One of the many jewels in the ‘summer of sport’ we are all enjoying is undoubtedly the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. While the headlines will revolve around the national heroes doing battle in their discipline of choice, the opening ceremony is often worth of many column inches. A statement of intent from the home nation, it is the perfect opportunity to display culture and innovation as it is one of the rare occasions where the whole world is your captive audience. However, the Paris opener was widely remarked as a disappointment, and ultimately a missed opportunity for the land of liberté.
Let them eat cake? Well, yes, every nation is free to announce the opening of their Olympics as they see fit – and the socioeconomic situation in France also needs to be considered here – but it could be perceived as being a little underwhelming.
The decision to have the Olympians sail down the river Seine that runs through the heart of Paris was a wonderfully romantic one, but the reality was that national heroes felt distant as opposed to triumphant. Adopting the visage of tourists who picked the wrong day to take a riverboat cruise, the Pac-a-Mac-clad champions of global sport clearly missed their traditional moment of entering the gladiator’s arena.
France’s culture and the importance of women throughout its history was well-signposted thanks to their inclusion into the ‘Heroes of France’. Gold statues rising into the air depicted each national treasure – a highly important piece of messaging that highlights the nation's attitudes toward gender equality.
For every strong piece of nationalistic messaging that landed, there was another that seemed totally disjointed. The expressive street dance and parkour personified French expressionism, but the random BMX bike stunts were misplaced and only served to emulate the local Asda car park on a bank holiday. Let’s not even get into the bumpy speedboat joyride with Serena Williams or the Olympic flag being raised upside down.
The laser light show hosted by the Eiffel Tower and an incredible performance from Celine Dion were the only elements truly worthy of global attention with iconic imagery of both splashed all over the front pages of leading newspapers.
Product placement was relatively subtle, and while some athletes donned designer sportswear, the most successful branding had to be Louis Vuitton. A specially crafted trunk held the Olympic torch, while all medals will be carried in a bespoke Louis Vuitton tray. A classy touch, or a bit crass? We’ll let you decide.
As we all eagerly await history-making moments from the games, it’s fair to say that the 2024 Paris Olympics opener was not one of them.
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