Like millions of others throughout the world, I have been watching the Olympic games televised coverage each evening. While the track and field events are my favorites, I enjoy viewing almost all of the competitions. Having been in Paris in April when the games were only 100 days out has given me an extra boost to catch as many backstories about races, competitor biographies, and venue locations as possible. Plus, I am one-half French. My French grandfather was age 15 when he arrived at Ellis Island in 1920. My French grandmother was born in the U.S., the daughter of immigrants who came to the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Paris is a beautiful city, a great place to host the games. Game officials, politicians, civic leaders, and members of the private sector drew up and delivered a sound and sustainable design for the three weeks of competition. Some sports saw early games held in non-Paris locations. Initial rounds of basketball were hosted in Lille. The surfing competition occurred in Tahiti. Versailles was the host to equestrian competitions. Other events: e.g., sand volleyball, were held in temporary venues, leaving the city without structures with no purpose at the end of the games. In all, there are seven temporary venues utilized for the regular games and five for the paralympic games which will be held in late August. In addition to being sustainable, the temporary sites gave attendees the opportunity to view competition in close proximity to historic monuments, e.g., the Eiffel Tower and squares.

I was lucky enough to be in Beijing in 2007, not long before the Chinese hosted the Olympic Games. I saw the Bird’s Nest and other venues under construction. It was a massive undertaking that also involved the forced displacement of many thousands of people to unwanted housing just to accommodate the game. It was sad. The press did a poor job of covering the stories of the people who were forced to move. One of my friends gave me an automobile tour of the areas affected. I have also seen pictures and read stories about the many hundreds of abandoned venues constructed for the Olympic Games: tennis courts (Atlanta, 1996), Olympic Aquatic Center (Athens, 2004), Maracanã Stadium (Rio de Janeiro, 2016), and the Olympic Village (Turin, 2010). Planning for the 2020 games in Los Angeles seems to be following the Paris track, good news for all.

The beauty and historical significance of Paris cannot be overstated. To have the games intermingle with the culture of The City of Light was a real treat.