The idea of witnessing the Olympics in Paris has been a thrilling one for local residents ever since we learned about it nearly seven years ago when Paris won the bid to host the 2024 Games.

As the event drew nearer, the initial excitement began to wane under the weight of evolving circumstances. A lot has changed since then, and the journey towards this momentous occasion has been anything but smooth. Since then, to use a fitting British idiom, “a lot of water has flowed under the bridge”.

The recent snap election in France resulted in significant political shifts: President Macron’s Renaissance party came second, the National Rally led by Marine Le Pen came third, and the Left coalition emerged victorious. Today, as the city gears up for its first Olympics in a hundred years, we find ourselves with a presidency sans executive. This political landscape adds a layer of complexity to the Olympic preparations, as it reflects a nation in flux.

A general view of the the opening ceremony as members of Team El Salvador make their way on a boat on River Seine on Friday. Picture: Reuters

There were strike threats before the Olympics, demanding bonus for working through the period which coincides with summer holidays here and I was reading last weekend in L’Opinion, a liberal pro-business newspaper, that the French government has paid €500 million to the trade unions to ensure there are no strikes during this crucial period.

It is hard to say how much it has worked. Hundreds of dancers who were threatening to go on strike during the opening ceremony called off the strike only on Wednesday after securing a new pay offer from the organisers. On Monday, they had protested during the rehearsals by stopping and holding their fist aloft for eight minutes. Thankfully, on Friday they put up a seamless show on the Seine. But as recently as Thursday, there were reports of strikes at the five-star hotel where the International Olympic Committee officials are staying.

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As the date approached, the closer we got to the Games, the more one noticed a growing sense of unrest, apprehension, and even disgust among fellow Parisians. But then again, who doesn’t know that the French are the eternal râleurs, perpetually dissatisfied with everything?

I never wanted to join the chorus of naysayers, but over the past few weeks, I couldn’t ignore the disruptions. One after another, access to the city’s main areas has been blocked, zones have been declared high security, and parts of the city are under construction. My office, situated two blocks from the Champs Elysees, has closed for two weeks, and we’ll be working from home, a situation eerily reminiscent of the Covid lockdown.

It is not the best time to come to Paris as a tourist unless you are holding tickets to the Games. No one is allowed down to the riverbank road. Even the Metro is not stopping at most stations on Line 1, the principal line — which includes my neighbourhood, Place de la Nation — all along the entire Olympic zone — Hotel de Ville, Tuileries Garden, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees…

Apart from the areas designated for the Games, Paris remains indifferent. Several neighbourhoods, like the 12th arrondissement (district) in Nation, where I stay, are lacklustre, showing no signs of Olympic fever. The goodies section at Monoprix stocks Olympics souvenirs but the merchandise is not exactly flying off the shelves.

I also met two interesting individuals last week. Isooji, a South Korean music student learning flute at a Conservatory in Lyon, was at a rooftop café in Nation. She was surprised not to see any signs of the Olympics in and around the roundabout of Place de la Nation. Then at Bastille, the area of the famous “Fall of Bastille” fort, I met an Israeli woman who has come only to see the Games after buying a ticket two years ago to the much-talked-about opening ceremony on the Seine river. The area has been done up with Olympic signages and people are clicking pictures. But access is restricted.

We had no access to the opening ceremony. Even the schedules are on sale for €10. Many of my neighbours have left town on holiday.

Time of our lives

Of course, many middle-class people, especially those with children, have bought tickets long back when they were being sold for €20-50. For the children, it will be a memory of a lifetime. Yet a million tickets are reportedly unsold. Two geopolitical crises are underway. People are hoarding money or saving for their vacations.

Some wonderful exhibitions are being held in the local museums. I was invited to one on the history of the Olympics at the Museum of Immigration. The India House has been set up by Reliance Foundation and I have picked up a €5 ticket for Sunday to experience yoga, block-printing, mehndi, Indian cuisine... when you stay abroad for long, you do want to get a feel of home once in a while.

The Games Village is to the northeast of Paris. Many of my clients, whom I have tutored in English, are stakeholders in the Games. The beds of the athletes are made of recycled cardboard, solar panels are harnessing solar energy. It will be a sustainable Games.

Having lived in this country for over 18 years, I’ve grown accustomed to the mood swings of Parisians. We never know, in less than 24 hours after the inauguration, we might change our minds and become the cheerleaders of the world. Paris has a way of surprising you like that.

To all the participants from India and France, I wish the very best. May this event bring significant business to the city and boost tourism.

After all, Emily isn’t the only one in Paris. Merci.

Writtwik Banerjee, a College Street boy who picked up his French at Alliance Francaise de Calcutta, has resided in Paris since 2006, where he now works as a language trainer for a leading corporate training company