Many factors contribute to an Olympic Games being a success – or, occasionally, being less than successful.
There is, of course, much riding on the standard of the athletic performances that will be on display over the next 17 days in Paris.
Perhaps even more pertinently, just how many truly memorable moments that are created contribute significantly to the perceived success of an Olympics.
But one, far less measurable factor, is exactly how the host city welcomes the Games.
London 2012 was the perfect example of a Games being in the right host city at just the right time. There’s other examples of the Olympics being very much in the wrong host city at the wrong time.
But, having last night welcomed the long-awaited start of this summer’s Olympics, the signs are that Paris is exactly the city the Olympic movement needs right now, and it’s doing things the way they need to be done at this moment in time.
France’s capital was awarded this summer’s Olympic Games seven years ago having, surprisingly, lost out to London for the 2012 Games.
But, it seems, Paris is the perfect fit for the 2024 edition of a summer Olympics that needs something of a boost given its previous two outings.
In 2012, London hosted a quite astonishing Olympics – one that was hailed, almost universally, as the greatest Olympic Games ever.
However, in 2016, Rio failed to continue the momentum, staging an Olympics that was blighted by corruption and was often devoid of atmosphere given the prohibitively high ticket prices for the Brazilian public.
Then came Tokyo, which promised to get things back on track.
But, entirely outwith the hands of Tokyo’s Olympic organising committee, the 2020 Games were blighted, nay ruined, by the Covid pandemic which firstly forced the postponement of the Games by a year and then meant they took place in front of empty stands due to pandemic restrictions.
After all that, the Olympic Games needed a reset, and it appears Paris is the perfect candidate.
Paris, in the best possible way, will be a Games distinct from every other that has gone before.
Firstly, it’s the city, rather than any particular venue, that will be the star of the show.
The French capital enjoys some of the world’s most revered landmarks and architecture - and they will be utilised in the best possible way.
The Opening Ceremony, rather than take place in the main stadium as is typical, was, last night, staged in the heart of Paris.
It took place along the banks of the River Seine, with each country’s athletes and officials on boats rather than marching into the stadium as is traditional.
This Games is being hosted on a budget, in relative terms, with the only permanent venues constructed being the aquatics centre and the Athletes’ Village, with all other sports taking place in pre-existing or temporary venues in an attempt to keep costs down.
This is the model that every future Olympics must copy.
The athletes, as always, will be the stars.
Track and field will, once again, be the Games’ blue riband sport but there will be many, many more that capture the public’s attention.
There’s surfing in Tahiti, basketball which will boast true superstars of world sport and road cycling which will snake around Paris, taking in the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
And, for the first time, women’s sport will truly take centre stage; traditionally, the Olympic Games concludes with the men’s marathon and the men’s basketball gold medal game whereas in Paris, the final events are the women’s marathon and the women’s basketball final. That’s an historic switch from Paris’ organising committee.
This Olympics, as is customary of course, will not be flawless.
For many years, much of the French, and particularly the Parisian public, has expressed its displeasure at these Games coming to their country and city at all given the costs associated with hosting an Olympic Games and so support for the event is not universal.
And France as a nation is not currently in a particularly settled mood.
It held a legislative election earlier this month and with the country being unsettled politically, there remains threats of disruption, civil unrest, strikes and terrorism in the city during these Games.
The River Seine, in which the triathlon’s swimming event is due to take place, is horribly polluted, plus there’s a distinct possibility of protests, both athlete and spectator, over the current situation in Gaza. And Russian athletes will be competing even though they probably shouldn’t be considering their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Travelling around Paris over the fortnight, during which literally millions of fans and visitors will descend upon the city, threatens to be nothing short of hellish and, as with every Olympic Games, there is an omnipresent possibility of dopers cheating their way to Olympic success.
But, for all the potential flaws and pitfalls, the next two weeks will be an overwhelming success as a direct result of the sporting action and, particularly, the athletes who we will witness enjoy some of the best moments or suffer some of the most crushing, devastating disappointments of their lives.
Objectively, in the grand scheme of things, sporting success doesn’t really matter but when you’re in the athlete bubble and, specifically, the Olympic bubble, it means absolutely everything.
It’s often said that athletes have spent four years of their lives training for their Olympic appearance but almost always, the build-up has lasted far longer than just four years.
That’s why the Olympics matter – it’s the embodiment of commitment, hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
We’ll watch athletes of whom we’ve never heard of before and will perhaps never see again and witness their victories and defeats which mean absolutely everything to them.
That’s why the Olympics is so special.
For two weeks, it’s all that matters to the athletes and, for so many of us watching, it’s all that matters to us too.
