Les jeux sont faits: Your Paris 2024 verdict

[Olympian2004]

I am starting this thread early this time around and there is still a lot of competition to come in these Games of XXXIII Olympiad, but if anyone feels the urge to state his overall verdict about the Paris 2024 Olympic Games already now, please do. I guess I will save my two pennies worth until Saturday evening or Sunday morning. But for now, I can already leak that Paris 2024 will probably leave me with much less of a mixed bag of emotions than Tokyo 2020 (2021) did. Paris and France did great so far, so I wish our French friends here and everyone involved continued "bonne chance" for the remaining three days!

[Sir Rols]

Merci, @Olympian2004!

I’ll wait to post mine, haven’t actually started mentally composing  it yet beyond wondering how many + signs I can add to my grade… and trying to think what I’ll do for a Merci Paris! signature.

[baron-pierreIV]

ANOTHER verdict thread?  I'm getting tired of the same Look of the Games.  Getting to be stale already.  They were very nice and pretty the first week; but they are looking BORING now.  I hope LA changes the buntings midway through and/or have another set for the Paras.  Hey -- I'm going to mention that to Reynold or Casey.  

Why hasn't NBC played any Piaf yet?  

[Sir Rols]

57 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Why hasn't NBC played any Piaf yet?  

The commentators must be talking over the venue music, because I’ve caught the Little Sparrow a few times amongst the playlists at the events. Just watched Beach Volleyball, and they even had dancers doing a routine to her music during a break between sets.

Edited August 9, 2024 by Sir Rols

[Daze]

So far, this have been very french Games.

 

[Olympian2004]

18 minutes ago, Daze said:

So far, this have been very french Games.

 

In which regard? 

[Daze]

I can't explain it. It is just a feeling.

London felt more like the whole world is celebrating. The Paris crowd is much more focused on french athletes and teams. It is not that they're unfair, but it seems that they're mostly cheering for their own. 

It is not comparable with the booing crowd in Rio. 

 

And it is also french in a positive way. A bit like "we do what we want and don't care what you think about" attitude. The O.C. is the best example for that.

And sometimes you need this to create sth amazing. 

I hated the cauldron after the O.C. (fake fire) but I love it now. The lighting of the flame touches me much more when I rewatch it now. 

(Beeing in Paris surely helped 😉 )

[Olympian2004]

Okay, that is interesting. As a TV viewer, I had the impression that the spectators were very supportive and sometimes even enthusiastic also for athletes from other countries, as long as they didn't compete against French athletes, of course.  But that the home athletes get special support is only natural and happens in every host country.

I had pretty different impressions in earlier sports events in France, hence I was positively surprised. Just take the extraordinary celebrations after Armand Duplantis' pole vault world record, for example, or the overall atmosphere in Stade de France during the athletics events. Or the incredible atmosphere when the road cyclists climbed the Montmartre, regardless of nationality of the cyclists driving by. But of course, watching from outside I probably didn't catch nuances that someone who was there could perceive. 

And I think that the ceremonies in London were very much "unapologetically British", even if they were inclusive, they also showed a lot of pride in the nation's quirks and traditions. To be honest, for me, Paris plays in the same league as London in that regard.

[StefanMUC]

The French audience have been walking a very fine line between enthusiasm and chauvinism at the venues where I was, I have to say. Mostly it was ok, but it was very irritating at judo when they saw a French judoka lining up for the next fight with still a few minutes to go and going all out Allez les bleus while there were still others competing.

 

[Olympian2004]

Just now, StefanMUC said:

The French audience have been walking a very fine line between enthusiasm and chauvinism at the venues where I was, I have to say. Mostly it was ok, but it was very irritating at judo when they saw a French judoka lining up for the next fight with still a few minutes to go and going all out Allez les bleus while there were still others competing.

 

Okay. On TV, I heard "Allez les bleus" chants once in a while, but I honestly never minded them. That is probably one of the nuances that one misses when one is following the action on TV as opposed to live "on set".

[sebastien1214]

It's going to be hard for me to try to be objective in rating; I mean, of all the Games I've seen (starting with London 2012; actually I also have some memories of Beijing 2008 but I was young and I really have very, very few memories), I consider Paris to be the best. But you'll tell me, rightly, that I'm somewhat biased...

But if we look at the purely French aspect of these Games, where my opinion may be a little more interesting (yes the Games end on Sunday; but on the points I am going to mention, it is not the last 48 hours that will change everything), it was even better than what I could have imagined.

By that I mean that I did not imagine at all that French society would be appeased for two weeks, normally every day we argue and tear each other apart and even more so with the explosive political context, and here it is as if collectively we had all decided to be happy for two weeks.

