Daily Times

 When I embarked upon my journey towards Paris on 23 July 2024, I had a number of questions on my mind. Would France be able to successfully hold the 33rd Summer Olympics? Would there be any security issue? Would there be any language barriers? Would Pakistan be able to end their 32-year medal drought? Despite controversial opening, food and water complaints by athletes, lack of air-conditioning, language barriers and lack of volunteers, France was able to hold the Olympics in a successful manner as there were no major security issues. And of course, Pakistan won first athletics gold medal in their 75 years of Olympic history, bringing the tally to 11 Olympic medals since 1948. Having previously hosted in 1900 and 1924, Paris become the second city ever to host the Summer Olympics three times, after London which hosted the 1908, 1948 and 2012 Games. More than ten thousand athletes from more than 200 countries across the globe attended the extravaganza in France’s capital city. And for the first time ever, the split was 50% men and 50% women. Those 10,500 athletes competed in 32 different sports and 339 events. The event was celebrated enthusiastically across the French capital for those who couldn’t see it in person. Nearly 850 medals were won, 42 records broken (10 world records and 32 Olympic records) and thousands of people from 222 countries gathered across 39 venues for this historic edition of the Olympic Games. The event attracted millions of visitors to Paris and the Parc des Nations in La Villette, plus billions more via television and social media.

Initially greeted with protests and scepticism, the people of Paris eventually embraced the Summer Games, recognising them for what they are — the most important sporting and multicultural event on the planet, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those lucky enough to be there. It is interesting to note that just a couple of weeks before the beginning of the mega event, the chances of a successful Olympic Games in La Ville Lumière — City of Light — seemed slim. France was in a political crisis. Security officials were fearful of an attack. Many French people seemed nonplussed. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), under pressure from sponsors and broadcasters after COVID led to largely spectator-less Games in Tokyo, could barely afford another miss. There were geopolitical crisis such as Ukraine and Gaza in the bubble of the Games with the USA election rollercoaster and riots in Britain hogging the headlines. But France succeeded. Paris’ success was a major relief for the IOC, which had been struggling to attract younger audiences needed to justify multi-billion-dollar TV and sponsorship deals, as well as for the sporting people engaged in the Olympics. The USA team claimed 26 medal topping China (91), Britain (65) and France (64). China had been ahead in the race for gold throughout much of the Games, but China and the USA both earned 40 apiece at the conclusion. In addition to 40 gold medals, the USA won 42 silver and 44 bronze medals.

Pakistan’s first individual gold medal since 1948 and an Olympics to remember: Pakistan star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem made history at the Paris Olympics. A strapping 6 feet 4 inches tall, he set a new Olympic record for the longest javelin throw – 92.97 meters or 305.02 feet. The 27-year-old became the first Pakistan athlete to secure an individual gold medal. It was Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in athletics and third individual medal overall since 1948. Pakistan’s last individual medal (bronze) was in boxing at the Seoul Olympics 1988, won by Husain Shah. Pakistan’s first individual medal (bronze) was won by wrestler Mohammad Bashir at the Rome Olympics 1960.It was also Pakistan’s first Olympic gold since 1984, when the country’s hockey team triumphed in Los Angeles. It was the first medal of any colour since Barcelona 1992, when the hockey team bagged a bronze. The sum total of Pakistan’s Olympic achievements from 1948 to 2020 was ten medals, eight in hockey, including three golds. Arshad improved Pakistan’s Olympic record to 11 medals with his dazzling performance. Arshad’s feat, therefore, makes him arguably Pakistan’s greatest-ever Olympian. Despite previous setbacks and challenges, the moment gave optimism for future successes. In a country like Pakistan, where cricket dominates, Nadeem has become a new national hero and his success has sparked unprecedented interest in javelin throwing and track and field sports.

Paris first to host opening outside stadium: I love a big spectacle. The kickoff to the Olympic Games is always a must-see, but Paris achieved a lofty aesthetic to set itself apart from the others. In the process, they made history, as this year’s opening ceremony was the first to occur outside the Olympic Stadium. Instead of having athletes announced in front of a crowd of spectators, they took a parade-like route down the River Seine, passing historic landmarks along the way. The result was a unique and breathtaking backdrop. The opening ceremony began on the Seine River, starting with the arrival of the Olympic flame and continuing with the feather-filled performance by singer Lady Gaga. The ceremony included a starry cast of commentators, including the likes of Alex Cooper and Snoop Dogg, and competitors like Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Katie Ledecky, and Coco Gauff. A giant plume of blue, white, and red smoke was sent high above a bridge over the river as the ceremony started. Additionally, the extravagant show started with the French soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane running across Paris to bring the flame from the Stade de France to the Seine. The opening ceremony gave a sense of theatre as they used musical phrases from “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Les Misérables”, Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” and a thrilling set by the French heavy metal band Gojira at the Conciergerie. It was followed by an amazing performance given by a French pianist, Alexandre Kantorow, of one of Ravel’s best-known pieces. As it was raining during the ceremony, the performance translated “Fountains” and “Playing Water.” The ceremony concluded with the most-anticipated performance of Céline Dion from the Eiffel Tower. She was dressed in a shimmering beaded dress. Dion performed on “Hymne à L’Amour,” a song by Edith Piaf in the 1950s.

