Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024 - Olympic games 2024 in Paris

[Shaytan]

The opening ceremony is less than 2 weeks away, the Euro is over so I guess it's fine to start this thread.

Are we ready ? I don't think we will ever consider that we are.

I have tickets for an evening of athletism in Saint-Denis, the final of Women's marathon and some archery in front of the Invalides. I will probably try to be somewhere in Paris for cycling. I will also keep an eye for last minutes tickets.

 

[Kilana2]

I've almost tripped over this thread - this time you´ve beaten me to it. I´m glad that somebody started it, though.

Looking forward to the swimming competitions with some exciting races ahead. And track and field/athletics. Especially decathlon. Even if Michael Phelps is long since retired, he popped up in my dreams. So it´s about time, I guess.

I don´t really miss Usain Bolt as he is more of a showman.

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[Shaytan]

I've almost tripped over this thread - this time you´ve beaten me to it. I´m glad that somebody started it, though.

I felt that I had to, as someone from the host country.

Looking forward to the swimming competitions with some exciting races ahead. And track and field/athletics. Especially decathlon. Even if Michael Phelps is long since retired, he popped up in my dreams. So it´s about time, I guess.

I don´t really miss Usain Bolt as he is more of a showman.

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I am not very up to date with swimming and I miss the thrill of the 4x100m of Beijing and London.

I am also looking forward to fencing, it's always great in the Olympic games and the venue is beautiful. I might try to buy a ticket for that, even expensive.

 

[Kilana2]

You should keep an eye on Leon Marchand - 400m individual medley. He is from France and once broke Phelps´ world record....

 

[Shaytan]

You should keep an eye on Leon Marchand - 400m individual medley. He is from France and once broke Phelps´ world record....

Yeps, I know this one and I will definitely keep an eye on him.

I am just back from the torch relay that was near my hometown (département Val-de-Marne), I feel like I mainly took pictures of the police (security is massive and unavoidable) but at least, I have seen it.

 

[Shaytan]

Looks somewhat ready...

 

[B.J.]

I'm glad you're getting to see some of this first-hand @Shaytan! I was able to see the torch relay and a few events of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, especially since they took over my college campus for the Olympic village. Even got to see the Paralympics closing ceremony in person. Definitely some lasting memories!

 

[Owain Taggart]

What a beautiful ceremony. This was possibly one of the best I've ever seen. Everything was so creative. And Celine Dion's performance was stunning! She's needed this after all the health issues she's had, as she showed strength in her voice.

As to the ceremony itself, there was poise and elegance throughout.

 

[Orac Zen]

Great opening ceremony. I particularly liked the international flavour of the later parts of the torch relay - hard to think of any other country (my own certainly included) that would do that. Great stuff.

I'm not a Céline Dion fan but that was a remarkable performance. Good on her.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I always look forward to the Summer Olympics! I don't care about NFL, NBA, MLB or anything else in the world. I love the pomp of the opening ceremonies and watching these great athletes compete.

Just watching the recording now of the opening event in Paris. What a great presentation. The parade of nations was done outside of the stadium (on the Seine) for the first time, open for all Parisians, French, and spectators from around the world. Marie Antoinette, Louis Vuitton, Lady Gaga, ooh la la!

 

[Gepard]

I must be on a different planet from the rest of you because so far these ceremonies are awful. It's like 10 seconds snippetss of the athletes intercut with unappealing surreal shit. All the performances have the energy of those horrible fashion shows where anorexics strut down a runway in hideous clothes that no normal person would ever wear.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I kind of agree with @Gepard - the opening ceremony was playing on the TV in the lobby at work this morning and I kept glancing over between customers and kept thinking to myself, "How incredibly tacky" this looks.

 

[Gepard]

I have to hand it to them for the finale – that was much, much better than the first half.

The Jules Verne cauldron is a great idea. I am a little annoyed that the flame appears to be fake – but then again, that makes sense given that it's flying hundreds of feet above Paris.

I had no idea untill reading the comments here that Celine Dion would be performing, and what a performance. I could see how emotional she was being able to perform again, and I got a little emotional too.

 

[Markonian]

The Opening Ceremony was memorable and I enjoyed the memes about on Twitter.com.
I'd follow the games on and off usually, but this time I'm keeping my ears perked for the van de Velde drama. I still feel like it cannot be real that he is there, yet he is. Shame.

 

[Kilana2]

I had a hard time to recognize Lady Gaga. The Eurosport commentators (Siggi Heinrich and Fabian Hambuechen - former gymnast) had the good grace to be silent during Gaga´s show - contrary to the ARD commentators. I prefer Eurosport over ARD as a rule.

Today I'm looking forward to the first swimming competetions - and springboard.

Zidane had a Bond-like appearance - which I liked

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I enjoyed watching the replay of the opening ceremony earlier today. Paris looked amazing with ceremony. I heard some comments on social media about it.

 

[Shaytan]

I enjoyed a good part of the opening ceremony, some parts more than others but we assume all of them, even the part that were censured in some countries. Don't ask me to explain Philippe Katerine

Highlight for me was the part that started in the Théâtre du Châtelet and went to the Conciergerie with metal band Gojira.
I surprisingly enjoyed Aya Nakamura's part. This one was controvertial and they played well with said controversies. The Garde Républicaine seemed to have fun too.

I am also glat that Marie-José Perec could lit the cauldron, she said that she would give her 3 gold medals for this moment (she won't have to, we are not cruel like that).
The general opinion was hesitating between her and Zidane for this task but I prefer an Olympic gold medalist and Zidane had a great part in the ceremony too.

As for the "fake flame" of the cauldron, it's actually an EDF creation :

https://www.edf.fr/en/giving-paris-2024-the-energy-to-shine/paris-2024-edfs-news/our-news-for-paris-2024/with-the-flame-ring-the-cauldron-of-paris-2024-makes-history

So now, sport !

 

[Gepard]

Paris looked amazing with ceremony.

I appreciated the thought, but it's another thing I don't think worked. It was too chaotic and the ceremonies were here, there, over that-a-way. And they really only made sense in closeup. Any time a camera cut to a wide shot, it showed these little orphaned figures standing on seemingly random buildings. It looked foolish.

Sending the althetes up the Siene was a little more successful, but it did strike me as odd that the athletes were stuck on the boats like they're parade floats. They're athletes, it's nice to see them moving. The old way of having them walk into a stadium is more appropriate, IMO.

 

[Markonian]

My favorite part was the reveal of the golden statues. I feel like there should be a Hollywood/Disney treatment of Jeanne Barret, the adventurer botanist!

 

[Kilana2]

First Gold Medal for Germany - by Lukas Maertens - 400m freestyle/swimming. No world record, but it doesn´t matter. USA just won the 4x 100m freestyle relay with Caeleb Dressel. Big evening so far.....