(of course from Monday we will start fight again and I am impatiently waiting for the first protests and strikes of the new school/work year)

I also did not imagine that even the Parisians would be so happy, so much so that those who fled regret having fled the capital.

In short, these two weeks are really a very good memory for us, the French, and I think that we will very quickly become nostalgic for these Olympic Games. And that, too, I did not imagine.

[Daze]

8 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

The French audience have been walking a very fine line between enthusiasm and chauvinism at the venues where I was, I have to say. Mostly it was ok, but it was very irritating at judo when they saw a French judoka lining up for the next fight with still a few minutes to go and going all out Allez les bleus while there were still others competing.

 

Exactly what I wanted to say!

Allez les bleus everywhere! 

 

But what I think is absolutely important to say, is that the french or better les Parisien surprised me with their kindness. EVERYONE was so nice and helpful!

And trust me, I experienced the opposite on my last trip to Paris (2010).

It changed 180 degrees!

 

(Mostly a Paris problem I think. We met a lot of nice people in Normandie and Bretagne 2019)

[sebastien1214]

7 minutes ago, Daze said:

Exactly what I wanted to say!

Allez les bleus everywhere! 

 

But what I think is absolutely important to say, is that the french or better les Parisien surprised me with their kindness. EVERYONE was so nice and helpful!

And trust me, I experienced the opposite on my last trip to Paris (2010).

It changed 180 degrees!

 

(Mostly a Paris problem I think. We met a lot of nice people in Normandie and Bretagne 2019)

It's a Parisian problem. And tell yourself that they are the same with the French who are not from Paris.

[Daze]

It's the same in Germany with Berlin. 😅

[Sir Rols]

4 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

It's going to be hard for me to try to be objective in rating; I mean, of all the Games I've seen (starting with London 2012; actually I also have some memories of Beijing 2008 but I was young and I really have very, very few memories), I consider Paris to be the best. But you'll tell me, rightly, that I'm somewhat biased...

But if we look at the purely French aspect of these Games, where my opinion may be a little more interesting (yes the Games end on Sunday; but on the points I am going to mention, it is not the last 48 hours that will change everything), it was even better than what I could have imagined.

By that I mean that I did not imagine at all that French society would be appeased for two weeks, normally every day we argue and tear each other apart and even more so with the explosive political context, and here it is as if collectively we had all decided to be happy for two weeks.

(of course from Monday we will start fight again and I am impatiently waiting for the first protests and strikes of the new school/work year)

I also did not imagine that even the Parisians would be so happy, so much so that those who fled regret having fled the capital.

In short, these two weeks are really a very good memory for us, the French, and I think that we will very quickly become nostalgic for these Olympic Games. And that, too, I did not imagine.

You can’t be expected to be objective. No-one can be objective about a home Olympics (though I’ll be on Brisbane’s back not to f*ck up too much when their time comes).

But if you think it’s the best, if the country has been unexpectedly happy for two weeks, and you all look back nostalgically, it’s been mission accomplished.

[Michelle]

In terms of recent games, I consider Paris to be up there. They have been exceptional with 2 days to go.

final verdict will come early next week. But comparable to London for me, if not slightly ahead. 

[Sir Rols]

Okay, my nutshell verdict ahead of a more blathering debrief in a few days:

Any missteps (and there’ve been a few) have really been relatively minor and are more than outweighed by what has been a rather extraordinarily good games. Met expectations and then some. Definitely going to be always in the discussion when talking about “great” or “best” games.

[Sir Rols]

I thought this was a nice sum-up on what it’s meant to France from the Guardian:

‘We’ve been blown away’: Olympics give France feelgood factor but challenges remain

[LOUIS]

The "oui":

1. Games wide open (for the most part),as promised.

2. The most city-centric games.

3. The most beautiful games( gorgeous backdrops).

4. Packed stadiums and arenas.

5. Uplifting atmosphere and enthusiasm 

 

The "non"

1. The opening ceremony (hated it).

2. The Seine debacle.

3. Some very legitimate complains about conditions at the Olympic village.

 

Overall, very good games, especially after "unfortunate" Tokyo...

[LOUIS]

23 minutes ago, LOUIS said:

The "oui":

1. Games wide open (for the most part),as promised.

2. The most city-centric games.

3. The most beautiful games( gorgeous backdrops).

4. Packed stadiums and arenas.

5. Uplifting atmosphere and enthusiasm 

 

The "non"

1. The opening ceremony (hated it).

2. The Seine debacle.

3. Some very legitimate complains about conditions at the Olympic village.

 

Overall, very good games, especially after "unfortunate" Tokyo...

