But just a few weeks ago, the chances of the Games succeeding in the City of Light were slim. France was in the midst of a political crisis, security officials were deeply concerned about the possibility of an attack, and many French people seemed indifferent or unsure how to feel about the Games.
The IOC could not afford further problems at those Games, under pressure from sponsors and broadcasters after the Covid pandemic forced two previous Games in Beijing and Tokyo to be held with much smaller crowds.
But the Games ended with a ceremony at the Stade de France on Sunday, and those fears appear to be a thing of the past as Paris recaptures the magic of the Olympics.
France surprised everyone
“France has surprised people,” said Michael Bean, the former head of marketing for the International Olympic Committee, who has also worked with cities and sponsors who have bid for the Games before, especially after the problems that have plagued recent sporting events in Paris, such as the 2022 UEFA Champions League final.
“It worked beyond everyone’s wildest expectations,” he added.
To underscore the idea that the Olympics have regained their magic, the closing ceremony included a show called “The Golden Traveller,” which travels through the future and revives the Olympic Games after their demise.
The French organizers have turned Paris into an open-air Olympic arena for all, with or without a ticket, next to its most famous tourist attractions, after avoiding the expensive and worthless, and giving priority to temporary stadiums with magical iconic backdrops.
As day breaks, crowds gather on the banks of the Seine to watch the swimmers after the river was prepared and cleaned for the event at a cost of nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.64 billion).
As sunset approached, tens of thousands of tourists flocked to the Tuileries Gardens, taking selfies, before darkness fell on the dazzling games.
Paris also avoided scandals, and major geopolitical crises such as the war in Ukraine and the war in the Gaza Strip took only marginal space during the games, at a time when the volatility of the US presidential race and the riots that swept Britain also made headlines.
Michael Payne said the success of the Paris Olympics “will rekindle interest in other cities hosting the Games.” He noted that he had already seen a number of them looking to host the 2036 Games.
Reuters quoted Ben as saying that Turkey held a high-level reception in Paris, which he described as an informal launch of Istanbul’s bid to host the games. He added that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “is saying everywhere that he has received an offer to host the games.”
Los Angeles 2028
“They’ve done an amazing job,” Casey Wasserman, CEO of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, told Reuters. “The experience in the stadiums, which is what the athletes and fans care about, is world-class.”
He added that the Los Angeles Games would not try to match the Paris Olympics in form and content, but in terms of “originality and execution,” a view also expressed by IOC President Thomas Bach.
“If Los Angeles wanted to imitate the Eiffel Tower, the result would probably be disastrous,” Bach said.
“Every Olympic Games should be original and creative, and reflect the culture of the host country,” he continued.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that Paris had set the bar high, and that Los Angeles’ homelessness problems would be a challenge to overcome. But the city has a cosmopolitan element that no one else can match, telling Reuters: “We have Hollywood, so I see a lot of magical opportunities.”
Broadcasters and sponsors, who were already nervous after two Olympics marred by the Covid-19 pandemic, are also in awe.
NBC Universal recorded its highest U.S. viewership since 2012, and enjoyed record ad sales as the average total viewership during the first 14 days of the Paris Games was 77 percent higher than the Tokyo Olympics.
NBCUniversal has the world’s largest Olympic media deal after paying $7.65 billion in 2014 to extend broadcast rights through 2032.
Warner Bros. Discovery said the number of viewers on its streaming platforms in the first two days of the Paris Games exceeded the number of viewers of the entire Tokyo Olympics.
The Paris Olympics was the biggest event ever for the games sponsor in terms of the number of guests it provided accommodation for in and around Paris, Emmanuel Marel, Airbnb’s regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Reuters.
“What happened was kind of magic,” he said.
For her part, Dori Ellis Garfinkel, chief marketing officer at Siegel+Gill, a brand strategy firm, said the Paris Games were a “return to the Olympics” for advertisers, with data showing a 300 percent increase in brand searches during the opening ceremony compared to the Tokyo Games.
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