Chao News client reporter Yi Zhigang
Today is April 17, one hundred days before the opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games. In order to create the "most special" Olympic Games in history, Paris has whetted the appetite of the world.
The phrase that usually defines each Olympic Games will be solemnly uttered by the IOC president on the day of the closing ceremony, just as Athens is "unforgettable and dreamy", Beijing is "incomparable", London is "happy and honored", Rio is "extraordinary", and the Tokyo Olympics held in a special period, the opening ceremony faced the empty audience seats, and was appropriately evaluated by President Bach as "unprecedented".
In Paris this summer, before the show has even begun, the public reviews have already tuned the door: if the promise is kept, it may be the most forward-thinking and creative Olympic Games.
The Paris City Hall is decorated with posters for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Courtesy of Visual China
The opening ceremony with high-profile spoilers, and there is a plan B
In the past few days, French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted to the public that there is indeed a plan B for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, and there will be a plan C if it is not possible.
It all started with the overly high-profile Plan A. In the history of the Olympic Games, there has never been an opening ceremony that dared to spoil it like this.
The whole world now knows that the French are going to do something groundbreaking, moving the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games out of the stadium and on the Seine. According to the description, more than 10,000 athletes will travel along the river in 160 boats, with world-famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Grand Palais adorning the feast. But for anyone who has seen the renderings of the opening ceremony, it is impossible not to praise it.
Everyone calls the idea of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee a "flowing feast". The term comes from the title of the last memoir of the American writer Ernest Hemingway, who spent five years in Paris a hundred years ago and had an unforgettable spiritual experience of the city.
Turning the opening ceremony into a parade is really a brain-opening game. It is said that ideas such as hanging art, water screen projection, floating, symphony, etc. may be endless. The opening ceremonies in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 were impressive in terms of showcasing the country's cultural identity, and it is unclear what kind of baggage the French will shake up this summer, but the format of the sports carnival is truly ingenious, and it gives both the host and participating countries a new space for imagination to think creatively and show the world what parts of their country are most proud of.
Notre Dame Cathedral, which Hugo called the "Symphony of Stones", has been repairing the iconic minaret after it was destroyed by fire in 2019. The display is not perfect, but it can be regarded as a kind of cultural confidence.
While the Paris Organising Committee was not afraid of spoilers affecting the effect of the Opening Ceremony, it certainly feared another thing: the huge risk of hosting public events in open spaces.
So Macron's plan B is that if the security alert rises, the opening ceremony will be moved to the Place de la Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower or the Stade de France, which has 80,000 spectator seats.
Two years ago, the Organising Committee estimated the number of spectators to attend the opening ceremony on the Seine from 2 million, but it was reduced to 600,000, and now that number has dropped to 320,000. In addition to ticket holders, there are about 200,000 spectators in the buildings facing the Seine, who can get close to the water and get the first month. The "rooms with a view" along the river in Paris are now a rare commodity to live in.
Estenguet, a canoeist and president of the Paris Organising Committee, said of the open creative concept that "I want to bring the opening ceremony to a wider audience and hold a new model of the Olympic Games."
With such a picturesque opening ceremony, no one should like Plan B now.
Renderings of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee)
The most special Paris, where the landscape is integrated into sports
If you had seen the Paris Olympics two years ago, you would have wondered if you had taken the wrong map of the attractions.
That's right, beach volleyball is played under the Eiffel Tower, equestrian competitions are held at the Palace of Versailles, and the square in front of Les Invalides, where Napoleon's mausoleum is located, is the stage for archery Jebes. In 1900, France built two buildings for the Universal Exhibition, both of which have now stood the test of a century. In addition to the Eiffel Tower, now the most recognizable face of Paris, there is also the Grand Palais, the world's largest surviving steel and glass structure. Home to many arts and fashion events, the Grand Palais has been transformed from a Chanel Paris Fashion Week show for two weeks to host Olympic fencing and taekwondo competitions.
