2024 Summer Olympics in Paris: what remains?
After a spectacular closing ceremony, the Olympic flame has been extinguished and the flag has been handed over to Los Angeles. Europe's press assesses the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris: an important respite in times of crisis? A unifying inspiration for harmonious coexistence? Or a wasteful splurge?
Nations do not deserve gold
The taz criticises the whole idea behind the medal table:
“The fact that associations such as the IOC assess sporting strength on a national basis tells us how the world is currently structured. But there could be different models: athletes could be treated as individuals who, when they compete as teams, come together through internal sport networks, not through nationality. At the Gay Games of the queer community, for example, athletes compete on behalf of their cities, not their countries. Something like that would take a lot of steam out of the nationalist pressure cooker at the Olympics.”
The Olympics don't need Russia
Kirill Shulika takes stock of the Olympics in a Facebook post:
“The Games took place practically without Russia. ... Naturally, there was less competition in a number of disciplines. But they hardly deteriorated and didn't lose their audience outside Russia. What does that tell us? That the Olympics don't need us, but we need the Olympics. It was stupid to call on people not to go, to boycott, to block - instead of giving the athletes the chance to at least watch it all with one eye. They must not be denied the dream.”
What's missing is movement
The problem isn't that Finnish athletes didn't win any medals at these Games, Etelä-Saimaa comments:
“For Finland, success at the Olympics - or lack thereof - is secondary. Finland has put itself on the world map hundreds of times in running, skiing, sailing, skating, Formula 1 and skeet shooting. ... But lack of exercise among children and adults is a new, widespread disease in Finland, and combating it is a challenge that costs billions. How can we incorporate a physical, active lifestyle into Finns' everyday lives now that they no longer have to regularly ski dozens of kilometres to school and physical work has been replaced by team meetings and dragging a mouse over a pad?”
Nostalgia for that different world
Avvenire looks back at the last two weeks with longing:
“We are already nostalgic for the beauty, the harmony, the all-encompassing passion given to us by the most peaceful of armies, the ten thousand athletes who take part in the competitions, both the winners and the losers. We are nostalgic for that capacity to go beyond the limits and triumph. ... We are nostalgic for the capacity to fight for the flag of our own nation without hurting that of others. We are nostalgic for sports that we had never seen before, for athletes whom we didn't know existed until twenty days ago, for young women and young men we can be proud of.”
Paris has never been so pleasant
Libération raves:
“The French capital has never been as beautiful and pleasant as it was during these Olympic Games, hosted in the very heart of the city - a first in the history of the Games - terribly risky but ultimately successful. It was a bold step to take sport out of the stadiums and into the city centre. ... This decision paid off and contributed to the magic of the Games. All you had to do was mingle with this joyful, vibrant crowd or ask for directions from a policeman or gendarme who was friendly because of all the excitement to understand just how much of a positive effect a collective atmosphere can have when it's not fuelled by fake news and hatred.”
Back to reality
The party is over now, Le Figaro observes:
“There is no doubt that the Games leave a valuable athletic and material legacy. The controversies that preceded the event could almost make you smile today. ... But the return to life as it was before promises to be far less pleasant. The reality is that of a France burdened by debt, faced with growing insecurity, uncontrolled immigration and overstretched public services. The reality is that of a nation suffering from geographical, cultural, religious and social divisions. The reality is that of a people who increasingly distrust their representatives. The reality is that of a country in the midst of a deep political crisis, with no majority, no government and no obvious solution in sight.”
Diversity and openness have triumphed
El País applauds:
“Paris can be proud of a resounding success that goes beyond sport and organisational aspects and leaves an enduring symbolic and emotional legacy. ... France hosted the Games after months of political and social conflict and just three weeks after a parliamentary election in which the far right came closer to taking power than ever before. ... Paris presented the best image of a cosmopolitan, diverse France - the country as it really is and not as populist nationalism imagines it to be. ... Paris has set the bar high for Los Angeles in 2028.”
This has done international sport a world of good
Der Standard is glad to see a global sporting event having gone off smoothly in a democracy, unaffected by a pandemic:
“The opening ceremony was magnificent, the mood was wonderful. Many events took place at iconic venues such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Grand Palais. It certainly didn't do international sport any harm to once again be hosted by a sports-loving democracy - after the Fifa World Cup in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) and the Winter Games in Beijing (2022) - at an event that people could actually attend - after the pandemic-struck Summer Games in Tokyo (2021).”
Volleyball players instead of wrestlers from Turkey
Karar looks at who won the eight medals for Turkey:
“Our Olympic teams used to consist of wrestlers and weightlifters. Now they're made up of volleyball players, boxers, taekwondo fighters, track and field athletes, swimmers, archers and shooters. Six of Turkey's eight medals were won by female athletes. This is a consequence of Turkey's urbanisation, modernisation and the expansion of the middle class. Wrestling is no longer our traditional sport. ... As access to sports opportunities becomes more widespread, gymnasts and athletes now come from Anatolian cities and lower middle class families.”
Money out the window
Let's keep the enthusiasm in check, Phileleftheros advises:
“Governments invest in top-level sport because it creates idols with whom citizens can identify, so that they'll forget about problems and scandals for a while. ... It's good to keep in mind just what we're watching so that we can enjoy a dose of 'sports dopamine' without feeling guilty, and certainly without dangerous identifications and fanaticism. Let's also not forget how easily money that could otherwise solve many of the citizens' problems is blown on such festivals. And let's not forget that the athletes represent themselves - not to mention their sponsors, whether state or non-state. They have nothing to do with our nationalisms.”