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STORY: :: Olympic fever has caught on in France after months of doom and gloom

:: July 31, 2024

:: Thousands of French fans are flocking to the Club France fan zone to support their athletes

:: Paris, France

“Us French people, are complainers. We complain before and then when the moment comes, I’m sure there were Parisians who were complaining, who didn’t want it (the Olympics), who didn’t want to stay for the Olympics, many of whom have come back and have realised that it’s crazy. Maybe we are chauvinistic but it feels like even when sports like archery are on there’s a super atmosphere. I feel like this is one of the best atmospheres there has ever been at an Olympic Games, so we wanted to be here. I wanted to pass on this Olympic flame to my children.”

“It’s always the same. Everyone complains before it happens and then when it happens everyone is happy and it’s superb. There’s a super atmosphere. You can see that Club France (French fan zone) is full. There’s so many people. It’s so cool.”

There had been few signs of enthusiasm over recent months, when concerns were rife among the French over whether Paris, and the whole country, would be ready for the Games.

In the French capital, complaining about security risks and Olympics-related construction work while talking about leaving the city for the Games were much more common than enthusiasm for the event, Parisians say.

An uncertain political background and an inconclusive parliamentary election did not help.

But after a daring open ceremony on the Seine river went ahead without a glitch, despite pouring rain and some controversy in Catholic and right-wing circles, and as French athletes started collecting medal after medal, the mood has lifted.

With Marchand's victory in the butterfly final, France is now third in the Games' medal table with seven golds, behind China and Japan who have eight each.

Twenty-three million tuned in to watch the opening ceremony in France - more than for matches in the Euro 2024 soccer championship