One year after the Olympic Games: a vast artifice to revive the past

Quite the opposite, right? So, one, two, three, let's go... At Libération , like many French people, we loved the Olympic Games. The joyful impertinence of the opening ceremony , the sporting performances and adrenaline, the flawless organization, the spirit of harmony that had invaded the country, the daily magic, the evening at the Tuileries, when the cauldron rose into the Paris sky.

The cauldron has been back since June 21st , and now we're less happy. Offering the opportunity to those who weren't able to enjoy it last year is a good intention. But something tells us that the same emotions aren't always created in the same pots. And what does this desire to revive, somewhat artificially, a moment of collective grace say about us? To reopen, since that was the expression used last year, this "enchanted interlude"? The very nature of an interlude is that it closes... The same applies to the ceremonies and other initiatives being taken everywhere to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Olympic Games on Saturday. Some, like the installation in the north of the capital of the golden statues of the ten women who have marked the history of feminist struggles, raised from the waters of the Seine last year, are a good idea. But overall, there's a slightly fake spirit to this re-celebration on demand.

Narrative

This energy devoted to reviving the past is matched only by the difficulties encountered over the past year to preserve the future of sport in France. The legacy of the Olympic Games from this point of view remains meager. We have clearly understood that budgetary restrictions would be imposed on everyone ( although? ). But those that will be made in this area will encourage a French bias: considering sport as a negligible quantity. Developing sports practice is still not seen here as a beneficial investment. From health, physical or mental, to living together, it is nevertheless obvious. But it is easier to reinflate a cauldron for a few months than to bet, in the long term, on positive effects on academic results, the morale of our young people, savings in health matters or on security spending. The current citizens' convention on children's time could be an opportunity this fall to talk again about the role of sport. But we wouldn't put a medal to it.