 

PS One last "non":

All this obsession with "breaking the mold". Most blatant example was the cauldron. Yes, it was beautiful, except ... there was no (olympic) flame. Innovating doesn't mean negating.

[Olympian2004]

And so, here we are, on the final day of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Let's see what they brought:

The organisation and atmosphere

Paris wanted to present inclusive Games, not only in terms of gender equality and diversity, but also accessible to many, even those who didn't pay for a ticket. Games in the heart of the city, Games to bring the passion and love for sports and the Olympic idea back to everyone who is interested in them. And boy, did they deliver. The incredible atmosphere during the cycling road races, especially around the Montmartre, the idea of staging a people's run on the same route after the men's marathon ended, the (if I am not mistaken) historically unpredecented number of Olympic open air venues on squares and in parks in the heart of the city and yes, the opening ceremony on the Seine: They created unforgettable images and also sounds of Games for the people. Parisians had to pay a high price for reliniquishing their roads and squares to the Olympic Games, for creating a high-security zone around the venues during the Games and even around the entire city during the opening ceremony. But I hope that they can say: We paid for it, but we also felt part of it - and it was worth it.

The venues were mostly excellent, more often than not placed in iconic locations with stunning visual backdrops: The beach volleyball stadium beneath the Eiffel Tower, the archery events with the Dôme des Invalides as a backdrop, the equestrian events in that great visual axis with the Château de Versailles, the surfing events in Teahupo'o, the fencing and taekwondo in the Grand Palais with the athletes' entrance via those grand stairs... it's hard to imagine Games that are more visually compelling than those of Paris 2024. And yet, there have been downsides, too: I still beg to disagree that the Seine was a good choice for the triathlon and open water events. I read that they shoved the laboratory that usually conducted water tests in the Seine for the City of Paris out of the door ahead of the Games, just in order to use an older and less accurate method of measuring the water quality. At the time of this writing, German open water swimmer Leonie Beck is suffering from a severe gastro-intestinal infection and it remains to be seen whether there is a connection to the Seine. Is it worth risking the athletes' health just in order to pull through with one's original plan? Nevertheless, that is the only bone I have to pick over Paris' venue plan. Even if the wind conditions in Marseille and Teahupo'o were unfavourable quite a lot of times, I guess that was simply unfortunate and comes with the territory of staging very weather-dependent sports.

Even transportation didn't provide a major challenge during the Games. There were a few occasions where athletes missed reaching their events in time, but the Métro and the rest of the Paris public transportation system were apparently very well-organized and efficient (just like I encountered it during my last visit to Paris in 2017). And, something that was not self-evident after France's experiences with terrorism in recent years and also after the sabotage attacks against the railway system on opening day: The Games were absolutely safe up to this point. And that is a feat for which the French police, armed forces and security personnel deserve a gold medal of their own.

I already touched on the atmosphere around the Montmartre. I think that the spectators from France and all over the world deserve a special word of praise. These were the first Olympic Games after the pandemic restrictions of Tokyo and Beijing, and the spectators sure brought the passion back to the Games. The roar of Stade de France was, besides the big Montmartre party, probably the best example for that: Track and field athletes reported that they have never encountered such an atmosphere before, and while there apparently have been some over-excited "Allez les bleu" chanters at various venues, as a TV viewer I never experienced an audience behaving unfairly towards athletes of other nations. Paris embraced the athletes. And probably it was also an expression of joy of being able again to cheer them on in person.

The sports

Which leads me to the action on the field of play. As I pointed out, after Tokyo's pandemic lockdown Games and Beijing's politically and pandemic-wise locked down Games, these Games were total "athletes Games" again, and they paid that back with stunning performances. Sadly, sometimes their performances were all too stunning - the controversy around the Chinese swimmers and their "mystery meals" back home that led to "surprising" doping cases reminded again that the beautiful world presented to us in Paris is not all too beautiful and honest when you look behind the scenes. The doping control system is becoming more and more of a travesty when WADA hits back at media reporting critically instead of delivering honest and straight investigations. Thomas Bach will step down next year (surprisingly to me, as I was fully prepared for a Fencing 1976 dictatorship lasting to the day he dies) but he still has plenty of work to do to restore confidence in the control system before he passes the baton. Whether he is willing to do so, remains questionable, just like the entire legacy of that man. 

