The 2024 Olympic Games combine the world in the spirit of fair competition and limitless enthusiasm in the middle of crises - a report by Alexander Götz
The last time I traveled to Paris, a other city was waiting for me than the one that I found this summer. At that time I wanted to show my children the city of love with all their sights and booked a nice hotel near the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately Paris showed us his ugly side: rioting yellow vests made a visit to the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-élysées and the Place de la Concorde. Due to the risk of terrorism, the Eiffel Tower was only accessible through security controls such as at the airport, including body scanners. Because of the crowds in front of it, we also waived this attraction. Notre-lady was not yet burned down at this point, but rats were frolicking in front of the size of cats. The metro stations were dirty and rays to urine. "What happened to 'my' city?" I thought. The world had changed. That was 2018.
This year I visited Paris again with my children, this time to the Olympic Games. And again I thought: the world has changed - this time, however, for the positive. In the middle of the many political and social crises worldwide, the French capital offered an oasis of peace, joy and international understanding for two weeks. Visitors from all over the world were willingly infected by the Olympic fever. The motto of all tourists seemed to comply with the Olympic thoughts: No matter whether you have a lot of money and can afford tickets for competitions or only follow the marathon on the roadside free of charge - everything is there! People of various nations waved flags, wore symbols of their homeland and exchanged fan utensils. Every evening, thousands gathered in front of the Louvre when darkness rose to the sky in the Jardin of the Tuileries in the Jardin of the Tuileries - a truly magical moment. When Paris manages to create such a climate of joy and coexistence, why don't we do it all over the world?
Pure football euphoria without alcohol
A first highlight of our trip should be a visit to the men's football final between France and Spain. We came to the tickets through an online provider, not through the official ticket website. At first I was suspicious of the portal, but it turned out to be very serious. Tickets at really moderate prices were transferred by the original owner immediately after booking. The portal acts like an exchange: some competitions were in great demand and correspondingly expensive (athletics, volleyball), but there were also bargains (handball, water polo) for less than 30 euros per ticket, sometimes even below the official price.
For me, visiting another stadium on my "Must du visits" list was announced: the parc of the Princes in the Boulogne-Billancourt adjacent to Paris, home of the Paris club Saint Saint Germain. We lived on a boat on the Seine, not far from the stadium, and made our way by bike. I immediately wondered if Jochen Partsch was the mayor here: an excellently expanded network of bike paths makes the locomotion in Paris a child's play. More on that later. We were hardly controlled at the stadium doors. This was strange, as the police and the military were generally well in front of the stadium and in general in Paris. Only a slight scan, that's it. Maybe I didn't quite see through the security concept. There is no alcohol in front of and in the stadium, there is an absolute ban on smoking. The mood was still great and surprisingly peaceful. No caustic mob, no stupid turn on, no embarrassing chants or even brawls. There were no multi-million dollar profile neurotics on the pitch, and yet (or precisely because of that) there was atmospheric (French) songs against a dull, monotonous permanent sings. In the end, the French congratulated the Spaniards on the deserved gold medal. The Iberers prevailed 5: 3 against France in a great game.
The "Bois de Boulogne" has two faces
The Bois de Boulogne, which separates the stadium from our houseboat, is the largest relaxation location in the west of Paris. With an area of 850 hectares, it acts as a green lung of the capital and comprises some parks and gardens. It offers numerous pedestrian avenues, 28 kilometers riding paths and 15 kilometers of tourist cycle paths. Only in the evening he turns into something bizarre. Then you meet dark design and numerous prostitutes. So we preferred to take a taxi back. Speaking of taxi: Taxi driving in Paris has always been a relatively cheap alternative. With the providers Bolt, Uber and Co. it got a little cheaper. It can happen that a taxi ride for a family is cheaper than the metro. I would no longer be voluntarily moving in Paris today, only by bike or a taxi and only to a limited extent with the metro.
Paris lives green mobility
On Saturday, the penultimate day of the games, we visited the Paris city center - of course with the bicycles - and looked at the numerous sights, to which a competitive arena often also developed. What a great feeling to drive the Avenue Foch up to the Arc de Triomphe by bike! A daily pass costs 5 euros for a normal bike, 10 euros for an electric. There are rental stations every 500 meters. The cycle paths are excellently developed and not very dangerous for a big city. This is what green mobility looks like. In general, I always feel more and more in Germany than backward compared to other countries. Last year I was allowed to visit some major Spanish cities: Logroño, Burgos, Leon - there was hustle and bustle in all of these cities, the city centers were full of life. Creative shops next to chains. Noble next to unusual. Among fewer enough. The variety in these inner cities and the friendly openness of people impressed me. Buses or trains are mostly punctual and fast in Spain. Likewise in France. In Germany, on the other hand, the coat of silence is preferred to rub on this topic. There are still many of these topics to discuss, but we'll turn back to the Olympics:
"This is blatant if you throw the ball up to the serve and suddenly a Eiffel tower appears while looking at"
The competition sites are terrific. Historical buildings were also integrated into the concept, such as the Petit- und Grand Palais. Another highlight was the Eiffel Tower Stadium, in which the beach volleyball competitions took place, among other things. "This is blatant if you throw up the ball to the serve and suddenly a Eiffel tower appears when looking at the upset," later joked Nils Ehlers on the stage of the German fan zone. Together with his partner Clemens Wickler, the German duo won silver in beach volleyball competition.
The German House 2024 as "Home of Team D" in Stade Jean Bouin - and thus in the immediate vicinity of the Prince Park and the Stade Roland Garros - was the official meeting point for Team Deutschland in Paris. We went there in the afternoon. In the fan zone of the German House, sports such as table tennis, 3 × 3 basketball, bouldering and skimboarding could be tried out at active stations and follow the competitions on canvases. We were also allowed to meet the two beach volleyball players on the (show) stage. For a fair admission price of 40 euros for three people, you actually get a special Olympic flair. But then I had to smile very much when I saw the gastronomic selection: meatballs, liver cheese alarm, potato salad and wheat beer - as it should be for Germany. Seriously, that was a nice culinary variety and a beautiful reminiscence at home.
Budget, origin, skin color - everything doesn't matter. Being there is everything!
The last competition for us was on the program on Sunday: the marathon of women. In the keyword marathon, Paris came up with something very special: the “Marathon for everyone” takes place on the Olympic marathon route the evening before on the Olympic marathon route. Alternatively, a run over ten kilometers is also possible (I could fall into this category with more discipline). Anyone who participates there can become Olympic champions. Unfortunately, you had to apply very early for a starting place and master some challenges via the app to have a chance at all. Of course, all starting places had long since taken. I would have spontaneously participated in the 10-kilometer run.
On Sunday the city is electrified one last time. Tens of thousands of people stand on the marathon route and wait for the runners. It is the meeting of many factors that trigger goose bumps with me: this great sense of community, the cheering on the runners, national pride yes, racism no. The police passing on motorcycles in front of the runners and is celebrated loudly by the spectators. This is probably only available at Olympics. The athletes come, and each one is cheered out loudly, until the last runner has also passed. Then the crowd dissolves and happily goes towards the day. These games touched me and also changed a bit.
We need Olympics more urgently than ever
"Sport has the strength to change the world," said Nelson Mandela, and he is still right to this day. We should have the courage to grab after the Olympic Games. We can organize, we are great hosts - we have already shown it at the European Championship and the 2006 World Cup. Despite all the problems in the country, France was internationally united for the time of the games, and I am sure that this effect will have a long time. Maybe that's why we need Olympics more urgently than ever in Germany.
