‘City of Light' glowing

What was the star of one of the "alltime great" Olympics? It was quite simply Paris, due to the imagination of the organisers in placing temporary venues among world-renowned landmarks.

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That is the view of Hugh Robertson, the British minister responsible for delivering the 2012 London Games, and two former IOC executives.

From beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower to the elegant surroundings of the Palace of Versailles for the equestrian events and the grandeur of the Grand Palais for fencing and taekwondo, the Paris Games were a veritable tourists' guide to the "City of Light".

Michael Payne, a former head of marketing at the IOC, said that in terms of legacy Paris had succeeded in ensuring the "Olympics are clearly back" after "the chaos of Rio" and the Covid-affected 2021 Tokyo edition.

"These Games will go down as one of the all-time great Olympic Games," the 66-year-old Irishman told AFP.