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The volunteers in Paris are kind, supportive and amazing
I have attended a number of international marathons and international championships in Europe, Canada, the USA and Africa and observed how volunteers are, at times, underrated in how they make any event successful and lively. Volunteers offer valuable information, direct visitors to their places of work and distribute relevant materials and refreshments as needed. But, smiling at them, offering to carry their extra luggage and talking nicely to them is the extra mile that some volunteers take to make an event amazing.
45,000 volunteers are supporting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Volunteers “are the face, soul, heart, and smile of our Games,” read part of the advert, which sought people who spoke French or English to apply.
I watched as a batch of Kenyan athletes arrived at the airport in Paris. One of the volunteers leading them, apparently, to the shuttle to take them to the athletes’ village offered to carry an extra piece of luggage for one of the athletes. That was not part of the volunteering work, but this lady went the extra mile to make the Kenyan runner feel more welcome and at home in Paris.
South Korean and North Korean athletes take selfies together on the Podium
North and South Korea have been long-time sworn enemies, and the tension between the two countries continues. But, athletes from the two nations showed the world why sports should serve to unite and create peace in the world.
In an event won by China, North Korea won silver, while South Korea won bronze in the mixed Tennis doubles. South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony, to great cheering from the audience.
The safety of athletes is priority number 1 at the Games
When experts tested the level of water pollution in the Seine River and postponed the triathlon event, many may see it as a negative occurrence at the Games. But this goes a long way in showing how the Olympic authorities are doing their best to prioritize athletes’ safety above everything else.
There is a lot of military deployment to secure the venue. According to General Christophe Abad, who heads the security operations in Paris, he believes that since the end of the Second World War, “there has never been such a massive mobilization of military forces on French soil.”
The Mondo track that will be used for Athletics is 2% faster than that used in Tokyo 2020
When athletics begin on Friday, there should be exciting racing after, in an interview with the BBC, the Mondo company, named after its founder Edmondo Stroppiana, expressed its confidence in the Paris track being its fastest yet and 2% faster than the one used at the last Olympics.
“Beneath the purple lies a rubber track with two layers. The lower level has honeycomb cells, where air absorbs the shock of your foot landing, then pushes out, feeding the energy back as your foot takes off,” Mr Stroppiana explained.
Parent athletes will have a space to be with their young children:
The dedicated area, provided by the IOC and Paris 2024 Organising Committee, will be available to parent athletes and their children of nappy/diaper-wearing age.
Located in the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Village Plaza, the nursery will enable athletes to spend quality time with their young children and provide private space for breastfeeding.
Children and their dedicated caregivers will be able to visit the space by obtaining a guest pass from their relevant National Olympic Committee (NOC). The space will provide a comfortable and calm environment featuring private breastfeeding space, safe play areas and nappy-changing facilities.
Every athlete competing at the games got a new phone with free internet and airtime
The International Olympics Committee teamed up with Samsung, the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, to enhance the Paris 2024 experience for all athletes competing with a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition.
Available to every competing athlete, the limited-edition phone will come loaded with 100GB of data and unlimited texts and calls, allowing you to get online and stay connected with friends and family throughout the Games.