I am still willing to give the majority of athletes the benefit of the doubt. They gave us a lot to smile about: Léon Marchand with his four gold medals, youngster Félix Lebrun with his courageous performance in table tennis, Katie Ledecky entering the hall of fame of all-time Olympic greats, Gabriel Medina with his iconic photo on Tahiti, the B-Girls and B-Boys displaying fantastic moves and the joy of dancing, Yemesi Ogunleye becoming the new smiling face of German athletics... There are so many athletes to mention. 329 medal events in just 16 days, it is too much to process and to give the athletes the credit that they really deserve. Most of all, they deserve a big "thank you" for taking our minds off our everyday problems and the trouble the world is in. I guess we all needed these Games more than ever. 


The overall impression

During the past few days, I asked myself if there is really anything one could do better as Olympic organizer than Paris did. Sure, the water in the Seine, the very well-meaning but ill-paced opening ceremony, the controversies around Imane Khelif and a few other things cast a shadow on these Games, at least for a time. But perfection is impossible to reach. And Olympic Games would actually be pretty boring without the occasional controversy or glitch here and there. Like Tony Estanguet said in his opening speech, Paris is the city of love and France is the country of love. And after two pretty rocky editions of the Games (Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022), the Games of Paris gave me back the love for the Olympic Games. Not for the officials in the IOC, not for all the sleazebags who think that doping is a clever way to gain athletic glory, not for those who wanted to profit financially from these Games in an unduly manner. But for the essence of the Games: The passion of athletes and spectators alike, the feeling of coming together, taking your minds off the world's troubles for two weeks and celebrating great performances and what human beings can achieve together. 

For me, the Games of Paris have been one of the best of my lifetime, up in the same league as Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000 and London 2012. Simple as that. 

I don't know whether it is still in place, but back in 2017, Charles de Gaulle Airport had good-bye signs reading "Paris ne vous oubliera pas" - Paris will not forget you. So just like when I left that wonderful city for the last time seven years ago, I can say: I will never forget Paris either. And so, pour nos amis français: Merci beaucoup pour organiser ces jeux inoubliables! You did it - and you can be rightfully proud about it! I am looking forward for more to come during the Paralympics!

[Sir Rols]

Okay, here we go. Warning, long rant ahead.

Celine’s Hymne à l'amour set it up for me. An oh-so-Parisian stamp on what ended up an incredibly good games. I LOVED them!  I could gush over them endlessly, but objectively there were issues to nitpick. But to me none of those in the end detracted from un événement magnifique!

On to individual scoring:

Ceremonies: Bear in mind, this is ahead of the closing. I expect it’ll be more relaxed and maybe more enjoyable than the opening. The opening itself was mixed. At various times cluttered, disjointed and chaotic. Ambitious but didn’t quite hit the goal. But enough’s been said about them already in greater detail - and will continue to be for a long time to come. To me generally, what they did well, worked very, very well, and made up a lot for what they stumbled on. Full marks for audacity, pass marks for execution. 

On the ancillary ceremonial stuff, I’m on the team that loved the Balloon Cauldron. Sure, I miss a flame, but I suspect we’ll have to get used to that. But it still served as a stunning icon. The medal presentations were a little mundane (and those boxes were awkward). The Coup de Baton to start sessions was a nice touch. Liked the bell in the Stade - wouldn’t mind seeing all future main stadiums have such a bell. Score: B+

Venues and Look: Well, what superlatives are enough to convey just how spectacular these were? It’s telling that what most expected to be the  pièce de résistance - Beach Volleyball at La Tour Eiffel - actually got overshadowed! The brilliant urban sports park at La Concorde in the city centre, the Grand Palais, Invalides, Versailles and just the sheer magnificence of the city of Paris as a backdrop to all, and especially the road events, just knocked anything previously out of the park. And then I have to medntion Teahupo’o - nature at its most photogenic. 

I don’t think “The Look” met its full potential - loved the design but I’d have liked to see a bit more boldness in colours. But ultimately who needed a bright look when it played second fiddle to the most spectacular settings and venues the Olympics have ever had.

On the minus side, the Seine was a washout and low note. A misguided choice in the end. But that misstep faded compared to the rest. Score: A +++

Crowds, spectators and atmosphere: Sydney and London I’ve always considered the benchmarks for crowd embrace and enthusiasm for a games. Now Paris joins them. Most tickets ever sold, packed venues, enthusiastic crowds and spirited cheering. Half a million people packing the streets to cheer the road racers. I’ve seen comments that they were too partisan, but I sat through enough “God Save The Queens” in London to know that Brits are hardly jingoistically reserved, and even “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oy, Oy, Oy” got a bit tiresome by the end of Sydney. Home town barracking is natural. At least they didn’t have to be educated how to cheer, like the Chinese, or think booing was cool, like the Brazilians. By all accounts France totally succumbed to Olympic fever and joy, and that’s what you’d have hoped for. The joy, unity and nostalgia the games gave France is priceless, no matter how ephemeral it may end up being. Vive La France! Score: A++

Organisation: Okay, here we get to some nitpicks. As above, using the Seine for the OC and events was well-intentioned, but ultimately backfired.

