Paris Olympics hailed as most spectacular of all time around world

Over a week into the Paris Olympics, the sporting event of the year has been praised around the world. 

Usually nonchalant Parisians have embraced the Games, and the huge security operation has so-far done its job, ensuring events have taken place with no interruption. 

And the spectacular venues have been praised all over the world for showcasing some of Paris’ most famous sites. 

In France, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony broke viewing figure records, attracting an audience of 24.4 million people, making it the most-watched television event ever in France. 

USA

US magazine Sports Illustrated hailed the “breath-taking venues”, such as the beach volleyball competition that took place in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. “The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are providing people with other once-in-a-lifetime views of famous landmarks,” it wrote. 

The New York Times said the Olympics had managed to “melt Parisian cool” and the usually unimpressed Parisians have completely given themselves over to the “carnival spirit” of the Games. 

This year’s Olympic Games is “an Olympics of unrivalled beauty”, according to The Washington Post, which wrote the venues themselves are “fighting to steal scenes”. 

In the US, viewing figures are considerably up on the previous Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021. Broadcaster NBC saw an average audience of 34 million viewing during the first five days of coverage, with many tuning in to see rapper Snoop Dog, who the broadcaster has sent to Paris as one of its special correspondents. 

UK

The Guardian wrote Canadian pop icon Céline Dion “brought down the house” with her “breathtaking take” on the Edith Piaf classic L’hymne à l’amour during the climax of the rain-soaked opening ceremony. It said Dion, who performed in a custom Dior gown from halfway up the Eiffel Tower, was the “crown jewel” of the evening. 

The opening ceremony “wowed the world”, said the BBC, while it was “every bit as wild and baffling as it was awe inspiring” according to The Mirror. 

The Independent was more critical, writing the ceremony was “too much filler, too little killer”. 

The opening ceremony attracted the most viewers in the UK since 2012, eclipsing the viewing figures for the previous two Games, in Tokyo and Rio, according to reports. Around 6.8 million people tuned in to watch the ceremony, which was broadcast live on BBC1. 

Presenter Jeanette Kwakye, who has been presenting Olympics coverage for the BBC, said the Paris studio was the most beautiful she had ever worked in – likely because of its stunning backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.  

India 

The Times of India wrote France “dazzled the world” with a “colourful” and “vibrant” opening ceremony, which highlighted France’s “rich cultural tapestry” and “architectural legacy”. 

Australia

The opening ceremony was a “creative tour de force” according to The Sydney Morning Herald, but “ultimately let athletes down” by not being held in a stadium. 

Ireland

The opening ceremony was a “triumphant display of life and light” that not even torrential rain could dampen, according to the Irish Independent. 

The Irish Times praised the Paris Olympics as being host to its athletes’ greatest-ever performance, writing “in 100 years of Ireland at the Olympics, this has been the greatest week”. 

Swimmer Daniel Wiffen won gold in the men’s 800m freestyle, while Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle clinched bronze in the double sculls. 

Spain

Broadcaster RTVE said “ooh la la, what a spectacle”, adding Paris had “dazzled” with its opening ceremony. 

Sports newspaper Marca said it was “an unforgettable ceremony”, while El País wrote that Paris had “amazed the world”. 

China 

China’s state news agency Xinhua hailed the opening ceremony for its celebration of French culture. “There were Can-Can girls, a homage to the reconstruction of Notre Dame and of course the French Revolution” it wrote, according to Reuters.

Germany

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on the “collective ecstasy that reigns in Paris”, Le Monde reported. The German paper noted how the French had been whipped into a “patriotic frenzy” by the success of homegrown stars such as swimmer Léon Marchand. 

France 

Even correspondents for French broadcasters are pleasantly surprised at how different the atmosphere is in Paris.