For months, both politicians and large swathes of the population, particularly in Île-de-France, have relentlessly criticised the organisation of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last Friday, the opening ceremony showed those committed to the culture of defeatism and grumbling, that is particular to our country, that they are wrong to suggest that achieving the impossible is not French.
Failure forecast
From workplaces and school playgrounds to public transport and street corners, jokes and complaints about the Olympics were ten a penny. The chaotic episode at the Stade de France during the last-minute organisation of the Champions League final in 2022 left a long shadow. Every tidbit of information, no matter how insignificant, was used to discredit the organisation of the Olympics. On top of this came the political and institutional crisis that arose with the dissolution of the National Assembly on 9 June.
Fears spread about security, transport, the opening ceremony, everything. Not that these fears were unfounded, but the criticism, steeped in fatalism as it was, was intended more to undermine than to forewarn. The media largely contributed to this atmosphere, as did a political class more preoccupied with power games than the fundamental interests of the country.
A dazzling opening ceremony
Against all expectations, on Friday 26 July Paris turned the tables in shining style. The opening ceremony lit up the entire world, showing that France’s age-old splendor had not dimmed. Paris, with its unparalleled charm, put on a show that was resolutely French, rich in symbolism and in dazzling spectacles. France is the heart of the world; she would not be herself without that splendor we readily associate with a land said to be second only to heaven in its beauty. Spectators were amazed at a show that was both French and profoundly European.
A weakened France reinvigorated
Weakened on the European stage by parliamentary elections resulting in a hung parliament, fractured internally by three irreconcilable blocks, lectured by the European Commission and placed under the excess deficit procedure, France revitalised itself with this opening ceremony, by showcasing its architectural and cultural heritage, its identity, its diversity, its history, and its values. No less than 80 Heads of State and government from around the world attended the ceremony in the Trocadéro gardens, among them King Felipe VI, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The European press celebrates the spectacle on the Seine
The European press unanimously praised the opening ceremony. In Germany, the daily newspaper Bild described a “Seine-sational” scene, with a “mega-show encompassing half the city” and an “impressive opening programme.” The Dutch Telegraaf described the ceremony as “perfect,” while our Belgian neighbours at the Soir applauded the “bold and triumphant spectacle” and a magnificent “entrance on the Seine.”
In Spain, the daily sport newspaper Marca extolled it as “the best opening ceremony in history.” Italy’s Corriere della Serra praised the “softened, pacified and idealised” telling of the history of Paris, describing an atmosphere “more Édith Piaf than Napoléon, more Venus than Mars,” with a predominantly pink colour scheme and themes from love songs and happy-ending films. The Danish newspaper Politiken reported a “super spectacle” despite the “four hours” of ceremony. In Romania, the tabloid Libertatea described a “spectacular” ceremony where audiences were wowed by musical performances from Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura and, for the finale, Céline Dion.
The spectacular Olympic opening ceremony left no one unmoved. One of the tableaux, “Festivité,” was at the centre of a lively controversy: where the Paris 2024 artistic director Thomas Jolly had intended to portray a feast of the Olympian gods, others saw a “parody of the Last Supper.”
Regardless of the prophets of doom and the controversies surrounding certain scenes, the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was a true triumph for France, as much on the European stage as worldwide.
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