But Paris was not faultless: The opening ceremony, watched by over 28 million people, certainly managed to unite millions of people, just not in love and celebration, but disappointment and anger. The ceremony, for lack of a better word, was a crashing disappointment for many. It wasn’t just the rain that dampened proceedings, but the perplexing artistic choices made by the organisers, and the lacklustre performances of so many of the people involved. One segment that featured drag queens and dancers at a long table drew backlash from many viewers due to its resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting of Jesus Christ and his apostles, before his crucifixion. The French Catholic Church went berserk about what they saw as a parody of “The Last Supper,” and by extension, their entire religion. Christian conservatives in Europe and America, and even their Muslim counterparts across the world, followed suit expressing their outrage. The show was branded “blasphemous” and “an abomination”. There were calls for boycotts from Latin America to the Middle East. To so many, the expensive, poorly performed extravaganza on the Seine was an insult to everything they consider sacred. Artistic director Thomas Jolly denied any such intention. He and others involved ended up facing vicious online harassment that led to police complaints.

More than ten thousand athletes from more than 200 countries across the globe attended the extravaganza in France’s capital city. And for the first time ever, the split was 50% men and 50% women. Those 10,500 athletes competed in 32 different sports and 339 events. The event was celebrated enthusiastically across the French capital for those who couldn’t see it in person. Nearly 850 medals were won, 42 records broken (10 world records and 32 Olympic records) and thousands of people from 222 countries gathered across 39 venues for this historic edition of the Olympic Games. The event attracted millions of visitors to Paris and the Parc des Nations in La Villette, plus billions more via television and social media.

In one of the other striking moments of the ceremony, a woman holding a bloodied severed head and intended to be executed French queen Marie-Antoinette appeared in a window of the Conciergerie, a building where she was imprisoned after the 1789 French Revolution. She was later guillotined along with her husband Louis XVI. There was a transgender model, a near-naked Greek god of wine, and music by DJ Butch: a woman who, by virtue of being proudly Jewish, fat and a lesbian, ticked a lot of boxes in the A-Z of “inclusivity”, which appeared to be the primary theme of this ceremony. For many, men parading around as caricatures of women, and everyone “celebrating” their “art”, was very offensive. It was enraging to see it take centre stage at an event that is supposed to bring peoples of the world together, celebrate love and inclusion. When people look at minstrel shows of the past caricaturing enslaved Blacks, they immediately see there is no art to them — they are horrifically racist and insulting. But somehow, no one seems able to see how similarly insulting drag is to women.

The racially diverse cast of performers and the prominence given to women and LGBT+ performers upset some conservative critics, who dismissed it as “woke”. A spokesman for France’s far-right National Rally party, Julien Odoul, called the ceremony “a ransacking of French culture”, while Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called it a “giant gay parade”. Paris Olympics organisers later said they were “really sorry” if any offence was caused by their daring and quirky opening ceremony while denying any intention to “disrespect” religion or “hurt” feelings of others. At the same time, the French transport was thrust into chaos, just hours ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony after a series of coordinated “malicious acts” upended high-speed train lines. Travel for hundreds of thousands of travelers was disrupted on the rail system linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighboring countries. No injuries were reported.

The athletes, the main protagonists of Paris 2024, complained about the food, the lack of air conditioning, and even the shortage of water in the toilets. Meanwhile, volunteers, essential for the daily functioning of the Olympic Games, received only one meal a day as compensation. In contrast, IOC executives live in a parallel reality of five-star luxury and comfort. True equality, it seems, was reserved for public statements. While many officials boast about inclusivity and equality, proclaiming the harmony of sport and Olympic values alongside the athletic competitions, the reality for many of the key players was quite different. The contrast exploded and was captured in a photograph of Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon sleeping on the ground in a park because of the heat in his room in the Olympic village.

