Like friends who cannot let go, we had to say goodbye. Say goodbye, on Saturday 14 September, at the Place de l’Etoile, to a summer of sporting spectacles and magic, but also of harmony and national pride. The enchanted parenthesis opened on 26 July during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, with Céline Dion singing Piaf on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for the emotional Everest, and closed around midnight, at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, a week after the Paralympic closing.
As with all farewells, there were some long ones, some unexpected ones, but also many emotions, smiles, tears and hugs. As if some, among the volunteers or employees of Paris 2024, suddenly realized that they might never see each other again.
The tens of thousands of spectators who had lined the Champs-Élysées since the early afternoon only had their eyes on the French champions, medallists or not, who were invited to parade on a raised platform to the Place de l’Etoile. They sometimes had to wait three or four hours to see their idols.
But they seemed ready, with French flags and blue, white and red make-up on their faces, to pay the price for their right to happiness. Or to prolong, slightly refreshed by the autumnal cool, the scenes of jubilation seen during the summer at the Club France and in the other venues. The approximately 60,000 free seats were sold out within an hour or two on Wednesday, when the ticket office opened. That shows how much desire there was.
“ It was important to be present for this last chance to attend the Paris 2024 Games. It’s a bit hard and brutal that everything has to stop.” Nicolas Balat and Maxime Eloy regret it. A “JO-stalgia” that Alice Charlery-Adèle and Yvonne Radigoy are already feeling, even before the start of the show. “These Games were great, we should do this every year, it’s a shame it costs so much to organise them… For the parade, we couldn’t stay in front of the television. We have to be there for the athletes, cheer them on.”
“There is no difference between athletes”
Nearly 350 Olympic and Paralympic athletes attended the event on the most beautiful avenue in Paris. Léon Marchand, the entire French judo team, the heroes of blind football and rugby sevens… They all enjoyed the thrill of sharing with the public. “We don’t want this to stop, we still want to enjoy this fervour and keep the party going”says Tanguy de La Forest, Paralympic shooting champion and flag bearer during the closing ceremony on September 8.. “Today there is no difference between athletes, it is a very strong moment.”
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