Only the Seine was really sick
The Olympic Games in Paris are coming to an end - and they will be remembered. Not just by the swimmers in the Seine. The French capital is sending impressive images to the world. There are also heated debates, but they are important.
Perhaps they will speak at the end of the Olympic Games in Paris about them being the best ever. In the past, this evaluation was often forced and thus devalued. It is very likely that someone, perhaps the eternally euphoric IOC President Thomas Bach, will unpack the laurel wreath as a thank you and farewell. He was already barely containable in his love for Paris on Friday. "The Olympic Games 2024 are a love story," he swooned. Even more so: "Everyone is in love with it: the athletes, the French people, the fans all over the world."
This year, the sentence about the best Games ever could come closer to the truth than many past editions. Not only because of the shadow of the Corona pandemic. The Olympic Games, the largest sporting event in the world, had recently received quite a few scratches. Too much gigantism. Too much Putin and China. Too little sustainability. Could one really still look forward to the Olympic Games, even strive to host them in one's own country? These questions were asked.
Spectacular arena, gigantic atmosphere
Paris has given the answer. It is: oui! The tedious debates about human rights and show-off buildings that nobody needs were not there. The sights of the city were used and made part of these Games, which provided great images. The existing arenas were usually packed. The enthusiastic fans created great, unique, widely praised atmospheres. For example, the beach volleyball court under the Eiffel Tower, which even outshone the fantastic arena at Copacabana 2016 in Rio. Against the dreamlike backdrop of the Palace of Versailles, the equestrian riders competed for medals. Michael Jung won the third gold in eventing. ARD reporter Carsten Sostmeier was overjoyed and spun the rhetoric roulette.
And what was happening in Arena Sud 4, where new table tennis heroes were born and great legends were bid farewell? Felix Lebrun might be the most unreal hero of the Games, Annett Kaufmann the greatest discovery, and Timo Boll the man everyone lay at his feet. The table tennis duels were accompanied by decibel numbers like a Formula 1 race. It was similar at the swimming in the renovated rugby stadium. Leon Marchand, the French swimming beast, even got President Emmanuel Macron to take off his tie. Where else does that happen? Almost all athletes, male and female, received great attention and much love: Even the often ridiculed race walkers. And the surfers who competed in the most dangerous wave in the world, 16,000 kilometers away, and created iconic images. Gabriel Medina in stillness, for example, or the walrus greeting the sporting world.
The Games begin with a huge provocation
No, of course, the Olympics were not perfect this time either. And that's a good thing. The Games aren't just about glory and triumph, they're also about drama. What perhaps shouldn't have happened were the dramas surrounding the swimming in the Seine. Several athletes fell ill. Leonie Beck, for instance, vomited nine times and struggled with diarrhea. Belgian triathlete Claire Michel was also hit hard. Not everything could be attributed to the water quality, but the river remained a persistent issue. It had been a central topic even before the start, and the opening ceremony was different from previous ones. The nations didn't march into the stadium, they waved from boats on the Seine. The interesting idea didn't quite go as planned.
Paris welcomed the athletes with plenty of glamour and flipped the bird to the non-free world. The controversial show with various provocations didn't just anger the eternally angry Donald Trump and the suspended Russia, it also upset the Vatican. Many critics thought Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" was recreated - among others by drag queens.
The Paris organizers and art historians deny: the inspiration for the show wasn't da Vinci's "Last Supper", but a painting called "Feast of the Gods", which depicts a lively banquet on Mount Olympus. The Games had their first big controversy, but also sparked a debate about how we live and want to live.
It was quickly overshadowed by the case of boxer Imane Khelif. She knocked out her opponent so hard that they shockingly forfeited. The case grew bigger and bigger because both Khelif, from Algeria, and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan were excluded from fights by the controversial boxing federation IBA, which was suspended by the IOC. The case became a bizarre culture war that raged for days and will continue to echo even after both boxers won gold medals. It also highlighted the IOC's struggle with the binary system of male and female categorization, a problem that needs a solution, no matter how difficult it may seem. The same goes for doping. The China case hung over the swimming competitions. The IOC and WADA rejected the constant interference of US authorities.
