Paris 2024: Geopolitical Power Play and Societal Riffs

After three consecutive Olympics in East Asia, the Olympic Games is making its return to the European continent for the next two Olympics - Paris in 2024 and Milan-Cortina in 2026. Hosting the Olympics is as much about power projection for a state as it is about pure athletic talent and the chance to celebrate a nation's athletics program. Many countries have used the Olympics and other major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup to promote their geopolitical interests to a keen and receptive audience. Examples include Russia's hosting of both the Olympics and FIFA World Cup within 2 years, China becoming the first country to host both the Winter and Summer Olympics, and Brazil using its turn to host the Olympics to boost Rio's status as an international investing hub and party destination. 

This Olympics is even more important for Paris, as it is the first time the country has hosted the event in exactly a century, according to the Paris 2024 official webpage. This is in light of Macron's recent policies to make France a dominant force within Europe, almost as if he has been building up the geopolitical ante to the Games. Yet, according to CNN, the 8 billion euro figure for renovations in the French capital has left many disturbing realities open to the public. 

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Most notably, the concern for Islamic terrorist attacks during the Games has become a major blight on the otherwise celebratory festival. This is due to a culmination of factors, but most notably the conflict in the Middle East combined with the international spotlight the Olympics can bring to certain issues. This wouldn't be the first time pro-Palestinian forces have targeted the Olympics; according to the New York Times, the pro-Palestinian group Black September unleashed a massacre on the Israeli delegation to the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. With tensions in the region soaring to levels not seen in 50 years, the pressing concern for violence at the Games is understandable. 

The amount Paris has spent on the Olympics is far less than most in recent history: according to The Guardian, Russia spent an exorbitant $52 billion on its Winter Olympics in Sochi, yet like most things in Russia, corruption is alleged to have siphoned off half the funds. Regardless, Paris' relatively cheap budget for the Games reflects its history of hosting major international tournaments and its lack of tackling societal flaws that organizers typically try to fix before the games. Besides Islamic terrorism, DW states that guests have to worry about local anger (a common phenomenon in most host countries), bedbugs, and even whether people can wear their religious clothing in public. 

Furthermore, since the Olympics are an international event with participants from all over the globe, France's hijab restrictions are causing some concerns for Muslim athletes and visitors to the French capital who worry they may have to sacrifice their religion and safety to compete, which violates the spirit of inclusivity in the Olympic Charter. Many young French are upset over what they view as an antiquated establishment that has not acknowledged the diversity of modern France. In some areas of France, particularly poor suburbs, the foreign-born population accounts for over one-third of the population, which does not account for diaspora residents who migrated in the mid to late 20th century. This Olympics has revealed fundamental cracks in French society, and despite Macron's best efforts to push France on the international stage, these cracks will be visible to all.