Au revoir Paris! LA embarks on mission Olympics

Rohit Mahajan in Paris

Paris shed its famous aversion for the English language through the Olympic Games, and at the closing ceremony, the singer Yseult, discovered on Nouvelle Star, a French reality TV contest, performed ‘My Way’, the song made famous by Frank Sinatra.

The closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics at the magnificent Stade de France had a decided American twist to it, for the 2028 Olympic Games are going to be held in Los Angeles. So we had Tom Cruise, the Mission Impossible star, rappel down into the stadium and was handed over the flag for the next Summer Games. Cruise, 62, took the flag and hopped on a motorcycle and actually drove out of the stadium — into pre-recorded footage! Thus we had the occasion, if not pleasure, of watching French aesthetics blending with American glitz and showmanship, and the mood shifted from the arty Frenchness of the event to American braggadocio.

Gymnast Simone Biles was on the stage when Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass became the first black woman to receive the Olympic flag — an image fraught with symbolism even as an American woman of colour contests for the highest office in the US.

The ceremony lasted over an hour longer than planned, the speakers were a bit too long-winded for comfort. Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, talked about the importance of sport in times of conflict; there had been hopes that there would be an Olympics truce in the war between Russia and Ukraine, there was no peace in Gaza — at least 93 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a school and mosque in Gaza in the weekend. And so Bach’s words sounded hollow.

Paris wanted the Olympics to be an open party, and it was just that — only two new stadiums were built, and temporary stands were put up across the city, close to great and famous monuments of the city. This promoted the City of Lights, as if such promotion was needed, and also set a new standard of sustainability. Paris gave a stirring message that white elephants — such as the ones created for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, or the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 — must be avoided at all costs.

The Paris Olympics were the most gender equal Games ever, with an equal number of male and female athletes participating. In another act of great symbolism, the Games were closed with the women’s marathon — traditionally, men’s marathon used to be the final event of the Olympics.

Parisians, fearing the chaos the Olympics would bring, had left the city in hordes for the countryside, but those who stayed back seem to have become quite proud of the event, as happens when medals are won — France finished fifth with 64 medals, including 16 gold — and when praise is showered by visitors for good organisation, good hosting.

As Yseult performed ‘My Way’ as the final act, the sky above Stade de France was lit by fireworks — sadly, even as she sang, people were trooping out of the stadium. But France indeed did it their way, their own Olympics in their own manner.

Au revoir and merci beaucoup, Paris! ‘Your Way’ was very magnifique.