The famous Place de la Concorde, which has witnessed almost all the important moments that Paris has experienced in the past century, from Victory Day in World War I, the liberation of Paris in World War II, and the first World Cup won by the French men's football team in 1998, hundreds of thousands of people have reveled in the Place de la Concorde, which is almost the venue of France's national celebrations. This time, four projects focused on young people will be held here. BMX freestyle, skateboarding, breakdancing, and 3x3 basketball are the most dynamic sports of the Olympic Games, especially the breakdancing promoted by the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, which entered the Olympic Games for the first time.
In addition, triathlon and open water swimming will take place on the Seine, the mother river of Paris, while cyclists will pass through the Arc de Triomphe via the Champs-Élysées, a total of seven historical monuments that will be part of the Olympic Games.
In the triathlon test event of the Paris Olympics, competitors swim in the Seine. Courtesy of Visual China
Why did Paris do this?
It is well understood that creating an Olympic Games with unique landscape sports and turning the famous scenery of the host city into a part of the sports competition is the best marketing for the host city, and the promotion of the national image and the output of soft power have a miraculous effect.
Of course, part of the reason is to reduce costs. For example, the equestrian stadium built in Greenwich Park at the London Olympics cost more than 100 million pounds, while hosting the equestrian competition at the Palace of Versailles only required more than 20 million euros to renovate. Because there are well-equipped stables, castles and equestrian schools, it is a perfect use of resources to host the competition. The Champ de Mars and the Place de la Concorde are temporary arenas, which can also be used as Olympic relics after the games to become a new tourist attraction in a short period of time.
In the past few days, there has been a lot of uproar in the news that "the triathlon will be changed to the triathlon biathlon", and the spearhead is directly pointed at the fact that the Seine River is still seriously polluted and the E. coli exceeds the standard.
Believe it or not, the last time Parisians were able to swim freely and happily in their mother river was a hundred years ago. It was only in 2023 that the female mayor of Paris announced the lifting of this ban enacted in 1923. Paris, which has hosted two Olympic Games in its history, was first hosted in 1900 when it was swimming on the Seine. At that time, it was commonplace for ordinary people to go down to the river to play in the water. But pollution has since intensified, and at its worst, only two or three of the most resilient fish survived.
The current municipality has spent 1.4 billion euros on a decontamination project that has plagued Paris for 100 years, leaving only 100 days left for the Olympics.
Olympic track, you can also get on
The Paris Marathon is known by many amateur runners as one of the must-see city marathons of their lives, because the track that connects Paris's landmarks is so tempting. This year, there are two opportunities for ordinary runners to experience running through the scenery on the streets of Paris. This is because the Paris Organising Committee wants to share the same track with the Olympians on the same day. Despite the different departure times, at least, ordinary people can "participate" in the Olympics.
The Olympic marathon usually has only about 200 men and women, while the number of participants in the mass category is 20,024. Originally, there were only 6 professional runners who could represent China to run the Olympic marathon, including He Jie and Zhang Deshun, but now as long as you are willing and qualified to successfully pass the registration, you can also go to experience the Olympic-level track, atmosphere and service.
It's not without risk. Not to mention the operating costs such as security, medical care, and transportation, simply changing the date from April to August and summer can be a huge challenge for amateurs. But the Olympic organising committee is still determined to make trouble for itself.
The Paris City Hall will be the starting point of this year's Olympic marathon, which will finish at the Invalides. Another history that can be said is that the October procession of 1789 began at the town hall. Thousands of women dissatisfied with high prices and demanding political reforms marched to Versailles, forcing King Louis XVI to ratify the famous Declaration of the Rights of Man. At the Paris Olympics, women's rights will be more central than in previous editions. In addition to achieving full gender parity in the number of participants, for the first time in the marathon alone, the women's race will be scheduled for the closing ceremony on August 11, while the men's marathon will be brought forward to August 10.
An Olympic marathon with such a rich content should not be missed, whether you are lucky enough to stand on the track or just watch it in front of the TV.
