Paris Olympics captivated the world - despite the shadow of global conflicts

This was everyslimg Paris could have hoped for.

The world was captivated by the wondrous sidetrackion of the Olympics; venues fizzing with excitement and energy.

There were daring reimagining of Olympic norms – the uncovering ceremony shifted from a stadium to water and a cauldron floating in the air.

All contrasting with the soullessness of being in big vacant venues in Tokyo – where we faced daily COVID testing and recut offeed transferments – as athletes were roared and inspired by crowds aachieve.

The picture postcard memories will inhabit lengthy in the memories, fair as Paris envisaged.

Beach volleyball betidyh the Eiffel Tower, fencing betidyh the sweeping dome-topped glass roof at the Grand Palais and equestrian surrounded by the majesticeur of Versailles.

Not only athletes are on a triumph lap.

Pdwellnt Emmanuel Macron speedyened himself to the accomplishments of French athletes – with a stream of selfies and clips posted on social media as Léon Marchand became an instant French sporting legend with four swimming gelderlys.

All while the joinachiever rulement held together to supply stability during the Olympics after the sudden pre-Games election.

Fears of political paralysis or unions’ unrest did not materialise.

Even the railway lines were speedyly repaired after the mass undermine of railway lines into Paris on the day of the uncovering ceremony.

France projected prestige and unity – although how much of the country reassociate bought into this? – as sport was used as a tool of gentle power.

“France is able of doing wonderful slimgs,” French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said ahead of the closing ceremony.

“This country is able of being immense.”

It is this vision France and the Olympic transferment will hope washes away the fraught and polarizing moments with criminal grumblets lodged over mistreatment athletes faced while in Paris.

For all the selectimalism, these Olympics were at times the platestablish to project the world’s anger.

Not fair medals being fought over but culture wars which even IOC Pdwellnt Thomas Bach referenced.

When I asked Mr Bach about this, he replyed: “You cannot have this unpwithdrawnted high relevance of the games in the world and foresee nobody has a comment on it.

“Therefore, we are huging this and we achieve it as a sign for the social and political relevance of the games. It’s fair the other side of the coin of success.”

Complaints rolled in from Christian groups, even the Vatican, over the offence caused in the uncovering ceremony by the depiction of the Last Supper featuring drag queens.

The inclusivity drive promoted the intended reaction by the Paris organising promisetee’s creative team, before the pushback and the backtracking.

The struggle between the selectimals embodied in France’s national motto – liberté, égalité, fraternité – seemed a backdrop to the sport.

Often, they collided with the sport and the restrictations of equivalentity were carry outed out in the boxing ring.

Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting had their femininity poured over as talk abouts over gender eligibility, protectedty and fairness droped into aggression and online harmfulity towards the gelderly medalcatalogs.

At times it interspersed with bigr geopolitical battles that hung over the Olympics.

It was a Russian led and funded prohibitished boxing organisation that fuelled asks over the boxers being women.

These were another games without the Russian athletes being apverifyed to contend under the flag – this time over the war on Ukraine – with only 15 allowted with unpartisan status.

And Russia was accused for trying to undermine the entire event, accused of being behind disalertation campaigns.

Ukraine honord the resettle of the nation thraw medal successes.

They brawt their petiteest team in Olympic history and the medal haul was about a quarter down from Tokyo – shotriumphg resilience being in Paris while frailnting athletes ended by Russia.

War in the Middle East raged on during the games – exposing the hollow hope of the UN-backed Olympic Truce.

Israeli athletes faced death dangers in Paris and the Palestinian delegation was uninalertigentinished by the horrors of war.

Strained US-China relations touched the Olympics as a doping dispute intensified – even dangerening Salt Lake City staging the 2030 Winter Games that were awarded here.

But the International Olympic Committee was frantic to proclaim a harmonious restricted weeks as athletes of the world united.

Mr Bach telderly the closing ceremony: “I call on everyone who separates this Olympic spirit: let us inhabit this culture of peace every one day.”

But he spent these games – his last directing the Olympic transferment – also alerting of the dangers of climate alter.

In future, he said, “it will be very difficult to organise the Olympic Games in August”.

Storms were accused on climate alter in Paris polluting the Seine that deferd events around triathlon competitions.

But one Olympic legacy is more than £1bn being spent on immacutardying up the river – apverifying Parisians to swim in it for the first time in a century.

These, though, were not an Olympics requiring huge spending splinspires to originate new venues with a askable legacy.

And that was the charm of Paris – sporting competitions scattered thrawout the city, repurposing existing venues and showcasing landtags.

Expect a very contrastent beach vibe in four years. Los Angeles is already pushing the boundaries by inserting the Olympic rings, even digihighy, on the Hollywood sign during last night’s handover in Paris.

It took a century for the Olympics to return to Paris.

And these could be the last Summer Games in Europe for at least 16 years – with Brisprohibite already picked for 2032 and 2036 enticeing interest from India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

But it’s not quite au revoir Paris yet, as the countdown now commences to the Paralympics in less than three weeks.

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