The Olympic Games will never be perfect because the world is never perfect.
Can we get that out of the way first?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) describes the Games as a representation of the “unifying power of sport.” The Latin motto created in 1891, reads: Citius, Altius, Fortius, meaning, Faster, Higher, Stronger.
However, the last few Olympic Games felt far from unifying.
The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games rested under the shadow of tenuous relations between North Korea and South Korea, while Russia dealt with the fallout from its doping scandal during the 2014 Sochi Winter and 2016 Rio Games.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic. The IOC, Japanese government and Tokyo Olympic committees deserve the highest praise for finding a way to hold the games, but the lack of attendees dampened the atmosphere.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Games found controversy at every turn. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada, among others, held a diplomatic boycott due to human rights violations in China. The global concerns made viewership plummet as the 2022 Games became the least-watched Olympics of all time in America.
Many venues built specifically for past Olympics are now empty, abandoned shells. 20 years ago, ten cities would lay a bid to host the Games. Only Paris and Los Angeles attempted to host 2024 (LA was granted and will host the 2028 Games).
The question was simple. Was spending billions of dollars on an unsustainable, one-time, expensive event worth it?
Paris answered with a resounding yes. France brought back the Olympic Games in a majestic return to form, breaking the cycle of unsustainability, keeping the athletes at the forefront, and limiting controversy.
Only 5% of the venues used had to be built after the winning bid, cutting down on construction costs. Paris featured 206 participating territories along with the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, 11,110 total athletes and became the first Olympic Games to have an equal number of men and women competing - 5,555 men and 5,555 women.
The competition was the type of unparalleled glory that no other sporting event brings, and American viewership reflected that energy, skyrocketing to 2012 London levels, over 80% higher than 2020 Tokyo.
Gymnastics brought its continued display of grace and power with U.S. legend Simone Biles and Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade stealing the show.
Track and field brought gold medal performances out of Americans Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, but it was Julien Alfred who made history, earning Saint Lucia’s first-ever medal with her gold in the 100m.
Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç’s calm demeanor and silver medal took the internet by storm. Hometown hero Léon Marchand brought home four gold medals for France, and whether you loved or hated it, breaking brought never-before-seen entertainment to the Olympics.
The American women’s basketball team earned the last gold medal in a last-second finish over France, ending the U.S. with an Olympics-leading 126 medals and tying China, who won Paris’ first gold in synchronized diving, for most golds with 40.
No, Paris was not perfect. The ‘Feast of Dionysus’ depiction during the opening ceremony was a misfire. Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as ‘Individual Neutral Athletes’ due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Food sustainability issues were prevalent for athletes with specific diets and the housing without air-conditioning sometimes failed to suit each competitor’s needs.
Those issues do not take away from the most stellar, competitive, and magical games in a decade. The Olympics will never be perfect because the world is never perfect. But Paris, with its flying hot-air balloon torch and Eiffel Tower-filled gold medals, was the closest the world has seen in a long time.
The Olympic motto was lived and breathed in France this summer. Citius, Altius, Fortius, and the final value introduced in 2021 – Communiter.
Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.