Paris Marathon 2024. Courtesy of Visual China
The city of events, Paris, has this confidence
France is a country with a special place in the history of the Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games have been transformed from an ancient legend into a modern competitive sport, and the first credit goes to the Frenchman Coubertin. The longest-serving IOC president contributed to the Olympic Declaration and the motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger". French is the first official language of the International Olympic Committee, not by elegance but by rigor.
With regard to the status of the French language, the Olympic Charter defines it as follows: "The two official languages of the IOC are French and English, which, in the event of ambiguity, shall prevail".
This is the third time France has hosted the Olympic Games, and it will rival London, and with Los Angeles, which has already been set as the host in 2028, it will become the world's top three cities with the most bids for the Olympics.
Is France the world's sporting powerhouse today?
Judging from the medal table of the last three Olympic Games, London and Rio ranked 7th, Tokyo ranked 10th, and France's Olympic competitive sports strength was basically stable in the bottom 10 positions, which is not particularly eye-catching.
But from another dimension - the sports industry, France is an out-and-out top student. It has hosted two football World Cups and won two championships, and three Winter Olympics are currently competing for the right to host in 2030. The French Open, one of the four Grand Slams of tennis, and the Tour de France, the world's most famous cycling event, are almost the golden business cards of French sports events. The vivid red clay of the French Open, the Tour de France drivers passing through fields of golden sunflowers, and the rich color palette make it easy for spectators to remember these famous tournament brands. What is easy to be ignored by the Chinese people is actually the Rugby World Cup held at the Stade de France last year, which lasted more than 40 days, with an average attendance rate of 97% per game, which is comparable to the grand occasion when France won the football World Cup for the first time.
France's professional sports, whether it is football basketball, tennis, combat fighting, surfing and sailing, are not only impressive, but also have rich and mature experience in organizing competitions.
Paris has never been the self-proclaimed "City of Events", but there are few cities around the world that can match it.
1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Courtesy of Visual China
What exactly is the number one movement in France?
Adding so much difficulty to yourself, do you think France is willing to host an Olympics with money?
Don't worry, there are more ways than difficulties. The vast majority of the games are hosted by existing or temporary venues, with the Paris Olympic Aquatics Centre and La Chapelle Badminton Stadium being the only two new Olympic venues. In the Olympic Village, the beds are made of reinforced cardboard, the mattresses are made from recycled fishing nets, and there is no "standard" air conditioning in the rooms, which are cooled by an underground cold water circulation system.
It's not enough to throttle, it's still necessary to open source. The opening ceremony was moved to an open space, and at least 100,000 of the 320,000 seats along the river belonged to the ticket sales area. In addition, as one of the most famous tourist cities in the world, it is estimated that Paris will attract 15 million to 20 million tourists during the Olympic Games, driving huge consumption and creating at least 150,000 jobs in all walks of life. In addition, Paris has launched the first customisable hospitality service in the history of the Olympic Games, which can create an unprecedented experience for visitors based on their personal preferences and sports and non-sports activities. A domestic APP has already launched this business. In this regard, the French took another saliva.
The Games are only two weeks long, but the lasting benefits of the Games to the host country are likely to extend into the next decade. Before the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, tourism accounted for only 2% of Barcelona's municipal revenue, but by 2002 it had become 12%. The 1996 Atlanta Olympics generated a direct profit of only $10 million, but generated an economic benefit of $5 billion. How much can Paris make, although it is not possible to play a package ticket at the moment, but no one thinks that it will be a loss-making business.
With a 100-day countdown, from all the information that is known, this quadrennial event of humanity on Earth will most likely refresh your perception of sporting events and take the innovative practice of the Olympic Movement to a new level.
This is not alarmist, the most recent strike was on February 19 of this year, when the French symbol was forced to close to tourists due to dissatisfaction with the way the city of Paris manages the income from the Eiffel Tower's operation. What if the world's most strike-loving country suddenly picks up the Olympics in the history of "the most conceptual and creative in history" just in time for the opening ceremony?
In February of this year, the Eiffel Tower "went on strike" due to financial mismanagement. Courtesy of Visual China
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