VSThis is a key moment ahead. A moment of truth for the organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP) – even if there have already been a certain number of them (the construction of venues and equipment on time, in particular) and there are still more a few more (keeping the organizational budget in balance, for example).
On May 8, the Olympic flame, coming from Greece on the three-masted ship The Belem, will arrive in Marseille. The torch relay across part of the national territory will then begin until July 26, the date of the opening ceremony of the Games in Paris. This sequence of sixty-nine days (with more than 400 towns crossed) must be an opportunity for Tony Estanguet and his teams from the Organizing Committee, as well as for the government, to demonstrate that there is indeed popular support for with regard to next summer’s event.
For weeks, even months, organizers and public authorities have been repeating that the journey of the flame will constitute the first real moment of “crystallization” of a public opinion, which cannot be said, for the moment, to show overwhelming enthusiasm.
Half April, a survey by the Ipsos institute highlighted that 53% of French people said they felt concerned by the Games. The figure certainly shows that a (small) majority of the population expresses a certain enthusiasm. However, it reflects another reality: month after month, this relative interest tends to decline, with the said study reporting a drop of eight points compared to October 2023.
Indifference, first qualifier cited
With this torch relay, one of the main issues will be “to take on board a very large number of territories” in the Olympic adventure, as the Minister of Sports and JOPs, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, reminded the deputies on April 2. The challenge is big. Disinterest in the Games, or the feeling that they are above all those of Paris, is relatively strong in these “territories” : “The first qualifier that people living in the provinces cite to illustrate their state of mind regarding the Olympics is that of indifference (37%)”underlines Ipsos in its survey.
We can recognize the desire of local authorities to try to reverse this trend by mobilizing, for months, through, for example, the establishment of preparation centers for the Games, activities, or the preparation of fans -areas. The association of departments in the organization of the torch relay is part of this approach. At least for those – there are sixty-four of them – who have chosen to do so.
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