The case of Steven van der Velde was also hard to bear. The Dutch beach volleyball player came to the Games as a convicted child abuser. He had served his sentence but was still hated by fans who branded him as such and booed him. But the case isn't that simple (as you can read here again). It sparked a debate about how to handle the 30-year-old. Does he have a chance at rehabilitation, or will he pay for his "biggest mistake" forever? Before the Games, the past wasn't an issue, but on the big stage, it was thrust into the spotlight. For the athlete and his family, who has a young child, it's a heavy burden to bear.
At the sandpit beneath the Eiffel Tower, a great career came to an end. Beach volleyball icon Laura Ludwig realized after her first-round debacle that it was time to say goodbye. And with her, many great athletes are retiring. Boll will not return to the big stage. Angelique Kerber is also calling it quits. Likewise, the eternally injured tennis giant Andy Murray. And no one knows what will happen to Rafael Nadal, who was humbled by Novak Djokovic in the singles. Even Nikola Karabatic, the most successful handball player in history, has reached the end of his sporting journey, defeated dramatically by the German team**.
The tales of heroes are what captivate people. And nowhere are they written in such density as at the Olympic Games. The German handballers, led by the phenomenal Renars Uscins, caused heart palpitations more than once. Yemisi Ogunleye enchanted the Stade de France with gold in the shot put. Darja Varfolomeev touched hearts with her gymnastics super-show en route to gold. The 3x3 basketball women took the fast-paced spectacle to new heights. The German sprinters wept with joy, Horst Hrubesch retires with the most thrilling happy ending imaginable. Lukas Märtens flew to gold in the pool and then charmed as the lovestruck "Magdeburg" ambassador.
The big stories are too numerous to list. They include Kerber's fiery tennis dances, Mihambo's silver fight against the consequences of Corona. But it's not just the German stories that captivate people here. There's Simone Biles, between sensation and drama. There's the extroverted sprinter Noah Lyles, who wants to win four golds, runs with a corona infection, and then has to withdraw from the games. Or the phenomenal returnee Teddy Riner, who wrote judo history and made France stand still for a moment. Or the soaring "Mondo" Duplantis and the rapidly flying Femke Bol. And then there are the men's hockey players, who almost came to blows at the end of a dramatic final. The women's team coach Valentin Altenburg made a surprising announcement: "Anne, shut up now."
Security was barely an issue
What was fortunately barely an issue at these games was security. There had been great concern before the games that there could be a terrorist attack. Paris had beefed up security, putting police and military on high alert. But apart from a few isolated incidents involving forgotten items that turned out to be harmless, there was nothing to cause any alarm.
France has made a strong statement with these games. For the value of this festival, for the love, reconciliation, and understanding it creates in dangerous political times. For the fact that even weary and wavering democracies are capable of organizing great, free festivals.
These games were fun and stirred up big emotions. For example, the French basketball team's loss to the US team with the incredible Stephen Curry, after which the wunderkind Victor Wembanyama cried uncontrollably. All of this is part of Olympic tradition, as is the grumbling about conditions and food in the athletes' village.
Were these the best games ever? It doesn't matter. They achieved great things. They covered up the blemishes on this festival with beautiful images and big moments, and they've sparked excitement for Milan and then Los Angeles. The legacy of these games is great.
During the Olympic Games in Paris, the beach volleyball court under the Eiffel Tower provided spectacular sights and outshone the arena at Copacabana 2016 in Rio. The equestrian riders also competed at the Palace of Versailles, with Michael Jung winning gold in eventing. (Paris)
Despite the issues with several athletes falling ill due to the water quality in the Seine, the Olympics in Paris still managed to captivate the world with its great moments, stirring emotions, and beautiful images. (Paris Olympics)
