What was the star of one of the “all-time great” Olympics? It was quite simply Paris, due to the imagination of the organisers in placing temporary venues among world-renowned landmarks. From beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower to the elegant surroundings of the Palace of Versailles for the equestrian events and the grandeur of the Grand Palais for fencing and taekwondo, the Paris Games were a veritable tourists’ guide to the “City of Light”. Michael Payne, a former head of marketing at the IOC, said that in terms of legacy Paris had succeeded in ensuring the “Olympics are clearly back” after “the chaos of Rio” and the Covid-affected 2021 Tokyo edition.
“These Games will go down as one of the all-time great Olympic Games,” the 66-year-old Irishman told AFP. “The presentation of Paris as one massive Olympic venue, with its incredible iconic buildings as a backdrop, has had a massive impact on the TV ratings around the world,” he added. Terrence Burns, another former IOC marketing executive, told AFP he thinks Paris has set a “very high bar” for the 2028 hosts Los Angeles.
“Each Games brings something unique,” the American told AFP. “This one will be remembered as much for the city as the Games that took place in it. “So much was riding on the success of Paris 2024.
“Each venue felt like a piece of history and I loved how they used the city itself as the canvas upon which to paint a beautiful Games - unmatched.” Robertson, the head of .