With Paris traffic snarled by Olympics-related changes and closures, and uncertainty over Sunday’s election, Parisians have yet to get into the spirit of the Games.
Political uncertainty hangs over France following President Emmanuel Macron’s surprise call for early elections. Political campaigning has dominated public and media space in a jittery Paris, while Europe looks on with anticipation as the Olympic Games return after twelve years.
The spectacular, unique stadiums that will host sports from 26 July are now nearing completion in tourist hotspots around the City of Light, including the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde and Les Invalides.
Despite the beauty of combining centuries of culture and history with modern sport, it has come at the cost of comfort, or at least some inconvenience for Parisians whose daily lives have been disrupted.
The decision was taken to reduce costs and be more environmentally friendly, a decision that has been well received by French society, despite daily complaints about the increasing disruption over the past few days.
Several major thoroughfares have been closed or restricted, while new cycle lanes and Olympic VIP lanes have added to the congestion in a city already unfriendly to drivers of internal combustion vehicles.
Indeed, many Parisians will be leaving the city during the Games, which run from 26 July to 11 August, followed by the Paralympics from 28 August to 8 September. Some will leave to avoid the traffic chaos and militarisation of the area; others will escape the heat and take advantage of second homes.
The less fortunate have opted to rent out their homes during the Games to earn extra money, a necessity given recent inflation (5.9% in 2022 and 4.9% in 2023).
Those who make their living on the streets of Paris, from courier cyclists and delivery drivers to taxi drivers, are also struggling to get through these months of inconvenience, with no other options.
Complaints are widespread in the central area. It’s not surprising, given that Place de la Concorde, where the Olympic skateboarding, BMX freestyle and breakdancing trackshave been set up, is normally a major hub for Parisian transport.
Organisers insist that Parisians will appreciate the Games once they begin, and in the years to come, for the image and legacy they will leave in France.
“I’ve had the good fortune to be involved in the Olympic Games in one way or another since 1982, and you always hear the same things,” Etienne Thobois, director general of the Paris 2024 organising committee, told AFP, justifying previous complaints.
“It’s true that our concept of having a large number of temporary sites in the heart of the city obviously has its limitations, but I have the feeling that people see what we’re doing,” he added.
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“At the end of the day, tourism and cultural activities have not been disrupted,” he continued. “You definitely have to plan your trips a little bit and make sure you’re informed, but life goes on, businesses are open, hotels are open,” Thobois said.
On top of these expected disruptions, the French election has added a major element of uncertainty. Voters go to the polls on Sunday in the first of two rounds before the Games begin.
Polls show Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party as the likely winner of the elections, which could see it become the largest parliamentary group and possibly lead the government for the first time. If confirmed, this would mark a significant ideological shift in French politics.
Anne Hidalgo stepped up her criticism of Macron on Wednesday, saying he had ruined the atmosphere.”In an act of mistreatment of the French people, the president is spoiling the party,” Hidalgo told the newspaper Ouest France, referring to Macron’s decision to dissolve parliament on 9 June.
The Olympics are “a union of humanity through sport”. “Why undermine this beautiful moment with these hastily called elections without consulting anyone?” added the Socialist mayor, an opponent of Macron who belongs to the Renaissance party.
Macron has described the elections as a moment of “clarification” and warned against voting for the “extremes”, both the far-right RN and the new left-wing alliance that includes moderate socialists and far-left communists.
Opinion polls show the ruling party’s centrist bloc in a distant third place and facing a significant loss of power in the future.