Letter from Paris: August 7, 2024 News Digest
During the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the atmosphere has been electric. Spectators aren’t just catching the events at sports venues (we love the temporary stadium at Place de la Concorde!) but also in the city streets. The cycling race passed some of the most iconic monuments in Paris, and ascended the hill of Montmartre, where the dancers of the Moulin Rouge cheered them on in colorful costumes. In a highly anticipated moment, the triathlon athletes swam in the Seine.
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The Olympics storylines have been wonderful to watch. The comeback of gymnastics star Simone Biles. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal — the tennis season’s best players— teaming up to represent Spain in doubles. Katie Ledecky’s feats in the pool. Not to mention French swimmer Léon Marchand, who’s been called “the prince of Paris, King Leon, Aquaman,” as reported by NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley in this terrific story. He’s a new French hero, even being compared to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. NBC News shared some images of these wonderful Olympics moments here.
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Speaking of swimming, could the Paris pool be slow? NPR digs into the topic: “Swimming is producing electric moments at the Paris Olympics. But the races aren’t generating world records at the pace seen at previous Olympics, leading to an awkward question: Is the pool a problem?” A shallow pool leads to more turbulence, and the Paris piscine— constructed on the floor of La Défense Arena— is on the shallow side (the depth of 2.15 meters is within regulations). No swimmers are complaining, but it’s interesting to note that swimmers are still trying to beat records set in Beijing- not just because of the fast pool, but also because of the tech suits worn during those Olympics that have since been banned.
The heat wave in Paris underlines how climate change increasingly plays a role in the Olympic Games. Unusual in summer, the downpours were a challenge for the opening ceremony, and soaring temperatures have affected athletes. As reported by the LA Times, “researchers worry that Paris represents the latest in an Olympic trend that has winter athletes scrambling to find enough snow and their summertime counterparts facing health risks — cramping, vomiting, heat stroke — caused by peak temperatures.” Sebastien Coe, a former Olympian and head of the international track federation, is quoted: “We are in a race against time… Whilst global temperatures continue to rise, climate change should increasingly be viewed as an existential threat to sport.”
A byproduct of the Olympics? A joyous unification of France that had been divided by politics just days before the opening ceremony. To quote NBC News: “The chants of “allez les blues” and singing of “La Marseillais” can be heard all over the capital as Parisians unite in jubilant patriotism — for now.” On July 7, the far-right was defeated at the polls in the snap parliamentary election, with a left coalition winning the most seats. President Emmanuel Macron will wait until after the games, in mid-August, to form a new government.
The European Space Agency shared splendid images of Paris Olympics venues as seen from Space. They were taken by the space agency’s Pléiades Neo mission — “a constellation of two identical satellites called Pléiades-1A and Pléiades-1B.” The interactive map allows you to zoom in and identify the Paris sites. Check it out here.
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Lead photo credit : Olympics. Photo credit: Bryan Turner/ Unsplash
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