Canoeist Tony Laurent Marcel Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, has been a staunch advocate of the merits of the Games, while acknowledging certain inconveniences in the lives of Parisians, particularly in terms of traffic and mobility restrictions for security reasons.

The former triple Olympic medallist (in Sydney, Athens, and London) believes that the benefits of the Games will outweigh the inconveniences, such as the chance to watch beach volleyball at the iconic Eiffel Tower or breakdancing at the Place de la Concorde, an iconic Parisian square situated between the Champs-Élysées and the Tuileries Gardens.

The former athlete, a five-time world champion, is aware that the polls are not entirely favourable, and that with the general mood is not in favour of hosting the Olympic Games. Particularly in terms of transport and security, given the restrictions imposed by the limitation of individual rights and the expected unavailability of transport for residents due to the large influx of the public.

He will, of course, continue his efforts until the lighting of the torch to mark the start of the 33rd modern Olympic Games and to highlight the unique opportunity for Parisians to experience an event that occurs very rarely in life.

The presence of 15 million visitors and international terrorism, coupled with the growing problems in Gaza (the consequences of which are likely to be felt in Paris as a result), serve as an additional warning for the security of France in general and Paris in particular - something unimaginable just a few years ago. 

In response, there will be an appeal to appreciate this unique event, which will be enjoyed by more than 2.2 million Parisians and nearly 12 million people in the metropolitan area. 

The Opening Ceremony will be held on the banks of the world-famous River Seine, with some 600,000 spectators lining the quays, despite security recommendations that it would be more appropriate to hold it in a stadium. 

Another measure to win over a sceptical public is to guarantee free entry to no less than 100,000 people, in responde to criticism of the ticket prices, considered by some to be the most expensive in history, as recently denounced by Sebastian Coe, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations. 

Estanguet is also keen to stress the fact that the forthcoming Games will be the biggest spectacle in French history and a revolutionary Olympics in terms of cost and environmental impact. He claims that their aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around half, something that is always well received by Parisian and European society in general, and in line with the 2030 project.

In this respect, many stadiums have been "recycled" or at least renovated, in contrast to London, Rio de Janeiro, or Tokyo, where many new venues were built, some of which ended up as mega-constructions, unused and in ruins. 

As in Rio 2016, the Olympic villages in Saint-Denis, north-east of Paris, will be converted into housing, a much-appreciated initiative given the current housing crisis in Europe in general and in major capitals such as Paris in particular.

The cost of the Games, which has significantly exceeded initial estimates (from 6.6 billion to 8.8 billion), is nothing to be proud of. However, the excuse of general and global inflation due to the issuance of money to counter the effects of the closure of Covid and the economic contraction, will serve as a rationale, or at least an incentive. 

Paris, on the other hand, can take advantage of the fact that a significant part of the funding will come from the private sector and that many of the works will benefit the inhabitants of Paris, as in the case of the Seine, which has been cleaned up for swimming competitions and whose considerable improvement will be enjoyed by all.

In conclusion, the cards are on the table, despite the organisation's attempt to present the positives in a logical way. The truth is that Paris 2024 is only a few months away, after eight years without an Olympic Games in front of a live audience, with all the good and bad that entails. 

It will be up to the people, and in particular the inhabitants, to decide what weighs more heavily in their minds: the inconvenience in terms of transport, security, and crowd saturation, the lavish expenditure (albeit much of it from the private sector), the restriction of some mobility rights, or the pride of hosting the Games for the third time and further establishing the Paris brand worldwide as a tourist destination and events hub, with a positive economic impact in particular.

From the point of view of enjoyment, these will be unique events, and despite everything, life is meant to be enjoyed despite the collateral problems that may arise and from which the general public cannot escape. 

Residents will have two choices: to stay at home or even to leave the city and criticise the Games, or to embrace them and enjoy them despite the daily complications they cannot avoid. Parisians, in spite of everything: embrace and enjoy the unique opportunity that life has given you.