News from France (42) : Opening of JOP 2024 and Human Values

By: Nenden Nurhayati Issartel (Correspondent, France)

Tri Indri Hardini (Lecturer, Indonesian University of Education)

Sport is the search for fear to be dominated, fatigue to be overcome, difficulty to be conquered.” (Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games)

“Le sport va chercher la peur pour la dominer, la fatigue pour en triompher, la difficulté pour la vaincre.” (Pierre de Coubertin, fondateur des Jeux Olympiques modernes)

Even though the Olympics have ended, media coverage in France and other foreign media remains enthusiastic, reporting on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics which took place on July 26, 2024, as well as the closing ceremony which took place on August 11, 2024.

This article will discuss the opening ceremony first.

The eyes of the world are always on the city of Paris and the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Like most of the French people, the foreign media seems to have fallen in the charm of the beauty of the city of Paris and the shows presented. Although the rain has been pouring down on the city, this has not affected the enthusiasm and happiness of the audience of the opening of the 33rd Olympics, which is estimated to be more than 300,000 spectators on site.

The presence of Céline Dion, Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura and the best athletes from around the world have moved the masses to watch this event. The poster of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River has amazed the French people and attracted about 22 million viewers on France 2 TV, or more than 80% of TV viewers throughout France. This number is more than previous Olympic opening ceremonies, with 8.8 million viewers in London in 2012, 5 million in Beijing in 2008, and even only 4 million viewers in Tokyo in 2021.

The opening of the Olympics was considered a miracle that was broadcast internationally. On Friday, July 26, time stopped between 19:30 and 23:30 local time, during the opening ceremony of the Olympics because all the attention of the world was focused on this event. A historic event because for the first time the event took place outside the stadium. The city of Paris along the Seine River became the arena for the parade of the delegates' boats that passed one by one witnessed the monuments of the city of Paris which were a complement or more precisely became the background of the splendor and greatness of the city of Paris or were part of the arena or more precisely the giant stadium of the Olympics.

If most of the French public seemed captivated by the footage shown, foreign media gave mixed comments. Some were enthusiastic and gave a lot of praise for the grand launch of the sports competition, but there were also those who doubted and commented cynically on the success of the opening ceremony, even some French people, although in the end they applauded. Thus, from the media coverage of other countries we can see that the opening ceremony of JOP 2024 was very successful without any disturbances that were feared before.

The opening ceremony of the Olympics highlighted the values of the French soul that were in the world spotlight. There were 12 paintings displayed by models that conveyed messages to the world about peace. (the moon), freedom (liberty),brotherhood (the brotherhood), equality (the eliminator) – and most importantly, equality in this historic match (no favoritism).

At the opening ceremony of the JOP, a beautiful piano interpretation of the song "Imagine", sung magnificently by Juliette Armanet, accompanied by a harmonious melody by Sofiane Pamart. Both of them boarded a shining raft - a moving scene with light in the darkness, which contains a moral message about the ongoing war and changes in the world's climate. At the opening of the Olympics, a moral message was called for raising awareness and also trying to show a glimmer of light amidst the world's conflicts. This shows that there is still hope for action in overcoming the problems in this world.

Through these Games and their ambitious opening ceremony in the heart of Paris 2024, they have also managed to overcome the challenge of changing a little of the enduring and important legacy of these Games, namely the way society views people with disabilities and also to build a society that erases differences (skin, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.). The event did not hesitate to highlight the pride of the French nation, a nation that combines the present and the past, as well as equality and fraternity: artists, from dancers to singers and musicians who represent a rich and multicultural planet, with various religions and multiraces, women and men (even featuring "queers" (homosexual), old and young, classic and modern, hand in hand.

For the BBC, the opening ceremony lit up Paris in “unique style.” The British media confirmed that “Paris succeeded brilliantly in its programming” with a ceremony that was “as much a spectacle as it was a touching one.”

For the American magazine LA Times, the French capital shone despite the heavy rain during the spectacular opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. All media around the world broadcast the opening ceremony with such heavy rain but it seemed like nothing happened and did not even prevent Paris from becoming a shining and dazzling city.

