Through observations, winks and anecdotes, the Carnets de Paris immerse you in the heart of the Olympic Games.
History has it that in ancient times the Olympic Games were accompanied by a truce during which the Greek cities laid down their arms to peacefully compete in sports and the arts. This beautiful idea is still evoked today, as the holding of the Olympic Games is usually accompanied by an appeal by the host country to the community of nations to renounce or at least pause in all armed conflicts.
French President Emmanuel Macron took advantage of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s visit to France in May to launch a joint call for a global truce. A resolution to this effect was also passed by the United Nations General Assembly last fall.
The least we can say is that the message is having a hard time getting across. The Paris Games are taking place in a particularly tense geopolitical context, to name just the tragedy in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the climate of confrontation between the American and Chinese giants, which the possible election of Donald Trump would not improve.
In fact, the whole Olympic truce thing was greatly exaggerated and never really respected, two Games historians explained this week in the French daily The worldIn ancient times, its main purpose was to enable athletes to travel to and from the Games safely.
The emphasis on the Olympic truce, peace and friendship between peoples began to be felt especially when the Olympic movement began its more commercial turn in the 1980s. “We had to find an extra soul,” says historian Fabien Archambault. “The idea of the truce is a communication strategy,” adds his colleague, Patrick Clastres.
No matter. Faced with a political crisis since he dissolved the French National Assembly, the elections strengthened his opponents on both the left and the right, and the government he appointed fell, Emmanuel Macron is now calling for another kind of truce. “A political truce” that would allow him to catch his breath a little, at least for the duration of the Games.
This report was financed with the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.