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= PARIS 2024 =
From Lane One
It’s on. The weather was poor, but the show was great … and safe.
The long-awaited opening of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris began with 65-degree temperatures, clouds and increasing summer rain, and the now-obligatory video introduction, with French soccer icon Zinedine Zidane eventually taking torch and running it into Paris, and into the live ceremony.
The concept of using 85 boats to carry the delegations on the Seine across 6 km – and boats of every size, some with one delegation and some with many – allowed the combination of the entertainment elements and the continuing torch relay with the parade.
Lady Gaga performed shortly after the first set of boats passed as part of the 12 “tableau” of the ceremonies, each of which celebrated a specific French theme. The first theme, “Enchante” also included dancers from the Moulin Rouge doing the Cancan, and a masked torchbearer – evoking the story of the “Phantom of the Opera” – crossing the Seine on a zipline and then a direct salute to Paris 2024 sponsor LVMH, whose Louis Vuitton division made the trunks to house the medals and torches.
The parade was held after 41 delegations after the first theme, with the cultural program – themes “Liberte” and “Equality” – taking stage for 25 minutes before the boats resumed.
The Notre Dame Cathedral bell was rung for the first time since the 2019 fire and the “Liberte” segment recognized the French Revolution, with music from the one-time prison, the Conciergerie and a chorus member dressed as Marie Antoinette … and holding her severed head! An impressive pyrotechnic display introduced French pop star Aya Nakamura, who was warmly received.
The “Fraternite” theme started with the masked torchbearer running through the Louvre and works from the museum being raised on the side of the river as an escort on the Seine as the parade continued.
An animated “Despicable Me” segment – produced in France – showcased the continuing masked torchbearer adventure and the 1913 rescue of the Mona Lisa. This led to a solitary – and spectacular – rendition of a re-arranged Le Marseillaise from the roof of the Grand Palais by French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel.
A second rendition of the French anthem was rendered by Saint-Cirel and the 34 members of the Radio France Choir School, which was wildly received by the crowd of perhaps 320,000 on the lower and upper quays of the Seine.
The themes of “Sisterhood,” “Sportsmanship” and “Festivity” brought through all of the delegations except the host country. The last three to enter are the future hosts of the Olympic Games: Australia for 2032, then the U.S. for 2028 and finally, France.
The parade continued past sunset at 9:37 p.m. local time, with just more than a dozen boats in the water, all heavily lit and even more impressive. The U.S. came in on a single barge with its huge team – about 350 attended the ceremony – and then the masked torchbearer was back in action to set up the entry of the French team.
A link to Tahiti showed a welcome from the surfing athletes, getting ready for their competition at Teahupo’o, then back to Paris, where the enormous French barge got a huge welcome from the crowd.
The program moved into a short “Darkness” segment 10 p.m. local time, reflecting a world in conflict, then moved to “Solidarity,” as the last of the boats docked and the athletes moved into seating at the Place du Trocadero, in front of the Eiffel Tower, for the protocol aspects of the program.
(A historical note: the parade of athletes at Rio 2016, the last full Olympic parade as the Tokyo parade was limited due to Covid, took 2:37 and about 2:30 on the Seine in Paris, plus some time to offload everyone. An impressive feat of engineering by the Paris organizers!)
The Olympic flag was brought in on a metal horse “ridden” by Floriane Issert, that powered down the Seine while the national flags paraded into the Place du Trocadero stadium, then transferred to a real horse which Issert rode in, leading the flags of the nations, with athletes on both sides of the Eiffel Tower-shaped runway.
The “Solemnity” segment featured the well-known protocol, with Paris 2024 organizing committee chief Tony Estanguet welcoming the athletes – he was a three-time gold medalist in slalom canoeing – and those who are helping make the Games happen:
“The Games have reminded us that, in France even if we have a hard time agreeing on things, in the moments that count, we can come together and combine all our strengths for a single purpose. …
“Thank you to the 45,000 volunteers. You have come from 155 different countries, from all walks of life: teachers, retired people, nurses, students … and your enthusiasm will light up these Games!”
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) gave his eight-minute address in French and then in English and then back to French, including:
“Our dream is coming true tonight: a reality for everyone to see. Olympians from all over the globe, showing us what greatness we humans are capable of.
