Olympics
It was stressful, but we did it, Paris 2024 organisers say
What started with a major security scare and torrential rain that threatened the smooth running of the elaborate opening ceremony and swimming events being held in the Seine, ended with the river playing its expected central part in the Olympics.
Paris 2024 organising committee president Tony Estanguet said it had been stressful and adjustments had had to be made, but the triple Olympic champion was beaming with pride as he reflected on Saturday on a successful Games.
“The ambition we had was worth fighting for, we made strong choices, bold choices that are not always the easiest ones,” Estanguet told a press conference a day before the Games end.
Organisers had decided marathon swimming and the swimming legs of the triathlon would take place on the Seine, just like the globally acclaimed opening ceremony – the first time one had been held outside a stadium.
And while training sessions and were delayed and the men’s triathlon was pushed back due to concerns over the water quality after heavy rain, the events that had been due to happen in the river did go ahead.
“Swimming in the river Seine, we have faced challenges but we did it, we delivered this ambition, that’s why it’s a fantastic success so far,” Estanguet said.
“We’ve had so much rain (on opening ceremony day), it was not the plan. We had anticipated some rain but we’ve had to adjust in the final hours and change a lot of things so that this ceremony could happen.
“Yes, I was stressed because I did not know to what extent the artists would manage to adapt to these crazy condition. It was quite an achievement from them.”
The weather complicated the ambition to swim in the Seine.
“We had no guarantees on storms, some of them were not anticipated and happened, others were anticipated and did not happen,” Estanguet said.
“We were not spared,” Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois sais.
“We had contingency plans and every time we were ready. There were moments of stress but everyone reacted with professionalism. The preparation work was perfect.”
Security was another major challenge. Saboteurs struck France’s TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks across the country, causing travel chaos on the morning of the opening ceremony.
“Let’s remember those attacks, we responded swiftly, the accreditation system was impacted (by a cyber attack) but we solved the problem within four hours,” Thobois said.
-Reuters
The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.
The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June.
According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.
The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.
Olympics
Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.
The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.
Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.
Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.
Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review.
Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.
-Insidethegames
Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.
Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.
In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.
-Reuters
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