Impressive closing ceremony: Unlike Paris’ rain-drenched but exuberant opening ceremony that played out along the Seine River in the heart of city, the closing ceremony’s artistic portion took a more sober approach, with space-age and Olympic themes. This time, French actor and director Thomas Jolly organised everything meticulously, avoiding the controversies of July 26 and avoiding any controversies. Paris made spectacular use of its cityscape for its first Games in 100 years, with the Eiffel Tower and other iconic monuments becoming Olympic stars in their own right as they served as backdrops and venues for medal-winning feats. The thousands of athletes danced and sang the night away cheered it – and the artistic show that celebrated Olympic themes, complete with firework flourishes

The event also showcased French flair with a segment titled “Records,” where French breakdancer Arthur Cadre, portraying a golden traveler, honoured the origins of the Olympic Games. Cadre was joined by 270 performers who helped reveal the Olympic rings from below. The ceremony reached an emotional high when the Olympic flame was extinguished while French singer Yseult performed a rendition of “My Way,” originally popularized by Frank Sinatra. The closing ceremony capped two and a half extraordinary weeks of Olympic sports and emotion with a boisterous, star-studded show in France’s national stadium, mixing unbridled celebration with a somber call for peace from IOC President Thomas Bach who saluted the athletes as he declared the Games closed. “During all this time, you lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other,” Bach said. “You respected each other, even if your countries are divided by war and conflict. You created a culture of peace.”

USA movie star Tom Cruise jumped from the roof of France’s national stadium and received the Olympic flag, bringing a heavy dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony of the Paris Games as the French capital handed over to the next host Los Angeles. Grammy-winning R&B artist H.E.R teased the Mission Impossible soundtrack as Cruise made his leap, drawing gasps from spectators as he dropped 50 metres to the floor of the Stade de France, in the finale to a ceremony that blended the traditional, the obscure and the razzle dazzle of Tinseltown. While Paris used iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles to win the hearts of Olympians and spectators alike, LA was swift to turn to its star draw: A-list celebrities who took over Olympic hosting duties for 2028 from the French capital with joy and panache. Multiple time zones away, Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, rapper Snoop Dogg – wearing pants with the Olympic rings after being a popular mainstay at the Paris Games – along with his longtime collaborator Dr. Dre kept the party going with performances on Los Angeles’ Venice Beach.

Paris was confirmed as the host city in 2017 after Los Angeles agreed to postpone its Games until 2028. Since then, and until the early hours of Monday, 12 August 2024, much work was done to reflect the essence of Paris and the convictions of its people — grandiosity. We must acknowledge that Paris has set a high standard. After bidding farewell to Paris with great gratitude for all it did, we must turn our eyes to the future at the next Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028, where the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people will now be focused. The City of Angels has billed itself as a beacon of diversity and will have Hollywood to fall back on.

Memorable performance by athletes

1: Novak Djokovic stunned Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable men’s final to clinch tennis gold and become only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus Olympic gold.

2: Simone Biles may have been the star of the show but she was widely praised for bowing to her arch-rival Rebeca Andrade on the podium. Biles said it was “just the right thing to do” after she and team-mate Jordan Chiles finished in silver and bronze medal position respectively behind the Brazilian in the floor final.

3: World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79sec to claim gold in a dramatic men’s Olympic 100m final in the closest finish in modern history – just five thousandths of a second separated him from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.

4: Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the men’s javelin title, his country’s first individual gold at an Olympics, with a Games record of 92.97m. In second place was India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra.

5: Images of Olympic table tennis players from North Korea and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium went viral in South Korea, hailed as a rare show of cross-border unity.

6: Australian skateboarding sensation Arisa Trew, just 14, won the women’s park event to become her country’s youngest ever gold medallist. Trew nailed a high-risk and high-speed final round in her trademark pink helmet, bringing the crowd to their feet at a sun-drenched Place de la Concorde. The event also featured 11-year-old Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete ever to represent China at the Olympics. ”

7: Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold and used her platform to hit back at “attacks” and “bullying” before defiantly declaring “I am a woman like any other.” Together with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also fought in Paris, Khelif was disqualified from last year’s world championships after they failed gender eligibility tests. However they were cleared to compete in Paris, setting the stage for one of the biggest controversies of the Games.

8: Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez made Olympic history when he became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual golds in the same event, bettering the records of Games icons such as Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps.

9: Turkish Olympic shooting silver medallist Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation for his casual style during competition. His eye-catching posture saw the marksman wearing standard glasses, a team T-shirt and with his left hand casually tucked in his pocket. Other than his pistol, he notably had none of the specialized equipment used by athletes in the hyper-precise event, like headphones, special lenses or a hat.

10: The French had a new golden boy to celebrate with Leon Marchand emerging as the king of the pool with four gold medals.