Can the public change the face of the Olympics?

“History news” about the Olympic Games. Fabrice d’Almeida, our history consultant, tells us the latest news about Olympic history every morning.

“History news” around the Games is dedicated until the end of the events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, to Olympic history and its singularities. Today with Fabrice d’Almeida, professor of history at the Panthéon-Assas University, we talk about the presence of the public during the Olympic Games and its decisive support. Decryption with Fabrice d’Almeida, our historical consultant.

franceinfo: We are turning our eyes towards the public this morning and we have been realizing for a week the importance of this meeting with them?

Fabrice d’Almeida: Today, the public of the Games is decisive, numerous, and with very diverse figures: in the stands, stars, political figures, family and friends of the athletes, rub shoulders with everyone. Yesterday was fantastic and magnificent in this respect. MBut it wasn’t always the case.

In the first Games, it must be admitted, the public was small. In Athens many events had few spectators. Fencing, for example, took place under a portico with a few dozen seats (including the royal family). And in the stadium during the week, the stands are deserted in several photos in the report printed after the events. Only engravings show the stands full of spectators during the opening and closing of the Games.

In Paris in 1900, there were an average of 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. Then, still in Paris in 1924, things started to get serious: 625,000 seats sold. At the 1948 games, the million mark was finally exceeded. Atlanta’s record in 1996 was 8.3 million, a record that should be broken this year with 10 million seats.

Overall, the public is still seen as a real support?

At each Olympics, superlatives describe this audience, as in France in 2024: electric, energizing, friendly. But sometimes the spectators get agitated. For example, during the Athens games in 2004, a defrocked Irish priest, Cornelius Oran, attacked Vanderlei de Lima, the Brazilian champion, who was leading the marathon. With 5 km to go, he pushed him against the barriers. And it was a Greek spectator, Polyvios Kossivas, who freed the marathon runner and allowed him to continue the race.

Vanderlei finished 3rd and forgave his troublemaker. Especially since Brazil saw in his calm and moderate conduct an example of sportsmanship. Even President Lula at the time wanted to give him a Brazilian gold medal. In fact, interactions with the public are at the heart of the games. They give color and sound to the exploits…