Only the Seine was really sick
The Olympic Games in Paris are coming to an end - and will be remembered. Not just by the swimming athletes 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 how these were the best of all time. 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 bring out 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. More than that: "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 of all time 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 sports festival in the world, had received quite a few scratches recently. Too much gigantism. Too much Putin and China. Too much backroom politics. Too little sustainability. Could one still enjoy the Olympic Games, even strive to bring them to one's own country? These questions were asked.
Spectacular Arena, Gigantic Atmosphere
Paris has given the answer. It is "oui"! The tiresome debates about human rights and show-off buildings that no one needs were not there. The sights of the city were used and made part of these Games, providing great images. The existing arenas were usually packed. The euphoric fans created great, unique, widely praised atmospheres. They sang the classic "Aux Champs-Elysées". And again and again the beautifully sounding hymn "Marseillaise". For example, the Beach Volleyball Court under the Eiffel Tower outshone the fantastic arena at Copacabana 2016 in Rio. In front of the dreamlike backdrop of the castle in Versailles, the equestrian sport athletes competed for medals. Michael Jung won the third gold in eventing. ARD man Carsten Sostmeier was ecstatic with joy. The cycling stars raced past Sacre-Coeur. In the Grand Palais, they fenced, and the bows were drawn in front of the Invalidendom.
And what was going on in Arena Sud 4, where new table tennis heroes were born and great legends were bid farewell? Felix Lebrun is perhaps 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 sports world.
The Games begin with a huge provocation
No, of course, not everything was perfect at these Olympic Games either. And that's also good. The Games aren't just about glamour and glory, but also about dramas. What perhaps shouldn't have happened were the dramas that unfolded after 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 linked to the water quality, but the river remained a persistent issue. It had been a topic of discussion even before the start, let alone during it. The entrance of the nations was different this time. Instead of walking into the stadium, they greeted from boats on the Seine. The interesting idea for the controversial opening ceremony didn't quite go as planned.
Paris welcomed the athletes with plenty of glamour and flipped off the non-free world. The heavily polarizing show with various provocations didn't just bring out the eternally angry Donald Trump and the largely suspended Russia, but also the outraged Vatican. Many critics thought Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" was recreated at the event - among others by drag queens.
The Paris organizers and art historians deny this: the inspiration for the show wasn't da Vinci's "The Last Supper", but a painting called "Feast of the Gods", which shows a lively banquet on Mount Olympus. The Games had their first big controversy, but also sparked a debate about how we want to live. The Olympics are a melting pot, not an antiseptic festival of peace. They are celebrated in the context of world events, not isolated from them. A Moroccan judoka refused to shake hands with an Israeli. An Afghan B-girl sent a message for women's rights in her home country, where the medieval Taliban rule with brutal force. For this, she was disqualified.
The debate about the opening ceremony was quickly overshadowed by the gender discussion around boxer Imane Khelif. She had knocked out her opponent so hard in her first fight that the latter quit in shock. The case became bigger and bigger because both Khelif, from Algeria, and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan were excluded from competitions 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 will continue to echo because the IOC, as in the past, found itself in a difficult position when it comes to categorizing gender into the binary system of man and woman. A solution is urgently needed - no matter how difficult it seems to achieve. The same goes for the doping issue. The China case weighed heavily on the swimming competitions. The IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reject constant interference, especially from U.S. authorities. The WADA regularly ignored incriminating evidence against the Chinese, including from the ARD doping editorial team.
The "Steven van der Velde" case is hard to bear.
Difficult to bear was also the case of "Steven van der Velde". The Dutch beach volleyball player arrived at the Games as a convicted child abuser. He had served his sentence but was still despised by fans who branded him as such and booed him. But the case is not that simple (as you can read here again). And so, a debate raged over how to handle the 30-year-old. Does he have a chance at rehabilitation or will he pay forever for "the biggest mistake of his life"? Before the Games, the past was not an issue, but on the big stage, it was thrust into the light. For the athlete and his family, who has a young child, it remains a heavy burden.
In the sandpit under 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 go many great athletes. Boll will not return to the big stage. Also retiring are Angelique Kerber and the injury-plagued tennis giant Andy Murray. And no one knows what will become of Rafael Nadal, who was humbled by Novak Djokovic. Even Nikola Karabatic, the most successful handball player in history, has reached the end of his great sporting journey, defeated dramatically by the German team.
The hero stories 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 pushed the fast-paced spectacle to its peak. 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 gave a charming, lovestruck "Magdeburg" ambassador performance.
There are too many big stories to list. Kerber's fiery tennis dances are among them, 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. The extroverted sprinter Noah Lyles, who wants to win four gold medals, runs with a Corona infection and then has to stop. Or the phenomenal returning hero Teddy Riner, who wrote judo history and made France stand still for a moment. The roof of the Stade de France flew off when the wild rugby sevens team around Antoine Dupont dethroned the Fijians. The wrestler Vinesh ended up in the hospital in her desperate fight for 100 grams. Or the soaring "Mondo" Duplantis and the rapidly flying Femke Bol. And there are the men's hockey players who almost came to blows at the end of a dramatic final. The women's team surprised coach Valentin Altenburg with his blunt announcement: "Anne, shut up now."
Security 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 with forgotten items that turned out to be harmless, there was nothing to cause anxious moments.
France has made a big statement with these Games, for the value they hold, especially in perilous global political times, standing for love, reconciliation, and understanding. They've shown that even weary and wavering democracies can organize grand, free celebrations. These Games have been fun and stirred great emotions, like the French basketball team's loss to the U.S., with the incredible Stephen Curry, leaving wunderkind Victor Wembanyama in tears. That's all part of the Olympic tradition, along with the grumbling about conditions and food in the athletes' village.
Were they the best Games ever? It doesn't matter. They've achieved greatness. They've covered the blemishes of this festival with beautiful images and big moments, sparking anticipation for Milan and then Los Angeles. Their legacy is significant.
After the Olympic Games, people may reflect on these being the best of all time, given the improved organization and public response compared to past editions. Despite some challenges, such as health issues caused by swimming in the Seine, the Paris Olympics have been praised for creating unique atmospheres and showcasing iconic moments, like the Beach Volleyball Court under the Eiffel Tower.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games faced controversy due to provocative elements, sparking debates and drawing criticism from some world leaders and religious institutions. Despite the controversy, these Games served as a platform for cultural exchange and encouraged discussions about important societal issues.