In Spain, the daily Marca described the ceremony as “the best in the history of the Olympic Games”. “Paris presented the most revolutionary opening ceremony ever. What was extraordinary was the merging of the real, which was happening with the virtual in the storyline of the opening,” added the Spanish media.

The official speech delivered by Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Friday, July 26, was light and somewhat humorous but meaningful and weighty enough to summarize the moral values of the Olympics as an event for the unity of nations, races and civilized humanity. The following is the speech delivered by Tony Estanguet.

”Dear athletes,

Dear sports game lovers in France and around the world,

Welcome to Paris! I missed you so much, after 100 years the last Summer Olympics were held here and this time it was a great honor for us.

It is often said that France is a country full of love. What I know about it is that here, when we love, we really love. Between France and the Olympic Games, there is an extraordinary love story. This love story was born 130 years ago, a few kilometers from here, in the great amphitheater of the Sorbonne, when Pierre de Coubertin proposed to revive the ancient Olympic Games. This love story grew with the Olympic Games in Paris, Chamonix, Grenoble and Albertville. Of course, it is a huge responsibility to keep this heritage alive. So, we put our hearts into these Olympic Games.

If you love this Olympics, first of all don't let yourself be scared by a few drops of rain and thank you to all the lovers of this sport game. Thank you to all the lovers of this sport game, even though tonight we are wet, very wet but you are still here. THANK YOU.

If you love the Olympics, you are ready to follow the Olympics that took place 100 years ago before seeing this sporting game return to Paris. When we love the Olympics so much, we offer them what is most precious to us. Part of the Eiffel Tower, will be the centerpiece for every athlete. From the Champ de Mars to the Invalides, from the Grand Palais to the Palace of Versailles, from the Place de la Concorde to the legendary Teahupoo wave: the most beautiful treasures of our country's heritage will be your playground.

When you love the Olympics so much, you feel like you have wings growing. We had the courage to do things that have never been done before, like having the opening ceremony in this city, a first in Olympic history.

Like any other host country, our ambition is to make the Games a thriving one.

In fact, it was the Olympics that made us grow.

The Olympics came to remind us that, although in France we never agree on anything, at important moments, we know how to come together and pool our strength.

So thank you…

Thank you to the French Governments, to the companies involved, to all those who worked behind the scenes to make this celebration wonderful: in Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Ile de France and all over France, from Marseille to Lille, Châteauroux, Nantes, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Tahiti! I realize how much we owe you all.

Thank you to the Paris 2024 team that has faced all the challenges with passion for almost 10 years. Thank you to the 45,000 volunteers from 155 countries, who in their daily lives are teachers, retirees, nurses, students… and whose enthusiasm will light up these games! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the International Olympic Committee and its President, dear Thomas Bach, thank you for giving France this unique opportunity and for always being by our side. Tonight I also have a special thought for the Paris 2024 administrator, Bernard Lapasset, a great rugby leader. He said: “Rugby is not about having the ball, but about passing it.” Sharing was the vision he gave to Paris 2024. Tonight, we can all be proud of what we have done together, and I would of course like to thank our dear athletes.

What a thrill to see you all marching together! You have given us a rare and precious moment. And even if the Olympic Games do not have the power to solve all the world’s problems, even if discrimination and conflict in the world will never disappear, tonight you remind us how beautiful humanity can be when it comes together. And when you return to the Olympic Village, you will send a message of hope to the world that there is a place where all nations, all cultures and all religions live together. You will remind us that it is possible. For the next 16 days, you will be the most beautiful version of humanity. You will remind us that the emotion of sport is a universal language that we all share. Until August 11, we will live every second with you.

Your defeat will be our defeat. Your victory will be our victory. Your emotions… will become our emotions.” 

Tony Estanguet's speech was quite long, but it left those who heard it stunned. After the Organizing Committee Chairman, Thomas Bach as Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also delivered a speech and ended with President Emmanuel Macron's speech, which according to the ritual tradition officially opened the Olympics at the end of the magnificent opening ceremony. The French President spoke on the Trocadéro field, in front of 85 foreign heads of state and government who patiently endured the heavy rain that poured down on the capital. Thus, the 32-sport competition was officially opened and broadcast under the spotlight of the entire world.

To get to know more details about the games in the Olympics, it might be a good idea to also get to know the sports that are featured.

