Interaction between Olympism and Host Cities: The Example of Paris

Abstract

The Olympic phenomenon is the expression of the globalization of sport. It is entrusted to and appropriated by each host city that then records its history. The interaction between the Olympic spirit and the area of the host city is at the heart of this research. Our aim is to bring to light the imprint left by the Olympics in the host cities and how the cities themselves have impacted the Olympic movement. Having hosted the Games in 1900 and 1924, and about to do it again in 2024, Paris is our example. What do these events have in common? Answering this question also sheds light on the concept of legacy, central in the discourse of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today. The material dimensions of this legacy as well as the less tangible ones will be addressed, but above all this legacy will not be viewed as unidirectional. Indeed, the results of this work highlight not only the tangible elements, particularly for sports amenities, but also, as rarely discussed in peer-reviewed journals, the mirror effect of the territory on Olympism. In so doing, we shall highlight the significant Parisian influence on the sports movement.