Paris – an Olympic experience for SA fans

You may not remember watching a local sports match, but you never forget being at an Olympic Games, especially when it’s held in Paris.

Two million spectators from all over the world, including from the 206 countries participating, descended on France for the 2023 Olympic Games that began on 26 July and will end this weekend on 11 August.

The SA Jewish Report caught up with some South Africans on their experience of Paris.

Shaun Levitan, the father of chess prodigies Judah and Caleb, said he was lucky to be in France for the beginning of the Games with his two sons, watching France play its first football game in Marseilles on 24 July. They also got to catch the beach volleyball and skateboarding competitions before returning home on 30 July.

“The beach volleyball was an unbelievable vibe,” said Levitan. “I’ve been to a lot of sporting events – rugby games, premiership soccer, and World Cup games, and wasn’t expecting much from the beach volleyball, but the atmosphere was fantastic.

“They had live commentary in English. They blasted music between points. The crowd was doing the Mexican wave. Every seat in the stadium was taken. You could just feel that something special was taking place. They have a temporary stadium in front of the Eiffel Tower, so you’ve got beach volleyball taking place in front of you and on the right, you’ve got the Eiffel Tower.”

Veteran South African football administrator Raymond Hack, who lays claim to having been at every Olympic Games as an adult except the one held in 1980, said crowd participation this year exceeded anything he had seen before. “The French public get behind their stars like you cannot believe,” he told the SA Jewish Report.

Hack said from the moment he arrived on French soil on 24 July, he attended any sporting event that he could. He was at the opening ceremony on 26 July, in which, he said, there would have been a greater atmosphere and crowd participation had it not rained.

Hack wasn’t the only one let down by the opening ceremony.

“We thought it was going to be the most extraordinary ceremony in the world because it was going to take place in Paris rather than a stadium,” said writer and wedding officiant Carol Ann Ross, for whom watching the opening ceremony was a bucket-list item. “I paid a pretty penny for my tickets, and we were seated in a grandstand on one of the bridges that happens to be in front of the most expensive, famous restaurants in Paris, the Tour d’Argent.”

Ross felt great anticipation before the ceremony, but was quickly left in the rain. “We probably saw six boats go by before the rain started. Some people had umbrellas. Some had raincoats. We sat in the rain for four and a half hours, determined to get our money’s worth. It was an absolute disaster. My skin was soaking wet and I was freezing cold. There was a screen that was supposed to help us see what people on TV could see, but in front of the screen was the thickest, largest, tallest lamppost, so we couldn’t see anything.”

Paris during the Olympics wasn’t what she expected, and she has spent much time in the city throughout her life. “Paris is empty at the moment,” she said. “There’s no one here. The streets are empty. There’s no traffic, just spectators going to the games. All the Parisians left in anticipation of the panic, and there are more police on the street than civilians. There’s no business for taxis. Paris doesn’t have the same energy it usually does. It’s disappointing.

“That doesn’t take away from the remarkable things I’ve seen at the sporting events. These athletes have worked so hard to get where they are, and to see them succeed is amazing,” Ross said.

Mark Stein, chief executive of Adam International Group, arrived on 1 August to watch the athletics. Being at the Olympics was a special experience, he said. The 1969 King Edward School Victor Ludorum told the SA Jewish Report he had always dreamt of going to the Olympics and has now attended three, including the one in Paris.

“I have never seen such a beautiful city so quiet and orderly,” said Stein. “The streets are relatively empty of cars, and it’s a haven for bike riders. The people who didn’t leave on holiday were friendly and helpful. There’s a sense of complete safety and easily accessible transportation to and from the stadiums. Other unique moments include the ability to stumble on events like road cycling happening through the streets.”

Stein is spending his time watching athletics until he leaves Paris on 10 August. “The build-up in the stadium from the 100m semifinals and finals in the same session was breathtaking. The fact that there was a photo finish among all the athletes except one shows the intensity of the race,” he said.

For Levitan, the highlight of the trip was being able to watch South African athlete Brandon Valjalo compete in skateboarding. Valjalo exhibited such sportsmanship, Levitan said, he was “able to show my boys the sportsmanship that exists at that level. Just to be able to compete at the highest level is good enough to represent your country. You don’t have to medal to be a success at this after the tournament.”