“So I invite everybody: dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, be inspired with the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit to live life in peace, as the one and only humankind, united in all our diversity.
“This is why tonight, with my heart full of emotions, I invite the whole world: let us celebrate this joy of sport together with all the athletes. Have faith in the future. Together, let us celebrate the best of our shared humanity.”
After French President Emmanuel Macron formally opened the Games at 10:54 p.m. Paris time, there was one more task to perform.
The finale – “Eternity” – was the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Zidane appeared in person, bringing the torch into the Trocadero stadium, handing to tennis star Rafael Nodal (ESP) – 14-time winner of the French Open – followed by a light show on the Eiffel Tower.
Then Nadal and the torch were back on the Seine, back in a boat, accompanied by sports immortals Serena Williams, Carl Lewis of the U.S. and Nadia Comaneci (ROU), while another light show took over the Eiffel Tower and a dance performance in the stadium. They handed the torch to French tennis star Amelie Mauresmo, running along the spectators next to the Seine and into the Louvre.
She began a series of hand-offs that reached 17 more athletes, in the Tuileries Gardens.
The final torchbearers were two of France’s greatest: judoka Teddy Riner and triple gold medalist track & field star Marie-Jose Perec. They lit together a giant ring of fire as part of a giant cauldron.
The cauldron itself was an homage to the hydrogen-gas balloon, a French invention, with a ring of fire base of 23 feet in diameter topped by a hot-air balloon of 99 feet high and 72 feet in diameter, which rose majestically in the air in a startling display.
And one more surprise, with Celine Dion performing brilliantly, despite her health challenges, to close the show in stunning fashion.
¶
Was the ceremony a success? Yes it was. Absolutely. The athletes loved being part of something new, something never before attempted, even with the rain.
One of the things that the Seine River parade of nations achieved was no concentrated booing of any delegation, a welcome reprieve from what could have been. Of course, the French barge was rapturously welcomed.
Congratulations to the French security services, national, regional and local, who managed to safeguard what was widely expected to be an almost impossible task.
As a ceremony and as entertainment, what made the opening so astonishing was, ultimately, also the biggest problem.
The Seine-as-stage was too big, too enormous to focus anyone’s attention on either the countries or the cultural elements, some of which were really special. It was a grand, ambitious idea, but too ambitious. These ceremonies are better in stadiums or civic locations where spectators – live and on television – can appreciate one element at a time.
The Seine was novel, but the most moving, most dramatic elements were the stage programs with the torch and Dion’s expected, but moving performance.
LA28 has its ceremony in two stadia, beginning at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and then at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Two stages, but one at a time, another new challenge.
Most important, the Paris Games are on. This will be fun.
~ Rich Perelman
¶
● Les Temps ● Weather in Paris now is cool, but it’s going to heat up this week:
● 27 July (Sat.): High of 71 (F), low of 55 F; rainy
● 28 July (Sun.): 81 ~ 61, cloudy
● 29 July (Mon.): 90 ~ 67, cloudy
● 30 July (Tue.): 93 ~ 71, cloudy
● 31 July (Wed.): 87 ~ 68, possible storms
● 01 Aug. (Thu.): 82 ~ 63, cloudy
● 02 Aug. (Fri.): 81 ~ 62, cloudy
● 03 Aug. (Sat.): 83 ~ 63, cloudy
In addition to the heat, the question is whether conditions will be good enough for the triathlon and open-water swimming events. The regulations:
World Aquatics requirements for inland waterways:
● Enterococci score: <200 is Excellent; <400 is Good; >400 is Unacceptable
● E. Coli score: <500 is Excellent; <1,000 is Good; >1,000 is Unacceptable
World Triathlon requirements for inland waterways:
● Enterococci score: <200 is Excellent; <400 is Good; <330 is Sufficient
● E. Coli score: <500 is Excellent; <1,000 is Good; <900 is Sufficient
The City of Paris released more bacteria readings from the Seine River; over the last week and a half (Sunday through Saturday, Sunday through Tuesday):
● 14 July (sunny): Enterococci ~ 175 — E. Coli ~ 975 (good)
● 15 July (clouds): Enterococci ~ 110 — E. Coli ~ 950 (good)
● 16 July (clouds) : Enterococci ~ 180 — E. Coli ~ 750 (good)
● 17 July (sunny): Enterococci ~ 90 — E. Coli ~ 900 (good)
● 18 July (sunny): Enterococci ~ 100 — E. Coli ~ 500 (good)
● 19 July (sunny): Enterococci ~ 80 — E. Coli ~ 400 (good)
● 20 July (rainy): Enterococci ~ 50 — E. Coli ~ 400 (good)
● 21 July (clouds): Enterococci ~ 800 — E. Coli ~ 2,000 (unacceptable)
● 22 July (rainy): Enterococci ~ 150 — E. Coli ~ 1,000 (acceptable)
● 23 July (rainy): Enterococci ~ 120 — E. Coli ~ 200 (good)
It’s really all about the rain. The triathlon is scheduled for 30-31 July and the mixed relay for 5 August; the open-water swimming is slated for 4-5 August.
