead with it if they didn’t have confidence in their ring of steel around it (security in the rest of France at the time is another matter).

Wasn't there a big ETA attack concern in the lead up to Barcelona 1992? Let's also remember the big security concerns for Athens 2004, being the first Summer Olympics post-9/11 & being so close to the middle east, which actually lead to a lot of the empty seats to many of the venues there. 

And yes, an attack in another part of France during the Games, would certainly put a damper on things, & probably is the most likely from all the concerned scenarios, since most of the security resources will obviously be centered around Paris. For if anything, just to try to spoil some of the show.

1 hour ago, Sir Rols said:

Considering we’ve hit peak pre-games jitters time, it’s heartening the biggest media scares have been the water quality of the Seine and the strength of the Seine-side apartment balconies. 

Whatever happened to the big bed bug scare from last summer? That seems to have dissipated as quickly as it materialized. lol

[Sir Rols]

9 minutes ago, FYI said:

Wasn't there a big ETA attack concern in the lead up to Barcelona 1992? Let's also remember the big security concerns for Athens 2004, being the first Summer Olympics post-9/11 & being so close to the middle east, which actually lead to a lot of the empty seats to many of the venues there

And Sydney had fears of shark attacks in the harbour and the hole in the ozone layer nuking everyone with UV.

[Cyriln]

4 hours ago, FYI said:

Whatever happened to the big bed bug scare from last summer? That seems to have dissipated as quickly as it materialized. lol

It magically disappeared when politicians came back from their vacations and everyone could speak about them again (I'm not even kidding, that's certainly the explanation : so many news channel having nothing to say from mid-July to mid-August...)

[Sir Rols]

This is an interesting, if over-cooked, article purporting to capture the mood in the Olympic city as the games approach:

‘It’s like Covid all over again’: Olympic-sized trepidation strikes Paris

I had to chuckle a bit though. So much like Sydney in the lead up. A small but vocal minority of (mostly well-off) people who fled the city for holidays overseas to escape the “horror”  - only to be ridiculed for missing the city’s greatest party. The predictions of traffic gridlock, transport chaos and suffocating crowds, only to end up with quiet roads, transport at its best and a very festive, but far from overcrowded, vibe on the streets.

 

[sebastien1214]

Some photos of the Palace of Versailles which is the most advanced site regarding temporary sites. This is where the horse riding and pentathlon events will take place.

[Sir Rols]

Breaking news:

Edited March 10, 2024 by Sir Rols

[Sir Rols]

Some details on the security preps

French interior minister: Importance of vetting Paris 2024 safety team

[Bear]

and just as I was saying about my cybersecurity concerns...

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/the-french-government-says-it-s-being-targetted-by-cyberattacks-of-unprecedented-intensity-1.6803105

fortunately doesn't seem Olympics-related, and hopefully it puts the cybersecurity people on high alert as the Games get closer.

[baron-pierreIV]

I hope  Fart-45 tries to go and they arrest him as a security threat!!   

[sebastien1214]

We are only a month away from the start of the Olympic torch relay, and some information about the start of the relay (before arrival in France) has been revealed*.

The protocol does not change; the lighting of the flame will take place on April 16 at 10:30 a.m. CEST in Olympia. The torch "handover" ceremony will take place on April 26 at 5:30 p.m. CEST at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, then it will spend the night at the French embassy before leaving the next day for Marseille aboard the Belem.

The costumes for the flame lighting ceremony have changed a little**. The first bearer of the torch will normally be Stefanos Douskos, a name that was made official last November.

As a reminder, the torch will arrive on May 8 in Marseille before starting the relay on French soil. Around 150,000 people are expected to welcome the torch. The planned schedule for the day, found on the Marseille tourist office website***:

Quote

 

11 a.m.: arrival in Belem harbor escorted by a maritime armada.
Around a thousand boats are expected; all Marseille residents who own boats will be able to accompany the Belem in the Marseille harbor to the entrance to the Old Port.

1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: parade at sea in the North and South harbors with a loop around the Frioul islands.
The boats will pass as close as possible to the coast so that spectators can enjoy the show from the Kennedy Corniche or the surroundings of the North harbour.
Activities and performances are also planned at the Château d'If.

5 p.m.: Belem enters the Old Port. He will be at the dock around 6 p.m.

6 p.m.: lighting of the flame in the Olympic cauldron

7 p.m.: big concert on the water with three artists who will follow one another.
This first festive day - which will end around 11:30 p.m. - should be punctuated by fireworks at the end of the evening.

 

Some non-contractual images from the day of May 8 which were revealed a few months ago by the organizing committee:

----------------

* https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-olympic-flame-lighting-and-handover-ceremonies-information-for-the-media

** https://www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1233964/new-costumes-in-revamped-torch-lighting-ceremony-for-paris-2024/

*** https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/vivez-marseille-blog/agenda/marseille-en-fete-pour-larrivee-de-la-flamme-olympique-marseille-2eme-fr-4673279/

[baron-pierreIV]

Paris 2024: Cutting carbon emissions (insidethegames.biz) 

Truly hypocritical.  184 barges and what? 150 buses == and all their diesel exhaust -- for an OC that could have been held WITHOUT those conveyances??  Shame on you, Tony Estanguet!! 

