It's been two tales for the city of Paris over the past few days. First the bigwigs at the Hotel de Ville issued an edict that they would not be financing fan zones and giant screens during the football World Cup next month in Qatar. And then on a day of revolutionary import, a fanfare to announce a glittering bonanza for the Olympics in 2024.
For the football, Paris city councillors - along with other municipal power brokers in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille, Nantes and Angers - declared the tournament an abomination because of the mistreatment of migrant workers on building sites during preparations for the month-long competition.
As for their environmental lament? The optics look particularly bad too. Stadiums cooled to between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius while temperatures outside the shimmering venues surge towards 30 degrees.
That kind of technological wizardry in the Middle East allows local government politicians in France the chance to bawl "non", keen as they are to underscore their Green credentials amid an energy crisis brought to the fore since Russian military forces invaded Ukraine in February.
Realities
Pierre Rabadan, a Paris deputy mayor in charge of sports, even stooped to practicalities. "Another reason for not having fan zones is simply that the tournament is happening in December." That's so cold.
Fan zones and giant screens are part and parcel of that hectic summer tournament vibe.
And though it ostensibly appears unpatriotic - especially since France are the defending champions - how many people are going to stand in potentially sub-zero temperatures to watch 90 minutes or more of football?
According to an Odoxa poll for Winamax and RTL published on Saturday, quite a lot of people won't even be watching indoors.
Less than half of the 1,005 souls surveyed said they intended to watch the action in Qatar.
Four years ago - when the tournament was held in Russia - 66 percent of those who responded were keen to cheer on their boys in blue. Ho, ho, the wry humour of the industrial geo-political complex.
Ideas
The study, inevitably, threw up a few quirks. Nearly 70 percent wanted French football chiefs and President Emmanuel Macron to publicly show their disapproval of the event - which 55 percent said should not be boycotted - and 68 percent suggested a symbolic gesture of protest from the players once they are in situ.
Nearly three quarters understood the logic of the mandarins in French town halls over the fan zones. Ah, those canny councillors.
The nitty gritty of the survey emerged a few days after the crème de la crème of those councillors exhorted the hoi polloi to come and savour the joys of Olympic endeavour.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, and Valérie Pécresse, the leader of the Ile de France regional council, set aside their political differences to sing on ode to those Olympic rings as they united to root for the marathon route.
Ideals
“It will be a festive and remarkable moment in history," Hidalgo exulted. "The runners will overcome their limits in the most spectacular surroundings."
Pécresse embellished: “The Ile-de-France region is extremely proud to host this iconic event. The route will take the world on a journey through our magnificent area."
All they needed to complete the rapture was a peal from the bells of Notre Dame.
The 42.195km course on 10 and 11 August 2024 will be gruel to be one of a kind.
Though the last 10km from the forest at Meudon to the finish line on the Esplanade des Invalides is flat, the preceding 15km offer up some inclines for the 80 odd runners each day.
"Contrary to riding a bike, going up a hill is not the problem," said France team marathon runner Yohan Durand.
"It's coming down the hill that is heavy on the thighs. Nevertheless, the course will be an adventure for us. You can forget about pace for this race, it will be a cardio challenge."
Pictures
While the athletes are panting, those watching on TV or in fan zones will be drooling over the sumptuous images.
Organisers have chosen a route taking in the Opéra Garnier, the Louvre, the Tuileries, Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower as well as the avenues leading up to the Chateau of Versailles.
"It will be wonderful," added Durand. "We're used to running through city centres where there's not much history but here in Paris ... there is."
Of yore was in full focus at the route presentation ceremony on 5 October.
The 2024 trek is loosely based on the path taken by around 7,000 women on 5 October, 1789, as revolutionary zeal gripped France.
Congregating at the Hotel de Ville, the angry mob set off for Versailles to convince King Louis XVI that he should head to Paris and ratify the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
End
On 6 October, the king left for the capital. His beloved chateau would never again be used as a royal residence. Louis was eventually guillotined on 21 January 1793 at what is now La Place de la Concorde.
Though there will undoubtedly be tears and heartache, the 2024 Paris Olympic marathon is unlikely to offer up such a gruesome dénouement. But boy, will it be different. Or rather, girl, will it be radical.
Forty years after the first women's marathon at the Olympics in Los Angeles, an ancien régime will be ended.
The women's race, rather than the men's, will be the final event at the Games.
"It's magical that women will be honoured in this way," said the former women's marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe.
The people too will get in on the act. More than 40,000 will be able to run the marathon course after the elite has moved through.
Jon Ridgeon, chief executive of World Athletics, called it a perfect idea.
"It's a special event," added the former British athlete. "And what's so wonderful about the marathon is that people will be able to line the route free of charge to experience some of the magic of the Olympics."
Indeed.
Cold comfort though for anyone seeking a World Cup fan zone next month.