= PREVIEWS =
For a look at the expected highlights of the first four days of the Games, check our preview here.
= INTEL REPORT =
● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● A significant sabotage effort impacted France’s high-speed train network on Friday. Reuters reported:
“SNCF, the state-owned railway operator, said vandals had damaged signal substations and cables along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled.”
Service was restored quickly to many lines, but some will not be back in full service until Saturday.
● Olympic Games 2040 ● Bypassing the centennial of the infamous Nazi Games of 1936, the German government declared its interest on Thursday for a new Olympic bid:
“The Federal Government is in favour of Germany hosting the Olympic Games again. The Federal Government passed a decision to sign a joint declaration to this effect with the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and with those federal states and cities interested in making a submission.
“In this way, the coalition is demonstrating its support for another German bid to host the Olympics. The Federal Government would prefer to submit a bid for the 2040 Summer Games, which would take place 50 years after German reunification.
“‘The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a great opportunity for our country. They not only arouse enthusiasm for sport but also have the potential to boost social cohesion and provide an economic impetus for our country,’ said Federal Minister of the Interior and Sport Nancy Faeser.”
Faeser said the 2040 bid would use existing venues and likely spread them out in the country. The cities of Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich, as well as the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria all signed onto the declaration.
● Anti-Doping ● The World Anti-Doping Agency released a study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showing very modest use of the sometimes-criticized Therapeutic Use Exemption across the Olympic and Winter Games of 2016-18-20-22:
“Of the 28,583 athletes who competed in four editions of the Olympic Games, the total prevalence of athletes with TUEs was 0.90% among all competitors. At the four Paralympic Games, the total TUE prevalence among the 9,852 athletes was 2.76%.”
WADA Medical Director Dr. Alan Vernec (CAN) explained:
“The TUE Program is a necessary part of sport, allowing athletes with legitimate medical conditions to receive appropriate treatment. …
“The results of this study provide objective data to dispel some of the concerns and misconceptions surrounding TUEs that they are prone to misuse or serve as a means for ‘legitimized’ doping.”
● Athletics ● U.S. sprint star Noah Lyles spoke with NBC’s Maria Taylor during the ceremony and he oozed confidence, saying he had new lifetime bests in him – after a 9.81 PR in the 100 m last week – said “The more you cheer, the faster I run.”
He also showed off his fingernails, with “I C O N” painted on four fingers, with promises of changes during the Games.
¶
Problems at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships at Texas A&M, with USATF posting a statement:
“With all our events, USA Track & Field (USATF) adheres to the security protocols put in place by every host venue, and we expect parents, coaches, athletes, and fans to be respectful of the rules made by the facility.
“On Wednesday, July 24th, Texas A&M University determined that the crowd had exceeded capacity and consequently restricted entry to the facility. The actions of a small group of people resulted in an injury to a Texas A&M University employee, a USATF official, and others. We strongly condemn this behavior and will take disciplinary action against those involved.”
● Boxing ● The national federations of Italy, South Korea, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have joined World Boxing, bringing the total to 37. With the expulsion of the International Boxing Association from the Olympic Movement, World Boxing was set up specifically to try and save boxing’s place on the 2028 Olympic program in Los Angeles.
Said World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst (NED):
“We are continuing to process applications from a number of other countries and it is clear that more and more National Federations now recognise that the only path that will see our sport remain a part of the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond is to join World Boxing now.”
¶
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