10 things you probably didn't need to know about the 2024 summer Olympics
No one really cares, the French are not looking forward to it, and no French fries will be served.
The next Summer Olympics are in less than two months. But like so many, the team at Collapse Life was completely unaware the global sporting get-together was still a thing, since we’re living in a world far more obsessed with Ozempic than Olympics.
Turns out, we’re not alone. Polling data from Civic Science from March 2024 shows only 14% of Americans say they’ll follow the games ‘very’ closely, and less than half will follow at least ‘somewhat’ closely.
In that spirit, here are 10 things you may not know about this year’s games:
This is the third time the Summer Games will take place in Paris. The last time was exactly 100 years ago, in 1924. That year, over 3,000 athletes from 44 nations (mostly men) took part in 126 events in 23 disciplines, comprising 17 sports. This year, over 10,000 athletes will compete in 329 events, covering 32 sports.
Paris’ socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, somehow spun the city’s successful bid into a win for feminism. A recent interview with Time magazine said: “To her critics, she points to the fact that she has accomplished what three predecessors — all men — failed to do: she has brought the Olympics to Paris. ‘A woman was needed,’ she says, literally cocking a thumb at her nose.”
French people are actively NOT looking forward to this summer’s spectacle. A recent online survey found over half (57%) of respondents expressly "unexcited" or explicitly "not looking forward to" the Games. They are particularly concerned over traffic restrictions, higher public transit fares, overcrowding, and heightened risks of terrorism. Parisians traditionally leave the city to tourists during the summer months — and this year, lured by soaring rental prices during the Olympics, many residents of the capital have listed their homes on Airbnb, sparking Hidalgo to tell them: “Paris will be magnificent, don’t leave this summer, that would be stupid.”
War is casting a shadow on the Games. Russian and Belarusian athletes must compete as neutral athletes, without an accompanying national flag or anthem. This is the Olympic Committee’s way of punishing those countries for attacking Ukraine. There have been recent demands from pro-Palestinian supporters to similarly exclude Israeli athletes in the wake of the retaliation on Gaza for the October attack by Hamas terrorists.
Breakdancing will be included as a new “sport” in this year’s Games. According to nbcolympics.com, “16 men and 16 women (known as "B-Boys" and "B-Girls") will compete at the Olympics, with a round robin followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal battles... A panel of nine judges score the B-boys and B-girls on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. Performativity and creativity hold the most weight (60%), and the other categories account for the other 40%. Breaking is unique in that the B-Girls and B-Boys don’t know the music ahead of time — they must improvise their moves to the beat.” [As an aside, what the hell is performativity?]
Spectators will have to use a digital tracking system to access competition venues, Olympic villages, and fan zones. A unique, mandatory QR code will be required, which “contains information about the holder, such as surname, first name, and ticket number. This information is used to verify the person's identity and ensure that they are authorized to enter the restricted area,” according to the official website of the Olympic Games. As Leo Hohmann points out on Substack: “Imagine if this spreads to retail stores and restaurants? Oh, wait a minute, that already happened at 10 major U.S. cities during the Covid lockdown. Now imagine if it’s implemented at grocery stores. Resistance is the only way to stop this beast from growing into a monster of total government control over all human movement. If too few of us resist, we all end up in a digital police state.”
Although the Macron government is eager to promote French gastronomy, the food at the Olympic Village restaurant will have a distinctly “global” feel. The New York Times reports that “Stéphane Chicheri and Charles Guilloy, the chefs in charge, sang the praises of vegetarian shawarma, za’atar-spiced sweet potatoes with hummus, cabbage pickles, beetroot falafel, and grilled eggplant with smoked paprika.” Chicheri and Guilloy say foie gras is off the menu, due to animal welfare concerns, but athletes will have access to baguettes, French cheeses, and blanquette of veal “but with a lightened sauce.” They can also choose “Asian cuisine, Afro-Caribbean dishes, vegetarian shawarma, hamburgers (meat, vegetarian, or a combination of the two), Middle Eastern food and halal cuisine. Kosher food will also be available on demand.” French fries will not be on offer, due to the risk associated with using deep-fat fryers — that sounds about right for France.
In the name of “accessibility” and “inclusivity,” these Games will feature the first-ever Olympic Village nursery. Sponsored by Pampers, the space aims to “provide a comfortable and convenient environment for athlete parents to spend time with their babies and young children during the Games.” In addition to diapers and wipes, parents can access a space for “playtime and family bonding.”
Female Muslim athletes can wear a hijab to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Unless they’re French, as France has laws that strictly separate religion from the state (called laïcité). “France insists that none of its athletes will be allowed to wear the hijab, or any religious items, during the Olympic Games in Paris next year,” DW reported last year. “The reiteration of national policy comes even though no top-level French athletes wear the head covering.”
In typical French style, Parisian Uber drivers are threatening to strike. Uber drivers will be banned from using the hundreds of special "Olympic lanes" set aside for delegations, taxis, buses, and journalists. Uber drivers are calling this a major disappointment and say there is discrimination against ride-hailing apps in favor of traditional taxis. "Without these reserved lanes, it's going to be very difficult for us to get around,” said Karim Daoud, President of the Union representing ride-hailing drivers in France (AVF). “I'm afraid that a lot of drivers will throw in the towel." Daoud told Euronews that the union hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a strike: "We reserve the right to hold protests. That's still on the agenda but we advocate for some sort of dialogue first."
Given this list of 10 facts, is it any surprise no one cares about the Olympics anymore?
Maybe I am just out of touch with modern medicine and training techniques. I have a hard time envisioning someone up to competing at the elite levels of athletic performance having recently given birth or maintaining the required training regimes while caring for an infant.
Look how they slipped in a mandatory digital ID, getting us used to it, normalizing it, for our safety. Or was it just for convenience on their part as a ticket verification? If so, why not just have tickets? No, I think they want to lull us into acceptance of the "necessary surveillance" that will enslave us all when they roll out CBDCs.