CHIBUOGWU NNADIEGBULAM / AIPS – PARIS: Third time lucky, they say, and for three weeks in Paris at my third Olympics – including one winter Games – I was enchanted by the City of Light.
Iconic venues, steeped in history, were lit up by the remarkable performances of the world’s sporting stars as enthusiastic spectators screamed their lungs out from the stands. Watching beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower, taekwondo inside the Grand Palais and equestrian at the Chateau of Versailles? Paris 2024 has definitely left a lasting impression with its great, once-in-a-lifetime, record-breaking spectacle.
Having experienced the Covid-affected Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where wearing face masks, keeping a distance of at least 1m and silent stadiums were the order of the day, Paris 2024 gave the much-needed breath of fresh air, which the world wholeheartedly consumed, at the venues, at home and even on social media.
It meant so much for the athletes that they could be surrounded by friends and families in the biggest competition of their lives. It was indeed a “Games Wide Open”, a grand open-air party, which began with the ambitious first-ever opening ceremony to be held in a city centre, on a river. The River Seine.
Honestly, rain ruined my opening ceremony experience.
Earlier that day I had accompanied Tracey Holmes to perform her duty as one of the Paris 2024 Torch bearers and was in the boat when she carried the Olympic Flame along the Canal Saint Martin to roaring cheers from thousands of spectators that lined the banks.
Although it had drizzled that morning, the skies were clear during the torch relay and, despite the weather forcast, I had fervently hoped for a rain-free evening. As I made my way to the media tribune at Pont Alexandre III, I admired the grand setting for this historic event. But not long after I took my seat, the showers began. And soon became a downpour.
While it was uncomfortable for me and, I guess, many other journalists, photographers and even spectators, it was heartwarming to see that the main protagonists of the show, the athletes, were having the time of their lives as they sailed through the heart of Paris, along a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the River Seine.
While it may have been annoying sometimes, France deserves plaudits for how it delivered on its promise of a “safe and secure” Games. Looking like a caged city – with all the tall metal barricades – at the start was worth it in the end.
In spite of some small incidents, including a series of coordinated attacks on the French railways ahead of the opening ceremony, the high-risk Games were largely protected. Around 75,000 police, soldiers and private security guards were mobilised for the opening ceremony on July 26.
Hosting the Olympics again after 100 years, Paris, the birth place of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympics, poured its heart into reinventing the Games and succeeded, especially in attracting a younger audience to the world’s biggest sporting event. The joy of the Games was felt in every corner of the city and new tourist attractions were born.
In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the Champions Park was an exceptional setting where the heroes of the Paris 2024 Games celebrated with fans. Leon Marchand, Novak Djokovic, Tara Davies-Woodhall and many other Paris 2024 medallists thrilled the always-packed Park with memorable celebration moves.
History was made there when two-and-a-half years after competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, American and Japanese figure skaters finally received their reallocated gold and silver medals under the Parisian sun. It was such an emotional moment and the stunning Champions Park was a befitting podium.
The Paris 2024 cauldron was one of a kind. Day and night people gathered in their numbers to catch a glimpse of this new-generation hot-air balloon that carried a ring of fire with it. At the Tuileries Garden it was positioned on the ground during the day, and ascended into the sky at sunset.
These memories are forever engraved in my heart. As the Games closed on Sunday, August 11 – with a stunt-filled ode to the Olympic spirit that featured global stars like Tom Cruise on a futuristic stage designed like the map of the world lying beneath suspended Olympic rings – I was glad that alongside covering the incredible feats of the athletes on the field of play, I was able to soak in the charm that the Games offered.
A major highpoint for me at the closing ceremony was watching the medal ceremony of the women’s marathon won by Ethiopia-born Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan – a historic and symbolic moment for women in sports and a testament to the deliberate efforts that were made to ensure a gender-balanced Games.
On the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Games, AIPS celebrated its Centennial at the UNESCO headquarters, a place rich in history and culture. It was such an incredible event that will be remembered for a long time. There were beautiful speeches from Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for the Social Human Sciences of UNESCO, and Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French Sports Minister.
Sixteen top champions of the past, including Laureus World Sports Academy Members: Antonio Rossi, Edwin Moses, Donna de Varona, Sean Fitzpatrick, Nawal El Moutawakel, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Kipchoge Keino, Daley Thompson, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tegla Loroupe, Chris Hoy, Wu Jingyu, Ana Fidelia Quirot, Sergey Bubka and Nicol David, came together to give honour to journalists who have covered 10 or more Olympic Games.
More than 100 sports media personalities were recognized, having achieved this great feat and this inspired all the other journalists and photographers present in the lavish hall, including me. Everyone knows it is not easy to make it to even one Olympic Games, how much more 29 like Italian Giuliano Bevilacqua, who got the gold medal in Paris for covering the most number of Olympics (summer and winter).
Through music, dance and sport, the histories of AIPS and the Olympic Games were celebrated in a grand style. And the UNESCO headquarters, with its colourful exhibition and famous garden, was a befitting venue to take a bold step into a new century.
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