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On July 26 last year, the fireworks for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were fired. This is a sporting event of global reach: 206 countries, 10,500 athletes in 45 different sports disciplines.

Beyond the logistical and security aspects, it is also a unique opportunity for the host country to promote its culture, heritage, and talents, in order to exercise as much soft power as possible. This concept was introduced by Joseph Nye and translates into a country’s ability to influence others without resorting to coercive methods. In this sense, the challenges are numerous, but the potential benefits are also great.

Furthermore, the Games are used as a geopolitical tool and are not exempt from the conflicts and tensions that are plaguing the world. Moreover, the Paris Olympic Games are taking place in the most unstable international context since the 1980s.

Geopolitical aspects

Beyond being a sporting celebration, the Olympic Games undeniably reflect the complexities and tensions that exist around the world.

For example, the USSR demanded in 1953 to be separated from athletes from capitalist countries; China withdrew in 1956 due to Taiwan’s recognition by the Olympic Committee; in Munich in 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists; in 1980, dozens of Western countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics, etc.

In order to grasp the current international landscape and the geopolitical tensions surrounding these Games, it is essential to consider primarily these three pillars: the absence of Russia and Belarus as nations, the participation of Palestine and Israel, and the configuration of the Olympic team of refugees.

Thus, even in its unofficial absence, Russia sparks discussion. It was excluded from the Paris Olympics due to the conflict with Ukraine. Thus, Russian athletes cannot claim to represent their country and must participate as neutral individual athletes. This decision was not widely appreciated by President Putin because it deprives Russia of the opportunity to showcase the value of its model in front of an international audience, at a time when it is in dire need of it. It is not uncommon for

Host countries use events of this magnitude to improve or promote a positive image of the country; this is what Hitler did during the Berlin Games in 1936, seizing the opportunity to present to the world the alleged superiority of Nazi Germany.

Then, the conflict between Palestine and Israel and their respective participation in the Olympics sparked reactions from the French and also from delegations. The Palestinian Olympic Committee asked, very late in the day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude the Israeli delegation from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris for violating the Olympic truce. The request was rejected.

Enhanced protection has been put in place for Israeli athletes 24 hours a day.

Then, the participation of the Olympic team of refugees, composed of 36 athletes, symbolizes the impact of international tensions on the lives of millions of people and once again reflects the global geopolitical dynamics. Moreover, the number of athletes that make up this team is in

An increase, with 7 more people than at the 2020 Tokyo Games. In addition, 64% come from the Middle East (Afghanistan, Syria and Iran), of which 56.5% are Iranians, which represents 36.1% of the total number of athletes from the refugee team. For the rest, seven people come from the African continent (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Congo, Cameroon and Sudan) and five others from Latin America (Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela).

Yet, aside from being a reflection of the tensions and conflicts in the world, these athletes are also a symbol of hope for all refugees around the world, participating for the third time in the Games and in twelve different Olympic disciplines: athletics, badminton, breaking, wrestling, judo, canoeing, cycling, weightlifting, badminton, boxing, swimming, taekwondo and shooting.

An undeniable political and soft power element

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games aim to promote unity and respect between nations despite their deep rivalries, as evidenced by the emblematic intertwined rings.

Nevertheless, they take place in a tense geopolitical context, marked by a redefinition of

the global order through conflicts and rivalry, where influence warfare, or in other words, soft power, also plays an essential role.

The Games are therefore extremely important as they allow for the projection to be conveyed.

The international level that one wishes for. The number of Olympic medals won is seen as an indicator of a country’s ability to train its athletes to place them as leaders.

world championships, in order to promote a positive image of the country and to increase its prestige. Moreover, «

The Olympic idea of the modern era symbolizes a world war, which does not show its military character openly, but which gives – to those who know how to read sports statistics – a sufficient overview of the hierarchy of nations … » (citation from a German sports newspaper of 1913).

As we can see, China is strengthening its position to take the first place, already coveted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, against the United States. France has also seized the opportunity and currently ranks fourth, behind these two superpowers and the island continent of Australia. French sports diplomacy has therefore evolved into a global diplomacy, in order to support French sport on the international stage and to instrumentalize it for foreign policy purposes.

As the host country, France’s soft power stands out not only for its victories and the organization of the event, but especially for the opening ceremony, since it is an opportunity for the political authorities of the host country to show their greatness and their historical depth. Political power is omnipresent on this occasion.

It was revealed as it traveled across the entire city of Paris, with the Seine as the guiding thread and an Olympic flame that closed the night by flying over the city, allowing the media to capture the incredible Parisian landscape. An unprecedented and full of symbolism approach to highlight its diversity and capitalize on Paris’s powerful scene as a symbol of French greatness.

The Olympic Games therefore become a political, cultural, and economic arena, fostering cultural diplomacy and the spread of values dear to France. For example, these Olympic Games were the first to introduce gender quotas in the classification of athletes and developed a strong sense of environmental responsibility.

However, since April 2023, and in the hope of overcoming a disturbing reality, 5,200 migrants have been transferred from Paris to other French regions to be temporarily accommodated.

On the other hand, France finds itself in an era where some consider it the symbol of European decline, in search of a new identity. Consequently, many questions are swirling through the mind, notably regarding the appropriateness of the timing of the Olympic Games and the effectiveness of the ceremony intended to illustrate France’s greatness on the international stage.

Nevertheless, what is beyond doubt is that she managed to attract attention by coming out of it.

conventional, proud of who they are and fighting against the weather events. 86% French people considered the inauguration to be successful, despite the controversies and international criticism of some scenes. Moreover, according to several polls, President Emmanuel Macron and especially Prime Minister Gabriel Attal seem to have benefited from a slight improvement in public opinion thanks to these Games, instrumentalized to evoke a sense of national pride that is always beneficial to those in power.