What a games
I was not amongst those Parisians who, for months, b*tched about the upcoming Olympics, how much they would disrupt traffic, our daily lives, the way to the bakery… Even though most of them/us are usually away on a beach somewhere by August 4th — and “working remotely” the week before that. I was also not amongst those who obsess about sports in general and major competitions in particular: I am always somewhat weary of any global get-together of that nature and the crowd mentality that tends to come with it. Celebrating a flag and singing the anthem because an outstanding athlete that happens to have the same passport as you can run real fast…
I was in the other category, one that was quietly satisfied with the fact that Paris was being honored in such a way, that these games would make use of existing infrastructures rather than build useless stadiums in the middle of a field, and that there would be fun stuff to watch on my down time in early August — as I for one was not on vacation. To be clear, I’m never really on vacation: entrepreneurship implies that, when you lie on a beach, you’re thinking of a new product. Or else you’re doing it wrong. Also, I hate lying on beaches.
And I’ll be honest: the games markedly exceeded my expectations. Because I greatly enjoyed having fan zones across the city with giant screens and chaise longues — not to mention my daughter, who was most interested by the sprinklers. Also, we happened to live near Club France, where all the non-directly sport-related fun stuff was happening. We also had a bike race go right by the house: I could literally see bikers through my window, passing by my daughter’s future school. Even though that meant we had trouble getting anywhere for a weekend (mandatory Parisian b*tching moment). Beyond that, it did feel like a welcome, entertaining reprieve after months of social and political near-chaos, in France and elsewhere. And I ended up having the TV on in the background for most of those two weeks, discovering what cross canoeing was about and watching whatever Raygun thought she was doing.
It is frankly surprising to realize how different the games are when you happen to live through them. I somehow felt more involved in Teddy Riner’s historic victories, even though these were his third individual and second team judo gold medals. I did support France and — almost — sang the anthem a couple of times, celebrating the new superstar that is Léon Marchand and thinking that the girls could definitely have won over the US in basketball. I did make it to a couple of events too: badminton, which I used to play (for a minute), and fencing, which my wife used to play (for 25 years). Both cool experiences: we got to witness the men’s epic bronze medal in sabre, sitting next to an international fencing referee who conveniently jumped before anyone else understood what had just happened (fencing rules are bit difficult, as Peppa Pig would say). All of that taking place in the Grand Palais, a place that usually hosts major scale art exhibits. Good vibes.
Now what? Now actual vacation, i.e. outside of Paris. But not that far away: Nantes for now, a mere couple of hours away by train. And, once again, I’m still connected and doing (smaller) things every day because I can’t do without wifi for more than 4 days — just like water. Also, the Paralympics are coming up. Quite candidly, I never watched a full paralympics event before in my life: this year will likely change that. And I found out that a Frenchman is the defending badminton SL4 champion. Who knew? I didn’t.
So let’s keep the show on the road!