Council of Europe’s Post

As a big track & field (a.k.a. athletics) fan, I often get frustrated when people who don’t understand the sport put their ignornance on display. I saw so many comments on social media about Kishane Thompson getting robbed in the 100. That Noah Lyles did not deserve to win. But track has clear rules. The winner of a race is the one whose torso crosses the line first. Not the foot. Not the hand. Not the head. Only the torso counts. And photo-finish technology makes it impossible to make an error. This technology tells you the place and time of every runner in the race. In this video, Ato Boldon, who I think is the best track & field commentator and analyst, does an excellent job of explaining the race.

The Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024 opening ceremony was a resounding success, showcasing France's immense capabilities on a global stage. Despite the pouring rain, the innovative use of the River Seine was praised worldwide for its creativity and grandeur. Described as "joyful, daring, and atypical," the ceremony demonstrated France's ability to inspire and lead. The success of this event instills hope that our country's greatness will be recognized amidst prevailing negative perceptions. France, a global leader in various sectors, continues to display strength and resilience, maintaining significant influence within the European Union and globally. These Olympic Games symbolize unity and national pride, countering divisive rhetoric and actions of extremists. The event's success threatens their agendas by showcasing France's potential when united, further marginalizing extremist influences and reinforcing collective strength. Despite media focus on decline, events like the Paris 2024 Olympic Games reveal the true extent of France's capabilities. Let's shift our perspective, celebrate successes, and continue inspiring the world. #Paris2024 #Franceinspires #CelebrateSuccess #Unityindiversity #Innovation #FrenchPride #BeyondNegativity #GlobalLeader

If you listen to our politicians and those in charge of Olympic sports, it seems that the #Paris2024 #Olympics have succeeded. Without wanting to take any (individual) credit away from our medal winners, who have a lot of it, our performance as a country has been mediocre. We triumphed in the league of the mediocre. It reminds me of many of our politicians in charge of Science and their position concerning our international rankings in Science. We would have to compete with the UK, France, the Netherlands and Italy (between 33 and 60 medals), but we are far from those numbers, just like in science. Both sides justify the situation by throwing the baby out with the bathwater when they are responsible. The reasons are the same in both cases: an inadequate sports (or Science) policy and inadequate funding (both for primary sports and science). Now we are witnessing the "they gave everything"; we have a record of "fourth places," and "we were very unlucky." A permanent déjà vu that happens every four years (in Science, we see it every day). Make appropriate and competent policies (for which we need competent responsibles) and put in the money we need to put in and we will see many more gold medals and perhaps a Spanish Nobel Prize in Science.

🥇Should we expect Olympic-related growth for France? 🏃🏻♀️🏃🏻♂️ Will it be temporary or long-lasting? Discover the potential benefits of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games for the French economy in the latest paper from Hadrien Camatte: https://lnkd.in/eKPKg49p

Later this week, my home country of France will host an estimated 15 million visitors and millions more viewers of the Olympics (July 26 - August 11) and Paralympics (August 28 - September 8). This will be France's sixth occasion hosting the Olympics and I will be proudly present in Paris to admire the tennis players smashing yellow balls. 🎾 Whether you admire the Games for their athleticism or national pride, they deliver a spectacular experience. People generally perceive winning the bid to host the Olympics as an honor. However, there is growing concern about the negative financial, environmental, and social impacts. The Olympics is a complex catalyst for urban redevelopment. Read more in my recent blog post here: https://lnkd.in/e8jr4pbD In both sports and city management, defense is often the best offense. Enhance your city-wide data for better, faster, and more defensible decisions. Contact City Detect today: https://lnkd.in/epE-Xkvp #Paris2024 #ParisOlympics #Olympics #Paralympics2024 #Blight #UrbanCleanUp #AIforGood #CityDetect #BlightDetection

With host cities often saddled with high debts and sparsely used infrastructure in post-event years, are the Olympics really worth the billion-dollar price tag? Read my latest ✍ for Al Arabiya English #Paris2024 #Olympics

