My final thoughts on the Paris Olympics

The six pros and the three cons of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, according to me.

So the Olympics are over and what a wonderful show it was. I was incredibly fortunate to see the opening ceremony, beach volleyball, basketball, football, and water polo.

But given that every person in Paris seemed to be recording the games in some way or another, I kept quieter than usual. After all, my pictures of a soccer game weren’t any better than the tens of thousands of others who were there.

But now that it’s all over, the tourists have gone home, and the dust has settled, I’ve had a chance to think it over. I shared my final thoughts on the Paris Olympics on this week’s podcast, and thought I’d share a text version of it here on Substack too.

Scroll down for the summary, or listen to it wherever you get podcasts.

By the way, you can listen to all my podcasts on YouTube now too. It’s just audio, nothing to visually watch, but I see it has the makings of a community with a few hundred viewers each time, and people leaving nice comments underneath. Thank you!

The Six Pros of the Paris Olympics

Remember, if you want a deeper explanation on all the points below, listen to the podcast. This is a summary.

1. The Opening Ceremony was a Triumph

Sure it divided audiences here and there, but what an wondrously ambitious idea, and how perfectly they pulled it off. Celine Dion’s performance was nothing short of mesmerizing.

I watched the whole thing from the balcony of a private salon in a central Paris theatre (see below), then the second half from the banks of the Seine in the rain. What an event.

And I think it would have been even better at home; I suspect it was designed for TV. Hope you enjoyed it too.

2. Paris became a happy place

Could it be because all the locals were gone? Could it be that all the people were here to have fun? Could it be the magic of the Olympics? The Olympic Spirit? Who knows, but there was an unmistakeable happiness in the air for three weeks. I hope it stays.

3. The venues for the Games were exceptional

Just the beach volleyball alone was the most gorgeous setting for a sporting event I’ve ever seen. Add the Grand Palais for taekwondo, the Seine for swimming, the cyclists in Montmartre… etc, etc, etc. What a way to involve this beautiful city.

4. They actually cleaned up the Seine

I think the fact that they held swimming events in the Seine deserved way more praise. There was so much negativity about the very concept of cleaning the Seine and swimming in it. Then it happened, and no one seemed to care. Bravo to a job well done. If (when!) it’s open to the public for swimming, I’ll be the first to jump in.

5. They improved the city

How lucky for us locals that the city has been cleaned, painted, and improved. New cycle paths, cleaner Metros, new public toilets, fresh paint jobs, better airport transfers. For locals, we can enjoy this for a while. For future tourists, now is the time to come. The city has never looked better.

6. Personal: I got a lot of media exposure

You may have seen me on TV! I did quite a lot of work with NBC in the US, and with Channel 9 in Australia. Here’s an example, me explaining that unusual red mascot for American audiences.

The Three Cons of the Paris Olympics

1. It was bad for small businesses

Pretty much every bar and restaurant and cafe in Paris struggled over the last few weeks. So did all the tour guides. The reasoning is that all the Parisians fled, and all the regular tourists shied away from the city. We were left with Olympic tourists, here for sport, and not necessarily here for a good dinner or a walking tour of the Marais.

Look at that pic below, that’s one of the most popular restaurants on rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement. I lived near this place for 2 years, and NEVER saw it this empty on a sunny afternoon.

I suspect things will pick up after August and hopefully the Games will have been an epic ad for the city and the people will hungrily and thirstily return.

2. Too much price-gouging on the tickets

Someone offered me an opening ceremony ticket for 1900 euros. Someone offered me a basketball ticket for 2000 euros. (I said “yikes, no!”) Regular people really struggled to see some of the sports. And from what I could see, there was a lot of buying up tickets in the hopes of selling them for more. Not quite the Olympic spirit, if you ask me. And yes, of course I know that happens for every event ever, but still. I really wanted to see the US basketball team and I just couldn’t. Sigh.

3. Parisians were very grumpy

I felt like I saw a new side of many Parisians (particularly my neighbours!) who complained often and loudly about the mess of the games, long before the opening ceremony even began. I wish some people had the capacity to appreciate this once-in-a-century “disturbance” and get on with it. I was a little bit glad to read reports in the French press that loads of Parisians regretted fleeing the city once they saw how grand it all was on TV, then they came back for the end of the games.

And that’s it!

All in all, I thought this was an outstanding Olympic Games and I was proud to be here as a Parisian.

Good luck to LA for 2028. As for me, back to regular Paris content soon.

Earful Tower Walking Tours

And now for something completely different to finish: If you’re thinking of booking a walking tour in Paris, do it with us. For the next season we’re doing semi-private tours of the Marais every Monday morning (almost always led by me personally), then Tuesday afternoon in the Latin Quarter, and Friday afternoon in Montmartre (usually led by one of our great guides).

Small groups, like-minded guests, and a trustworthy guide to show you the City of Light. I’m proud to say we now have 100 reviews on TripAdvisor, and every single one has been five out of five stars. See for yourself on TripAdvisor here, and book a tour via my website here.

That’ll do for now.

Oliver