It is important to note that not every sport is guaranteed to be competed in the Olympics.

There are various types of sports. Every country, tribe and nation has its own sport that is in accordance with its culture and also reviewed from the perspective of its fame, for example: Soccer (Football), Basketball, American Football, Tennis, Cricket, Baseball, Rugby, Golf, Athletics (Track and Field), and swimming. Each of these sports has its own set of equipment and rooms and has fans and a number of athletes practicing them all over the world.

The exact number of sports in the world is difficult to determine due to the diversity and variety of physical activities known as sports. However, some estimates suggest that there are thousands of different sports. These sports can be classified into several categories as follows.

1. Traditional and regional sports (Sports traditionnels et régionaux)- Played mainly in certain regions of the world and often rooted in local culture, such as kabaddi in India or lucha libre in Mexico.
2. Olympic Sports (Sports olympiques) - Sports that are part of the Olympics, currently there are around 32 summer sports and 15 winter sports.
3. Team Sports (Sports d'équipe*)- Includes football, basketball, cricket, rugby, hockey, etc.
4. Individual Sports (Sports individuels) - Such as tennis, golf, athletics, swimming, cycling, etc.
5. Extreme and Adventure Sports (Sports extrêmes et d'aventure*)- such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skydiving, surfing, etc.
6. Combat Sports (Sports de combat*)- including judo, karate, boxing, taekwondo, wrestling, etc.
7. Water sports (Sports nautiques)- Such as sailing, rowing, diving, kite surfing, etc.
8. Motorsports (Sports motorisés) – Including Formula 1, motocross, rally car racing, etc.

In addition to these categories, there are still many other special/specific/specific, modern, and widespread sports that continue to develop. In short, the world of sports is very broad and continues to develop.

So how are Olympic Sports selected to be contested? For example, breakdancing, athletics, rock climbing or cricket? How is a sport selected to be included in the Olympic program every four years?

Since the 2020 Olympic agenda was approved in late 2014, the types of sports have been limited to 28 types divided into 310 sports. In order to promote new sports, the IOC tends to maintain the number of sports, but by limiting the number of athletes (total 10,500).

The IOC Olympic Programme Commission periodically reviews each sport proposed to become an “Olympic Sport”. To be approved, the sport must meet several criteria that are not always measurable, such as its prevalence (number of countries practicing it on several continents), its popularity in the world (television broadcasts, number of spectators during competitions, etc.), its technical characteristics (appropriate infrastructure), its image (the federation must not be investigated for corruption or doping, for example), and its potential for future growth and development.

Following these criteria, a number of “title” sports are selected for each Olympic Games. If a sport is not guaranteed to be included in the Olympic list, some sports remain important, such as athletics. For the 2024 Paris Olympics, for example, the sports contested are athletics, rowing, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, track cycling, road cycling, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, cross-country mountain biking, fencing, football, golf, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, weightlifting, handball, hockey, judo, wrestling, modern pentathlon, rugby, track swimming, artistic swimming, open water swimming, diving, equestrian sports, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery, triathlon, sailing, volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo.

These 28 disciplines/sports were also selected for the three new disciplines that have appeared in previous Olympic Games in Tokyo: climbing, skateboarding and surfing. Finally, at the suggestion of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop) Paris 2024, breakdancing entered the current Summer Olympics, becoming the 32nd sport in these Games (in two new events: one for women and one for men.) where 16 athletes will compete in a duel with a combination of movements of both sexes, women and men.

On Monday, October 16, COJOP learned the list of sports for the 34th Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles in 2028. The Los Angeles 28 Games will feature 35 or 36 sports, including five new disciplines: cricket, baseball-softball, squash, flag football and lacrosse, a team sport with Native American roots.

Two sports that were initially to be withdrawn from the JO were eventually retained: modern pentathlon and weightlifting. Finally, the IOC is still undecided on boxing. The International Federation (IBA, International Boxing Association) has lost its Olympic recognition and the IOC is waiting to see if the new World Boxing Organization is strong enough to take over. This proves that no sport is guaranteed to retain its place in the Olympics.

After all, sport is a positive culture that unites nations.”Mens sana in corpore sano” is a motto that sums up the truth of all time. Live the sport!

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