Top 50 Questions from Paris Olympics 2024 for NDA-2 2024 | These Questions are useful not just defence exams but also for other competitive exams as well. Check now: https://lnkd.in/gsQZNxEp #olympics2024paris #olympicgames #olympics2024question

The opening ceremonies of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, captured on film, the first Olympics I can remember, with the entrance of the Olympic flame, accompanied by the greatest middle distance runners of the world including Kip Keino and Jim Ryun who competed on this track. These Games that began in such overt joy (and synthesizer music) and hope ended tragically and so the hopes of the city of Munich and of West Germany to finally put the horrors of the past in the past were dashed in violence. The murder of the Israeli athletes who came only to compete remains a tear in the fabric of sport. The Olympic Games, even with the attendant politics, commercialism, and corruption that accompany them, for me represent the purest of striving and of hope for the future. As the youth of the world assembles in Paris, a city of incomparable beauty, it is both my hope and prayer, that these Games go off without violence and honor the spirit of the athletes assembled and that even in a divided contentious world we can celebrate the human spirit. By the time they end, I do know that the athletes in victory and defeat will have honored that spirit. I am fortunate enough, after being an 8 year-old watching those Munich opening ceremonies from my Grandmother's sofa, to now work with several sport organizations from the U.S. and Canada competing in Paris and who are living the vision of a better world I saw for the first time on display in Munich. #Olympics #OlympicSpirit #Paris2024 #OlympicHistory #ValueofSport #Aspriation #BeautyofSport

It's Friday, a great day to reflect on the past week and plan for the coming one. The recent Olympic Games in Paris have left us all in awe. While the USA and China dominated the medal count, let's shift our perspective towards the European Union nations that excelled, proving that unity is strength. 4 EU nations are under the top 10 Olympic medal winning nations. Together, all the EU nations, excluding the UK, amassed an impressive 309 Olympic medals. This collective achievement showcases the power of collaboration in sports, mirroring the EU's essence of acting together for greater success in various aspects of life. The per capita breakdown further solidifies the EU's status as a sports superpower. EU: 1 Olympic medal per 1.44m capita USA: 1 Olympic medal per 2.58m capita China: 1 Olympic medal per 15.48m capita This data emphasizes the remarkable outcomes that can be attained through combined talent, expertise, and hard work. Just imagine the strength if the UK were still part of the EU, adding to this impressive display of unity and excellence. Check out the full breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/eyPyJwV3 Other source: www.statista.com #Olympics #EuropeanUnion #Unity #SportsSuperpower

The opening ceremony was 'Seine-sational'! It broke free, quite literally! From the confinements of the stadium. The iconic river became a spectacle for the fans. With athletes parading on boats along its waters. With the entirety of Paris being lit up, it was the first time in Olympic history that an opening ceremony was a non-stadium affair. In addition, there are a couple of other interesting facts about the Paris Games. So folks, Let's take a dip: 1). Paris enters an elite club: As the games were declared wide open yesterday, the city became only the second in the history of the mega event to host the Games thrice after London (1908, 1948, 2012). Previously, Paris hosted the Summer Olympics in 1900 and 1924. 2). The mascot is a hat??: Wait, what??? Yes! You heard it right. Unlike an animal or a human figure used as an official mascot, the French did the unusual and the most French thing by unveiling Phryges (pronounced as Free-jes). By the looks, it is a small red conical hat with a curved tip, but culturally for the French people, the hat is a symbol of revolution, liberation and freedom. These hats are visible on French coins and stamps. 3). Medallists to take a piece of the Eiffel?: Yes! It is true. Each medal will contain a piece of iron (18 gms) from the Eiffel Tower renovation scraps. And that piece of Paris' most iconic landmark will be included in the heart of both the Olympic and the Paralympic medals. #olympics #paris2024 #parisolympics #paris2024openingceremony