PARIS — As the 33rd Olympiad came to a close Sunday (early Monday, Aug. 12, 2024), here are some highlights:
Unofficial Olympic song, played in all the venues: “Freed from Desire” by Gala.
About 45,000 volunteers (out of the 300,000 that applied) helped during the Games. During the Closing Ceremony, we all stood to applaud the volunteers.
Of the 35 Olympic venues, 24 sports were located within a 10 km. radius of the Olympic village — making this a compact Games. If you’re billeted in central Paris, you can be in any venue within 25 minutes.
The Olympic medals contained iron that were once part of the Eiffel Tower.
Youngest Olympian: 11-year-old Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao. Oldest: Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, the Spaniash equestrian, who’s 65.
Nada Hafez of Egypt competed while she was seven months pregnant. “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three!” said the fencer. “It was me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!”
Paris 2024 was a victory for women — the first Olympics to have an equal number of men and women competitors. Last Sunday, we saw another first: Anne Hidalgo, Paris’ first female mayor, turned over the flag to Karen Bass, also the first female mayor of Los Angeles.
ANDO/YULO. We were inside the South Paris Arena 6 to watch Elreen Ando compete in the women’s 59-kg. category. Although our fellow Cebu resident did not medal, she claimed sixth place and a Philippine record. Our only regret here: not securing tickets (which we bought months in advance) to witness Carlos Yulo’s double-golden performance.
HOME COURT. France’s home-court advantage fueled a dominant performance, securing 64 medals — with only the US, China, and Great Britain winning more. Led by Leon Marchand, the French outshined rivals and energized a fervent crowd. They won men’s volleyball and nearly topped the US in women’s basketball. The French crowd have been amazing.
CYCLING. A personal highlight was witnessing the top cyclists compete. Remco Evenepoel’s dominance in the time trial, followed by his historic double gold in the road race (I saw him near the Sacre Coeur), was unforgettable. Same with the thrill of seeing Eliud Kipchoge and the marathoners start at Hotel de Ville.
CLOSING. We joined 71,000 spectators last Sunday at 9 p.m. as the Stade de France delivered a breathtaking ending. As we entered, we were given bluetooth-synced wristbands that would later light up and transform the crowd into a mesmerizing canvas with synchronized lights.
Carlos Yulo and Aira Villegas proudly carried the Philippine flag among 204 nations. The anthem “We Are the Champions” echoed through the stadium as the morning’s women marathon victors were celebrated. A live orchestra provided a majestic score for the 2.5-hour closing.
“Hymn to Apollo” was sung as the pianist Alain Roche played from a piano that was suspended in mid-air! The sequence concluded with the five giant Olympic rings levitating into the air. Then, in a jaw-dropping climax, Tom Cruise descended from the rafters, landing amidst the athletes to introduce LA2028. A perfect finale to an unforgettable Games. Merci beaucoup, Paris!