[baron-pierreIV]

3 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

We are only a month away from the start of the Olympic torch relay, and some information about the start of the relay (before arrival in France) has been revealed*.

The protocol does not change; the lighting of the flame will take place on April 16 at 10:30 a.m. CEST in Olympia. The torch "handover" ceremony will take place on April 26 at 5:30 p.m. CEST at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, then it will spend the night at the French embassy before leaving the next day for Marseille aboard the Belem.

So, 10 days of running around the Greek isles?  That's a departure from the past where it was limited to 1 week.  So, are they trying to make up for the cut-short Greek portion relay of 2020?  And from the only 2,000 torches, I wonder how many were apportioned to Greece?? 

[cfm Jeremie]

1 hour ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Paris 2024: Cutting carbon emissions (insidethegames.biz) 

Truly hypocritical.  184 barges and what? 150 buses == and all their diesel exhaust -- for an OC that could have been held WITHOUT those conveyances??  Shame on you, Tony Estanguet!! 

We know you belong in the 20th Century but really, you believe all boats and buses still run on diesel?

Surely you cannot be that ignorant and your hate for Estanguet is blinding you.

And also, would you care to explain to us how you would transfer the athletes from the village to the venue of the OC, wherever that is, wihtout buses? 

[baron-pierreIV]

34 minutes ago, cfm Jeremie said:

And also, would you care to explain to us how you would transfer the athletes from the village to the venue of the OC, wherever that is, wihtout buses? 

#1 - Oh really, are those eV barges now?  Since when? 

#2 - If it was done at StadeF, then you wouldn't need hose barges and buses.  Village to the Stade is probably 800m away?  or something TOTALLY walkable.

#3 - And the Cauldron can still be lit at the Eiffel -- and the coverage linked in via giant screens.  What are those LED screens for?  

#4 - Rickshaws would be cute.  How about horse-drawn carriages?    Chariots? 

#5 - Canoes? Dragon boats?   

[FYI]

2 hours ago, cfm Jeremie said:

Surely you cannot be that ignorant and your hate for Estanguet is blinding you.

Maybe they should just 'switch computers or get up & get a drink!' Or finally 'learn & tune out' or 'just mute' infamous T.E . when they're on. Or perhaps big pharma may have something that they could take for their severe case of Tony E. syndrome (just be cautious of perhaps the many more Tony E. side effects, though)! 

[Sir Rols]

I’d love to see how those buses and barges footprint compare to the emissions the IOC members incur each year flying around on their “IOC Business”

[Guilga]

2 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

#2 - If it was done at StadeF

Why do I feel that all his criticism comes from the cérémonie d'ouverture being in a river instead of a stadium... This has extrapolated quite a fair bit already.

[sebastien1214]

1 hour ago, Guilga said:

Why do I feel that all his criticism comes from the cérémonie d'ouverture being in a river instead of a stadium... This has extrapolated quite a fair bit already.

It's like all new things, unfortunately. But be sure that if this OOC is a great success, if ever another city (LA?) wants to have its own OOC in the heart of the city, surprisingly there will be much less criticism the next time.

What's the funniest thing about this is that ≈80% of the critics aren't even on questions of "taste" (like "the artistic segments will be less beautiful than if it were in a stadium ", etc) but on logistical questions (like "we will never be able to use lots of boats it's impossible"), giving the impression that according to these critics the average people were much more competent, that they already know everything, and and that according to them the organizers are the incompetent people who have never worked on the subject (even though it is their job). lol

[Sir Rols]

10 minutes ago, sebastien1214 said:

What's the funniest thing about this is that ≈80% of the critics aren't even on questions of "taste" (like "the artistic segments will be less beautiful than if it were in a stadium ",

Lol! You wait and see when the ceremony’s actually on and our live chat and verdict threads. THEN you’ll see a LOT of comments on the the artistic segments and taste - guaranteed everything from totally loved it to totally detested it and all pints in between. C’est La Vie de GamesBids!

[baron-pierreIV]

16 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

. . . and that according to them the organizers are the incompetent people who have never worked on the subject (even though it is their job). 

No. there's no one on Jolly's team who has done this before because--except for the shorter Fluvial parade down the Yarra at CWG 2006 in Melbourne -- and well, except for D-Day, nothing on this scale has ever been attempted, so please spare us that B/S that the Jolly team have done this before.  Yes, they consulted with folks who have done the regattas (I think in Rouen), but do this in real time, with 8,500 athletes on 184 barges, being viewed by 200,000 people, how many TV crews? 2,000? -- 75 VIPs and 120 buses waiting at Chaillot, and all guarded by? hopefully, 15,000 police, etc.?  And all on a more or less scripted schedule? 

There are a hundred moving parts and so many ways for things to go wrong, that they not only must have Plans B, C, and D.  They have to have at least 5 or 6 contingency plans because it is fraught with failure.  Nobody's been foolish enough to try this before.  As you yourself said, TE is nothing but a talker or something like that . . . and doesn't deal with the details. 

What's odd is that the companies who have done Olympic Ceremonies before--Ballich, Atkins, Ric Birch, Jack Morton, Betty Productions-- folks who have the EXPERIENCE, don't seem to be part of this project or lending their name to it.  It is a "first" so they are flying blind.  

I wonder if Paris 24 has even tried to get insurance for the OC just to cover themselves for any losses.  

Edited March 17, 2024 by baron-pierreIV