Olympic Review looks forward to “A French summer”
As sports fans all over the world eagerly count down the days until the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Olympic Review takes a look at what promises to be an exciting summer of sport. Entitled “A French Summer”, the latest edition of the Olympic Review examines preparations for the first Games to fully embrace the reforms of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020.
In these pages you will find:
“A virtuous circle”
Since Paris first started bidding for the 2024 Games, sustainability and legacy have been key elements of the project. By working with social enterprises and the Olympic partners and applying the circular economy principle, Paris 2024 looks set to serve as a model for future editions of the Games.
“Paris 2024: the sporting legacy”
Beyond the sports event itself, the Olympic Games are an incredible opportunity to promote sport in the country staging them. Nicolas Pecherot explores the impact of Paris 2024 on French society in terms of combatting sedentary lifestyles, discrimination and gender inequality. Through various education initiatives and the rehabilitation of certain regions and their sports facilities – with Seine-Saint-Denis at the heart of the project – France has succeeded in securing the social legacy of the Games even before they begin.
And with spectators set to reappear at the Games after two editions marked by the pandemic, enthusiasm is growing among sports lovers all over the world. Athletes and personalities from the sports world and the media are impatient for the action to begin, and make no secret of it.
“Olympism with a French flavour”
Between pride and hope, French athletes and sports personalities share their feelings with French journalist Alain Mercier in the lead-up to the Games. Fencing champion and former Sports Minister Laura Flessel talks about the importance of achieving gender balance in Paris for the image of women’s sport. Multiple Olympic swimming medallist Alain Bernard is happy about the huge boost the Games will provide to get young people into swimming in particular and sport generally. And who better than an athlete dreaming of glory in Paris to talk about the Olympic dream? Judoka Romane Dicko is preparing to take to the tatami and tells us about her preparations since the Olympic Games in Tokyo driven by just one goal: winning Olympic gold.
“A unique path to Paris”
The road to the Olympic Games is a challenging one for all athletes, but the obstacles can seem insurmountable when you are from a country unable to support its athletes. In such a context, the scholarships offered by Olympic Solidarity make all the difference, as Tasi Limtiaco, Edda Hannesdóttir and Arshad Nadeem explain when they talk about their stories and hopes of competing at Paris 2024.
“Ones to watch”
From Japan to the USA via France, Wakako Yuki, Karen Rosen and Alexandre Boyon tell us about their Olympic Games. In a mix of anecdotes, memories and eagerness to see new exploits, these three renowned sports journalists tell us about the athletes we should be looking out for in Paris.
“The colossal legacy of a forgotten hero”
It has taken 100 years for the Olympic Games to return to France, the country of their founder, Pierre de Coubertin. Writer and International Pierre de Coubertin Committee Executive Committee member George Hirthler explores the legacy of a man whose vision of uniting the world in friendship and peace through sport is more relevant than ever today.
All these articles appear in edition 122 of the Olympic Review, which you can find here.
The Olympic Review is the IOC’s oldest publication and the official magazine of the Olympic Movement. It is published twice a year in English, French and Spanish. Its content is a mix of opinion pieces and in-depth articles on subjects of interest to the sports movement. To access all the previous editions of the Olympic Review, go to the Olympic World Library website.