Last night, the closing ceremonies officially concluded the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Since I attended some events at the games, I have some thoughts on the in-person viewing experience. The Olympics are a very different sporting event compared to most because there is no single winner. Unlike events such as the World Cup or the World Baseball Classic, there are winners from many different countries in numerous events. While some may care about which country wins the most gold medals, this is less of a focal point. For the athletes, it is not only about competing for themselves but also about the pride of representing their country. Moments like when Greek basketball player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, proudly carried the Greek flag during the opening ceremonies show how much it means to the athletes to represent their countries.
In each Olympic Games, new sports are being added, even to the point where some question if something is a sport (most notably breakdancing was introduced this year). Nonetheless, it is a great way to introduce the world to a sport that may not be popular in most countries. One of the more obscure sports that I watched in person was beach volleyball. This event felt much less serious than other events such as tennis, but that didn’t take away the fun and excitement when watching it. The announcers played music between every point and the audience became very involved with cheering on the players. While some sports require a close match to engage the crowd, this was a very fun event to watch regardless of the stakes.
The tennis matches at Roland Garros felt much different from beach volleyball as they were much more intense. I watched a Round 1 match between Rafael Nadal from Spain and Marton Fuscovics from Hungary. The crowd was very in favor of Nadal but there was much more nervousness among fans in this stadium than I have seen at other events. Nadal with his 14 French Open wins seemed at home at the Roland Garros Center Court. However, the match was close at times and went all the way to three sets with Nadal winning eventually, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Even though each event had the same Paris 2024 Olympic branding and the same music playing, they all felt different in their own ways. Each stadium had its own flavor with the beach volleyball stadium being the most impressive with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Table tennis had a lot of the crowd chanting in different languages and waving flags for their countries. The soccer stadium spectators were really intent on doing the wave and the Uzbekistan soccer team fan base came with their own drums and cheer routines. This was overall a positive experience since every single event felt new.
There were many exciting moments from the Olympics this year, but there were a few in particular that stood out. While not the closest match, Djokovic playing Nadal for potentially the final time ever was very cool to see. Djokovic would win, and then go on to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match. For Americans, Team USA Basketball’s run to the gold medal was incredible. After pulling off the most improbable comeback against Serbia, their gold medal game against France came down to the wire. In typical Steph Curry fashion, he could not miss a shot at the end of the game, leading the U.S. to the win.
Since the entire world was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this year was the first back-to-normal Olympic Games since 2016, and Paris did not disappoint. The opening ceremony on the Seine, the different festivities for the public at Hotel de Ville and the Place de la Concorde, and the Olympic flame balloon near the Louvre will be hard to forget. The 2028 games are headed to Los Angeles and this city will have a lot of expectations to live up to. More sports will be added to the Olympic roster and some will be removed (breakdancing anyone?). The traffic of LA will be interesting for Olympic fans to navigate without a reliable public transportation system. But in the end, the closing ceremony with a shot of the Olympic Rings within the Hollywood sign shows that maybe LA has what it takes to make the 2028 games a huge success with a unique American flavor.
Third Down With Devin 