Paris In All Its Glory

Paris is one of the greatest cities in the world.  Arguably the greatest.  It's a place on seemingly everybody's bucket list of places where they want to visit.  And it's easy to see why.  It has history.  It has culture.  It has everything.  And all of that grandeur has been on full display for the entire world over the past week, as Paris has played host to the Olympics.

When Paris was awarded the Olympics, the organizers stressed that they wanted the city itself to be part of the show.  After all, it's Paris.  No other city in the world is Paris.  Why wouldn't they want to show off its beauty?  That was a major reason why they held the Opening Ceremony along the Seine instead inside the Stade de France.  While the Opening Ceremony was definitely not my favorite, the way they've showcased the city throughout the competition has been brilliant!  We are definitely seeing Paris in all its glory!

One of the things the IOC liked so much about the Paris bid was their plan to use all existing facilities, which falls in line with one of their stated objectives to reduce costs and eliminate white elephants (venues that are built for the Olympics then never used again).  And, when you're Paris and you have all of these iconic locations, why not take advantage of them?  Some of the iconic Parisian landmarks that have been converted for temporary use have provided some truly spectacular settings!

Beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower?  I mean, come on!  It sounded amazing in theory, but the reality is even better!  I want to say it's the standout venue of the Games, but there have been so many that are truly amazing.  When these Olympics are over, there will be no mistaking where they took place.

The Eiffel Tower is arguably the most well-known, most recognizable landmark in the world.  So, it makes sense that it would take a prominent role in the Paris Olympics.  And it's not just beach volleyball.  Pretty much every event that takes place on the road ended at the foot of the Tower.  The men's and women's 20 kilometer race walks were on a loop course going around it.  The triathlons included a swim in the Seine and a run that finished underneath the Eiffel Tower...using the same finish line as the race walks and the cycling time trials.

Then there was the cycling road race!  They got a full tour of Paris and then some!  They had an iconic finish under the Eiffel Tower, but they went out to Versailles (more on that later), through the Louvre, and everywhere in between.  The Tour de France typically ends with a ride down the Champs Elysees.  It didn't this year since they decided to end the Tour in Nice while Paris was getting ready for the Olympics.  The Olympic cyclists got to ride down the Champs Elysees anyway, though.

And, while I think the hot air balloon cauldron is ridiculous, there's at least a reason behind the design and location.  It's in the Tulleries Garden, which has been a public park since the French Revolution and was the site of the first successful hot air balloon flight in 1783.  So, it's another cool nod to French history.

Speaking of French history, one of my favorite venues is Versailles.  Much like beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, equestrian at Versailles ended up being even better in execution than concept.  The views of the palace from the horse grounds are simply amazing.  And during the cross country portion of the three-day event, they got an entire tour of the grand estate.

As for my favorite indoor venue, that's easy.  It's fencing at the Grand Palais.  That place just feels important.  The doors to this room on the upper level open, then the fencers walk down this long staircase to the competition area.  It's, by far, the coolest entrance for any athletes in Paris.  They won't be the only ones who get to do it, either.  Once fencing is done, the Grand Palais will be the site of taekwondo.

That's another great thing being done in Paris.  This isn't the first Olympics to reuse venues for multiple sports, and it won't be the last.  That was actually one of the IOC's suggested reforms to the Olympic bid process, so they want it to continue.  Paris is doing it with several venues, too.  Rugby was in the Stade de France before track & field started.  Once gymnastics ends, basketball is moving into that arena, while handball heads to Lille (where the first week of basketball was).  And, with swimming ending, the medal games in water polo will be held in that venue.

LA made headlines in June when SoFi Stadium was announced as the 2028 swimming venue, the first Olympic swimming competition to be held in a football stadium.  The swimming competition at 2024 Games, meanwhile, are taking place in a rugby stadium.  It may be hard to believe since it looks like a normal-sized indoor arena, but La Defense Arena can actually seat 30,000 and is the home field of the rugby team Racing 92.  As you'd probably imagine, the pool is temporary.  They even released a time-lapse video of the pool's construction as the facility was converted from the site of multiple sold-out Taylor Swift concerts to an Olympic swimming venue.

There are also multi-use venues right in the heart of the city.  The Place de la Concorde is hosting all of the newer, "urban" sports.  Skateboarding, BMX freestyle, 3x3 basketball and breaking are all literally right in the same place.  That, I think, is one of the best things about these Games.  For the most part, everything is close (sailing in Marseille and surfing in Tahiti notwithstanding).  That's what the Olympics should be.  Fans and athletes able to go to different sports in different venues on the same day, while also getting to enjoy the host city.  In that regard, Paris has certainly delivered.

I don't if it's because it's the Olympics or because it's Paris, probably a combination of both, but it's so great to see packed venues and the world truly coming together again.  All of the athletes have said as much about the atmosphere.  It's something that was lacking in Tokyo (for obvious reasons).  And it's made this Olympic experience completely different.  This is what an Olympics should be.

After trying to get the Olympics for years, Paris finally succeeded.  And, boy, have they delivered!  A disappointing Opening Ceremony aside, they don't want you to just know you're at the Olympics.  They want you to know you're in Paris.  It really is the perfect setting for an Olympics.  Hopefully it doesn't take another century for the Games to return again.