Like friends who can’t part, it was time to say goodbye. On Saturday, September 14, at the Place de l’Etoile, we said farewell to a summer of sporting performances and magic, but also of national unity and pride. This moment of enchantment, which began on July 26 during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, with Céline Dion singing Edith Piaf on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower as an emotional climax, ended around midnight at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, a week after the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
As with all farewells, there were a few long moments, a few surprises, but also a lot of emotions, smiles, tears and hugs. It was as if some of the volunteers and staff of Paris 2024 had suddenly realized that they might not see each other again.
The tens of thousands of spectators massed along the Champs-Elysées since early afternoon had eyes only for the French champions, medal winners or not, invited to parade on an elevated platform uo to the Place de l’Etoile. Some had to wait three or four hours to catch a glimpse of their idols.
But they seemed ready – waving French flags, their faces painted blue, white and red – to pay the price for their happiness. And despite the chilly autumn air, they were keen to maintain the joyous spirit of summer, visible in Club France and other celebration areas. The 60,000 free tickets for the event were snapped up within an hour or two on Wednesday, when the ticketing office opened. That’s how eager people were.
“It was important to be there for this last chance to attend the Paris 2024 Games. It’s a bit hard and sudden that it’s all over,” deplored Nicolas Balat and Maxime Eloy. Alice Charlery-Adèle and Yvonne Radigoy also felt this “Olympic nostalgia” even before the parade began. “These Games were really great, we should do this every year, too bad it’s too expensive to organize… As for the parade, we couldn’t just watch it on TV. We had to be there for the athletes, to cheer them on.”
‘No difference between the athletes’
Almost 350 Olympic and Paralympic athletes gathered on the most beautiful avenue in Paris. Léon Marchand, the entire French judo team, the blind football heroes, the rugby sevens team, all enjoyed this extra moment of sharing with the public. “We don’t want it to end, we still want to enjoy the effervescence, let the party go on,” said Tanguy de La Forest, Paralympic shooting champion and flag-bearer at the closing ceremony on September 8. “Today, there’s no difference between the athletes, it’s a very powerful moment.”
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