Paris put on magnificent Olympic Games that will be hard to top

PARIS — Merci beaucoup, Paris.

When these Summer Games were awarded seven years ago, there was no way the International Olympic Committee officials could have known how badly they would be needed. How desperate the world would be for an excuse to let loose from the melancholy that lingers from the COVID pandemic. How essential it would be for a respite from the divisiveness that seems to be everywhere.

Paris delivered. And then some, setting a standard that will be near impossible for any future host to top.

For 17 days, what is arguably the world’s most beautiful city was also its most joyous. Amazing athletic feats took place with landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Grand Palais serving as the backdrop. The stands, so eerily silent at both the delayed Summer Games in Tokyo and Beijing Winter Olympics, were once again filled with raucous fans.

In the streets and cafés and Metro stations, people from all over the world mixed and mingled. Hearing your own language, or seeing your flag on someone’s cheek, was all it took to start conversations. People who would be separated by icy silence if the topic was politics or social justice issues found common ground in the greatness of Simone Biles and Steph Curry, Leon Marchand and Rebeca Andrade.

And just weeks after an election that magnified the troubling fractures threatening France’s ideals of equality and fraternity, its people came together to raise their voices as one in cheers of “Allez!” and choruses of La Marseillaise.

“France is beautiful. And when we’re all together and when we unite, it’s a wonderful sight,” Thierry Henry, the hero of France’s illustrious 1998 World Cup team and now coach of its Olympic men’s soccer squad, said after Les Bleus fell to Spain in the final.

“People from the get-go wanted to support us,” Henry added. “We lost tonight but they kept singing. They kept supporting us.”

The Paris Games were not perfect. Nothing that involves humans, with their agendas and egos and greed, ever is.

The grand plan to clean up the Seine did not quite come to fruition, though the triathlon and marathon swimming were held in it nonetheless. Homeless people were moved out of the city center. Right-wing vigilantes unleashed their hate on two female boxers, ignoring both facts and decency. The International Olympic Committee punished Jordan Chiles for the wrongdoing of gymnastics officials, stripping her of her floor exercise bronze medal on the final day of the Games.

Still, as far as Olympics go, Paris came as close to perfection as it gets.

"Paris showed us a good time," A'ja Wilson said after the U.S. women won their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday night. "The hosts did well."

The decision by organizers to use existing venues and Parisian landmarks as venues was inspired. Fans and athletes alike flocked to beach volleyball, marveling at the sand court at the base of the Eiffel tower. The park at Place de la Concorde was a magnet for spectators, both for its views and the multiple sports that took place there.

People who wanted to check the Louvre off their bucket list got the added bonus of seeing the cauldron in the Tuileries Garden, a balloon whose presence was made even more majestic by its rise and descent each day.

One of the goals of Paris organizers was to bring sports to the people, and their success will make future hosts pale by comparison.

Having most of the events in the city, and putting them in close proximity to a train system that was both expansive and dependable, made what is normally a sprawling and cumbersome footprint manageable. Wanted to check out swimming, fencing, skateboarding and gymnastics? All in the same day? No problem! Didn’t have tickets? If you kept your eyes peeled as you strolled along the Seine, you might have happened upon a cycling race.

"Since the beginning, we had one vision with Paris 2024: to organize sports in the city and really combine the emotion of sport with the emotions of our city, our landmarks, and iconic venues,” Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, said Saturday.

“That's probably what we are most proud of. It's been a vision since the beginning."

But perhaps the best thing about these Games was the relaxed atmosphere. Fears about terrorism and overbearing security never came to pass, thankfully. After the tight COVID restrictions in Tokyo and Beijing, athletes were delighted to finally get the entire Olympic experience.

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Wilson, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Scottie Scheffler were just a few of the athletes who made sure they got to witness Biles' greatness in person. Biles was in the crowd to watch Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shatter her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles. LeBron James brought his wife and daughter to the women’s gold-medal game.

And spectators, shut out from the Games since 2018, were just happy to be here. In person. Enjoying the sports and the sights and everything in between.

“There are always things that could be improved, and we have had issues day-in and day-out to resolve,” Estanguet said. “But if someone had told me 10 years ago, five years ago, one year ago, or even on the eve of the opening ceremony that things would go this way, I would have completely said, 'Sign me up.'”

"No regrets,” he added. “None at all."

For anyone. Except maybe for future hosts, who now have a near-impossible standard to meet thanks to these magnificent Paris Games.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.