The Paris Olympic Games that will be held from July 26 to Aug 11, 2024, will usher in some innovative new methods which may set a trend for future Olympic Games wherever they are held. Since India wants to bid for a chance to host the Games in 2036, India’s sports ministry should pay close attention to what is going on and what can be expected from them if and when they get the nod to hold the games.
The organisers of the Paris Olympic Games have planned the games in such a way as to provide benefits to the disadvantaged communities in different sections of France who comprise mainly of immigrants and refugees. They will be given a role to play in the conduct of the games, earn a livelihood and improve their lifestyle.
However, despite good intentions, not everything has gone smoothly. Recently the authorities evicted about 400 migrants including young mothers and little children from a Paris locality to the town of Bordeaux where football competitions of the Games will be held.
This move has met with stiff resistance from several NGOs. Their claim is that the new location would have no jobs for some of the migrants who had managed to find part time jobs in Paris.
This time the games will be held mainly in Paris but also in 16 other cities in France as well as Tahiti which is an island in the Pacific Ocean governed by France. Unlike the games of the past, the event that will be held this time will not focus on sports alone but on various aspects related to the organisation of this mammoth programme.
Designed to benefit poorer sections
The event has been planned in such a way as to have a beneficial effect on the poorer sections of the Paris suburbs which have not developed as much at the city centre. Often these areas see more crime and drug abuse among the youth.
Therefore many of the locations have been allocated to the suburban areas where the infrastructure has been improved with the objective of conducting the events. Commercial complexes and schools have come up so as to provide jobs and education to those who need it.
The aim is to conduct a less wasteful and more eco-friendly Olympic Games. Tree cover will remain as it is. There will be no tree felling due to widening of roads. No homes, small businesses or shops will be demolished.
Often results in financial losses
As is well known, the Games have grown to behemoth proportions in the last few decades resulting in mismanagement and financial losses. The estimated costs of conducting the event was almost always exceeded leaving the organisers in the red.
So by and large, many countries and cities have become averse to conducting the games. In 2017, when it was time to decide about the 2024 and 2028 Games, only five cities including Paris, Los Angeles, Budapest, Rome and Hamburg were the contenders. Eventually the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided on Paris for 2024 and Los Angeles for 2028.
The IOC is hoping that the Paris Games will lay to rest the ghosts of the past including the doping scandals of the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, the unfulfilled aspirations of Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the pandemic hit Tokyo Games which were scheduled for 2020 but finally held in 2021.
First time in history
For the first time in the history of the Olympics, a part of the opening ceremony will be held outside the main stadium. The parade of the participating teams will begin with a boat ride on the Seine River for a distance of six kilometres. The route will give the participants (and the television audience) a superb view of the cultural landmarks of the city. The organisers claim that the grand opening ceremony would be the most “spectacular and accessible opening in Olympic history.”
In more concrete terms, the games will seek to leave behind a legacy of modernised new infrastructure throughout the nation, more jobs and a more level playing field for all the citizens of France.
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