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The French capital’s iconic attractions bring extra glamour to the world’s top sporting events. Siegfried Modola took a step back from the Olympic action to appreciate that magic

Having the opportunity as a photographer to cover the Olympic Games is a privilege, even moreso when these Games unfold in Paris, a city renowned for its cultural significance and beauty.

The world’s best athletes are vying for the podium inside or next to some of France’s most iconic and historically significant monuments and venues.

For spectators and athletes alike, being part of the Olympic Games in Paris is not only about witnessing and achieving moments of athletic triumph. It is also about experiencing this blend of sports and history in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The aesthetic and historical significance of venues such as the Grand Palais, the Champ-de-Mars, the Tuileries Garden, and the Pont Alexandre III adds something unique to this most grandiose international sport event, set against such the breathtaking backdrop that is Paris.

Grand Palais, Champs-Élysées and Pont Alexandre III

Fencers stand in an en garde position at the start of a bout at the Grand Palais in the 8th arrondissement of the City of Lights, between the Champs-Élysées and the River Seine. Built in the late 1800s, its dome-shaped vaults of glass and steel elegantly dominate the skyline of the French capital. Spectators here enjoy the grandiosity of this venue, which was built to showcase art and technology, as their athletes compete for the podium.

The Grand Palais, which is more than 120 years old, underwent a massive renovation to get it ready for the Paris Olympics, where it is the venue for fencing and taekwondo.
The nave of the Grand Palais, built in a pre-electrical age to allow the most possible natural light inside, is the largest glass roof of its kind in Europe, supported by more steel than the Eiffel Tower.
North of the Grand Palais lies the Champs-Élysées, the avenue that leads to the Arc de Triomphe. Cycling fans will recognize it as the finishing stage of the Tour de France.
Pont Alexandre III, decked out with golden statues, links the Grand Palais with the Esplanade des Invalides garden, where archery, athletics and road-cycling events are being held.

Eiffel Tower and Champ-de-Mars

Beach volleyball is played at the Champ-de-Mars arena near the Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s most famous structures. On a clear day, the sun sets upon the players in a spectacular setting. It is hot now in Paris, and spectators – many shirtless – enjoy the Games under clear skies. It feels a little like a music festival, reminding one that this is a sport born on beaches, by the sea, on warm days.

Since the Eiffel Tower opened in 1889, hundreds of millions of sightseers have taken home warm memories and photos of the historic Paris monument. But winning athletes get a little more than that this year: Each medal contains a small piece of iron removed from the tower during renovation work.

Place de Concorde, Tuileries Garden and the Louvre

In the heart of the Tuileries Garden, between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement, thousands of people flock every evening to witness the Olympic cauldron rise above the city in a hot-air balloon in what has become a national and international sensation. Parisians are now petitioning for the installation to stay after the Games – just as the Eiffel Tower was not dismantled as planned initially, allowing it to become an enduring symbol of Paris.

One of the two Luxor obelisks, built more than 3,000 years ago for a temple on the Nile, watches over Place de Concorde in Paris. The matching obelisk is still in Egypt.
Place de Concorde is the venue for 3x3 basketball, which debuted at Tokyo in 2021. This is Canada’s first time competing: On Aug. 5, the women’s team was busy taking on Germany in the semifinals.
After a men’s cycling race, visitors explore the Place du Carrousel at the Louvre, a former royal palace whose art museum now houses some of western art’s greatest treasures.
A shop in Rue de Rivoli, the street leading up to the Louvre and Tuileries Garden, displays the flags of countries competing at the Games, including Canada’s.
Olympic fever has not dampened the busy nightlife on the right bank of the Seine, but it has redirected some of it to a new attraction: The balloon that rises over the Olympic cauldron at the Tuileries, where the Montgolfier brothers publicly tested out hot-air ballooning in 1783.

The Paris dispatch: More Olympics coverage

The Decibel

Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh went to Paris with high expectations, but she had a plan. On The Decibel, Grant Robertson explained how the 17-year-old’s approach paid off and which of her teammates also made it to the podium. Subscribe for more episodes.


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