The last time we were a year away from the start of the Summer Olympics (at least, what was supposed to be one year away), all hell broke loose! Tokyo 2020 became Tokyo 2021, and the Olympics were held in a COVID bubble with no spectators. It wasn't the same. Not even close. Athletes have been looking ahead to Paris since Tokyo, and we've officially reached the one-year-to-mark for the grandeur that awaits next summer.
Paris has wanted the Olympics for a long time, and next year's Games promise to be spectacular! More importantly, one of the world's great cities will truly play host to the world, as we get our first full-scale Olympics since 2018 and our first full-scale Summer Games in eight years! Perhaps the most complimentary thing anyone can say in the leadup is that Paris promises to be a "normal" even "boring" Olympics. We haven't had one of those in a while. And it could be just the palate cleanser everybody needs.
There are no concerns about construction delays. Because everything's already built! They're using all existing facilities and temporary venues at some of the most iconic sites in the city (beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower? Yes, please!). It's a model that fits into Olympic Agenda 2020, which aims to reduce the cost to host cities, and they hope future hosts will emulate. They also hope that a successful Paris 2024 will show cities how it can be done and make them actually want to host the Olympics again.
One of those iconic sites is the Seine River itself, which will be the location of an Opening Ceremony the likes of which we've never seen before. Instead of inside a stadium, it'll be out in the open, with the athletes coming down the river in boats. They expect upwards of 400,000 spectators, most of whom will get to watch absolutely free. There will still be the traditional elements, of course, but the no stadium thing and bringing the Opening Ceremony to as many people as possible is exactly the message they're trying to send that these will be an Olympics for everybody.
Who'll light the cauldron is always one of the big questions leading into any Olympic Opening Ceremony. I almost never get it right with my guess, but that won't stop me from trying. Especially because there are so many great French Olympains who'd be wonderful candidates. And I wonder if they'll do two--a man and a woman--as a celebration of the Paris Games being the first Olympics ever to achieve complete gender equality. In fact, that's exactly what I think they'll do.
I'll start with candidates who I don't think are likely, but could very well end up being one of the final torchbearers before whoever lights the cauldron. Or will be one of the people who carries the Olympic flag, which is nearly as big an honor. Or it could be someone I'd never even think of. France's sporting heritage is so rich that any of them would be deserving. French athletes like...
Didier Deschamps: France has won the men's World Cup twice in its history. The first was 25 years ago at home in the Stade de France, with Deschamps as the captain. They won again five years ago in Russia with Deschamps as coach. It could easily be somebody else from one of those teams. Someone like Zinedine Zidane or Theirry Henry. Or even Antoine Grizemann or Kylian Mbappe (who plays for PSG!). But Deschamps is the link between both teams, so I'm going with him.
Beatrice Hess: This isn't just the first time there'll be equal representation between men and women at the Olympics. It'll also be the first time the Olympics and Paralympics share a logo and mascot. What better way to celebrate that integration than by honoring one of France's great Paralympians. Hess won 20 Paralympic gold medals in swimming, including seven in Sydney, where she set nine world records!
Yannick Noah: Yannick Noah's post-tennis resume is just as good, if not better, than what he accomplished on the court! He won the French Open in 1983, still the most recent Roland Garros title by a Frenchman. He's also led France to both Davis Cup and Fed Cup titles as captain. Then he became a popular singer, started a charity that benefits underprivileged kids, and had a son named Joakim who won back-to-back NCAA titles at Florida before a 13-year NBA career. (Maybe he could sing "La Marseillaise" if he's not part of the final torch relay? That would be pretty cool, actually!)
Laure Manaudou: Her gold in the 400 freestyle on the first day of the Athens Games was France's first-ever Olympic title in women's swimming...and first swimming gold period since 1952! Manaudou later added silver in the 800 freestyle and bronze in the 100 backstroke, making her just the second Frenchwoman ever to win three medals at the same Olympics. She was also the world record holder in all four of the freestyle events from 200 to 1500 meters at various points.
Renaud Lavillenie: Want to know a crazy stat about Renaud Lavillenie? He's never won a World Championship! He's medaled five times, but never taken gold. It's the only thing he's missing. Lavillenie was the world record holder in the pole vault for more than six years, won Olympic gold in London and took silver in Rio. He's also won three European Championships and three World indoor titles, but never a World outdoor gold.
Jeannie Longo: Longo is considered the greatest female cyclist of all-time and represented France at seven Olympics! Her first was in 1984. Her last was in 2008, when she missed a bronze medal by just two seconds. She won four medals throughout her Olympic career, including a gold in the road race in 1996, second-most for a French female Olympian. However, there's some doping suspicion clouding her reputation, so they may stay away from her to be safe.
Tony Parker: Virtually everyone who follows international basketball would agree that the United States' biggest threat for gold on the men's side next year is France. The French, in fact, beat the U.S. in pool play in Tokyo before the Americans won the rematch in the gold medal game. A team led by Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid and Victor Wembanyama will indeed be formidable. This French influx of talent to the NBA has been going on for several years, and it started with Tony Parker, the four-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star with the Spurs who had his number retired in San Antonio.
Laura Flessel-Colovic: With 123 total medals and 44 golds, fencing has been France's most successful sport at the Olympics. And the most successful French fencer is Laura Flessel-Colovic. She has five career Olympic medals, more than any other French woman, and was France's flag bearer in London, her fifth and final Games. Flessel-Colovic won individual epee gold in Atlanta, then took bronze and silver in Sydney and Athens. After she retired, she was the French Minister of Sport from 2017-18.
Now for my choice as the male cauldron lighter--Teddy Riner. Every time I've thought about this, his name was the one I kept coming back to. And I really do think he would be a spectacular choice. He's one of the greatest judokas in history and has medaled in the heavyweight class at the last four Olympics. He won three straight golds before taking bronze in Tokyo, where he still added a fourth gold medal in the new mixed team event.
As for the woman who'll join him, I also kept coming back to one name. Marie-Jose Perec. At the Atlanta Games, a lot was made of Michael Johnson's pursuit of the 200-400 double. He achieved it spectacularly, setting a world record in the 200. Johnson wasn't the first to win both at the same Olympics, though. He wasn't even the first to do it in Atlanta. Marie-Jose Perec was. She defended her 400 title from Barcelona, setting an Olympic record of 48.25 seconds that she's held ever since (although, the chances of it being broken in Paris seem good), then won the 200 to complete the double.
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