Comment | France played a gamble: the harsh reality was hidden behind the beautiful pictures

To here president Emmanuel Macron too couldn’t do anything. When the first riverboats had set sail along the Seine, it starts to rain. The athletes in their transparent raincoats do karate for the spectators from the riverside.

France’s daring idea of ​​an opening ceremony on the Seine caused a lot of positive interest in advance. The idea was grandiose, and that’s why it looked French.

In the end, the opening was a gamble, and some of the risks paid off. Although the presentations were able to go through, the opening was a painful experience for those following the event on the spot.

No shelter had been built for the huge open-air stands. In addition to the townspeople, high-ranking guests such as the President of Finland colored in the rain Alexander Stubb with colleagues. Only the section for the most distinguished guests of honor had a small box.

In addition, the athletes had to spend a long time in open riverboats in the cold rain.

The event had to celebrate Paris with the Parisians. Now this did not happen. All you could see from the riverside was a glimpse of the ships passing by, and the performances were built for television viewers. The rain chased away the rest who had reached the river. Confused security measures and long queues chased away the rest.

In the pictures, Paris succeeded. The opening’s telecast, script and program selections have garnered praise. The final climax at the Eiffel Tower certainly did good for the image of Paris.

But was paying too high a price for great pictures?

The decision to isolate and empty the center of Paris for a long time to maximize security was unprecedented. The riverside was cleared of homeless people and immigrants to make way for the opening structures.

Judging from the scene, the event was too massive for the French security apparatus to control, although incidents were avoided. Paris became controlled by fences, rules and police. Bringing 45,000 police officers to the center of Paris had a significant impact on the street scene.

In Paris, it has been impossible to avoid encountering the police. Picture: Anna Huovinen / HS

The awkwardness of the situation was told by nervous policemen and changing and contradictory instructions.

News the difficulty of moving around and the closure of attractions for a long time before the start of the Games affected those who were still able to consider their trip.

Living Paris has been conspicuous by its absence. The Airbnb host, whose 60 apartments in July are usually full to the brim, has only got three residents. Hotels overpriced themselves out of the market well in advance.

Fences and empty restaurants have been commonplace in the heart of Paris. Picture: Telmo Pinto / SOPA Images

The owner of an Italian trattoria near the Eiffel Tower put into words the feelings of many entrepreneurs. “We were promised everything beautiful, but now we’re just in prison. The price will be paid for this for a long time to come.”

Many restaurants got tired of waiting for people and closed their doors. Business plummeted.

A Parisian described his corner of the house as a ghost town. The police’s actions were perceived as partly arbitrary: the home street could be closed to cars for no reason. New locks appeared on the street scene all the time. This is hard for us Parisians to forget, he said.

Artistic director of the opening Thomas Jolly promised in advance that France would for once try to avoid the national bloat often seen at the opening of the Olympics.

Experienced on the spot, it can be said that France took too big a piece this time.