with the Olympics Emmanuel Macron intends to rekindle the flame of enthusiasm and restore his political health

In an extremely tense international context, the Head of State intends to take advantage of the impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Olympic Games begin in just over three months. Emmanuel Macron is banking on this event to restore his political health. The Olympic flame will be lit on Tuesday April 16 in Greece, before arriving in France, in Marseille, on May 8, and 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games, the Head of State intends to rekindle the flame of popular enthusiasm for this planetary event. The challenge is big. Opinion surveys show that, for the moment, skepticism dominates. The French fear this deadline more than they rejoice in it: the terrorist threat, the difficulties of movement in the capital, the cost of the organization, their reasons for concern are multiple. The controversies follow one another and, in the public service or at the RATP, certain unions have filed strike notices which cover the duration of the Games. The Head of State therefore wants to dispel this ambient gloom and rely on the Games to “restore pride to the French” and make it shine “our nation of builders”, they say at the Élysée.

It is caught up in serious international crises. Iran’s attack on Israel this weekend increases the risk of escalation and extension of the conflict in the Middle East. The offensive by Russian troops on the Ukrainian front represents a threat dramatized by Emmanuel Macron himself when he refuses to exclude a priori the possible sending of Western troops one day to block the advance of Vladimir Putin’s armies. In such a heavy international context, it is difficult for the moment to praise “the year of French pride” which the Head of State championed during his televised greetings on December 31.

The influence of France

With the continuation of these conflicts, the Olympic Games risk perhaps appearing a little offbeat. But at the Élysée, we think on the contrary that the fact of organizing an event of such a dimension, which only happens in France once a century, gives our country, and therefore the head of the State, a very particular role in resolving these crises. Which leads Emmanuel Macron to reaffirm on the one hand his unfailing support for Ukraine, and on the other his solidarity with Israel and at the same time his call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Because it will welcome the world in three months, France’s voice could be a little more audible and a little more influential. A voice that the Head of State will also try to make heard during the 80th anniversary of the landing, on June 6, three days before European elections, which promise to be difficult for the majority.