The volunteers, these other ambassadors of Paris 2024: “We felt like we were experiencing the great history of sport from the inside”

If you thought the Paris 2024 Games volunteer role ended with the Paralympic closing ceremony on September 8, think again. "It's stuck with us for the rest of our lives," explains Amandine Guillaume, 36, a team member in the athletes' department for judo and wrestling, who has carefully kept her volunteer gear.
A year later, it's impossible to walk past a bag emblazoned with the Olympic rings at the supermarket, a dark blue and turquoise striped sweater while running, or a colorful bucket hat on the beach without reacting. On the streets of the capital, in Bordeaux, Lille, and even beyond France's borders, volunteers are immediately noticed.
– What division?
– Champ de Mars, logistics team.
Like veterans, we greet each other with a nod or a smile. On our chests, a parade of pins bears witness to our service record: "Field hockey, Australia-South Africa, I was there." Protocol coquettishness is not one, as the event has left a lasting mark on these little hands at the heart of the reactor.
"We felt like we were experiencing the great history of sport from the inside, the atmosphere was fantastic," adds Amandine Guillaume. The PE teacher particularly remembers this long discussion with the father of judoka Teddy Riner , who was stressed before his son's individual final.
The discreet and joyful presence of these 45,000 volunteers, a third of whom are members of sports clubs, quickly made them the darlings of the public and the athletes: "One year after the Olympic Games, I really want to thank the volunteers, they took great care of us," the five-time Olympic judo gold medalist noted to Le Monde .
Mobilized at competition sites, in the athletes' village, at the media center, at training sites and even in train stations and airports, they were essential cogs in the success of the event.
A giant picnic at La VilletteAs with athletes, once the flame was extinguished, some of them got the "blues" . "We call it Olympic-stalgia," says Amandine Guillaume with a laugh, who aims to return to action "for Los Angeles [in 2028] or even before, for the Winter Games [in Milan-Cortina in 2026] !"
To fill the void left by Paris 2024 and prolong the magic, some volunteers have even organized themselves into associations. Anne Barthaux, assigned to protocol at Roissy during the Olympic Games and then press team leader at the Stade de France during the Paralympics, contributed to the development of a group of volunteers in Bordeaux: "Every month, we meet up. We talk about the Games, we go to restaurants in uniform, and little by little, real friendships have been formed."
The same dynamic is shared by Katy Grignon, 52, a saleswoman in the food industry, who participated in the creation of the Paris 2024 volunteers association: "Today, we have 60 volunteer missions. In March, for example, I participated in the French boxing championships!"
Positive momentum for sportA positive boost for French sport, whose model relies overwhelmingly on volunteering, which has been in decline for several years. "I continued volunteering, including in sports, even though it wasn't my area of expertise before," notes Yvette Gilbert, 70, a former media library director.
To celebrate the first anniversary of the Paris Games, nearly 400 volunteers planned to gather at La Villette on Saturday, July 26, for a giant picnic " in uniform ." " I'm bringing the pins to share like in the good old days ," Thierry Goulet enthused on the Paris 2024 Volunteers Facebook group.
A way to extend the Olympic spirit, but also the initial functions of the kit designed by Decathlon as part of its partnership with Paris 2024. "The pants are practical and they make my students smile in PE class, so I still wear them very regularly, " explains Amandine Guillaume, who gave the rest of the kit to her daughters. Enough to keep the flame of the 2024 Games burning for a long time to come.
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