French athletes feted as focus turns to Paris 2024

PARIS • Sayonara Tokyo, bonjour Paris. Thousands of people partied in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympics and celebrate the French capital's status as host of the 2024 showpiece.

The contrast was dramatic after the Tokyo Games played out in mostly empty stadia and under strict Covid-19 protocols.

"On an emotional level, it made me think of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics when a whole stadium is with you and cheering you on, it's very heartwarming," said French judoka Teddy Riner, who won a gold in the mixed team judo event.

Athletes who had taken part in Tokyo were cheered by the crowds as thoughts turned to 2024.

Manon Brunet, who took individual bronze and team silver in fencing, said she was looking forward to her home Olympics, adding: "I'm so excited and I want to go back to training tomorrow."

Swimmer Florent Manaudou, silver medallist in the 50m freestyle, predicted that the 2024 Games will be an iconic moment for the country, as Paris will become only the second city after London to hold three Olympics (1900 and 1924).

"We feel the fans are celebrating and that they are gradually preparing to experience the Games in three years here," he said.

Decathlon silver medallist Kevin Mayer added he was delighted to "see all these little kids with stars in their eyes" and "it reminds me of myself when I was little".

Head of the 2024 organising committee, Tony Estanguet, also confirmed the Games were on schedule, saying: "For the moment, all the indicators are green."

Unlike previous Games, the Paris Olympics will come with a modest price tag. In a first, the total construction budget of €3.35 billion (S$5.34 billion) is lower than the budget for the event itself - €3.9 billion - making the event significantly cheaper than London, Rio, Tokyo or Sochi.

This is because instead of building a dozen stadiums, Paris is mainly relying on temporary or older venues, like the Stade de France. New sports like breaking will be held in the Place de la Concorde public square.

To ensure there will be no white elephants after the Games, most of the new construction will be in the suburban department of Seine-Saint-Denis north and east of Paris that is the country's poorest and has the highest proportion of immigrants. Both the Olympic Village and the new Olympic pool will be built in the area.

"We wanted to reinforce the ties between Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, and make sure Seine-Saint-Denis benefits," said Patricia Pelloux, a director at think-tank Apur and who served on the committee to procure the Games for Paris.

"It's an area that's had some trouble, but there's a lot of energy there."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE