Those famous five rings, in French style

Ambassador Thierry Mathou’s opinion piece in The Times of India

In four days, France will welcome the world for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 15 000 athletes from 206 nations will compete in 32 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports, with over 15 million visitors expected. The Games are back in Paris for the third time in history, and after exactly 100 years since France last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1924. Because it’s such a historic event for France, and comes at a moment when the world is enduring international tensions and war, France has conceived the Paris 2024 Games as a unique reflection of the values it promotes globally: innovation, sustainability, solidarity and equality.

InnovationInnovation is at the heart of the Paris Games. Being creative and yet remaining accessible to a large audience is the challenge France wanted to meet. On 26 July, the Opening Ceremony will be bold and original: for the first time in the Summer Olympics’ history, this ceremony will take place not within a stadium, but out in the city, along the Seine River – a symbol of our eagerness to be open to all. Innovation in the competition venues, too: rather than building new, ad hoc infrastructure, 95% of all venues are either existing or temporary, with many events being held at Paris’ most iconic landmarks.

Sustainability
Nine years after the Paris Agreement on climate change, the French capital once again seeks to show that progress can go hand in hand with environmental concerns. A guiding principle for the Games was how to do more with less and for longer. This meant building fewer venues, using sustainable construction, powering every venue with renewable energy, renting rather than buying, and mapping all the resources needed – down to the last tennis ball – to ensure nothing will be wasted after the Games are over. Thus, Paris 2024 will have only half the carbon footprint of the two previous Olympics and will be the greenest in history.

International solidarity

France believes that the Olympics and Paralympics are an opportunity to drive closer international cooperation on the pressing issues of our times. That is why President Emmanuel Macron will host a Summit for Sport and Sustainable Development on the eve of the opening ceremony. 500 participants, including heads of State and government, ministers, international organizations, athletes, development finance institutions, and NGOs will gather to launch a global initiative for sports to contribute to the SDGs. The Summit is supported by the French Development Agency (AFD), which is strongly committed to these issues, including in its 16-year-long partnership with India. In this framework, India’s contribution in shaping the global sustainable development agenda is essential, a year after its G20 Presidency and the June 2023 Paris Summit for a New Financial Pact.

Equality and inclusivity

The Paris 2024 “Games Wide Open” slogan focuses on inclusivity and the commitment to enabling everyone to enjoy the Olympic experience to the full. First, Paris 2024 will make history by achieving gender parity with the equal participation of male and female athletes. This was a key endeavour for France, in line with our feminist foreign policy. Second, massive efforts and investments have been made towards accessibility for spectators with disabilities. For instance, 100% of Paris bus and tram lines have been made wheelchair-friendly. At the venues, specially trained volunteers will assist spectators with disabilities. Lastly, France has the same level of ambition for the Paralympic as for the Olympic Games. That’s why the French Government is contributing to funding the Paralympic Games, beginning on August 28, and ensuring their visibility through full live telecast on French TV.

An opportunity to accelerate Indo-French sports cooperation
France and India share the same passion for sports and the same vision of sports for good. That’s why, on January 26th, President Macron and Prime Minister Modi decided to make sports a new dimension of our cooperation. To begin with, France is sharing its experience on hosting the Olympics with India, as India is bidding to host the Olympics. This was the purpose of an Indian expert delegation’s visit to France in the spring. Moreover, an Indian homeland security K9 team is in Paris to help reinforce security throughout the Games. This cooperation around the Paris Olympics will provide a lasting momentum as we look to boost youth exchanges and ties between economic actors of the sports industry. The Indo-French agreement on sports cooperation signed on July 14, 2023 during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France, provides the framework for this new and promising cooperation.

Bringing the Paris Olympics to India
France looks forward to welcoming the Indian Olympic delegation, tourists, and spectators in Paris. But what if you are not traveling to Paris for the Games? Team France in India has worked to ensure that our Indian friends can enjoy the Paris 2024 Games, even without travelling. That’s why, from July 26 with the opening ceremony, Alliances françaises across India will host Fan Zones, where every sport fan can come for live screenings of the games, contests, exhibitions and more. Come join us in these Fan Zones in the Alliance française nearest to you . From Paris to Delhi, let’s celebrate the Olympic spirit together!

The opinion piece was published in The Times of India on 22nd July 2024.