Every year at the Games, I eagerly await the day of the marathon. The course is not designed to break records, but rather to win something that athletes also dream of: a medal in this legendary event, which has been part of the Olympic program since the first Games of the modern era, in 1896. In the men’s event, it will be even more special, as it should be the last one for Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, of whom I am a fan.
The marathon has an emblematic detail: the awards ceremony takes place inside the Olympic stadium, hours before the closing ceremony. Historically, this honor has always gone to men, as the women’s race was held the day before. In Paris, organizers reversed the order, and the women will be the ones to close the Olympic Games.
It was one of the measures to reduce a historic inequality. The Paris competition calendar has women’s competitions on more important days and times, previously reserved only for men. The women’s basketball and volleyball finals are also on the last day, Sunday (11). The International Olympic Committee distributed the spots equally for men and women. For the first time, there was (almost) gender parity.
It was a great success. As Billie Jean King would say: “If you can see it, you can be it.” Giving visibility to the achievements of Olympic athletes can inspire girls around the world to play sports. Brazil had a delegation with a majority of women and the three gold medals came from them: Rebeca Andrade in artistic gymnastics, judoka Beatriz Souza, and Duda and Ana Patrícia in beach volleyball. The women’s soccer team will play the final this Saturday (10) against the USA and is guaranteed a medal, the color remains to be seen.
Another point I’m in favor of was the decision by World Athletics to start awarding Olympic champions with $50,000, equivalent to around R$280,000. Silver and bronze medalists in track and field will also start receiving money from the international sports federation starting in Los Angeles 2028. Very fair.
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The promise to clean the River Seine, one of the legacies of the Games, has come under suspicion. Chosen as the venue for the triathlon and marathon swimming, it received an investment equivalent to almost R$8.5 billion in infrastructure and pollution control works. High levels of bacteria caused the postponement of the men’s triathlon, and confirmation of the marathon swimming event was only possible a few hours before the event.
Athletes also could not have been allowed to stay in un-air-conditioned rooms in the Olympic village, with temperatures reaching over 35 degrees on some days, even in the name of sustainability.
On the other hand, Paris held the first real Games without any white elephants. It built only one sports facility from scratch, and 95% of them were already there or temporary. The stunning city helped. Who needs a new stadium when you can put a beach volleyball court at the foot of the Eiffel Tower?
The arenas were packed. Too bad for the French who complained about the Games, left the city and now say they regret it. Those I see here are happy and proud of the 56 medals (as of the publication of this text) that the host country won.
The Paralympic Games will run from August 28 to September 8. Gymnasiums, arenas and courts will then be dismantled and life will return to normal.
Paris will remain the same and, at the same time, transformed forever.
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