French show strong support for Paris 2024
Two surveys conducted in the wake of Tokyo 2020 have revealed robust approval among France’s population for both the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games – and much admiration for the handover ceremonies.
The French public are highly enthusiastic about the hosting of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to the latest opinion polls.
A survey conducted in the wake of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 found that 82 per cent of French people are in favour of hosting the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, while among 18 to 24-year-olds there is a massive 92 per cent support.
Tokyo 2020 also made a big impression, with 80 per cent of French people enjoying the celebration staged by Paris 2024 during the Closing Ceremony in Japan’s capital.
The Paris 2024 ceremony was highly creative, including the French national anthem, a BMX rider racing over the rooftops of Paris, and a live celebration in the gardens of the Trocadero attended by more than 5,000 people.
The Olympic handover ceremony generated a very favourable response, with the public agreeing that it was: “pulsating and dynamic” (86 per cent), “spectacular” (81 per cent) and “giving a good image of Paris and France” (86 per cent), and made them “proud to host the next Olympic Games” (76 per cent).
A survey following the Paralympic Games also revealed that 86 per cent of people in France enjoyed the Paralympic handover, and that 90 per cent of the French public were enthused by the prospect of their country hosting these Games for the first time.
TOKYO, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 05: Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee hands over the Paralympic flag to Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris during the Flag Handover Ceremony during the Closing Ceremony on day 12 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on September 05, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
The survey respondents survey described the Paralympic handover ceremony as “rhythmic and lively” (91 per cent), “original” (88 per cent), “moving” (84%) and agreed that it “stimulates interest in the Paralympic Games” (84%).