Paris 2024 and the Crumbling Illusion of Peaceful Competition
By Marion Cordebart, Scarlett Dezan, Cléo Gerigny, and Alexandra Morosova
Athletes are not the only ones competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite embracing a position of political neutrality, the Olympic Games draw quite a bit of political debate. The selection of the Olympic host country is a long process rife with debates, competition, and influence. Five cities applied to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, but after various withdrawals due to cost concerns, the two final contestants were Paris and Los Angeles. Recognized as two outstanding projects, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to award the 2024 Games to Paris and the 2028 Games to Los Angeles, declaring a win-win situation. However, the decision to host the Games is not to be taken lightly. Organizing the 2024 edition is especially symbolic for Paris as it celebrates 100 years since it hosted the 1924 Games. Yet, Paris 2024 is not merely a simplistic anniversary or demonstration of commitment to peaceful sporting competition between countries. Instead, the extraordinary costs involved for hosting the event are reflective of a much larger undertaking. Moreover, the Olympics deeply revolve around political stakes, showcasing the host’s influence.
Soft Power
International sporting events such as the Olympics have often been used to exercise soft power. This political term refers to a country’s use of attractions such as cultural and political values to positively advance its perception abroad in a non-coercive way. With television viewership numbers of the recent 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics exceeding 3.05 billion, it is not surprising that the Olympics are the perfect soft power medium through which a nation can frame its cultural narrative in pursuit of goals like economic development and expansion of international reputation. For example, the upcoming opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics will involve sailing the athletes on the River Seine past the Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower, showcasing centuries of French culture and history. Even the 2024 motto, “Games Wide Open”, reflects the goal of increased accessibility of the Olympics for both athletes and viewers, a mission intended to nurture cultural exchange that transcends borders.
During previous Olympic Games, sports diplomacy was often used as a tool to enhance international relations. For instance, following China’s invitation of high-ranking officials from the developing world to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics, numerous African leaders expressed an increased desire for closer political ties with China. In the past decade, France has increased its own strategy for sports diplomacy. Sports companies sponsored by the French government use their connections within international sporting bodies to promote French interests on sports-issues such as ethics, doping, and anti-discrimination measures as well as ensure the use of the French language during events. Additionally, the aforementioned ministries fund sporting and education academies in countries like Senegal, Liberia and Mali, enhancing France’s attractiveness abroad as an economic partner.
Internal Politics
The IOC outlines several social benefits of hosting the Olympic Games including the promotion of grassroots sports, culture, education, inclusion and accessibility, equality, social cohesion, and human rights initiatives. Additionally, it projects an estimate of between 6 and 12.2 billion US dollars in economic benefits for Paris. However, for many former Olympic hosting countries, these benefits failed to come to fruition and, oftentimes, hosting the Olympics has been proven to be unsustainable in social, economic, and ecological areas. Many Olympic hosts experience a deficit overall and many of the corporate profits do not stay within the host city but instead go to national or international corporations. However, it seems that because Paris plans on using existing infrastructure it may offset these deficits.
Overall, there are predicted tradeoffs for Paris that accompany hosting the Olympics. This stems from the tension between planning for short-term Olympic-related needs and the long-term needs of the city and its citizens. Regarding the Paris Olympics, Sven Daniel Wolfe argues that “despite [the IOC] making significant improvements in regards to power-sharing with local authorities, the series of Olympic reforms so far fail to give adequate voice to residents”. With over 32,000 signatures claiming the government did not include them in the decision, citizens petitioned for a referendum on whether to continue Paris’ bid to host the Olympics, following the example of other cities. Citizens worry these Games may be “ruinous” like it was for previous cities, claiming the event prioritizes sponsors and profit rather than sports, which also diverts money from more important projects. Some citizens even consider the Paris Olympics both anti-democratic and anti-ecological in nature.
In terms of day-to-day operations during the Games, motorized traffic will be reduced, some metro stops will be closed, QR codes will be required for citizens to move through certain areas, and metro ticket prices are expected to double. Thus, citizens are worried about their liberties and data protection among other pressing concerns. Additionally, human rights concerns arise as areas used as informal settlement areas for migrants are being closed, allegedly to try and “align with a beautification initiative for the sporting event”; thus evicting an anticipated 3000 migrants. More broadly, a larger inherent tension exists between France’s aspiration for increased soft power on the international stage and domestic concerns from citizens and residents.
External Politics
The 2024 Summer Olympics are embedded in a context of international conflicts. The war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Gaza are important considerations.
The IOC also declared last December the inadmissibility of Russian and Belarussian athletes under their federation. Allowing them to participate only as individual neutral athletes, competing without their flag or national anthem, and after proving they were not supporting the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, no sanctions have been placed on Israeli athletes, the IOC declaring that “athletes cannot be held accountable for their government’s actions’’.
This decision was also based on the fact that sport should not be “about politics”. However, Games have always been deeply rooted within the political context, historically considered as a way to unify people beyond government-led conflict. This dates back to the original “Olympic Truce”, implemented from the very first games in ancient Greece. It is still in place today, and the Truce for Paris 2024 was voted on by the United Nations last November. Notably, Russia abstained from voting on the resolution this time. Russia’s exclusion from the Games, coupled with the contested inclusion of Israeli athletes (as demonstrated by some athletes’ announcements to boycott the Games, refusing to compete against Israel) demonstrate the particularly nuanced geopolitical complexities influencing this year’s Games.
Significant efforts will be required if the Paris Olympics has hopes to unify people in this time of crisis. France should use this opportunity to emphasize values of peace, respect, non-discrimination, and solidarity. The use of technologies like AI and e-sports is recommended by the IOC to bring this unification into force. E-sport on one hand can bring an entire new community together, which may not have been particularly interested in the Olympics before. AI here can also revolutionize sport and make it more equal (with the use of ‘VAR’ in football for example), upholding fairness.
Overall, the IOC should be more consistent in its statements and actions. If Russia is banned, the need for consistency may call for a ban of Israel too. On the other hand, if the statement that athletes are not responsible for their governments’ actions prevails, they should allow athletes to compete under their national federations. The situation as it is now is rather unfair and demonstrates a difference of treatment between the two conflicts, which can provoke further division and proves contrary to the wish of the IOC to be apolitical.
Conclusion
Despite ideals of neutrality and international unity, the Olympic Games are inherently political. Ultimately, in organizing the Games, France demonstrates its influential power at a time when European autonomy and influence is questioned. Stakes for the 2024 Paris Olympics are high, both with regard to internal politics as well on an international level through soft power. On the one hand, sporting diplomacy such as funding academies in other countries can boost France’s perception abroad, increasing its influence by spreading French culture and language. Also, through hosting the Olympics France can build economic ties while promoting its own policy interests. On the other hand, the event can be seen as unnecessary spending in times of crisis, especially as domestic concerns are left unanswered. Criticism regarding the political stance the Olympics take towards the athletes also threatens the potential for unity in the 2024 Games.
However, there is still a possibility the Games can also be used as a way to unify people. After all, if many critiques appear on the economic level, the goal of the Games is deeper than this, encouraging the values of peace and unity around the world.
Marion Cordebart is a 2nd-year Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics Student majoring in Economics.
Scarlett Dezan is a Second-Year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam, particularly majoring in Politics.
Cléo Gerigny is a second year student, pursuing a bachelor of Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam, and majoring in Law.
Alexandra Morosova is a second-year Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) student at the University of Amsterdam, majoring in Law.
All four writers are European Horizons Transatlantic Fellows 2023–24.
