In what has a daily ritual, crowds jostle along the Champs-Élysées, bypassing cafes and shops, and heading east in such numbers that they overflow the sidewalks and spill into the streets.
Head to fencing at Grand Palos angelesis or skating at Plos angelesce de los angeles Concorde. An Uber driver growls as he navigates the chaos.
“Too many people,” he says.
Scenes like this spread across the city at the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics, with crowds of enthusiasts flooding stadiums and arenas. Once inside, they cheered, chanted and sang “La Marseillaise” for the French athletes.
This is news for the Games.
A global pandemic has silenced the last two editions of this foreign festival in Tokyo and Beijing. Spectators were largely banned, leaving athletes to compete in eerie silence. There is not much collecting in public spaces.
Today Paris shows signs of recovery. While final tourism and ticket sales figures are yet to be determined, sports such as rugby and basketball have already attracted record attendance.
It turns out that the Olympics are regaining their enthusiasm.
“We are all thriving because of the crowds and the energy,” said American gymnast Suni Lee, who won gold in an empty Tokyo arena. “This time there will be a lot more laughter. “
He doesn’t like those first post-lockdown Olympic Games.
Retailers and hoteliers have complained of slower-than-expected activity in some areas, with the Paris Tourist Office recently lowering its guest forecast from 15 million to 11 million. Although organizers said they had sold a record 9. 7 million tickets, thousands of tickets remained available. .
To put the current scenario in context, it is useful to look back.
In 2021, the postponed Tokyo Olympics and their empty venues gave a sense of sterility, without surprises and spontaneity, almost like sports played in a laboratory. From the stands, journalists can simply listen to coaches shouting advice.
Thirty-two athletes were tested for COVID and at least 18 (adding a German cyclist, a Dutch skater and a hurdler from Trinidad and Tobago) were withdrawn from the competition. Greece had to withdraw its entire artistic swimming team.
“It was a very difficult impediment to overcome,” said Jagger Eaton, the United States bronze medalist in skateboarding. “It was difficult. “
The 2022 Winter Games in Beijing aimed to bring a return to normalcy as vaccinations increased and the number of COVID cases declined worldwide. Then came the Omicron variant, prompting the Chinese government to adopt major restrictions.
All those linked to the Olympics underwent daily throat swabs, wore masks and had their temperatures taken regularly. Thanks to these protocols, the number of tests has improved, but attendance at the event has been limited to a group of guests.
“To be honest, it took away the stage and the drama,” said NBC anchor Mike Tirico, who left China early for the Super Bowl and covered the rest of the Games remotely. “There is no texture. There is no sensation, there is no heat.
Faced with ageing and difficulties in attracting a younger population, the International Olympic Committee needed smart news in France.
“Frankly, I think it was a miracle that the Games were able to overcome COVID,” said Michael Payne, a sports representative and former IOC executive. “But there’s no doubt they’ve had some tough years. “
Paris won its first victory when thousands braved a violent summer typhoon to attend the inauguration rite on the Seine. The next morning, the queue for an official merchandise store near the Petit Palais stretched to the end.
Another 76,000 people filled the Orange Velodrome in Marseille for the first day of men’s football. Ticket holders lined up to swim at La Défense Arena. Badminton players plos angelesyers were caught in the crowd at the Porte de los angeles Chapelle.
“Even at 8 a. m. the stadium was full,” said India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. “I love the feeling of betting in front of such a large crowd. “
At the Bercy Arena, they clapped in unison to the beat of a powerful techno beat that played as the gymnasts alternated between events. At the Grand Palais, the fencing referees had to wait for the cheers to die down before signaling “forward” to provoke the point.
“Nothing compares to this, no, no,” American fencer Lee Kiefer said after winning gold in the women’s foil. “This is the summit. “
There were other positive aspects. Olympians have family and friends in the stands. They can play other sports on their days off and socialize freely in the athletes’ village.
“It’s the Olympic dream you’ve imagined since you were a little girl,” said Lena Michael, a German boxing hockey player. “Meeting the other athletes and connecting with everything… Tokyo is a totally different story. ”
Above all, there is no further testing or risk of the novel coronavirus.
Earlier this week, a British swimmer and five members of Australia’s women’s water polo team fell ill with COVID, but an official said the disease was being controlled “in the same way as other viruses such as influenza. “
No one has been sent home. The athletes continued to compete and were eager to compete.
Subscribe to accessSite Map
Follow
MORE FROM L. A. TIMES