The food situation in the village was a black mark in the home of Haute Cuisine. It really was a mix of poor planning and vegetarian/vegan zealotry. I know there was criticism of the village facilities, shared showers etc, but I tend to put that down more to spoiled athletes expecting it to be six star resort and finding their unrealistic expectations shattered.

But then there’s all the stuff that nobody talked about that were the major successes. If something doesn’t make headlines or clickbait, it worked. We didn’t see lost buses or transport chaos. The expected crowd management failures after issues at their recent football and Rugby tournaments, never arose. Security did its job after all the years of fears these were going to be a magnet for terrorism and political mayhem. I’ve read that the police were even getting uncharacteristic goodwill from the French public - doesn’t surprise me, I had some great conversations with the Bobbie’s in London.

If the food was the worse we can say about it, it was a success. Score: A

Sports: Well, personally, Australia’s performance was exceptional and a new benchmark. Of course I’m going to be biased and enthusiastic. I won’t bore you with gloating (though I just have, lol!). 

Paris 2024 introduced or further burnished stars and legends like Marchand, Ledecky and Biles. There was a feast of great performances. We got world records. New countries got their first Golds. The home side did well. It’s the Olympics, that’s what we expect, that’s for granted.

Again, it was the venues that really framed these performances to lift them to be even more memorable IMO. It lured me to watch lots of sports I never really have paid much attention to in the past - fencing, archery, for example.

I also liked looking at the newer sports - I found both surfing and climbing mesmerising. Slalom cross was a fun new addition. Breaking was, well, entertaining but… C'est magnifique(?), mais ce n'est pas le sport! Score: A+

Gamesbids: It was so good seeing the board thrive again. And the old traditions continue (thanks for boosting the vote counts in he logo comps). Great to see so many old members come back. May I personally shout out to @Michelle and @Olympian2004 for coming in strong again - wish you’d stick around more but hope you at least come back for Milano and LA. And for more pretty boy pics from you, Michelle. Speaking of pics, thanks for yours @GBModerator - hope the shenanigans you had to deal with didn’t disrupt your Paris visit to much. And a huge round of applause for @sebastien1214! You’ve really been one of the best new members we’ve had here for a long time. You fit this place like a glove. Thanks for giving us, and leading, the French perspective on Paris 2024. Really, really hope you stick around.

On the flip side, could have done without the alt-right ant-woke pile on we saw suddenly appear in the first week in the aftermath of the OC. And some old trolls were back to their own tricks. I guess you take the bad with the good when Games-time revival happens here. Score: A+

Conclusion: Paris set a new Olympic benchmark. I really don’t like “best” games rankings, and it’s all subjective anyway, but to me it’s definitely in the ranks of the truly great games. I loved its Frenchness. I loved its spectacle. I loved its staging. I loved its daring. I loved its audacity. I loved its panache. Don’t take my few carpings to heart, Paris, no games are perfect and all have some issues. Paris - you truly shined and over-performed.

Overall Score: A++

Merci Paris! Merci GamesBids! Je t’aime!

[rio2016man]

This is the best Olympics I’ve ever watched top to bottom

[BigVic]

Oui 
- Games Wide Open
- Carnival like atmosphere 
- Australia at the Olympics, our best Games away from home in 20 years 
- Packed stadiums and arenas are back like in Sydney and London 
- Iconic venues for competition 

Non
- Breakdancing
- Opening Ceremony by the Seine River 
- Rowers, Matildas 
- Hockey officiating 

[Scotguy II]

I won't make this overly long but Paris has been such a great games, by far the best since London and joining the ranks of Barcelona, Sydney, London etc. I really hope that these games show other major cities the benefits of hosting the games.

Positives

Ending of opening ceremony with the fabulous Celine - Venues - Crowds - Sports - atmosphere

Negatives

95% of the opening ceremony - some of the judging decisions- weightlifting controversy (can we not just make a decision on this already)

I will really miss these games - being in the right timezone, having something to constantly watch and just the atmosphere of the crowds and the different sports.

The athletes, the sports and the crowds are the true winners of Paris 2024

Let's hope it is not another 100 years until we return

Merci Paris, J'adore La France